First Concert and Best Concert

[Been Jammin]

@Cordellhall83 's post in the Styx thread got me thinking about the first concert I attended and that led to me deciding what I thought was the best concert I attended.

First Concert: The Cars. 1980. Featuring songs from their debut album.
Best Concert: Journey (with Bryan Adams opening). 1983. Incredible show. Only other show that I considered putting here was Rush 1994. Decided to go to Reunion Arena at the last minute. Bought tickets from scalper and ended up 6th row center. Was mesmerized by the performance...especially Neil Peart.

 

[OSUDirt]

First concert - Chicago in Wichita with my pastor.

Best concert - either White Stripes in KC or Dead Weather in Brooklyn

 

[Colorado_Poke]

First - small band called Seven Nations, circa 1998. Saw them at a Scottish festival in Estes Park, CO. Rock music + bagpipes = greatness. I have no clue if they're around anymore, but they were a lot of fun at a live show.

Best - Nine Inch Nails at the BOK Center circa 2008. The music was good, but the performance was incredible. Would definitely pay to see them again.

 

[KCCowboy1]

First concert Elvis, back in 73 or 74 in Ft. Worth(I was 6). Had no idea the magnitude at the time.

Best concert to me Elton John the opening night of the Sprint Center in KC. Very close 2nd was Rascal Flatts. Just liked when the 3 of them were by themselves with guitars singing in the middle of the crowd.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

First - Page & Plant in 1995
Best - Arcade Fire in 2014

 

[EvilPOKES]

First concert ACDC in 2001.
Best concert ACDC in 2001. Second to Opeth 2013. Third Meshuggah 2008.

 

[Cowpoke]

First, Pearl Jam, OKC 1993.

Best? Probably LeDoux's Calf Frys mid 90's

 

[Orange Jennyslipper]

First and best? Just a minute...

Nope, sorry, can't remember either one.

 

[boxter]

1st Grand Funk with REO speed wagon 73

Best? Too many. Pink Floyd in 77 at Ft worth, 1st Texas jamb, Oklahoma jam in 78 when Van Halen was just coming out. DLR in leather pants in the daytime heat in August and was on point.
Sabbath & Boston in Tulsa. Zeppelin in 77 Okc.
Queen the game your. Little Feat in Norman.
Last eagles show with Bernie Leadon in Okc was dang good.

 

[GratefulDave]

1st van halen 1982 myriad
Best pink Floyd 1994 mile high stadium

 

[AC_Exotic]

First KISS in 1977 or 78

Best hmm ... I always really enjoyed ZZ Top live.

 

[SamuraiFred]

First: def leopard 1999 tulsa fairgrounds
Best: John Mayer bok center 2010

 

[Marshal Jim Duncan]

First Concert: Elvis Presley, March 1974 at the Mabee Center

Best Concert: hard to pick one. Maybe Avett Brothers at the Brady, Black Keys at Cain's, or Wilco at Cain's.

 

[anon_ph7vrsh7abnty]

I can now see why some of us don't get along.

 

[MajorMike_Ret]

1st was Beach Boys at old 89ers stadium after a game on 4th of July, I think. Had to have been early 80s.

I have lots of greats (tallica on Justice tour with Queensryche, Aerosmith with GNR when they were a nobody, Kiss/Winger/Slaughter, Journey/Loverboy/Starship).

But best was not because of who it was because of, the occurrence. Was 96 in Germany and we used to go to this really hole in the wall bar in the Sachsenhausen district of Frankfurt called Negativ. It was down at the end of the street off in an alley downstairs, sort of place only the locals know. Crowd was sort of vampire/emo/punk. Basically if you took a black and white photo of your stereotypical punk rocker with no color that was it. We were sort of the resident accepted 'ugly Americans'. Anyhoo, they played the rock fare of the time (Green Day, Soundgarden, STP, Garbage, AIC, Pumpkins, Cranberries) with some occasional thrash, German stuff and whatnot, plus old tallica, etc. They sometimes had live bands but it was an itty bitty place, no more than 40-50 people. So one night we show up and some crappy band was on the stage and we were gonna go but all of a sudden people started going crazy and Trent Reznor and NIN came out and started playing and it was incredibly insane. Actually sounded amazing for all the screeching and screaming going on. They ended the night with this sort of Head like a Hole / Kill all the Whiteman medley mosh and totally destroyed all the instruments on stage at the end. I actually got pegged in the eyeball by a flying key off his keyboard, which I still have packed away some where.

