Bit of fun - concerts you've seen

[Mister RLP]

First concert – David Bowie, Wembley Stadium, 1987

Last concert – Madness, Brighton Centre, 2018 

Best concert – Kate Bush, Before the Dawn, Eventim Apollo, 2014 – didn’t expect to be going. Got a front row balcony face value ticket from the venue on the afternoon of the show and jumped on a train 20 minutes later. Amazing! 

Worst concert – Bob Dylan – Brighton Centre, 2002 and O2 London, 2009. Just bad. Thought the Brighton Centre gig might be a bad show so gave him another go a few years later. Still bad. Musicans were great. Singer wasn’t so hot. A shame as I love Bob! 

Loudest concert - They are all loud these days…or most things at Wembley Aircraft Hanger...

Seen the most – David Bowie: Glass Spider 1987, Wembley Stadium; Sound and Vision, MK Bowl, 1990; Tin Machine, Brixton Academy, 1991; Outside, Wembley Arena, 1995; Earthling Tour, The Que Club 1997 and, A Reality Tour, Wembley Arena, 2003. Madness catching up though…

Most surprising – Leonard Cohen, O2 Centre, 2008. Made a large venue into an intimate gig. Amazing. 

Next concert – Maybe Madness if they tour this year…

Wish I would have seen – Apart from The Beatles (not going to happen) or the Kinks (unlikely to happen) – Tom Waits – could happen? 

Wish I could see again - David Bowie

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by Mister RLP

[Paul S]

First concert - Status Quo at the Queen's Hotel, Westcliff-on- Sea, 1972.  Paper Plane had just been released as a single from the album Piledriver.  Stood in front of the PA and the harmonica solo in Railroad caused immense pain in my head.  I lost my hearing for 3 days and this event most likely accounts for my having to wear hearing aids.  They were bloody good back then when RnB was alive and well.

Last concert - Story Of The Guitar Heroes, Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea, last week.  Impressive how one guitar player can master so many different styles of playing.  

Best concert - difficult.  Possibly Thin Lizzy Wembley 1978?  Possibly Dire Straits, Brothers In Arms tour, Wembley, 1985 Possibly History Of The Eagles, O2, 2014.  Possibly Bluesfest 2017 at the O2 with the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan on the same night.   How can you compare? 

Worst concert - Christopher Cross at the Cliff's Pavilion, Westcliff-on-Sea last year.  What was I thinking?  Left at half time - only stayed that long so as not to disturb the people sitting next to us.

Loudest concert - Lamb of God, supporting Heaven and Hell, Wembley 2007.  Or possibly Deep Purple early in the Steve Morse years at the Cliff's Pavilion, Westcliff-on-Sea.  If ever there was a mis-matched venue:band! 

Seen the most - Go West.  Too many times to count.  20?  Seen them wherever and whenever possible.  Peter Cox has 'the' most amazing voice live and the current band are better than ever.  When they played 'The Sun and The Moon' at the Apex Theatre, Ipswich 2017 it was possibly the finest live song performance I have ever heard. 

Most surprising - Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, O2 Shepherds Bush, 2019.  Mrs S is a fan, I went purely to keep her company as I wasn't doing anything else.  They blew me away.

Next concert - Shakatak, Maritime Room, Cliff's Pavilion, Westcliff-on-Sea, couple of weeks' time.  Been a fan since they started and try to see them whenever they are in striking distance which is sadly not often enough as they tour abroad mainly.

Wish I would have seen - Deep Purple MkII.  Saw MkIII on the Burn tour.

Wish I could see again - Black Sabbath when they were at their peak.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Paul S
Change from 'bold' font. How did that happen? I'm an idiot, is how.

[Stub Mandrel]

Hmm.

First concert - Stormqueen, Barry Boy's Comprehensive 6th form common room about 1978
Last concert - Cadstock Fundraiser (including Brothers band Stonehouse and the 'Popular songs in a ska style played by guys in clown constumes' Black Jam Circus)
Best concert - Black Sabbath New Year's Eve 1981 at Hammersmith Odeon
Worst concert - Cornershop, before they got famous. Just random feedback. But Gong/Here & Now who they were supporting were brilliant.
Loudest concert - Motorhead. Hammy Odeon, 83.
Seen the most - Probably Fairport Convention, or perhaps Hawkwind. Was once the Stranglers.
Most surprising - Dave Swarbrick and Martin Carthy - because my friends invited me along to see a 'quite good' duo on at their local folk club. Or Slade.
Next concert - Saxon.
Wish I would have seen - Sabbath with Ozzy.
Wish I could see again - Heaven and Hell

Honourable mentions:

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons - for being awesome.

