Bet you think I'm really hip and all with this cool new blog. You might change your mind after what I have to tell you. All this talk of music lately got me to thinking, reminiscing, well, let’s be honest waking up from the nightmarish reality of which “band” (and believe me I use the term loosely) was the first one I saw live in concert. Yes, my friends I was 14, it was at the Capital Centre here in the DC metro area,and as a hint, she was “a little bit country and he was “a little bit rock and roll.” 
Hot stuff, I know. To this day, I wonder how anyone ever thought Marie was country and Donny was rock and roll. The guy sang a song called “Puppy Love,” for crying out loud. And yes, I still own the vinyl album with that song on it. Does that make it vintage, antique, or trash? I'm guessing the latter. (I recently explained to my daughter that we listened to music on something called a record player, got up off the couch to change one of three channels on the TV and had a phone with a round dial that was attached to the wall so that it couldn’t get lost in between the couch cushions along with the TV remotes, but I digress which I do from time to time....and I am using different fonts to emphasize it.)
In composing this post, I asked my husband to remind me what his first concert was. Let’s just say, we probably wouldn’t have hung out back in the day. The first of his many “hair band/ head banger” concerts was Kiss/Bob Seger/Jay Giles (three for one if can you stand it). Other bands he saw included, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne (!) Kansas, Van Halen, AC/DC, UFO (huh, whose that?) The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, REO Speedwagon and Rossington Collins. In contrast, my list includes, Janet and Michael Jackson, Tuck and Patty, Everything But the Girl, Barenaked Ladies, Madonna, George Winston, Phil Collins, Indigo Girls (Quote of the night from me: “Why are there so many women here? I really didn’t know, and I was 30. I'm so naive) Harry Connick Jr. (THE best concert ‘eva), Barney, Blues Clues, Dora, Disney Princess on Ice, and next week, it is off to the High School Musical tour which, I gotta say, I’m excited about.
Now, you know what’s coming, don’t you? You gotta play along with me, pretty please, even if you’ve never piped in before, I don’t bite, I promise. What was your first concert, and how old were you?. If I can admit that I went to Donny and Marie, (and still own a couple Osmond albums) you can tell me what concert you went to…it can’t be worse. If my friend, Tracey, who I know in real life, can admit that she learned to bust-a-move to "The gag me Hustle", you can spill the beans about your first concert…
okay, let's hear it....
Friday, February 22, 2008
let's hear it....
Brought to you by Debbie at 5:42 PM
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Okay, my first concert was Adam Ant!! I was 14, a freshman in high school. No, I was never a punk rocker, but I sure did have a big crush on one!! My taste steadily improved throughout the eighties to now, however. I have seen: The Beach Boys, Flock of Seagulls, The Go Go's, VanHalen, Jimmy Buffet, Shawn Colvin, The Mavericks, George Winston, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Krall, Steven Curtis Chapman, Jars of Clay, Delirious, and anyone and everyone who played the three tours of Lilleth Fair! I'm sure I've missed some, but these are what I remember. I'm a wee bit envious that I never saw Donny & Marie, though I did meet Donny personally in Victoria's Secret, of all places!!!
Aaahhhhh! That is the sound of me screaming, because I actually have the Donnie doll complete with purple pantsuit! Yes, ma'am. I have a good story about this, too, but my kiddos are coming, so I'll have to stop by later.
Now I *know* we have to have lunch soon.
~Heather
Ok I am laughing out loud at both of these. Kimberley! Flock of Seagulls! That is quintessential 1980's and Heather...a Donny doll?!...that is priceless..I can't beleive I never had one. Do tell, though!
Hi Deb, Christine here (Bob's sister). Yes, I thought I would chime in and give my list... I didn't have any donny osmond albums, but I did watch their show AND Cher's... loved both. I did like "puppy love" and "paper roses", but my favorite family band was The DeFranco family, remember it's a heartbeat, it's a lovebeat. That was not my favorite song on the album, but yes, I do have the vinyl, and recorded it to cassette too so I could listen in the car, AND still know the lyrics for most of the songs on the album. (I am so going to have to pull that cassette out now.)
