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



Wardy's twin

Well-known member
Oct 21, 2014
8,867
First gig - Rocky Sharp and the Razors at the Richmond 1972/3

Best gig - From the Jam at Concorde 2 2017 - in the mosh pit at age 62, great 'personal' atmosphere , being with people who wanted to enjoy the music rather than collect the ticket

Worst gig - Rod Stewart at the Amex he was really p*ssed off with the traffic and took it out in his lack lustre performance. The venue itself was poorly laid out. That said after a bottle of wine or two it turned into a good experience
 






Robinjakarta

Well-known member
Jul 14, 2014
2,163
Jakarta
Born in USA at Wembley 1985.
Queen at Wembley 1986 , Kind of Magic tour, supported by The Alarm, Big Country and INXS before Freddie WOWED everyone was also up there...

I couldn't get tickets for the sold out Springsteen Wembley gig and ended up going to St James's Park, Newcastle and glad I did.

I was also at the Wembley Queen gig except the show I saw had Status Quo instead of Big Country. I was surprised how good Status Quo were on stage as had never much rated them. Queen, Freddie sure indeed did WOW everyone.

Pretty well a tie with those two gigs for the best.

Oh, and first? No idea, really. Maybe The Motion at the Pilgrim pub or Sussex Hall, Haywards Heath. They played a lot around Sussex in the mid to late '60s and were pretty good.

Worst. Sorry Bob. Love your songs but oh, dear, Dylan, Singapore 2012. Could hardly tell what the songs were.
 


jakarta

Well-known member
May 25, 2007
15,738
Sullington
First, Slade in Brighton (ably supported by Suzy Quattro and Thin Lizzie). Early 70s

Worst, Probably the Nolan Sisters again in Brighton. To please my girlfriend who went on to be wife. Bucks Fizz (Crawley) and Michael Buble (O2) falls in the same category.

Best, Still my fav band. ELO at Wembley Arena circa 1981.

Can I just say Slade are brilliant live, some 'Big' Band pulled out of the post graduation Gig at Lanchester Poly back in the early 1980's, they stepped in and were magnificent. When Sir Nodsworth Holder is knighted it won't be a moment too soon.
 


Marmaduke

SE London Seagull
Apr 28, 2010
173
SE London
IIRC that was the Thursday night of Easter weekend? If so I was there. The next night I was at an all nighter at The Zap club and believe me I needed the Saturday, Sunday and Monday to recover from those two nights out.

Black Grape were absolutely shit, At the end of a short set Shaun Ryder said "we're all off backstage for some heroin" and it was clear when they played an undeserved encore that they had been.

I love Black Grape's first album...

But yes, that gig was absolutely shocking!

Clearly wasted
 




Doonhamer7

Well-known member
Jun 17, 2016
1,454
First : Def Leppard / Tesla 1987 Edinburgh playhouse
worst : The Cult at Southampton Guildhall c2015 or Guns N Rose at Milton Keynes Bowl c1992 - outdoor windy and cold, would have got better sound on the M1
Best : torn between Jane’s Addiction 1990 at the Venue Edinburgh (it’s a tiny place) or Monsters of Rock 1988 Iron Maiden, Kiss, Dave Lee Roth, Megadeth, Guns N Roses - the crush was scary and we didn’t realise people had died until next day
 


First: The Levellers at Hyde Park in August 2012. Played a set as part of the Olympics festivities in the park that summer

Worst: The Who in Liverpool, 2017. Nothing to with the actual sound quality, but more having all expectations ruined. Given they played Quadrophenia in full during "Quadrophenia & More" tour in 2013, the impression they gave in the announcement ahead of the "Tommy & More" tour was it'd be the same deal - full album and a few other hits. The fact they played the album in full at a prior show at the RAH Teenage Cancer Trust event also suggested this would be the case too.

However Daltrey announced about half a dozen songs or so in that they'd decided because a lot of people just wanted the hits, they'd play a smaller Tommy segment rather than the whole album. The pisstake was they'd been touring their greatest hits 50th anniversary tour for the past two years, two of those shows I'd seen already. Had I known this would be the case, I wouldn't have bothered spending the money I had to go all that way to see them on this occassion, so to say I was gutted was an understatement. Couldn't enjoy the gig at all after that and haven't felt the same about them since, with my tastes having gravitated towards more modern rock and metal since then. Daltrey outing himself as a massively ignorant gammon hasn't done them any favours either.

Best: A toss-up between three

- Rammstein in Prague, 2019: The best live spectacle you will ever see, and being right up close to the band near second stage when they performed "Engel" and getting to pass some of the band over my head in the lifeboats was something special. Hopefully get to see that show again in Berlin and Cardiff next year.
- Iron Maiden in Birmingham, 2018: Wonderful setlist, stage show and my favourite band on top form! Another band I'm keeping my fingers cross I get to see again (in Prague) in 2021.
- Royal Blood at Concorde 2, 2017: Had to queue up at 6am at Resident Music to get one of 500 tickets/wristbands for the intimate show that was announced the day beforehand. 500 or so people packed in that got to hear most of the songs from "How Did We Get So Dark" played live for the first time. Also one of the few times I've seen Ben use his bass drum with the Albion crest on it. Wonderful evening!
 


joydivisionovengloves

Well-known member
Aug 10, 2019
437
N/E Somerset
Cant remember the first but by far the worst was The Who, which I see others have named, at Ashton Gate about 15 years ago.
Absolutely terrible sound, atmosphere less , going through the motions exercise in making money.
The concourses were packed with merch stalls selling £50 tee shirts, Ive never seen so much mercy being flogged by one band. Carling lager at £7 a pint. It made me so f****** angry.