Oysterband - for blowing away Chumbawanba

Radiohead - for playing Paranoid Android so I realised I HAD heard of them.

Rush - for having an iMax screen as backdrop.

Hawkwind  - for being Hawkwind.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Stub Mandrel

[bassbiscuits]

First concert - Dio, Newport Centre, 1987
Last concert - Ginger Wildheart, Y Theatre Leicester 2019
Best concert - Stereophonics at Morfa Stadium, Swansea, 1999. (Followed closely by Rage Against The Machine, Download 2010)
Worst concert - Ryan Adams, De Montfort Hall, Leicester 2015
Loudest concert - Motörhead, De Montfort Hall Leicester 2005 ish.
Seen the most - Karine Polwart
Most surprising - David Ford at The Donkey, Leicester 
Next concert - Michael Kiwanuka, March 2020
Wish I would have seen - the Kiss tour that Alive ll was recorded on 

Edited February 9, 2020 by bassbiscuits

[skb558]

First concert - Wishbone Ash, Sheffield City Hall, 1972

Last concert - The Musical Box, York Barbican, 2020

Best concert - Bruce Springsteen, Birmingham Symphony Hall, 1996 (solo acoustic)

Worst concert - Van Halen, Toyota Center, Dallas, 2008 (awful sound) or Wishbone Ash 2019, Leeds Brudenell Social Club 2019 (Soulless, self-indulgent posturing)

Loudest concert - Wishbone Ash, Leeds University, 1974. (PA stack on the floor, cross-legged in front of them, ears ringing for days)

Most times - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (30), John Martyn (20+), Wishbone Ash (20+), Genesis (10)

Surprising - Andy Fairweather Low, York University 1976; Babybird, Leeds Brudenell Social Club, 2019 - superb!

Next concert - Martin Turner Band, Selby Town Hall, March 2020

Wish I could have seen - Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, ABBA, Sex Pistols, Bruce Springsteen (River Tour), Pink Floyd (1994)

Wish I could see again - Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, John Martyn (c.1978)

Edited February 9, 2020 by skb558

[MacDaddy]

First concert - Donington Monsters of Rock 
Last concert - The Cult 
Best concert - Twisted Sister 
Worst concert - The Exploited 
Loudest concert - Motorhead
Seen the most - The Damned
Most surprising - Soft Cell
Next concert - Not known..
Wish I would have seen - The Thompson Twins

[Machines]

First concert - Run DMC (Reading Festival 2001)
Last concert - Dream Theater (Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 2017)
Best concert - Haken (O2 Academy, 2017)
Worst concert - Manic Street Preachers (Reading 2001)
Loudest concert - Periphery 
Seen the most - Fear Factory
Most surprising - Slipknot
Next concert - none lined up
Wish I would have seen - Black Sabbath 1999

[LewisK1975]

First concert - Status Quo, NEC, December 1991 or 1992

Last concert - Halestorm, Cardiff Motorpoint, October 2019

Best concert - Rush, Time Machine Tour, NEC

Worst concert - Limp Bizkit, Cardiff Motorpoint dual headline w/KORN (Sound was AWFUL for LB).  I left.

Loudest concert - As above, Cardiff Motorpoint is a dodgy venue sound-wise anyway, and LB's FOH must've been trying to compensate by just pushing the volume. It just sounded like the band were playing through an old mono transistor radio at ear-splitting volume.  I had to leave.

Seen the most - Iron Maiden

Most surprising - Enter Shikari - Wasn't my thing but was trying to impress a young lady.  Worked.

Next concert - Rammstein

Wish I would have seen - Most of my favourite bands were already well established when I started playing and really getting into music, so I guess I wish could have seen any of those in a more intimate setting when they were up and coming.  (Maiden, GNR, Rush)

[Barking Spiders]

First concert - now you're asking. Probably some classical stuff my olds dragged us kids along to. That I'd chosen to see? something like The Beat or UB40 in the mid-late 80s
Last concert - Rammstein in MK last year
Best concert - a toss up between Rammstein at the MK stadium, Afro Celt Sound System at Folk by The Oak, 2015 I think or Orbital headlining Blue Dot a couple of years ago
Worst concert - seen quite a few that were meh. Possibly Echo & The Bunnymen, somewhere in London in 1997 ish just after they'd reformed and The Cult, also in the late 1990s, I think that was at the National Ballroom in Kilburn. Both just very dull as I recall  with zero audience interaction
Loudest concert - Rammstein at the MK possibly

Seen the most -Transglobal Underground  Dreadzone, Afro Celts, Martin Simpson and Tommy Emmanuel
Most surprising - Dream Theater at Download last year and I'm not even a fan but I enjoyed them. Also Limp Bizkit and Babymetal at Sonisphere 2014.  Both were 👌
Next concert - nothing planned 
Wish I would have seen -  Rock Beyatch 😉

[seashell]

First concert - Wishbone Ash, Fairfield Halls Croydon, 1974 (ish)

Last concert - SAS Band, Summer 2018

Best concert - Budgie, Winning Post Witton, 1975 (ish)

Worst concert - Nothings been really bad

Loudest concert -  Pardon?