 

[hollywood]

First: The Kinks, 1978, Oklahoma Civic Center - some relatively unknown, but up and coming band called Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers opened for them.

Best: Bruce Springsteen, 1979, Lloyd Noble only his 3rd concert after finally settling his lawsuit against his record company which had prevented him from performing for numerous years. Clarence Clemons stole the show.

 

[long-duc-dong]

First - My mom took me to a Doobie Brothers concert at the Loyd Noble in '78 (I was 8). Remember vividly the people sitting around us passing the reefer and offering some to me. Pretty cool experience.

Best - Billy Joel was always good.

 

[cableok]

First: .38 Special and Foreigner in 1986

Best: Lalapolooza in Dallas (maybe 1992?)

Best result: Motley Crue (1988) - girl I was with was pulled on stage for two songs. Let's just say she was very happy.

 

[osutater]

First: Kattfestt 98 or 99 at the old 89'er stadium in OKC. STP played and Weiland was out of his mind.

Best: Korn and Disturbed on Halloween

 

[csh]

Can't remember the first. Morrissey '06 in OKC was probably the best. Weird dude, but pretty cool that he would go to lesser populated areas. Recently, Tears for Fears and The Pixies were just about as good.

 

[HighStickHarry]

First was Garth brooks when I was in fifth grade at Gallagher Iba. Best was gnfnr last week.

 

[MegaPoke]

First was Aerosmith.

Best experience was my band opening for REO Speedwagon.

Best concert is hard to say. Best stage show is always KISS. Best seats were front row at Metallica. But my favorite was RUSH. I cannot stress enough how amazing their musicianship is and its both inspiring and humbling as a musician to watch them live.

Cheap Trick was incredibly fun.

Disappointments; Motley Crue, Def Leppard. Both singers have lost a lot in my opinion and relied too much on down tuning, prerecorded vocals and/or holding the mic out to the audience for US to sing the high parts. Also, Crue just cusses too much. Might have been edgy when they were 22. Now it's just a bunch of old guys dropping f bombs. Lame.

Loudest AND best contact high were Skynnard.

 

[TPOKE]

First was KISS in 1977, Wichita at $7.50 a ticket. Best is hard to say, I'd have to say Rolling Stones in 1981.

Others I've seen - Boston, Rush (1981 and 2010), 38 Special, Molly Hatchet, Van Halen (1984), Scorpions, Alabama, Garth, John Cougar Mellencamp, Heart, Ozzy, Reba (very good show), Billy Joel and Elton John. With my age and these shows got to see Sammy Hagar, Bon Jovi, Loverboy, George Thorogood, Night Ranger (meh) and Rob Zombie as warm up bands.

Really have a lot of favorites. To see bands live in the 70's and 80's, before MTV, after only hearing them was awesome.

 

[osu_orangestreak]

First - Beach Boys and Poco at ORU

Best - Bruce Springsteen every time, The two best was his first show back after the death of Danny Federici in Tampa and the tour before the current one where he had Tom Morello on lead guitar.

Also went to a couple of Rage Against The Machine and Beastie Boys shows.

 

[HighStickHarry]

Not the first or the best but I usually have the best time at a great divide concert. Going to miss them this weekend but I will probably see them this summer at billy bobs agan

 

[100TonsofOrangeFury]

Not the first or the best but I usually have the best time at a great divide concert. Going to miss them this weekend but I will probably see them this summer at billy bobs agan

First: Don Henley at the Zoo Ampitheatre in 1985. Really good, but I was shocked at how loud live music was.

