Post your first five concerts you recall.

Just going down memory lane and looked up some of these dates because I was looking for a show I went to way back..... if you are looking for specific dates, setlists etc. try setlist.fm or just post what you recall.


For me my first concerts were all in 1981-1982 in Kansas City area. I was just 15 years old. Each of them was because of a friend/neighbor who had tickets and invited me. I mean we were Gen X kids so I had certain liberties. In each case one of the older kids drove - usually they were just 16 or 17.

ZZ Top at Kemper Arena in KC - August 13, 1981
The day after my 15th birthday. Opening act was Loverboy. I was blown away. It was great show but also all the girls on their guys shoulders on the floor flashing their boobs made a lasting impression on me at 15.

Molly Hatchett at Hoch Auditorium in Lawrence KS (KU) - November 13, 1981
Great show really but so loud my ears were ringing for days.

The Rolling Stones at Kemper Arena in KC - December 15, 1981
Great show. I was really just getting into them but knew most of the classics and of course Tattoo You had been huge that year. It was a school night I recall but didn't care.

Black Sabbath at Municipal Auditorium in KC - March 20, 1982
It was after Ozzy of course so the show was just ok. But it was so dark and the crowd and symbology were so "satanic" I was convinced I was being initiated in a cult

Summer Jam 1982 - Arrowhead Stadium in KC - May 30, 1982
.38 Special
Foreigner
LeRoux
Loverboy
Triumph

Moved to Dallas right after that and the next 5 i saw there were:
Journey, Pat Benatar, Tom Petty, Rush and Texxas Jam at the Cotton Bowl with Sammy Hagar, Styx, Triumph, Ted Nugent and Uriah Heep in 1983

I'm not counting the Houston Rodeo as that would be 4 of my 5, but……

Prince -1984 in Houston only 5 and vaguely remember
No Doubt 1995 in Houston
ZZ Top 1997 in Houston
Pearl Jam 1998 in Dallas
Red Hot Chili Peppers 2000 in Houston

Had to use the Internet confirm all these dates

First 3 as a kid where I didn't pay for the ticket
1976 - 3/2 - Charley Pride @ Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo
1985 - 7/6 - Alabama after a Houston Astros game
1985 - 7/24 - The Beach Boys at the Boy Scout National Jamboree (attending as Direct Service Council from Saudi Arabia)

As a Texas A&M student, the real first 5

• 1989 - 10/29 - REM at G. Rollie White
• 1990 - 2/26 - Rush at Houston Summit
• 1991 - 1/19 - Andrew Dice Clay at Palmer Auditorium in Austin
• 1991 - 3/24 - Scorpions at Houston Summit
• 1991 - 8/2 - Damn Yankees / Bad Company at Austin Aquafest

I've made up for my lack of concerts since those days

My first shows were in Germany as a teen.

KISS - Frankfurt 9/13/80. KISS was ok. Saw Ace over a fence heading to the stage and he toasted me and my buddies with a glass of (presumably) wine. Eric Carr was the drummer at this point, wearing the Fox makeup. But opener Iron Maiden blew them away. This was with Paul Di'Anno singing, Harris and Murray, and with Doug Sampson on drums and Tony Parsons on guitar. This lineup only lasted about 3 months.

4th Golden Summernight Concert - Darmstadt 8/23/81. Day long festival with an amazing lineup - Blackfoot, Blue Oyster Cult, Foreigner, Iron Maiden (again), Kansas, Motorhead, 38 Special, and a British band called More. Maiden's lineup a year down the road was the Killers lineup - Di'Anno, Harris, Murray, Smith, and Burr. Motorhead were amazing as well - classic lineup with Fast Eddie Clarke and Philthy Animal Taylor.

Rush - Russelsheim 11/17/81. Fantastic show on the Exit Stage Left tour. My first Rush show (last one was Austin on the R40 tour in May 2015). Opener was Girlschool, who were cool, and still perform today.

Simon & Garfunkel - Offenbach 5/28/82. They toured together, after their big reunion in Central Park in Sep 81. Amazing to see them together, and their harmonizing still blows me away.

5th Golden Summernight Concert - Wiesbaden 9/4/82. A little bit more of a 70's lineup than the previous year's festival. This one headlined Neil Young, King Crimson, and Jethro Tull. Also included Michael Schenker Group and April Wine who were big at the time, and Woodstock singer Melanie.

