I was there......

[Trevor Smith]

So which classic rock bands did you see at the beginning of their career ?
I saw Dire Straits at the Boat Club in Nottingham just after Sultans of Swing had come out. Fantastic gig.
Also at the Boat Club I saw a very young Def Leppard trying to impress a very hostile biker gang.
I also saw Guns n Roses at Rock City Nottingham on their first UK tour, just after Appetite for Destruction had just come out.

 

[AfterTomorrow]

Strange, I would have thought this would be a great thread.

I'm sure there's lots of people here who saw bands early in there career's.
C'mon, share..and make the rest of us jealous!

 

[Needs More Cowbell]

Alright, I'll jump in

Since I'm old enough to have began attending concerts since 1969 and fortunate to lived my life in New York City, I've certainly seen my share of, in retrospect, many classic performances.

I've seen The Beatles in concert-not together as a group, but all members individually.And all of those concerts were in Madison Square Garden

Paul McCartney-I saw Wings at the Garden but I don't recall which year or which album they were supporting.

George Harrison-I saw George circa 1974 when he was on tour for that year's Dark Horse album. Ravi Shankar was the opening set with his request that no one smoked during his appearance. Yeah,sure, like the audience was going to comply

Ringo Starr-Ringo played drums for that Harrison concert

John Lennon-At the time I didn't know Lennon would only headline a concert less times then the fingers on your hand. This was the One-To-One benefit concert he gave on Aug 30, 1972. I saw the early afternoon show, one of two shows he gave that day only

Opening acts included Stevie Wonder and Roberta Flack. John's backup band was a ragtag local barband called Elephant's Memory. The show was hosted by TV newsman Geraldo Rivera. Johns set list for that show:

Power to the People
New York City
It's So Hard
Move on Fast
Woman Is the ****** of the World
Sisters, O Sisters
Well Well Well
Born in a Prison
Instant Karma!
Mother
We're All Water
Come Together
Imagine
Hirake
Cold Turkey
Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)
Hound Dog
Give Peace a Chance

My recollection: Amazed with Stevie Wonder's brief set and how he was led from piano to front stage to drum set as he played various instruments. Cringing during Yoko's obligatory solo song. Hoping John would do a few more Beatles numbers beside Come Together. Observing how under-rehearsed the John's performance seemed. Blinded by the sun when exiting Madison Square Garden at approximately 5 P.M. (leaving a concert when still broad daylight is so unnatural)

All those concerts were when the ex-Beatles were very reticent in playing songs from their former partnership. You felt they were throwing you a bone when they complied with one or two.

I'll post some other highlights of my concert experiences later

 

[BikerDude]

I saw a number of them.
2 that stand out is seeing AC/DC open for Rush.
And seeing VanHalen as the first of 3 bands.
The other 2 where Journey and Montrose.
Montrose headlined.

 

[Slowhand]

I saw the Scorpions with Uli Jon Roth in the city hall of Ratingen (Germany) on their tour for the album "In Trance" (1975). Great memories.

 

[Needs More Cowbell]

I went to this festival in 1972 at the Pocono Mountains International Raceway in Pennsylvania. Survived the experience just barely but will never forget it

 

[Needs More Cowbell]

My favorite concert venue during the 1970's took place in Central Park, Manhattan. Known as The Shaefer Music Festival, it was held in an open air ice skating rink during the summer months. Seating was approximately 2,000 folks and the admissions, even then, were dirt cheap at $2 or $3 a ticket. And if the show was sold out (and many were), you can just hang outside on the grassy fields and hear the music anyways.

It was perfect. I was already working in Manhattan,got out of work at 5 PM, grab a dinner and trek out to the park.

I'll post the year by year concert lineups starting with 1968. I didn't start attending until about 1972

Who else here went to these shows? And which shows would you have attended if you had a time machine?

1968:

June 27: Count Basie Orchestra; Joe Williams
June 28: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
June 29: Moby Grape; Muddy Waters
July 1: Mongo Santamaria; Hugh Masekela
July 3: Mitch Ryder; Spirit
July 5: Sarah Vaughan; Herbie Mann
July 6: Nina Simone; The People's Choice
July 8: Ray Charles Orchestra & The Raelettes
July 12: Pete Seeger; Len Chandler
July 13: Montego Joe Septet; Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66
July 17: Indrani's Indian Music & Dance Festival w/ Ali Akbar Khan
July 20: (postponed from July 19) Indrani's Indian Music & Dance Festival w/ Ali Akbar Khan
July 21: Indrani's Indian Music & Dance Festival w/ Ali Akbar Khan
July 22: Chrysalis; Rosko (poetry); Theodore Bikel (filling in for Janis Ian)
July 24: Vanilla Fudge; Ultimate Spinach
July 26: Richie Havens; (Seals and Crofts?)
July 27: Duke Ellington Orchestra
August 1: B.B. King; Fats Domino
August 3: Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention; Buddy Guy
August 5: Lou Rawls; Joe Keyes
August 7: The Who; Mandala
August 9: George Shearing Quintet; Amanda Ambrose; Hal Waters
August 10: Flip Wilson; Little Anthony & the Imperials
August 12: Jimmy Smith; Gloria Lynne
August 14: Joni Mitchell; Arlo Guthrie
August 16: Tom Paxton; Patrick Sky
August 17: The Chambers Brothers; Little Richard
August 19: Traffic; Tim Buckley
August 21: Country Joe and the Fish; Eric Andersen
August 23: Judy Collins
August 24: Herbie Mann; Cal Tjader