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treaclefingers

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DaveG
The Rolling Stones Hollywood Bowl, July 25, 1966

And a month later . . .

The Beatles, Dodger Stadium. August 28, 1966

Thinking back, what an incredible way to begin my fantastic concert journey!

Probably inconceivable at the time it would be the last Beatles tour.

Brian only played 2 more shows in the US, San Fran and Honolulu. Also, Ronettes opened for the Beatles on this tour, although Ronnie didn't tour because Spector was jealous of her hanging out with them! Her cousin filled in, not sure what ever happened to her. I believe this would be the Ronettes final tour. Both of these would have probably being inconceivable at the time, too!

Bee Gees- Providence, 1979…

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DGA35

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treaclefingers

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DaveG
The Rolling Stones Hollywood Bowl, July 25, 1966

And a month later . . .

The Beatles, Dodger Stadium. August 28, 1966

Thinking back, what an incredible way to begin my fantastic concert journey!

Probably inconceivable at the time it would be the last Beatles tour.

Brian only played 2 more shows in the US, San Fran and Honolulu. Also, Ronettes opened for the Beatles on this tour, although Ronnie didn't tour because Spector was jealous of her hanging out with them! Her cousin filled in, not sure what ever happened to her. I believe this would be the Ronettes final tour. Both of these would have probably being inconceivable at the time, too!

treaclefingers, yeah, it’s hard to believe that after 2 more shows, they became a studio band. Last night I watched a film of their 1964 show in Washington DC. It hit me that they would tour only 2 more years. To stop touring was a bold move, given their enormous popularity at the time. But who can argue with their creative output after that?

DGA35, I never knew that Ronnie wasn’t a part of that show. I thought they sounded great that evening. The other acts were The Cyrkle (Red Rubber Ball) and Bobby Hebb (Sunny). What a memorable evening!

The opening acts for the Stones were The McCoys, The Standells, and Buffalo Springfield. I had no idea of the bands and music that would eventually come out of Buffalo Springfield.

May 28, 1971 (Friday)

Mason

Norfolk Virginia
Norfolk Academy Gymnasium

Near the end of 11th grade. I was 16. Mason was a 1968-1974 Norfolk heavy rock trio who played a kind of, as best I can recall, Cream meets Tull sound. And they were good! They had recently released what would be their only album, Harbour. The concert was during the school day as well. No trip or tickets needed.

Starting in the late aughties I have sporadically, a show at a time, re-identified my history of hearing rocknroll live. I always remembered that Mason in our gym was my first concert, but just assumed the band has been thoroughly forgotten.

I was wrong.

Band bio:
[www.allmusic.com]

Harbour, it turns out, over the decades has become a highly regarded and sought-after album.
[www.allmusic.com]
Someplace I've got one of those rare original LPs. It was reissued in cd format in 1999 by Gear Fab, and in 2016 in LP by Out-Sider.

I've also assumed I'd never be able to pinpoint the date of that first, very obscure concert.

I'm happy to be wrong on that, too.

I finally went to a h.s. class reunion last fall. 2022 was the 50th. I dug out my old yearbooks to review who was who in our 89-person class. (It's the region's snootiest elite private school. I was a middleclass kid on scholarship all 3 yrs -- definitely never fit in. (So unique, right?)) I was suprised to rediscover in my 1972 senior yearbook a page dedicated to the concert. In one pic I'm even visible in the crowd sitting on the gym floor.

So, damn. I do have the exact date. A couple of pics of the band onstage. Photo evidence of being there... and I even get to see which of my classmates I was with. Who gets to still have all that, from 1971? And I find out the local band I thought had to be insignificant and unknown, while long gone actually remains highly respected.

So that little exploration down my rock concert memory lane, done in stages, was more rewarding than I ever expected.


A few other Hampton Roads, Virginia bands or performers who come to mind:
[Clarification: I haven't seen any of these in concert except Clarence.]

