First Concerts?

Recently I've really been getting into music and have been wanting to go to some shows. I have never been to a concert, so I figured I'd ask what some of your first concerts were and when were they? How was your experience? Did you meet some cool people or were they all scumbags? How did it compare to later shows you've gone to? Basically anything.

Edit: Wrong board. Should be Off-topic.

My first gig was The Jeff Healey band at Brixton Academy. I went on my own aged 17 and sat next to a few guys who I had a good chat with. It was seated so that might make a difference but in general I find people fine at gigs. Although I did once have a drunk guy collapse on me in a Tool gig (Brixton Academy again) forcing my friend and I to drag him to the doctor's room where he proceeded to wake up, meet his friend and get back into the gig before we did :)

btw, Jeff Healey was phenomenal and it was recorded by Radio 1 so I got to copy the broadcast and keep a copy of it for years. :) R.I.P. Jeff, you were a legend.

First legitimate concert I saw was John Fogerty (of Creedence Clearwater Revival) back in 2010 at Gröna Lund. Last one I saw was Rise Against last Tuesday. I haven't been to a lot of concerts, 4 actually in my life, though I aim to rectify this in the future.

I went to a Nickelodeon concert thingy when I was 8 or 9 a couple times, but my first real concert wasn't until I was 18 in the summer of 2008. I was working at the county fair as a parking attendant & was able to score free entrance into the Weird Al concert the last weekend of the fair. Had a blast, but wasn't able to find seats so I couldn't stay the entire time (the people working the event wouldn't allow you to stand, which was weird). I actually went to see Weird Al in 2010 as a follow-up and realized that I actually didn't miss much of his set the first time, but it was still a blast years later. He's definitely worth watching live.

Ventured out in 2009 to see more concerts (ended up getting free passes to see The Offspring and was able to see AC DC in concert that year as well). The Offspring concert was manic because the floor where we stood was basically just one huge moshpit during the set. My friend almost got into a fight with a guy looking for trouble though, which was a bummer. AC DC was brilliant live- tons of energy throughout the arena. It wasn't really until late 2010 and especially summer 2011 that I really started going to live sets (from August- November 2011, I went to at least one concert or live set a week).

Specifically, I think there are certain bands that must be seen in an arena/outdoor venue setting (huge bands- an AC DC, Rush, Prince etc), and there are smaller bands that truly benefit from more intimate settings (Andrew WK, who I just saw last week, had an amazing set, full of energy that benefited from the smaller venue). So it really depends on who you're going to see and where it is. (Basically, this is a thinly veiled comment on the fact that The Black Keys/ Arctic Monkeys should not be playing arena venues, because that's insane.)

2008 Austin City Limits: Muse was the highlight of that event. Ohmygoodness, they were so gaddamn amazing.

I had gone to a VGL a couple times before. Still a lot of fun, but not quite your typical "concert" experience.

Other than stuff I went to as a kid (being dragged to a Gloria Estefan show circa 1990 by my mom), my first major concert was a Foo Fighters/Red Hot Chili Peppers double bill

My very first concert was probably a lynyrd skynyrd when I was very young, sitting on top of my dad's shoulders while he was smoking a joint.

The first one I can remember clearly was Social Distortion, and it was fantastic. Every single one of the people there were great, even the drunk ones. If you get close enough to any rock stage, be prepared to get smashed together. It would do you good to make the best of it and just try to have a good time. A concert is a very intimate event in a weird way. Not that I have only seen Social D, but when I saw them a few years later at Street Scene as soon as the music started the gentleman next to me put his arm on my shoulder, smiled, and we both just dived into the "mosh pit" that was forming in front of us. I had no idea who the guy was. I'm not/wasn't a big fan of mosh pits. But it was great in context. Be prepared for things like that.

My first was a CD release party/private concert for a local band called The Glorious Filaments. A friend of mine knew the vocalist and got us in. It wasn't really my kind of music (although they were pretty good), but hey, free drinks.