I didn't get fooled again.

Best... Tom Waites in Edinburgh, Tom Waits in Milan, The Clash, Pogues on St Patricks night, Willard Grant in front of 10 people, The Boredoms at ATP, Idles at Glastonbury, Radiohead (My Iron Lung Tour 1994 ? ) REM Glastonbury, Nirvana, Bristol Bierkeller, Gillian Welch, Fiddlers Bristol, Lambchop, Lisbon 2005 ?
All the punk gigs I went to at the Richmond as a teenager.

Not showing off, just don't know how to pick a best. There is nothing better than good live music and I really f****** miss it.
 




scooter1

How soon is now?
First - The Piranhas at the Resources Centre Vault. I would have been 5 or 6 and fell asleep on my dads shoulders mid set
Best - EMF at the Astoria, London in 1991
Worst - I’ve seen Oasis twice, once at Wembley Arena and once at the stadium(both times because my ex wanted to go). It’s a toss up between either, as I just found Oasis dull live. Much better on record IMHO
 


Blackadder

Brighton Bhuna Boy
Jul 6, 2003
16,121
Haywards Heath
Can I just say Slade are brilliant live, some 'Big' Band pulled out of the post graduation Gig at Lanchester Poly back in the early 1980's, they stepped in and were magnificent. When Sir Nodsworth Holder is knighted it won't be a moment too soon.

They certainly were. They were THE group of the early 70s. I also saw them a couple of years later in Brighton when they were supported by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band.At both concerts Noddy certainly knew how to work the crowd^. We had difficulty hearing properly at school for a few days later.

*Whilst exulting Noddy, I watched a TV interview with the band at the time. I think the group was from Wolverhampton. Listening to guitarist Jimmy Lea, I am not convinced English was his first language.
 


clapham_gull

Legacy Fan
Aug 20, 2003
25,876
Best band live. Nirvana at Reading, very special performance in a right time right moment kind of way.

Second Best Band Live. The Pixies.

Famous but open mouth shockingly bad live: New Order.

Can't stand them but grudgingly appreciate how good they are live. Beautiful South / Lightening Seeds.

Loved them but excruciatingly bad live but couldn't give a f@@@: The original early Suede line up.

Not the greatest fan but always worth the ticket price and know how to put on a show: Manics / The Cult.

Can I go home now, how did I get roped into this: U2 (Achtung Baby Tour)

Random watch in complete shock and sing along with the hits my brother bought the tickets as a joke: Neil Diamond.
 




Mexican Seagull

Active member
Jan 16, 2013
244
Mexico City
First not sure but was at the Dome in late 60s either John Mayall or Jethro Tull

Worst & Best was actually one concert with Rolling Stones in Copenhagen (Broenby Hallen) in the early 70s so out of tune and all over the place until they played Angie and then it all dramatically came together and finished amazing, a series of 3 Lou Reed concerts at same time in Copenhagen were also very memorable
 


clapham_gull

Legacy Fan
Aug 20, 2003
25,876
Worst, Probably the Nolan Sisters again in Brighton.

:clap2:

I used to work with someone was very very good at 70s/80s pop at pub quizzes which was a bit odd in respect of their age.

Well it was until they told me their dad used to produce. Also wrote a hit for Bucks Fizz.
 


Not Andy Naylor

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2007
8,995
Seven Dials
Can't be topped - Chic at the Brighton Centre in around 1980. If you were there, you'll know.
 




seagurn

Well-known member
Feb 19, 2007
1,971
County town
1st the jam
Worst Chris Rea
Best Orbital and a special mention to eat static @ concorde
 




Juan Albion

Chicken Sniffer 3rd Class
First: The Stranglers and the Dictators, Hastings Pier, 1978.

Worst: Greg Kihn at the Marquee, London. Spent the last money I owned to get there, only to find he had never left the US. Went home and tried to kill myself.

Best: the best music experience was The Jam three nights in a row at the Rainbow, but if it has to be one gig, I'd say Bruce Springsteen and the E St Band in Detroit in 2016 on "The River" tour.
 


morematey

Active member
Jun 28, 2017
100
First: Blur (Brighton Centre 1997)

Worst: Lewis Capaldi (Komedia Studio Bar 2017). Bought the ticket for the support but decided to hang around for the main act. Bad decision

Best: Bon Iver (Copenhagen 2017). Whenever I think of the very best gigs I’ve been to, one factor that always contributes is where I am in relation to the band. Being front row on the barrier always enhances a gig generally for me. It’s just more visceral. There are very few ‘big’ bands I am willing to make that effort for (prob only other is The National). I had to stand for 6 hours in driving rain that day to be on the barrier, but was 100% worth it as Justin was fired up that day in a way I’ve never seen before or after.
 




Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
37,341
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
Worst. Sorry Bob. Love your songs but oh, dear, Dylan, Singapore 2012. Could hardly tell what the songs were.

I think Bob does two types of gig, absolute belters and these. Most are these, To have beaten Madonna miming and Black Grape wasted to my "worst" award is some achievement but the disappointment of seeing one of your heroes staring out disinterestedly and muttering "mmmm mmmmm" to a blues guitar riff for EVERY song was enormous!
 


Lethargic

Well-known member
Oct 11, 2006
3,511
Horsham
First - UB40 at the Brighton Centre 1980.

Best - tough choice Queen at Cologne 1986 or Bowie at Nurnbergring 1987 but for pure fun SLF Stanmer Park 1996.

Worst- U2 Zoo tour at Wembley 1993 all hype and no substance.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
 


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