* Gene Vincent
* Link Wray (between living in NC and DC)
* Wayne Newton
* Gary U.S. Bonds
* Bill Deal and the Rhondells
* Clarence Clemons (my 1st Springsteen concert, 1978, I spoke to one of his family... easily identifiable, they were the only black people in the (small-ish) crowd)
* Bruce Hornsby
* Missy Elliott
* Pharrell Williams

And I'm sure many I'm not remembering or just never knew were from there to begin with.

While Chuck Berry did write
Left my home in Norfolk, Virginia,
California on my mind...

...he's not from there. He wrote The Promised Land in 1963 while in federal prison in... Arkansas? He borrowed the prison library's road atlas to construct the East Coast to West Coast route of his protagonist's pilgrimage, choosing the Greyhound station in Norfolk to start it.

Yet more trivia: Elvis loved Berry's The Promised Land, recorded it, and made it the title song of an album. The one and only day Elvis ever sang it in Norfolk, though, was July 20, 1975. I was there in Nofolk Scope for both shows, afternoon and evening. Age 20, and not yet really even an Elvis fan! (It's an involved story.)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-01-28 10:40 by TheBluesHadaBaby.

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TheBluesHadaBaby
A few other Hampton Roads, Virginia bands or performers who come to mind:

* Gene Vincent
* Link Wray (between living in NC and DC)
* Wayne Newton
* Gary U.S. Bonds
* Bill Deal and the Rhondells
* Clarence Clemons (my 1st Springsteen concert, 1978, I spoke to one of his family... easily identifiable, they were the only black people in the (small-ish) crowd)
* Bruce Hornsby
* Missy Elliott
* Pharrell Williams

What was Gene Vincent like? A real hero of mine!

See my edit/clarification. I waa just ticking off local musicians, I didn't see any of those except Clarence Clemons.

Sure wish I had seen Gene Vincent, Link Wray, and Gary U.S. Bonds!


I did get lucky and see (non-Virginian) Jerry Lee Lewis in 1982(?), tho, in a small venue, rockin show, drinking and.dancing... 10 feet(?) away from the Killer

The Rolling Stones, 06/01/1976, Dortmund, Westfalenhalle.

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TheBluesHadaBaby
See my edit/clarification. I waa just ticking off local musicians, I didn't see any of those except Clarence Clemons.

Sure wish I had seen Gene Vincent, Link Wray, and Gary U.S. Bonds!


I did get lucky and see (non-Virginian) Jerry Lee Lewis in 1982(?), tho, in a small venue, rockin show, drinking and.dancing... 10 feet(?) away from the Killer

Oops, I understand now.

I saw Jerry Lee Lewis 36 times from 1980 to 2008, and most shows up until 1995 were incredible (he became a little too frail and uninspired in later years). Best show by far was in Cambridge in 1987: He walked out on stage half-way through his band's warm-up song, and before even playing a note, proceeded to climb on top off the piano and jump off the end of it! He also did a couple of my requests that night, including 'Jackson' as a duet with his sister Linda Gail Lewis. Afterwards, he came out to the hotel bar, and sang and played the piano there, so we in effect got a 2nd, very private show!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2023-01-28 11:14 by Congratulations.

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DaveG

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DGA35

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treaclefingers

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DaveG
The Rolling Stones Hollywood Bowl, July 25, 1966

And a month later . . .

The Beatles, Dodger Stadium. August 28, 1966

Thinking back, what an incredible way to begin my fantastic concert journey!

Probably inconceivable at the time it would be the last Beatles tour.

Brian only played 2 more shows in the US, San Fran and Honolulu. Also, Ronettes opened for the Beatles on this tour, although Ronnie didn't tour because Spector was jealous of her hanging out with them! Her cousin filled in, not sure what ever happened to her. I believe this would be the Ronettes final tour. Both of these would have probably being inconceivable at the time, too!

treaclefingers, yeah, it’s hard to believe that after 2 more shows, they became a studio band. Last night I watched a film of their 1964 show in Washington DC. It hit me that they would tour only 2 more years. To stop touring was a bold move, given their enormous popularity at the time. But who can argue with their creative output after that?

