[Music] First gig, Worst Gig and Can't be topped gig?

[BN9 BHA]

Can't be topped - Chic at the Brighton Centre in around 1980. If you were there, you'll know.

Did everybody dance?

 

[mwrpoole]

First - U2 at Wembley 1987 Joshua Tree tour

Worst - Style Council 89/90 I think at Brighton Centre. 1/2 empty and seemed no one wanted to be there.

Best - toss up between Stereo MCs at The Event probably 1993. Limited playlist some songs done twice but absolutely mental and very sweaty. U2 in Las Vegas 2009. I’m a U2 fan and seen them a few times but there was something special about being at a concert overseas. Plus the support act was Black Eyed Peas who were superb.

 

[Randy McNob]

First: Charlatans headlining at Phoenix festival
Worst: Paul Weller at Finsbury Park
Best: Arctic Monkeys London Astoria 2007

 

[Blatter]

First: Genesis (+ Flash In The Pan) Feb 1972

Worst: Bowie, Glass Spider Tour. Pretentious w**k. A real shame as I'd been looking forward to seeing Bowie for ages.

Best: Boogie Brothers Blues Band 1988. Tremendous pub gig!

 

[Barrow Boy]

That Sir, is quite a mix!

Thankyou, yes looking back I was extremely lucky to have seen the bands I did, mainly back in the 70's. I didn't even want to see Bowie, but my mate was a big fan and talked me in to seeing him, needless to say I was impressed and went out and bought Aladdin Sane the very next day. I took my girlfriend to see Deep Purple (she wasn't exactly a big fan of heavy rock) and next day (once my hearing had returned) I asked her what she thought of the gig, she said "I liked the first band"!!!!!! Actually the support band, I think, was a Scottish band called Glencoe, who weren't that bad, but that remark cost her dearly..........I married her!

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Did everybody dance?

They did indeed, despite some genius deciding it should be an all-seated gig.

The audience, as you can imagine, weren't having that. But when everyone got up, the jobsworths stopped the band and turned the house lights on and told everyone to sit back down. Band restarted, everybody back on their feet, lights on again. This happened two or three times until they played a Sister Sledge medley and it was obvious that Nile and Bernard were not going to take any more notice of the rules and just kept playing with all the house lights on. Eventually they saw sense, admitted defeat and turned the house lights off for good.

These days, of course, Nile Rodgers is everywhere, but it was amazing to see the original Chic line-up, string section and all. And they danced too ...

 

[birthofanorange]

Great thread, loved reading all these,
First gig - soup dragons at the event must have been about 1989

This one?



First: Blue Oyster Cult (Brighton Centre '79), closely followed by Rainbow - same venue.

Worst: KISS - Again, Brighton Centre, '84 - walked out after 15 mins and sat in the bar with some equally disappointed mates. Luckily, I was given free tix to see them, as the band came into the Hungry Years and gave out some comps, so at least it cost me nothing.

Best: Probably Pink Floyd in Versailles, June '88, or the Led Zep O2 reunion, as I missed the '79 Knebworth due to a swimming competition I felt duty-bound to attend. Thought I'd never get the chance to see them again, until the reunion gig popped up. Damn good they were, too, and Jason Bonham did his dad proud.

 

[Goldstone1976]

First: genuinely can’t remember - maybe Sweet?

Worst=: either Dylan outside in London around 10 years ago, or Scissor Sisters (yes, I was taken) at Wembley Arena - awful sound and the lead bloke kept swearing at his mother who he claimed was in the audience - really unpleasant.

Best=: Zep @ Knebworth, Radiohead (US in c2000?), St Paul & the Broken Bones - 3 times in increasingly larger venues in London.

 

[DJ NOBO]