Next, the concerts, let's see if I can remember this in order... Twisted Sister & White Tiger at The Factory (before they sort of got famous), Ramones! at the Paramount Theater in S.I. (may have been the first real concert), Ozzy Osbourne (crazy train!) with Def Leppard (they were the warm up band but had sound problems so were not that good) Judas Priest and Adam Ant at the Pier in manhattan. Then, Madonna (blonde ambition tour I think) with Technotronic as warm up... great concert!, Cher (was so not worth it) the comedian warmup for her better than she was, and Debbie Gibson (other than the screaming young girls, it was a really good show.) Then I think it was into the country phase... Clint Black, Kenney Chesney (in a small theater before he got really big) Mary Chapin Carpenter, Alabama (great performers), Collin Raye, Trisha Yearwood, Pam Tillis, Neil McCoy (great showman), Keith Urban when he was in the band "the ranch" (still one of my favorite cds)... Finally, Liza Minelli before she married that strange looking man, forget his name, but she put on a good show too. And then Tony Bennett... he was just amazing, so talented, so much style and class. And I would have loved to have seen Harry Connick, Jr!
As I read the list of my brother's concerts... I can remember him going to many of them, and definitely remember the music. I think I went to one concert with him and his friends (Pete & his brother?) and my friends - could have been the ozzy concert, but it was definitely at the colesium in Long Island.
I must admit, I have not seen any of the kids concerts or ice shows, but would probably like to see high school musical.
Now let me go find my DeFranco family cassette...
~ Christine
I LOVED THE DEFRANCO FAMILY!! I can still remember it's a Heartbeat it's a Lovebeat...my sister and I made up a dance to it in our living room while living in Hawaii....And, boy have you seen alot of concerts! Thanks for piping in....I hope to see your name in the comment box again!!!! Now it's Claudia's turn to pipe in!
OH my ...ok if I tell you my first concert you have to promise you will let me come back to your blog and not ban me!! hahaha!
My first was a streamline of concerts of Tom Jones!! I would make my Mom take me with her girlfriends!! Yep and enjoyed every minute of it, ha! Then I went to one Garth Brookes concert, follwed by Blues Clues, Barney, The Wiggles, Dora, and all those!
I never attended concerts as a teen .....I was always too scared, lol.
Blessings~
Kelly
Ok, still can't find my DeFranco family cassette! I found the case, but no tape. But I did go looking online... you can get a cd produced in 2000 for $49.98 and up!(on amazon if you want to hear some samples.) Heartbeat was ok, but my favorite songs... "Same Kind of Love" - "Love is bigger than baseball" - "Abra cadabra" - "come a little closer". My (grammar school) best friend Isabell and I used to have a singing dance routine to sweet lorreto... oh, too funny! AND there is a defranco blog out there run by him, still a good looking guy, but last post was 2006.
~ Christine
My first concert was Lionel Richie. My friends and I schemed and slept overnight at the St. Paul Civics center to get tickets. We were 16 and our parents to this day do not know how we got such great tickets.
I think my first concert was Carmen, the Christian singer and I thought I was sooo cool! While I am not the most saavy of concertgoers, I have seen: Point of Grace, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Dixie Chicks, Pearl Jam, Barenaked Ladies, Jim Brickman (twice), Fusebox, and Janet Jackson. It really sounds like I have eclectic taste with that list, doesn't it?
Thanks Debbie, for the advice about my fridge clutter. I know I should have this smooth, glossy black surface, but I like to display my life there. I will, however, come back to see the craft project since I am always up to use my glue gun!
I was 9 and my 18 year old sister won us tickets to the Thompson Twins. It was a really good concert! I also saw Weird Al Yankovick before I was 10. Also been to Barenaked Ladies and Harry Connick--both GREAT shows! Also been to Information Society (nearly trampled there), the Monkees Reunioun tour, and lots of underground gigs for friends bands. Sounds like your "lightbulb moment" for Indigo Girls was like mine for "why are there are always 2 women driving those Subaru Outbacks?...."
Talk about a walk down memory lane...these are great! I think Flock of Seagulls, Weird Al, and Tom Jones have made me laugh the hardest so far...Also, I need to hear about meeting Donny at Victoria's Secret! And Veronica, I slept out at Tyson's Corner for Michael Jackson..and Fair Oaks for Madonna...but I was 23 or 24...my military father couldn't believe his CPA daughter was sleeping in parking lots to get tickets to a concert...and looking back, I can't either...mostly because I have so outgrown sleeping on floors and beach chairs..gimme my bed!...that's a whole other post isn't it......
I still can't get over your disgust for "The Hustle" But, I love you so I will continue to be your friend and read your blog.
