Your first gig...?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Unofficial Newcastle United Football Club BBS : One Thread

Stiff Little Fingers.

Newcastle City Hall, Jan 1980, aged 10

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

Answers

appropriately perfect.

except it was 1982 and i was 11.

;-)

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001


Proper gig was seeing Senseless Things at ULU. Very sweaty, low ceiling venue - stage divers, pogoing and Red Stripe.

Most influential gig was Smashing Pumpkins at the Astoria. Changed my life.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001


Wishbone Ash at the City Hall about 1973???

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

May have been Rush 1978/79 City Hall

First university one that i was part of was Specials/Selecter/Dexy's in 1979, just heaven on earth

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001


Not counting the LA Philharmonic which I was unfortunately too young to appreciate at the time thus getting bored and spending the time exploring 'hidden rooms' of the Chandler Pavilion with my friends. And not counting the mind-numbing horror of some bizarre Kenny Rogers and Up With People scrubbed down, Middle America brainwashing nonsense I was briefly subjected to on another school trip at an even younger age(again escaping quickly this time to explore the hidden wonders of Universal Studios' snack bars and shops)...

First gig was Billy Joel at the LA Forum in 1980. This time I was old enough to appreciate it, especially the 2nd row dead center on the aisle seats where I left my mom so I could run up to the stage with all the other screaming kiddies. Came back to find my mom had gotten a contact high from the hash pipe she said was being passed back and forth around her during the show. Dunno why Mom was so reluctant to actually go into any more shows with me, and was so relieved when I drove myself or found friends to drive. ;-))

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001



first - Doobie Brothers 1978 best - AC/DC - "for those about to rock" tour (also first time I did LSD) worst - Cheap Trick - Bun E. Carlos (drummer) stopped playing everytime his cigarette was done, irregardless of when it was!!!

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

Rory Gallagher - Newcastle City Hall - '74ish. God rest his sole the man was brilliant. I think I'll hunt out Irish Tour and play it.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

Probably Curved Air at The Mayfair, circa '68/69. Other memorable gigs include Purple (leaning against Richie Blackmore's PA on stage) and first Floyd concert (New Bingley Hall, Stafford "Animals" tour '75?).

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

The Jam, Guy Fawkes night, City Hall '78. Best? The Clash a year later at the Poly. Worst? The Cardigans at Glasto 3 years ago, dull, dull, dull.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

Hey Sparxx, AC/DC and LSD? that is one baaaaad combination.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001


Doh! God rest his Soul

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) - 1957-58 , City Hall,

Next one Feb 63 , Acker Bilk played at my wedding , Crown Hotel.Toon oppossite St Mary`s Cathedral , was then anyway.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001


Took a girl called Jackie Wilson (yes, really) from my economics class to see the QUO at NCHall in ?78?. Ears rung for days.

Got roped in by 'er indoors to seeing Ton Jones at Warwick Castle this August and to my surprise he was fantastic.

Old, Moi?

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001


Though perhaps she spelled her name JACKY?

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

Reet Peteet Nick, the finest gal yu ever gonna meet, uh oh oh oh!!!

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001


Aye, she was an' all Buff. More chance of pulling a ligament than pulling her tho'.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

City Hall, 1964. The Searchers, Bobby Vee, Dusty Springfield and Big Dee Irwin!

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

I will slip one in that Supa-Kev may remember , my sons denim jackets were the envy of Whickham thanks to their mothers efforts in spending a lorra lorra time in emblazoning them with their fav headbangers bands. Saddest sight , me eldest returning from a Whitesnake bash ower the toon proudly clutching his souveneir `T` shirt, I took it out of its bag and it literally crumbled into miniscule pieces - sad time

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

Bobby Thompson, Byker Grand, circa 1958.
The Animals, Club A-Go-Go, circa 1963
The Pretty Things, The Mayfair, circa 1964
Bonzo Dog Doo Da Band, some nightclub in Eccles M/C, circa 1966
The Nice, Manchester Uni, circa 1968
Santana, Madison Square Gardens, circa 1992 Dire Straits, Gateshead Stadium, circa 1996
The Who, Gateshead Stadium, 2001
The Eagles, NIA, 2001.

Been around!

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001


Been around, Been around, Clarky`s been around , Beach Boy`s circa

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

The Alarm. Mayfair. 1983? Ushered in by Smiths` "This Charming Man". Joint was well & truly jumping. Anyone got my trainer still that they want to hand back ?

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

Judas Priest 1979 at the Glasgow Apollo.Not the one where Rob dropped his pants.Damn!!!!!!

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

Madness, City Hall 1980. I was 12.