Seen the most - Wishbone Ash

Most surprising - The Four Tops

Next concert - Jah Wobble and the Invaders of the Heart - this Friday!!

Wish I would have seen - Led Zeppelin

 

[Beedster]

First concert - Def Leppard supporting April Wine, Watersmeet Rickmansworth, 1980
Last concert - Old Crow Medicine Show, Roundhouse Camden, 2018
Best concert - Old Crow Medicine Show, Roundhouse Camden, 2018
Worst concert - Ray Davies, Hop Farm, 2010 (I think, supporting Bob Dylan)
Loudest concert - Iron Maiden, Hammersmith Odeon, 1980 (regained hearing in about 1983)
Seen the most - Iron Maiden (albeit around 40 years ago!!!)
Most surprising - Iggy Pop Hammersmith Palais
Next concert - Not known.
Wish I would have seen - Zep at Knebworth 1978

[4000]

On 08/02/2020 at 18:49, Mister RLP said:

 

Best concert – Kate Bush, Before the Dawn, Eventim Apollo, 2014 – didn’t expect to be going. Got a front row balcony face value ticket from the venue on the afternoon of the show and jumped on a train 20 minutes later. Amazing! 

 

 

This hurts. A lot! Spent about 2 hours trying - and failing - to get a ticket on the day they were released. Was absolutely gutted. Given the frenzy over buying them, never even occurred to me that any would come up sale at a later date. Jeeeeeez. That’s up there with turning down a ticket for DC with Bon Scott saying I’ll catch them next time and there not being a next time. Except even then I’d sooner have seen Kate!

[Mister RLP]

Quote

   On 08/02/2020 at 18:49,  Mister RLP said: 

 

Best concert – Kate Bush, Before the Dawn, Eventim Apollo, 2014 – didn’t expect to be going. Got a front row balcony face value ticket from the venue on the afternoon of the show and jumped on a train 20 minutes later. Amazing! 

 

 

This hurts. A lot! Spent about 2 hours trying - and failing - to get a ticket on the day they were released. Was absolutely gutted. Given the frenzy over buying them, never even occurred to me that any would come up sale at a later date. Jeeeeeez. That’s up there with turning down a ticket for DC with Bon Scott saying I’ll catch them next time and there not being a next time. Except even then I’d sooner have seen Kate!

I wanted a ticket but they all 'sold out' so I forgot about it until I watched the Kate Bush documentary on BBC4. I then really wanted to go. My wife reminded me that the tickets had sold out. That made me want a ticket even more. I told her I considered myself going until Kate had played her last show. I found out on one of the Kate Bush forums that tickets (unwanted press or not needed guest tickets) were often released in the afternoon and early morning. So I stayed up late until 3 and 4 in the morning. Got very close on a number of occasions. I tried this for a couple of weeks and one afternoon I got 'lucky'. My wife couldn't believe it. I just wouldn't accept 'no' for an answer. In the politest possible way. Interestingly, I've managed to get other tickets for 'sold out' shows too just by sheer tenacity. 

On another note, my mum famously turned down tickets to see The Beatles at the Hippodrome in Brighton because she 'didn't like creepy crawlies'. Go figure. 

[4000]

4 hours ago, Mister RLP said:

I wanted a ticket but they all 'sold out' so I forgot about it until I watched the Kate Bush documentary on BBC4. I then really wanted to go. My wife reminded me that the tickets had sold out. That made me want a ticket even more. I told her I considered myself going until Kate had played her last show. I found out on one of the Kate Bush forums that tickets (unwanted press or not needed guest tickets) were often released in the afternoon and early morning. So I stayed up late until 3 and 4 in the morning. Got very close on a number of occasions. I tried this for a couple of weeks and one afternoon I got 'lucky'. My wife couldn't believe it. I just wouldn't accept 'no' for an answer. In the politest possible way. Interestingly, I've managed to get other tickets for 'sold out' shows too just by sheer tenacity. 

On another note, my mum famously turned down tickets to see The Beatles at the Hippodrome in Brighton because she 'didn't like creepy crawlies'. Go figure. 

I shall bear that in mind for future gigs! Although staying up til 4 in the morning when I have to be up at 6 for work - and am on meds which make me drowsy - doesn’t sound like a viable option. Of course when I was a student or on the dole it was a different matter. 😉