DGA35, I never knew that Ronnie wasn’t a part of that show. I thought they sounded great that evening. The other acts were The Cyrkle (Red Rubber Ball) and Bobby Hebb (Sunny). What a memorable evening!

The opening acts for the Stones were The McCoys, The Standells, and Buffalo Springfield. I had no idea of the bands and music that would eventually come out of Buffalo Springfield.

Buffalo Springfield had been together for only a few months, and had only just begun to record their first album, when they opened for the Stones at the Hollywood Bowl. It's amazing that they were able to land such a prestigious gig so early in their career.

Btw, I was actually in L.A. for a couple of weeks in the summer of 1966. My mom took me to visit my grandfather who lived there. I was seven years old at the time. Among the attractions we visited was the Hollywood Bowl, where I had my photo taken, sitting in the vast, empty amphitheater. I also picked up a Hollywood Bowl summer of '66 concert schedule. Under July 25 it just said, "Stay tuned for a special announcement."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-01-28 13:43 by tatters.

The Hollies - Central Theatre. Chatham, Kent, U.K. Circa 2000-'01

Wishbone Ash, 1977, Ostseehalle Kiel, Germany

It was the first of many concerts.
For me it's one of the greatest things to do. I had so much joy and I have so many great memories.
Of course, The Rolling Stones are the greatest pleasure to see...



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2023-01-28 14:03 by micha063.

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Big Al
The Hollies - Central Theatre. Chatham, Kent, U.K. Circa 2000-'01

Was that when the late Carl Wayne led the band?

I saw The Hollies in 1987 (Canterbury), and they were fabulous. I then saw them in 1999 (Margate), and it was very clear that Allan Clarke's voice was shot, with many of the songs performed in drastically lowered keys. Not surprisingly, this turned out to be his final tour before leaving.

Oasis at Sjöhistoriska, Stockholm 1996, 3 days before the Knebworth shows.

Liam was like a mix of Nosferatu and Keith with a Guinness in his hand. Happy days!

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Congratulations

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Big Al
The Hollies - Central Theatre. Chatham, Kent, U.K. Circa 2000-'01

Was that when the late Carl Wayne led the band?

I saw The Hollies in 1987 (Canterbury), and they were fabulous. I then saw them in 1999 (Margate), and it was very clear that Allan Clarke's voice was shot, with many of the songs performed in drastically lowered keys. Not surprisingly, this turned out to be his final tour before leaving.

Yes, it was! I remember him being excellent. I'd started listening to The Move at around this time, so was quite pleased to see he was the vocalist. I think they recorded an album whilst he was briefly a member. It was a great show. Tony Hicks is such an under appreciated guitarist, and Bobby Elliott is one of the finest drummers.

What counts?

I guess the first rock groups I saw live was some local bands playing at my school festival or something. Mostly punk or rock-a-billy stuff that was popular at the time. Then some more well-known Finnish bands.

The first international touch was Ruisrock festival in summer 1982 when I was thirteen. The headliner was a band called U2. I don't have much recollection of them or other acts, but more about the whole atmosphere there. Lots of (Finnish way) drunken people and fooling around. For a schoolboy that was exciting but also a bit frightening.

Probably the first personally important gig I was really looking forward was Stevie Ray Vaughan in Pori Jazz Festival 1985. I recall hitchiking there with my friend. Got the dude's authograph as well.

My first stadium show was Queen at Wembley 1986. I was there in London due to a summer English course for a month. I was not any big Queen fan, but I wanted to experience a stadium concert (it was interesting to see so many 'old' people there, since in Finland the rock generation is a bit younger than in England). Yeah, that was an experience, but musically more important was seeing Buddy Guy and Junior Wells at Dingwalls in Camden Town - my first true blues gig. That was a helluva gig!

Then of 'First Concerts' I need to add two important, a dream-come-true-like, milestone gigs: Bob Dylan (with Petty's band) in Helsinki Arena 1987, and, finally, after almost losing the hope, The Rolling Stones at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in 1995. I was 25 (edit: actually 26...) years old then, and been the world biggest Rolling Stones fan (or I thought before I get to know the folks in IORR) for 14 years. I felt like 'now I can die happy'.