Best: Jeff Buckley, Leeds City Varieties, about '96 I suppose.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

top it off me mates and I grabbed a ride home in the back of a bliddy ice cream truck....man what a night!!!!

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

First-Grateful Dead, City Hall 1972

Best-Grateful Dead, City Hall 1972 (never really recovered)/Little Feat, City Hall ?76/Ian Dury, Elvis Costello, Larry Wallis, Nick Lowe & Wreckless Eric-Newcastle Poly ?78 (all for a quid)/ Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, Opera House earlier this year.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001


First: Rolf Harris at the 3 Arts in Cape Town 1976 :-)

Best: Pink Floyd at Wembley stadium 1988. Second half was just awesome.

Special mention for AC/DC in Perth - 2 deaths, plenty of arrests, wild Aussies checking bottles of Jack Daniels in with the coat-check girls and easily the loudest thing I've been subjected to. Also Skunk Anansie at college just before they changed their name and hit the big time (I think they were called Mama Wild) - just wasn't ready for this skinny, little black girl to sing like that - they had had two big guys with dreads then but they sacked one for thinking he was Eric Clapton. My mate's band supported them and they gave him a set of strings for his bass which was his brush with fame and fortune.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001


First. Slade/Alex Harvey City Hall 1973 (?). Best. Who knows. May Steve Brown Band. Universtiy Theatre 1977(?).

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

1970 City Hall The Four Tops ..15...is it really 30 years ago? **sigh*

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

First, City Hall, nineteen canteen, Lonny Donegan, when he was just the banjo player with Chris Barber, but had released Rock Island Line, for some reason.

City Hall, nineteen canteen n' a bit, Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001


So you were a late starter then Pit Bill?? ;-)

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001

Bit embarrassing this, but I think my first was T'Pau at either Whitley Bay Ice Rink or City Hall in around 1986ish. I saw them at both venues, can't remember which was first. In my defence I was young, impressionable & fancied the ginger lead singer.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

First - Ian dury & the Blockheads 1979ish

Best - Feeder, Last year.

Last - Sparklehorse, a couple of months ago

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001


Cliff Richard at the St Georges Hall Bradford 83-ish.....on a church trip! I defy anyone to beat that qua embarassment. Why couldn't it have been U2/Waterboys the following year? Deliberatly took wee bro to see The Fall as his 'first gig' in mid-80s to avoid same shameful fate.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Wishbone Ash at the City Hall about 1973 could have been my first as well Geordie. Also remember Uriah Heep, Genesis when peter Gabriel was the main man. A few years later Madness and the stranglers were good, Havel O'connor was memorable in my slightly punky years (suported by Duran Duaran) all at the city Hall . The last one I ever went to was Spandau Ballet at the Whitley Bay Ice rink.

BTW wor lasses first was the wurzells ....... and she got thier autographs to prove it.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001


The Buzzcocks and The Slits (good title for a porn movie) at the Mayfair, March '78 I think. The Slits' guitarist (Ari Up?) had broke all but two strings by the end but you couldn't hear any discernable difference in quality.

I was at DSS's fave gig, the Clash at the Poly. It was a near riot because they were insisting that only students and guests could get in regardless of whether you already had a ticket. Like so many gigs in them days you had to hang about outside sucking up to students, "Can yer sign us in please". Deeply humiliating and the prime reason that I never went to University.

The Slits supported The Clash that night (The Clash and the Slits sounds like a kung fu porn movie) and Ari Up made the Chronicle by coming on stage and saying "I'm not normally in favour of violence but after this gig please smash this f***ing place up".

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001


John Cooper Clarke and Pauline Murray at The city hall 1980?.

Buff I would have cut both my arms off to have seen MJQ in 57-58. Did you enjoy it?

Min I was at the SLF gig if it was 82

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001


Exactly as I remember it Dread. I think the doors were stormed at one point by the non-student masses. Never experienced such a charged atmosphere since. What a night, what a band.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Garcie - seeing Sparklehorse next week. Were they good? Spiritualized the next night.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Same as Macbeth, Rush 1978 at Newcastle City Hall. Best is hard, possibly Fine Young Cannibals circa 1985/6 at the Town & Country Kentish Town.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

The Ramones..... City Hall circa 1979 at 14 years old....

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Dan, Pparklehorse were well worth seeing, A bit 'minty' though(£15). Favourite tune - Saturday. We had to leave early as my mate passed out and needed stitches to a cut eye. I am thinking of seeing them in either Leeds or Leicester if I can, where are you going?