Best: U2 in Dallas at the AAC around 2005. Best exchange of energy between a crowd and a band I've ever been a part of. Stood on the front row of another show at Jerryworld a few years later, but AAC was the best. U2's give-a-shit factor is higher than everyone else's I've been to. Don Henley in 2012 was probably the lowest.

 

[Cordellhall83]

First: Styx in 1979 with April Wine as warm up.
Best: Probably Kansas at Gallagher Iba in 1982. Loverboy was the warm up.

ZZ Top's Eliminator Tour in Tulsa is very close to Best.

 

[mseabolt]

First - Elvis, Myriad 1976 w/parents - Without parents Alice Cooper, Myriad 77 (I think)

Best - Almost impossible to to choose this If you asked again in a few months I may have changed my mind. But I'll go with a damn near perfect last minute full rock show by Jason Isbell at the Bricktown Music Hall (holds about 300) a few months after Southeastern was released and he really started blowing up. He was to be third in line opening for Allison Krauss and Union Station and Willie Nelson at the Zoo but the show was cancelled last minute. Through Twitter I hear he's playing in Bricktown for $20.

See, by the time I finished that I was already thinking it should be Knopfler at The Majestic Theater in Dallas.

 

[3putt]

First Hall and Oats, Tulsa 82'

Best Sawyer Brown at the Rose in Muskogee. Unknown to me, Ronnie Dunn opened for them.

I haven't been to very many concerts.

 

[100TonsofOrangeFury]

See, by the time I finished that I was already thinking it should be Knopfler at The Majestic Theater in Dallas.

Are you joking? Knopfler's give-a-shit factor was about half a notch higher than Henley's. What could've been a 10 ended up a 5. Glad you dug it more than I did.

 

[mseabolt]

Are you joking? Knopfler's give-a-shit factor was about half a notch higher than Henley's. What could've been a 10 ended up a 5. Glad you dug it more than I did.

Just because I am a Knopfler uber fan probably .. Kind of like a friend once told me .. Sturgill Simpson could fart an album and he'd still buy it.

 

[SKC]

First was Stryper in 87/88? at the Tulsa Fair Grounds

Best concert/location - Harry Connick Jr at Red Rocks. Love HCJr's shows, but can't beat Red Rocks.
Best crowd/band interaction - Bon Jovi at Soldier Field in 06

Honorable mention: Billy Joel (OKC 07), Phil Collins (OKC 06/07?), Garth (GIA 91)

 

[cactusjackosu]

First concert was Heart. 13th row and I was in love with both Nancy and Ann Wilson. I think it was 1977.

Best concert is a very hard decision.

Coolest would be Van Halen in 1978 I think at the Fairgrounds grandstand when they were just starting to hit.

Summer of 82 I caught 2 big shows

The summer jam in Kansas City with Triumph, Heart, 38 Special, Foreigner and others. Early Summer I think
Rock and Roll Superbowl in Dallas with Ozzy, Foreigner, Loverboy and others I can't remember. Late summer (Ozzy came out with his head shaved. Probably was a fake as we were pretty far back and tripping hard)

Favorite was every Rush concert I've seen. Always perfection!

 

[Cowguy]

First - Elvis, Myriad 1976 w/parents - Without parents Alice Cooper, Myriad 77 (I think)

Best - Almost impossible to to choose this If you asked again in a few months I may have changed my mind. But I'll go with a damn near perfect last minute full rock show by Jason Isbell at the Bricktown Music Hall (holds about 300) a few months after Southeastern was released and he really started blowing up. He was to be third in line opening for Allison Krauss and Union Station and Willie Nelson at the Zoo but the show was cancelled last minute. Through Twitter I hear he's playing in Bricktown for $20.

See, by the time I finished that I was already thinking it should be Knopfler at The Majestic Theater in Dallas.

Dang you beat me to it! The Isbell impromptu was just magic.

This was a tough one. Saw Joe Cocker, up close, at the civic center in 95. Played over two hours and was just on fire. We were down in Austin in 94, over Christmas visiting my mom and she bought us Jerry Jeff Walker tickets for our anniversary. He played everything. Even retuned for hill country rain, which he rarely played live.