My first concert was Ozzfest 06. It was quite the show.

First concert was Big Bad Voodooo Daddy in 1999; since then I've seen Garbage, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Reel Big Fish, Amy Winehouse, Lenny Kravitz, Metallica, Mastodon, Dethklok, Killswitch Engage, Disturbed, and James Brown. Pluss some smaller stuff like The Slip and Graveyard BBQ.

Not everything I have seen, but what comes to mind, and what's more well known. I have seen a ton of smaller bands as well.

Bob Dylan - November 22 2008 - I am a huge fan of his entire discography, as well as the man himself. Which is why I really enjoyed this show. His performance was on par with what he normally does these days, which isn't saying much.

Iron Maiden - Summer 2009 - A classic set-list. Blew my mind.

Kings of Leon - Summer 2009 - Way better then I thought it would be.

Wilco - January 2010 - Amazing!

Iron Maiden - 2010 - My favorite band, playing my favorite tunes. They focused on their newer material this tour. I loved it. Also sat outside for five hours before hand. Went by myself because none of my friends are as big of fans as me. Was alright though. Met some really cool guys who came up from the states (I'm in Vancouver)

Eric Clapton - Spring 2011 - The Best sounding concert I have ever been to. Everything was crisp and clear.

Iron Maiden - Seeing them again this summer, and as always, will be great.

I'm guessing at a lot of these dates, though I do have all my ticket stubs somewhere.

I was 15 years old and my first gig was Cradle of Filth. Damn what a fucking show they put on. I was the only person who wasn't wearing all black which made me feel quite self concious but I moshed with the best of them so I earned my place at the front.

The Protomen

My first concert was Cinderella with Poison headlining. Saw Poison and Dokken the year after. good times.

@mozzle: in regards to Bob Dylan: Eh, after about 50 years of playing the same songs, what do you expect?

Smashing Pumpkins, Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness tour at Maple Leaf Gardens, circa 1997 I'd guess.

@NipCrip66: Healey had a bar in here in Toronto for a long time and he used to play there very frequently with the Jazz Wizards, it was always awesome to catch a set there as other local musicians, often of fairly high profile, would regularly sit in with the band. He was one hell of a talent and will be missed.

Dave Matthews Band in 2006.

First legitimate concert was Jonathan Coulton in '09. A great concert! He debuted Blue Sunny Day there, and it's now my new favorite song by him. You can hear my friend yell "vampires" in this video and then laugh really loudly at the response.

The Offspring!

Saw my absolute favorite band Sonata Arctica live in Stockholm, Sweden. Was bloody brilliant.

Closest thing I've ever been to a concert was the all-star home run derby at Fenway Park where I believe Aerosmith played before hand? No one I know likes the music I like so it's tough to be interested in concerts.

2005 - U2, HP Pavillion, San Jose, CA

2006 - Oasis, Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA

2007 - Rolling Stones, Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA

2008 - Coldplay, HP Pavillion, San Jose, CA

2009 - OK GO, Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA

2010 - Coldplay, Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA

2010 - PAX Prime 2010 friday and saturday concerts, Seattle, WA

2011 - U2, Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA

2011 - Outside Lands (A festival with concerts counts right?), Golden Gate Park, San Franciso, CA

2011 - PAX Prime 2011 friday and saturday concerts, Seattle, WA

I am amazed that I can list every concert I've been to off the top of my head.

@VinceNotVance said:

(Basically, this is a thinly veiled comment on the fact that The Black Keys/ Arctic Monkeys should not be playing arena venues, because that's insane.)

Truth. I saw both these bands at Outside Lands and it was not the venue for them. Dan Auerbach is not a man of large stage presence. Great singer and guitarist but he's not gonna be strutting across the stage Mick Jagger style.

My first concert was 311 with The Deftones opening for them in like 95 or 96.

When we got in the arena The Deftones were doing a cover of Weezer's Sweater Song.

Was awesome.