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

First gig..I really can't remember but it wouldn't have been notable musically. Probably some dodgy post-punk rockabilly outfit in a glorified pub at Hammersmith, circa 1982. First major band was probably the Pretenders supported by the Waterboys in 1983/4 - in Berlin. Best gig..again there are a number of contenders for various reasons. Perhaps the Cure at Glastonbury, 1986? Although my mates would say that me being forceably evicted from a Tears for Fears concert would rank high on the memorable gig table, oh the shame.. (not of being thrown out, but being there in the first place ;-)

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Mountain. City Hall, early seventies. Was also at the Curved Air Mayfair concert. Screach, what was the name of the girl in the band? Was it Sonia summit???

Rory Gallagher......Mayfair...was late on stage but still a legend!!!

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001


Bake , Enjoy MJQ , yes cos we was there and we did want to be decadent Guy Mitchell dunking biscuits in gravy and Doris Day mooning and swooning were not for us. The answer was jazz and prior to MJQ we worshipped at the local feet of Pete Deuchar and his Vieux Carre Jazzmen ower the Vaults , Air Guitar pah, try playing air clarinet, sax and double bass. No because inwardly I realised that all being equal, the music was not for me and I was showboating with my pals.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAND THEN CAME "ROCK N` ROLL"xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001


Worst gig was ... I cant remember their name, a dance group of tarts, including Sarah Brightman. They used to have a regular slot on the Kenny Everett Show,

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Hot Gossip??

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Thats them, what a load of tosh!

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Walker Brothers, Newcastle City Hall circa......the year dot! (:o)

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Anyone in the 70's see Hawkwind with the lass who used to take her kit off during the gig? I couldn't get a ticket ......gutted!

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Thanks for that Buff. I think most people consider MJQ to be dodgy elevator music, all that plinking and plonking, and I was interested in your opinion. Being a latecomer to MJQ, I could hardly fail to be since they were formed well before I was born, it was amazing to see that your first gig was by them. What a thought MJQ at the City Hall it makes me go weak at the knees, i've got live records but theres nowt like being there as they say.

Glad to see you came to your senses and embraced Rock and Roll.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001


ow, crystal lattice were a very bad band who played at school, they were the first

but the REAL first was (i think) ANTHRAX who were a bit like a hurricane.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001


swift, post in yet?

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Thanks Swift, you've reminded me what the first 'gig' would have been - ie a school band. It was competent but unfashionably prog rockish, and interestingly included Ben Watt of later Everything but the Girl fame. It actually won the national school band competition, if anyone remebers that on tv? (mid 80's). Sh@t name though - Mother Goose or something.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Rik, I remeber going to see Hawkwind in the 70's. The next morning my ears were bleeding and I couldn't hear clearly for three days afterwards.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Q . How do you keep milk fresh?

.

A. . Keep it in the cow.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001


OOppps , thought the title said, your first gag.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Stevo:
Cliff Richard at the St Georges Hall Bradford 83-ish.....on a church trip! I defy anyone to beat that qua embarassment.

I think I can just about manage that - Johnny Morris at the Newcastle City Hall, performing his classic Talking Animals plus Orchestra set including his magnum opus Don't don't don't cross on the motorway Frog piece.

Dan: That of course being the under-16s-only Madness bash. Remember it well. Didn't go but wished I had - a saxophone transcription of Tarzan's Nuts was a p!ss-poor poor substitute.

Most memorable gig was The Beautiful South, Brixton Academy, 1989 who played for 50 minutes then, because someone threw an empty plastic beer-glass on the stage, called the audience "a load of f*cking Southern c*nts" and walked off. Might have been understandable if the Pogues hadn't previously played the same venue covered head to foot in beer and loving every minute of it.



-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Bizarrely I walso remember seeing "Tight Fit" at Fusion nightclub (now the Tesco's store on Park Lane) in Sunderland in circa. 1982/83....

....in the jungle the mighty jungle the lion sleeps tonight.....

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001


The Pogues in their heyday were great! First saw them at a club in NYC (Danceteria???) around 1985/6. Much of the crowd stood back a bit from the stage not quite sure until Shane McGowan brought out a gallon jug of wine and started filling the empty glasses folks were putting up on the stage. That got the place jumping.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

there is a famous ttv story about s. mgowan pooing into a broken bottle of vodka on the roof of tv house when the tube was on, apparently being 'downwind' and trying to coax him down wasn't fun. i have resisted all crap, pipes and tubes jokes

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Best was either Blues Band led by Paul Jones on harmonica, or Elvis Costello in Nottingham 1984, never seen a keyboard player like it

I too saw the Slits, packed front ten rows with engineering students believing the album cover would be repeated and mud covered girls would appear, didn't, by the end you could walk around the flor, everyone had gone home, they did produce the magical line of "silence is a rhythm too"

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001


Macbeth having seen your picture in the match programme at the Derby.... I could tell you were a Slits fan!!!

