GONNA RAISE HELL – My First Five Concerts

Some of my favorite conversations have begun with the question, “what was your first concert?” I’m always happy to talk about my initiation into the world of living, breathing rock ‘n’ roll (more on that below) but hearing about other people’s first concert experience is equally enjoyable. Whether it’s an older friend who had the good fortune of seeing my favorite artists in the prime of their careers or a younger person with very different musical tastes, the thrill we felt the first time the lights went down & the band hit the stage is a common bond that can span generations. If it was up to me, Kiss at Madison Square Garden in 1976 on the Destroyer tour would have been my first show, but my parents wouldn’t allow their 10-year-old son to go (in hindsight a smart decision but not one I agreed with at the time). I held a small grudge against them for 20 years until I finally saw the reunited lineup at that same venue in 1996. I called to forgive them the next day. Ironically, one of the best-known songs by the first band I saw refers to their parents having “my Kiss records out.” I decided to take the conversation a little further this time and discuss my first FIVE concerts, all of which happened between the ages of 13 & 15. For each show I’ve included a copy of my ticket stub as well as a video of the band from that tour.

Artist: CHEAP TRICK
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Date: May 12, 1980
Then Current Album: Dream Police (1980)
Opening Act: The Romantics
There were few bigger bands at the time than Cheap Trick, riding high on the success of At Budokan and the just-released Dream Police. I don’t recall many details about the show itself but I remember the view I had of the stage and I can still “feel” what it was like to be there. I bought 3 or 4 bootleg t-shirts & jerseys outside the venue, along with the official program and a replica Rick Nielsen bowtie, thinking you had to spend lots of money on merchandise at every show. My teenage bank account couldn’t sustain such a pace so that was the highest number of souvenirs I ever purchased. The Romantics, then a new group known for “What I Like About You,” were a solid opening act. All-in-all a great first concert.

Artist: THE RAMONES
Venue: Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
Date: August 8, 1980
Then Current Album: End Of The Century (1980)
Opening Act: ???
I’ve never been more than a casual Ramones fan, although I own their first five albums and a 2-LP compilation so I do enjoy their music. It’s just that they were never an important band to me. I only saw them because I was attending day camp that summer and, believe it or not, a Ramones concert in the town that Bruce Springsteen made famous was one of the special events included on the camp calendar. I had a great time at the show and happily joined in the chants of “Hey, Ho, Let’s Go” and “Gabba Gabba Hey.” I don’t remember if there was an opening act but there must have been at least one other band playing that night. If anyone has additional information on that, please let me know.

Artist: THE CARS
Venue: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
Date: November 28, 1980
Then Current Album: Panorama (1980)
Opening Act: The Motels???
The fact that this was possibly the most boring concert I’ve ever attended does not change my opinion that The Cars were one of the greatest bands of their era, or any other era for that matter. They were possibly the only group embraced by old-school rockers and new wavers in equal measure. The combination of quirky-yet-timeless songs, space-age synths, searing lead guitar & powerful harmonies gave them a unique sound that hasn’t been replicated since their decade-long reign from the late-’70 through the late-‘80s. I was particularly thrilled to see them when they were touring in support of Panorama, the underappreciated dark horse in their catalog. Sadly, every song sounded exactly like the studio recording and they had no connection with the audience, but at least the set list was jam-packed with nothing but great songs. I’m not sure who opened for them but someone posted on a website that The Motels supported The Cars on that tour. I probably wouldn’t have appreciated them at the time but in retrospect I would have enjoyed it since I’ve been a fan for many years.

Artist: RUSH
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Date: May 18, 1981
Then Current Album: Moving Pictures (1981)
Opening Act: FM
I discovered them via 1980’s Permanent Waves but the first new Rush album I got to hear as an existing fan was the now-classic Moving Pictures. You can imagine the elation of this not-quite-15-year-old drummer seeing them for the first time on this tour, as I joined thousands of air drummers mimicking every fill Neil Peart played. This was probably my first jaw-dropping concert experience and it’s certainly on a short list of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. The set list was perfect, as documented later that year on their Exit…Stage Left live album, and there aren’t enough superlatives to describe the musicianship. The support act was another Canadian progressive rock trio named FM and they were a natural fit for the headliner. I own all of their albums so they made quite an impact.

Artist: BLUE ÖYSTER CULT
Venue: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
Date: December 30, 1981
Then Current Album: Fire Of Unknown Origin (1981)
Opening Act: Foghat
I was a big BÖC fan by the time I saw them, although I was mostly aware of their more recent work and wouldn’t discover the insane genius of their earlier material until many years later. That didn’t affect my enjoyment of the show, as they were visually & aurally one of the best arena bands in the world. How many music-loving teenagers wouldn’t be enthralled by a giant fire-breathing Godzilla on stage? Of course, it didn’t hurt that they were a seasoned live band of fantastic musicians with a clutch of amazing songs. I was only familiar with a handful of Foghat songs but they were a solid opening act.

That was a pretty good first year-and-a-half of concert-going. I’m sure there were other shows I would have loved seeing during that time, but scarcity of funds and not being eligible for a driver’s license meant I had to be very particular about the concert tickets I bought. The following year I saw another five concerts that were all extremely memorable, including an unforgettable New Year’s Eve ’82-’83:
The Police (+ Black Uhuru) at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ (April 21, 1982)
Genesis at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Forest Hills, NY (August 22, 1982)
Jethro Tull (+ Saga) at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ (September 30, 1982)
The Who (+ The Clash and David Johansen) at Shea Stadium, Flushing, NY (October 12, 1982)
Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY (December 31, 1982)

Now that you’ve read about my early concert experiences, I look forward to hearing about yours. Please share your stories in the Comments section below, and let me know if you attended any of the shows listed above.