I first went to Tenacious D in 2001 when I was 9. The gig was great, but I guess there were a lot of weirdos there. Last band I saw live was The Horslips and it was probably the best live performance I'll have ever witnessed. I just wish more people knew of them. Second place goes to Paul McCartney who has the energy of someone 30 years younger. Pretty fucking awesome.

Peter Frampton. I Felt Like They Do.

I saw rainbow butt monkeys years ago. They renamed to finger eleven and went from a decent band into absolute garbage. Also saw I Mother Earth that same night and it was amazing to bad they broke up though. Best concert I have went to was either Tool or Death From Above 1979. Blink 182 was awesome but I got so drunk It's a bit blurry.

My first concert was of ICP in 1998 during the Amazing Jeckel Bros tour. I was a pretty big juggalo at the time (before the internet stigmata) which made it rather dope. It was also my first exposure to Mindless Self Indulgence, to whom I still listen today.

My first concert was watching the Rx Bandits in 2003. I just met a couple of new friends freshmen year in college and they invited me to go with them. It was alright.

My favorite concert so far would have to be watching the Pixies play on their first reunion tour in 2004. Great setlist, great performance and awesome atmosphere!

My first concert was when I was 16. Went to see Voodoo Glow Skulls with Skindred & 4ft Fingers supporting. It was a really awesome night full of energy. My second gig was Reel Big Fish with Goldfinger and ZebraHead. That wasn't so fun as the show was oversold and running late so there wasn't really time for antics that you expect from those bands, the sound wasn't that great either. I also got pushed back forcefully into this metal bar which really hurt my back and spoiled the night for me.

My first and only concert up to this point was a Christian act called Carman. Loved it back then. Atheist now. High five, Carman!

My first proper concert was The Eagles farewell tour. The next night I saw Alice in Chains and Metallica. I think it was the summer of 2005 or 2006.They two gigs were the complete polar opposites of each other, it was a great juxtaposition.

Megadeth was the first concert I went to, buckethead was the first I paid for

Radiohead @ The Woodlands Pavilion

Don't think I'll ever match it.

My first show was seeing Gojira a little over 2 years ago. I still get the chills thinking about it, especially when they played Vacuity for their encore. Most of the people that go are cool. There's quite a bit of small talk while waiting in the lines before the show starts. Usually about other bands, band shirts, other concerts we've been to, and life outside concerts.

My favorite show constantly changes with each one I go to. Currently it would have to be Mastodon and Red Fang back in November. Great performance and the crowd had a lot of energy. Creature Lives for the encore was a great finishing touch.

The first concert ai chose to go to was NIN/Bowie back in '96. Still reeling from the experience. Since then, it's been easily a few hundred shows. the area I came up in had a really active and awesome alt scene in the 90's with a load of regional hardcore acts on the side. I'm still surprised my parents let 14 year old me get away with all those late nights spent at dive bars that allowed the under 21 set in. I guess I kind of grew up there, and my hearing suffers for it.

My first was Wolfmother w/ The New No. 2 and Heartless Bastards at the House of Blues Boston two and half years ago. Since then I've seen Muse w/ Silversun Pickups, MGMT w/ someone.... (it was a disappointing show), TV On the Radio w/ someone (certainly the most fun concert I've been to), and lastly Explosions in the Sky w/ The Antlers back in October. That last one was just incredible, a moving experience.

Kansas/Loverboy circa 1981-2. Good show, crowd was sedate. I like being able to sit down and enjoy the show as opposed to everyone around me acting an ass the whole show.

Also saw Moody Blues, Foreigner, Billy Squier, ZZ Top, Maiden, KISS, Bob Dylan, Billy Idol, Pink Floyd, the Stones, The Who, Edgar Winter Group, Robin Trower, Metallica/Scorpions/Dokken/Van Halen. Grateful Dead/Steve Miller Band, Neil Young, and George Carlin. Maybe others.

My first concert was a rather lacklustre Video Games Live show in Montreal.  If that doesn't count, then it was Rick Motherfucking Springfield.  Got better than front row tickets, right up against the stage.  I fangirl'd like hell when he touched my hand.