First : Suede at Worthing Pavilion 1994. This set the bar pretty damn high. Did any other NSChatters go?
Best: Seeing supergrass in Oxford in the week they released Alright was pretty damn special.
Worst: Depeche Mode, 02, 2009. I had been looking forward to seeing this band live for as long as I remember and was beyond excited. This led to me downing two bottles of wine before I got there. Once inside it was onto shots. Apparently I danced like crazy during first two songs then disappeared.
Next thing I knew I was standing outside the by then empty 02 at 1am wearing a t shirt. I’m guessing I got chucked out , then blacked out. It was December. The St John’s Ambulance people hoovered me up and it was when I sat in the ambulance that I realised my jacket was in the o2 with my phone and wallet. I had nothing. The venue was shut. I was still absolutely battered, freezing and the ambulance people wanted me out and took me to the hospital.
I sat in the waiting room all night trying to sober up. I was given a red blanket by a nurse and when the banks opened I wandered around Canary Wharf looking for a bank. I wondered why security guards were glaring at me or trying to move me on. I later found out those blankets were given to homeless people. I got to a Barclays, eventually they gave me access to my money. I went back to the 02. No sign of my coat, wallet, cash or phone. It took hours to get home and cost a fortune as due to public transport problems (and the state I was in) I mostly got a taxi.
Unrelated, but later that day my girlfriend dumped me.
Yeah, other than that , I only have good memories from seeing Mode at the 02.

 

[jakarta]

First : Suede at Worthing Pavilion 1994. This set the bar pretty damn high. Did any other NSChatters go?
Best: Seeing supergrass in Oxford in the week they released Alright was pretty damn special.
Worst: Depeche Mode, 02, 2009. I had been looking forward to seeing this band live for as long as I remember and was beyond excited. This led to me downing two bottles of wine before I got there. Once inside it was onto shots. Apparently I danced like crazy during first two songs then disappeared.
Next thing I knew I was standing outside the by then empty 02 at 1am wearing a t shirt. I’m guessing I got chucked out , then blacked out. It was December. The St John’s Ambulance people hoovered me up and it was when I sat in the ambulance that I realised my jacket was in the o2 with my phone and wallet. I had nothing. The venue was shut. I was still absolutely battered, freezing and the ambulance people wanted me out and took me to the hospital.
I sat in the waiting room all night trying to sober up. I was given a red blanket by a nurse and when the banks opened I wandered around Canary Wharf looking for a bank. I wondered why security guards were glaring at me or trying to move me on. I later found out those blankets were given to homeless people. I got to a Barclays, eventually they gave me access to my money. I went back to the 02. No sign of my coat, wallet, cash or phone. It took hours to get home and cost a fortune as due to public transport problems (and the state I was in) I mostly got a taxi.

Unrelated, but later that day my girlfriend dumped me.
Yeah, other than that , I only have good memories from seeing Mode at the 02.

Sounds like a Brilliant Night - was Bill Bailey there as well?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4wzJZdmelA

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

First: A few school mates doing passable covers of Cream/Free/Purple/Stones stuff at a venue in Horsham. First 'proper' gig: Genesis at The Dome in '73

Best: Led Zep at Earls Court in '75 ('Physical Graffiti' tour). Stunning. Narrowly beating Springsteen at the Brighton Centre in '81 ('The River' tour). Epic.

Worst: A very bland Eric Clapton at the Brighton Centre circa 80/81. 'Slowhand' was positively glacial, looked disinterested and it seemed most of his guitar work was propped up by the capable Albert Lee. A forgettable set apart from a passable version of 'Cocaine' as the encore.

 

[Withdean and I]

Love this thread!

First - Toyah - Brighton Centre, 1982

Worst - Depeche Mode - Brighton Centre, 1988

Best - U2 - Cardiff Arms Park, 1987. Joshua Tree Tour - my first stadium gig and a mad, up-for-it crowd made the atmosphere amazing. Support was The Alarm and The Pretenders which was great too. Incredible show.

Foo Fighters - Wembley Stadium 2008. Incredible night of Dave Grohl and co at their best with the unbelievable encore featuring Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin joining the Foo’s for Rock n’ Roll and Ramble On.

Bruce Springsteen - Hyde Park 2009 - Hard Rock Calling. I’d wanted to see The Boss since 1985 but the wait made it even more special. Utterly jaw dropping display of raw passion, rock n’ roll and joy for hours and I was fully converted to mega fan.

Bruce Springsteen - Coventry Ricoh Arena 2013. Got there early morning to try and get in front circle and made it! To see The Boss close up was just amazing. Will never forget.

Bruce Springsteen - Coventry Ricoh Arena 2016. Same as 2013 - just glad I got to do it all again!

Foo Fighters - Reading Festival, 2019. Dave and the boys gave it their usual 200%. Amazing night moshing around with Mrs Withdean and I and 000’s of others!!!

I have always loved loved loved gigs be they big or small. Been fortunate enough to go to so many and could probably bore you all senseless about them!


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