Zombie Jon Snow said:

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Summer Jam 1982 - Arrowhead Stadium in KC - May 30, 1982
.38 Special
Foreigner
LeRoux
Loverboy
Triumph

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That must have been nice

As a young pup I wasn't a huge concert-goer mainly cause I was broke most of the time...

1. Sometime between 1974 and 1978 Willie Nelson did a benefit concert for my high school
2. Can't remember the exact year - 1980 or 1981 - Jimmy Buffet performed at G. Rollie. I seem to recall that Coconut Telegraph had only recently been released.
3 and 4 were probably also Jimmy Buffets or maybe Merle Haggard at the Houston Rodeo (can't remember what year that was.
5. Was probably ZZ Top at the Summit in Houston

ETA - forgot to add a free Johnny Dee and the Rocket 88's concert at South Padre spring break 1981 I think - LOL!

All in Dallas...

Def Leppard - 83
Iron Maiden - 83
AC/DC - 83
Black Sabbath - 84
Triumph - 85

Asia - June 30, 1982
The Summit in Houston

Van Halen - September 24, 1982
The Summit in Houston

Rush - March 7, 1983
The Summit in Houston

Texxas Jam - June 19, 1983
Astrodome
Styx, Sammy Hagar, Triumph, Ted Nugent, Uriah Heep

Judas Priest - April 27, 1984
The Summit in Houston

I might have missed some in between. Would need to look at my ticket stubs to be sure. I've still got 'em somewhere.

Here's a pic of Sammy, Ted, and Rik doing Whole Lotta Love for Sammy's encore. It was freaking awesome.

Sweet! Must have been incredible seeing those groups as they were hitting their stride.
Especially in the 1980s during the Cold War.

Growing up in Alaska and Saudi Arabia, we didn't have concerts so I'm definitely envious. Thanks for sharing.

MSFC Aggie said:

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Zombie Jon Snow said:

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Summer Jam 1982 - Arrowhead Stadium in KC - May 30, 1982
.38 Special
Foreigner
LeRoux
Loverboy
Triumph

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That must have been nice

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It was great really - even LeRoux (from Louisiana of course) who was pretty much unknown to me and I think they only ever had one album. There was a song I heard that week leading up to the show played locally called "Addicted" that I still remember a bit to this day... "I'm addicted baby....It's plain to see....Your love's...Got a hold on me". I was addicted to a chick then - unrequited love story of course. Ah well.

But .38 Special was awesome played with 2 drummers in those days. As a drummer I thought it was both cool and odd. They rocked it though and kicked off the show.

Foreigner just about stole the show really. Biggest name at the time to me.

Loverboy was ok but I had seen them before opening for ZZTop so I got food and drinks during their show as I recall.

Triumph was phenomenal. Rik Emmitt vocals were soaring and I love their drummer Gil Moore who also shared lead vocals on some songs. Canada's other power rock trio hooked me on that night. They also had the advantage of the lighting and stage effects at night while the others were between 12-7pm.

I remember being sunburned and exhausted after a 12 hour day basically. But it was fun.

I later saw Triumph again in Kansas City a year or two later when I was visiting a good friend in the summer at Kemper Arena.

Not counting HLS&R:

BTO - circa 1975 Sam Houston Coliseum
Emerson Lake and Palmer - 1976? same venue
The Who, Golden Earing, Thin Lizzy - late 70's Houston Summit
The Eagles - 1976 Austin, forget the venue
Pretty much every concert in G Rollie from 1976 -80

Grew up in Houston..

Motley Crue opening for Ozzy at the Summit - Feb 17, 1984 (14 years old)

Motley Crue at the Summit - Oct. 4, 1985 - they played Home Sweet Home twice because they recorded the live video at that show.

AC/DC at Astroworld Southern Star Amphitheater - Oct 12, 1985

Ronnie James Dio at the Summit - Nov 15, 1985

Aerosmith at the Summit - Feb 21, 1986

America w/ Michael Martin Murphey -- The Summit (3.23.1978)
Kenny Loggins w/ Firefall -- The Summit (11.23.78)
Boston w/ Sammy Hagar -- The Summit (2.3.79)
Maynard Ferguson, jazz trumpeter -- Arena Theater (79?)
Ronnie Millsap -- G. Rollie (fall of 79 or spring 80 ... drove in for the weekend to visit people and see the show)

I missed a lot of great shows in high school because of my job.

Some sort of mega country show out on by the DFW country station. It was at Ranger stadium and had an amazing lineup…and was free.

4D2 at North Gate Cafe

Tripping Daisy at the Tap

Tripping Daisy downtown Bryan at the old theater

Pat green somewhere in CS.