- Doxa



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 2023-01-29 00:05 by Doxa.

Iron Maiden in Stockholm 1992.

Depeche Mode on their "Black Celebration" tour around 1986 (May says Wiki).

Believe it or not the G.A. pit was fierce... and "old" woman (about 35? lol) lost her shoes in the pre-gig melee.
And when the first "boom" of the B.C. track started to resonate in the P.A. I almost fainted, as I had never been subjected to sth this loud in my entire life.

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Doxa
Then of 'First Concerts' I need to add two important, a dream-come-true-like, milestone gigs: Bob Dylan (with Petty's band) in Helsinki Arena 1987, and, finally, after almost losing the hope, The Rolling Stones at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in 1995. I was 25 years old then, and been the world biggest Rolling Stones fan (or I thought before I get to know the folks in IORR) for 14 years. I felt like 'now I can die happy'.

- Doxa

Didn’t you consider catching the Stones live on the Urban Jungle tour at a location not that far from your home turf, say, Stockholm for example?

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RisingStone

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Doxa
Then of 'First Concerts' I need to add two important, a dream-come-true-like, milestone gigs: Bob Dylan (with Petty's band) in Helsinki Arena 1987, and, finally, after almost losing the hope, The Rolling Stones at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in 1995. I was 25 years old then, and been the world biggest Rolling Stones fan (or I thought before I get to know the folks in IORR) for 14 years. I felt like 'now I can die happy'.

- Doxa

Didn’t you consider catching the Stones live on the Urban Jungle tour at a location not that far from your home turf, say, Stockholm for example?

Oh yes I did! But you know, I was doing my military service then (it also had covered the Steel Wheels Tour 1989, not that I had financial resources then to travel overseas) and I was not allowed to leave the country. But you know, as I was sure that this will be the last chance to see the Stones, I seriously was thinking to 'take my own holiday' and go to see them in Gothenburg, Sweden. But I chickened out (the consequences would not have been that sweet...). But let's say, for a few years I was angry with Finnish army...

Technically I already had a chance to see them in Gothenburg in 1982, but I was too young then to go on my own. But funnily, I was on a ferry from Turku to Stockholm (going to travel in Sweden with my family), and there were a lot of Finnish people there going to see the Stones gig. Cool people. They had a great party going on, and as I was watching them to have fun, all I could do was to think that someday I will join to that party too... (an important sweet side story: there was one brunette Stones fan, a beautiful young woman, and I couldn't keep my eyes out of her. Well, many, many years later, in 1999, I met a woman and there was something so familiar in her. Yes, it turned out that she was the girl on a ferry. Of course she didn't remember me, but we ended up being four years together, and are good friends still - hi, if you read this! - and, of course, have seen the Stones together).

Memories...

- Doxa



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2023-01-29 00:14 by Doxa.

Hey yeah ....

General Doxa does sound cool .... ATTENTION!!!!



ROCKMAN

As far as I remember it: The Rolling Stones in 1973, Rotterdam. My elder sister gave me her ticket as a present. That was true love.

After visiting some tv-shows were Dutch artists performing my real first concert was in 1992 the Dire Straits at Feyenoord stadium in Rotterdam. Some songs ended up on their official live album “On the night”. Great memories

Officially my first real concert was 1973 Rolling Stones Ahoy in Rotterdam, but I did visit some in the 60's in my neighborhood for free

__________________________

Santana + Booker T and the MG's Felt Forum NYC 1971.

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Doxa

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RisingStone

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Doxa
Then of 'First Concerts' I need to add two important, a dream-come-true-like, milestone gigs: Bob Dylan (with Petty's band) in Helsinki Arena 1987, and, finally, after almost losing the hope, The Rolling Stones at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in 1995. I was 25 years old then, and been the world biggest Rolling Stones fan (or I thought before I get to know the folks in IORR) for 14 years. I felt like 'now I can die happy'.

