Fortified with an Elvis-worthy dinner of pancakes, bacon, and a bit of the hard stuff — hey, just Coca-Cola! — my 11-year-old nephew Alex, in the midst of spring break, was ready to take on his first full-on concert. And if you, be you a pre-teen from suburban New York or a mid-30s magazine editor from the city, were going to have to choose a first concert to go to, Thursday night’s Linkin Park show at Madison Square Garden (with frontman Chester Bennington, pictured) would have been, as Alex said after the show, an "A plus plus plus" one to make your live debut. (Hint: Jigga say, “Encore”!)
Which brings us to a question that both Alex and I just have to ask: What was your first concert, and did it deserve an "A plus plus plus"?
Debbie Gibson on the Electric Youth tour. Alex has nothing on me.
Elvis Costello, with special guest Nick Lowe, acoustic show at the Boston College hockey rink. Almost TWENTY years ago. SIGH. They had technical issues that night, but I thought being at that show was the coolest thing ever.
Elton John & Billy Joel at Veteran’s Stadium in Philadelphia. Though I wish I could cite my 2nd one (Metallica & Guns & Roses at Giants’ Stadium) as my first.
Sigh. It was Thompson Twins and I was 9. NOT A plus plus worthy. I like to pretend my first show was Fishbone/Primus in 1991 (I was 14 then) and it was an A+++ show. But the truth, the painful truth is that my first concert was Debbie Gibson in Milwaukee back in 1988. I went with my MOM and I was maybe 11 at the time.
Man, those kids at school really made fun of me for wearing that Debbie Gibson 1988 Tour t-shirt. Part of me’s always wondered if that ridicule was what caused me to go punk in high school.
PS Matty, was posting when you did and didn’t get to see your comment. Where did you catch Ms. Gibson?
Mighty Mighty Bosstones. And it was phenomenal.
Sondre Lerche at the TLA in Philadelphia just about four years ago now. At the time a solid A, but in retrospect (and having seen him again) a satisfactory B-. Sweet but boring.
Oh, the embarrassment! Shawn Cassidy at the International Amphitheater, Chicago, circa 1976-77.
At age 14 I went to see Depeche Mode’s Devotional concert at the Great Western Forum here in L.A. It was amazing! Only Underworld at the Wiltern has been a better concert experience for me.
Smashing Pumpkins in 1996 at the Rosemont Horizon. I’m sure it was an A+++ for those with better seats, but Billy Corgan was smaller than my pinky nail from my nose bleeds, so I’ll go with a B.
I saw The Pointer Sisters in 1987 with my parents and little brother. It was back when they still had Concerts on the Common in Boston. If I were to see it now, I probably wouldn’t give it an A++, but back then, when I was 10, it was pretty cool.
Rick Springfield at the Philadelphia Spectrum. I cried like a little girl, which is acceptable because I was, well, a little girl.
“Journey” in 1980? 1981? Blah. Whatever it was most definatley NOT a plus plus. The lyrics! The hair! The angst!
My first concert was a Harry Conic Jr. show when I was 11 years old. My mom and sister didn’t want me to be left out so they took me and I fell asleep 1/2 way through it. My next concert was Britney Spears’ first tour the same year. I must admit I had a bit more fun at that one. I think soft melodies after bed time was just not a good combination.
REM’s Green Tour – age 12. I’d say yeah, def. got an A+++ for that! Of course I followed it up with Tesla/Poison… so A++++, right?!