First concert was Ted Nugent in Amarillo. I think 77? I was hearing impaired for a week after.

Timely to current events - wife and I saw Prince, at reunion arena in 87. Talk about a great showman. Just terrific entertainment.

 

[AC_Exotic]

I would love to say Rush was my best concert (1981), but I was so smashed that the police escorted me out of the building.

The took me to the stairs leading to the underground garage under the old Myriad arena, pushed me out the door and I fell down the full flight of stairs. I rode to the concert with a long time buddy, but to this day still don't know how I made it home. As an aside, I haven't even seen the dude since then. Hope he's still alive.

There's a lot more that happened that night and a lot of it was incriminating and illegal. I don't know if I'll ever fess up.

So yeah, Rush in 1981 was awesome ... or so I've been told.

I saw some pretty radical lifestyle changes in my life not long after that. I hardly recognize the dude from 1981.

 

[J.R. Murphy's]

First was Metallica in January of 1992 at the Expo Square Pavilion. I was 14. Still can't believe my parents let me go.

Best. So many. I'll narrow it down to the following

1. Nine Inch Nails. Downward Spiral Tour. Expo Square Pavilion. Tulsa, OK. November of 1994.
2. Roger Waters. Performed Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. Superpages.com Center. Dallas, TX. May of 2008.
3. Sepultura, Fear Factory, Clutch. Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, OK. April of 1994.
4. Black Sabbath. Sprint Center, Kansas City, February 2016

 

[FalseGod]

First show was Nirvana with The Breeders and Shonen Knife in 1992.

Quickly followed by Carcass and Life of Agony.

As for a favorite there is not one having seen thousands of bands live now, it's hard to pick just one. However my favorite music experience ever is 70,000 Tons of Metal. Heavy metal festival on a cruise ship, which was life changing for me. Never had such a good time and seen so much good music.

 

[gipraw]

First show: Little River Band, OKC Civic Center, 1977, Jay Ferguson was the opener.

No way I can choose just one or two as best, so I broke it down a bit:

Best concert ever: One of the 53 times I have seen Rush. The three straight nights I saw them in Germany in 1992 stand out as some of my favorite shows, along with The 2010 Time Machine tour, which is the first time my kids saw them with me.

Best small venue show: Body Count @ CBGB's in 1991 or Front 242 in NYC, 1991. Can't remember the club. Skipped U2 to see 242 and it was a fantastic decision.

Most memorable: Sitting up on the side of the stage watching my buddy's band, god Lives underwater, open for Lords of Acid in 1995. No one knew who GLU was at the time, and they just blew the doors off the place. Lords of Acid and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult were amazing as well. An unbelievable memory.

 

[JohnVoight]

First: the fuc*ing Eagles at the then Ford Center

Best: I'll give 2. The first one may be attributable to recency bias, but Sturgill Simpson at the Fillmore in San Francisco was fantastic. I had seen him ~1 year prior at the same venue when he opened for the Drive-By Truckers and it's cool to progress with an artist/band like that, from opening act to headlining. I knew then that would be the smallest/most intimate venue I'd ever get to see him play in (and he played a much larger venue in Oakland about a year later) and he didn't disappoint. Crowd was electric.

Something not so recent: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals at the Brady Theater. Although not a creative peak for the band in terms of music they were writing/putting out for fans, it may have been a "live performance" peak as Ryan had gotten sober a few years earlier. I was at the height of my fandom so my memory may be biased here as well. That said, I heard about every song I could reasonably hope to hear (with a musician with such a vast catalogue) in a great venue. As a bonus, was able to snag the live recording of the show via befriending a fellow concert attendee.

If GnR doesn't fall apart between now and August, based on everything I've seen and read, may be updating this list in a few months.

 

[NipponPoke]

First concert: James Brown at the Bowery in OKC in '85. Can still see the band in those turquoise suits.

Best concert: James Brown at the Bowery in OKC in '85. It's been all downhill ever since.