- Doxa

Didn’t you consider catching the Stones live on the Urban Jungle tour at a location not that far from your home turf, say, Stockholm for example?

Oh yes I did! But you know, I was doing my military service then (it also had covered the Steel Wheels Tour 1989, not that I had financial resources then to travel overseas) and I was not allowed to leave the country. But you know, as I was sure that this will be the last chance to see the Stones, I seriously was thinking to 'take my own holiday' and go to see them in Gothenburg, Sweden. But I chickened out (the consequences would not have been that sweet...). But let's say, for a few years I was angry with Finnish army...

Technically I already had a chance to see them in Gothenburg in 1982, but I was too young then to go on my own. But funnily, I was on a ferry from Turku to Stockholm (going to travel in Sweden with my family), and there were a lot of Finnish people there going to see the Stones gig. Cool people. They had a great party going on, and as I was watching them to have fun, all I could do was to think that someday I will join to that party too... (an important sweet side story: there was one brunette Stones fan, a beautiful young woman, and I couldn't keep my eyes out of her. Well, many, many years later, in 1999, I met a woman and there was something so familiar in her. Yes, it turned out that she was the girl on a ferry. Of course she didn't remember me, but we ended up being four years together, and are good friends still - hi, if you read this! - and, of course, have seen the Stones together).

Memories...

- Doxa

It sounds bitter in the beginning, but gets to sweet endings eventually.
All’s well that ends well…

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Doxa

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RisingStone

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Doxa
Then of 'First Concerts' I need to add two important, a dream-come-true-like, milestone gigs: Bob Dylan (with Petty's band) in Helsinki Arena 1987, and, finally, after almost losing the hope, The Rolling Stones at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in 1995. I was 25 years old then, and been the world biggest Rolling Stones fan (or I thought before I get to know the folks in IORR) for 14 years. I felt like 'now I can die happy'.

- Doxa

Didn’t you consider catching the Stones live on the Urban Jungle tour at a location not that far from your home turf, say, Stockholm for example?

Oh yes I did! But you know, I was doing my military service then (it also had covered the Steel Wheels Tour 1989, not that I had financial resources then to travel overseas) and I was not allowed to leave the country. But you know, as I was sure that this will be the last chance to see the Stones, I seriously was thinking to 'take my own holiday' and go to see them in Gothenburg, Sweden. But I chickened out (the consequences would not have been that sweet...). But let's say, for a few years I was angry with Finnish army...

Technically I already had a chance to see them in Gothenburg in 1982, but I was too young then to go on my own. But funnily, I was on a ferry from Turku to Stockholm (going to travel in Sweden with my family), and there were a lot of Finnish people there going to see the Stones gig. Cool people. They had a great party going on, and as I was watching them to have fun, all I could do was to think that someday I will join to that party too... (an important sweet side story: there was one brunette Stones fan, a beautiful young woman, and I couldn't keep my eyes out of her. Well, many, many years later, in 1999, I met a woman and there was something so familiar in her. Yes, it turned out that she was the girl on a ferry. Of course she didn't remember me, but we ended up being four years together, and are good friends still - hi, if you read this! - and, of course, have seen the Stones together).

Memories...

- Doxa

Amazing story Doxa!

My first concert was in 1973 with an Italian band, perhaps someone remembers it, Premiata Forneria Marconi. My first Stones gig was in 1982 in Turin

The Rolling Stones in Bremen, Germany, (Stadthalle) on March 29, 1967. Price of the ticket Deutsche Mark 10 (ten!), today nearly unbelievable, but at that time half of my "Taschengeld". I still have the ticket.

Creedence Clearwater Revival at Sportpalast, Berlin, April 22, 1970

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NashvilleBlues
Pearl Jam. Murfreesboro, TN, March 26, 1994. The only time they played Dock of the Bay (w/ Cropper). I was in the pit fighting for my life. Insane environment.

Setlist: [www.setlist.fm]

Video: [m.youtube.com]

Whaaaaaaa? Wow thats one of my favorite PJ shows!