My first concert was with my mom and it was The Doobie Brothers in 1982...I loved it so much that a few months later she took me to see Donny & Marie! What a weird combo. I guess that might be why I have such an eclectic taste in music as an adult.
Okay, my first concert was Guadacanal Diary... anyone else heard of them. I listen to progressive rock in the 80's, like the Smiths, the Cure, They Might be Giants,...etc... I was not the hard rock like Bob, but more the Alternative music, that was so obscure in the 80's. I used to set my VCR to tape the 1.5 hours of music they would play on MTV at 1:30-3am. I wasn't allowed to stay up to watch it. They only showed POP or hard rock on MTV then. The type of music that I listened to is what is most popular today, and I don't know ANY of these bands. I just told Zach that I feel so clueless to the music out there now, especially living here in Hungary. I feel old and I am only 33...but feel so unhip now. I swore this would NEVER happen! And it did *hanging head*
Zach's first concert was Stevie Wonder.
one more thing... I just started talking to Zach about this blog entry and he said he watched that alternative show on MTV too and it was called "120 minutes" played only on Sunday nights and this was the only forum we had to find out about good alternative music back then. About 75% was from England and it was wonderful! Now it is considered mainstream, but it is funny to think about it only being shown for 120minutes on a Sunday night. I got into this genre because my older brother liked it and of course I had to like what he did... and i still like it to this day. It is actually what brought me and Zach together... we were at a conference near my mom's and she brought all my TAPES up to me to get rid of them out of her house, now that I was an adult and Zach was at this conference. He started looking through them, and I told him he wouldn't recognize any of them...and he knew them all. I was floored, because I didn't think a christian missionary would know this music... I was shocked, most of them are all kinda the same, or so I thought...so Zach surprised me and within 9 months we were married.
Probably more information than you wanted to know...
Hi Deb,
How could I not respond after you requested me to "pipe in"....
I read the blog this morning and had to think.. my memory in regards to the "earlier" days is not so good lately...lol
The first concert I ever went to was either Yes or Zepplin.. cant remember which was first(Think they both were the same year). I do remember taking my younger brother with me. I was 11 and he was 9. I tell MB the story as I can't imagine letting him take a bus to the ferry, to the city to the train to Madsion Square Garden without an adult!!!! After that I do not remember any concerts until 1979 when I saw Meatloaf at the St George. At that point I became "legal" so it was a lot of bar bands. Like Christine I was at the factory every weekend ... Twisted Sister and White tiger... After the Factory it was Bay Street with many bands playing at Wave street and Dock of the Bay. I did see Alabama in the late 80's (my freinds Susan's husband played guitar with them on tour for many years. It was really cool to meet them at the hotel after the concert for drinks. He now tours with his daughter Jennifer Hanson). We hope to take a trip to see them in Nashville as MB would like to "jam" with them. My favorite concert was the Stones in 91. My older brother gave me 11th row tickets for my 30th b-day. We took Mike to see them the next year but we had nose bleed seats!
Now for kids bands well MB did want to see American Idol season 2, that was an experience!!!! I only took LeighAnn to see the Hannah movie in 3-d. I guess we will have to bear it and start taking them to some good concerts. Its not so bad since MB is getting into all my old cd's.
We are hoping he does well next week on his audition so we get to see him play with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall in April. If not I will still take him to the gala..he gets tickets for all the shows there with the scholarship program his in. Its been such a great experience for him. The kids who made it last year met some huge stars.
See so I wasnt much of a concert going more of a "bar fly" groupie
Talk to you soon
Claudia
Well AC/DC at the age of 15 ! Yuck, I can't believe I 've told it. Now you know why God gave me my kids later in life lllooolll.Holly
My first was Chicago and I was 15. Not too exciting, but I did have both the Donny and Marie dolls and watched their variety show (along with Sunny and Cher's) whenever it came on. The Marie doll had a dress with a jagged tiered hemline and somehow in my warped little mind it meant that she was the evil Barbie. She would always try to beat up the other Barbies. Did I just type that out loud?
I have to say...this has been one fun post...I LOVED hearing what everyone had to say about their first concert...and Heather, again, I am laughing out loud picturing the Marie doll beating up Barbie...
I wanna play!
My first concert was S-s-s-s-samantha Fox!
ahheaheheehaehehohheheeheeeehoooo.
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