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Garcie - seeing them in Jizlington, the Union Chapel. 'Spirit Ditch' is the killer for me - first lp still the best, I reckon.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Best would be Elvis Costello at Glastonbury during the King of America Tour. He said at the start that he hoped we had our sleeping bags and I took no notice but after 2 and a half hours of playing solo with the odd accompanist he dropped the backdrop and played for another 1 and a half hours with the Attractions. Sheer bliss

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001

Wow- The Slits, I'm most envious, seriously.
Shagspeare: Johnny Morris v Cliff Richard X-mas special, I'd say you win though only just.

My Best: My Bloody Valentine, Queens Uni, Belfast 1990.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001


First, The Junco Partners, about '66 at some hall or other in Felling. Utter crap, but my first real mass sighting of mini skirts, so maybe not that crap after all. First proper concert, Small Faces at City Hall, circa '66. Brill. Didn't realise at the time that I was living my teens in the best ever decade. Fave concert, Grace Jones, somewhere in London about '81. The one I really want to see but probably never will, Aretha Franklin. Once flew into Boston, only to find out that she had been in concert there the night before. Bugger.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001

Best week was Dylan at SJP on the Wednesday followed by Stevie Wonder at the NEC the next Monday, all those songs !!!

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001

bake - slf in '82 it was. The band stayed beyhind afterwards and met everybody who wanted to meet them - queued up round the block and the SPG were EVERYWHERE. Had a fantastic time of it. Jake Burns told me to go straight home to my lass and not talk to any loose women!

Top man.

;-)

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001


Dear god we must have been in the same queue. I met the band as well and Jake Burns and me discussed broken glasses (the ones on your face not the drinking ones. small world min

I don't normally meet bands and never will agaoin after I asked the bass player from SLF whether he had seen me. He asked me where I was sat and after I told him abut 18 rows back he said you can't see past the first few rows cos of the house lights. I said how weird I thought you kept looking at me.

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2001


top gig: ian segal at ain't nothin but the blues behind hamleys, regent street, great geetarist, but little bill and his 50's style blues could melt hearts from 200 yards

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2001

van halen ages ago, NO ONE can play as well as eddie v.h. (dutch, stevo) alex v.h. must be about the best drummer too.

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2001

Another stunner was Metallica who were stunning. But AC/DC were the best. Angus is a legend.

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2001

bake - great story! Did you know Jake Burns lives in Newcastle now and most of the band [well, the 'replacements'!] are NUFC fanatics?

He's doing a tour this december - with Pauline Black, JJ Burnel and Steve Diggle - 'Three men and Black' - an acoustic set with stories from their punk touring days. Might go along for a bit of a laugh!

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2001


Well if we're doing best gig .... that would be... umm err ... has to Yes... Relayer tour.

best recent one is a toss up between a Greek Pink Floyd tribute band playing in Lindos or taking my lad to see Wheatus (his first gig) and watching him crowd surf etc.. Delinquent parent or what?

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2001


delinquent indeed. You should be joining him in the crowd-surf. ;-)

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2001

AC/DC weren't as good after Bon Scott popped his clogs, IMHO.

'Down payment blues' must be one of the best AC/DC tracks ever.

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2001


1st Gig - City Hall - Family, Gun, Junco partners & Bonzo Dog - what a mixture - 1969 ish I think.

Best Gig - Chris Rea - many times - but possibly UMIST on Watersign tour.

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2001


Are we on best gigs now? I can't come up with a single best, there's been so many and for various reasons. One favorite was the last half of the Elvis Costello and Attractions show at the Ed Sullivan theatre in NYC on Spinning Songbook night. Waited outside for hours in hopes first of getting a ticket off a scalper and when that proved hopeless, a handful of us were reduced to waiting til the industry types started leaving and we begged their tickets stubs off them so we could go in. The best free ticket I've ever had for any show! :-D

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2001

I was in New Orleans 1990ish, we went to a club called Tipitnas (sp)we got there early because we were told we would get some free food. There was one guy stood outside in a queue of one, who told us the band that night was a country and western singer from New York. When we got in it turned out to be Suzanne Vega. The crowd was very small, probably 50 or so, but what a good night that was. She came down and had a drink (or 2)with me and my mates. She spent a good hour chatting and sharing jokes with us. A lovely lady.

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2001

Moderation questions? read the FAQ