My first concert was Poison, Slaughter, Cinderella, and Dokken about 20 years ago or some such.

It was a pretty good show all things considered. Poison was headliner and they sucked. This was around one of the times CC was having "issues" and most of the set he appeared to be playing the wrong songs. Funny to think about today because it was almost like watching real life Spinal Tap with him on his back not able to get up and desperately trying to make some sound come out of his guitar while he held in the vomit from all the pills he had dissolving in his stomach. Slaughter wasn't bad but I dont think I got into them until after I saw them live. Cinderella fucking killed it though, full on pianos and guitar spins.

Not a better show then 3 Tremors tour(Maiden, Quensryche, Halford) but it was better then most of the shows I have gone too in the years that followed. Not too bad for a first concert.

Well... er... rather embarrassingly my first gig was Nickelback in 2002... I used to really like them. Then it was Rammstein and Iron Maiden in 2005 ( I have seen them 4 times since) and honestly i have lost count since then.

My first concert of note was Cannibal Corpse and Cynic in '94 and it was brutal and awesome. My first "big" show was Metallica, Danzig and Suicidal Tendencies later that same year. Metallica was far and away my favorite band at the time so it was pretty special.

Van Halen, around 15 years ago in Atlanta. It was sick! Nice close seats, super loud, will all ways remember it.

The first concert I ever attended:

I was in first grade. I have no regrets.

@NegativeCero:

My first concert was none other than the woman in my avatar, St. Vincent. It was January 29th, 2009, and she played Actor in its entirety. Justin Vernon from Bon Iver was there doing backup vocals (didn't really give a shit), and David Byrne (of the Talking Heads) made an appearance for a duet, too!

A piece of advice: if there are two shows, always go to the second night. From past experiences, it's always better.

My first concert was Coldplay, and say what you will about their music, but their's is the quintessential stadium-rock experience that you want to pop your concert cherry. I went to Muse, and while awesome performers, they failed to sell out the arena and the crowd was completely dead--such a bummer. On the whole I hate seeing bands in shitty little theatres, while my favourite is probably outdoor venues. I saw the National last year (my favourite band ever) but since then, there's not really a band I'd like to see in concert anymore. Maybe Radiohead. Unfortunately, the rest of my favs are indie artists who have to book at theatres or bars. To that I say, Meh.

@Radio_Resistance: May I ask why you don't like smaller venues? Is it just from a sound perspective (I can totally understand that)?

I kinda prefer seeing artists at smaller venues- there's a different atmosphere, more intimate, also I usually get to just shoot the shit with the person whose work I admire. Seems cool to me, anyway.

My first concert was actually last Summer I saw Slayer and Rob Zombie. It was so much fun. I got pushed down a hill, shirtless

Never went to one. Would not mind to, but it's on my to do list or anything.

Mine was a big free concert at NX35 (music festival in Denton, Texas) in 2010.

Stardeath and White Dwarfs, Midlake, and The Flaming Lips.

Stardeath and Midlake were what you'd expect them to be; good performances, but lacking energy and crowd interaction.

The Flaming Lips put on what will probably be the best concert I've ever been to or ever will be to (unless I'm so lucky to see them again). A fluorescent extravaganza of confetti and barely-disguised sexual imagery. It opened with the band crawling out of a gigantic neon vagina, which set the stage for the rest of the show very well.

My only regret is that the show ran late, so they never got to play "Race for the Prize."

After that, the only other concert I've been able to go to was Missile (local rockabilly punk band from Dallas), Cheap Time (garage rock band who used to have members that went on to be in Be Your Own Pet), and Guitar Wolf. Needless to say, it was fantastic.

I'm currently trying to bum my way to the free show that M Ward and The Shins are playing at SXSW, so hopefully that'll be another great entry on this list.

First: Pearl Jam

Best: Gorillaz

Runner Up: Jane's Addiction