In no particular order:
SAHB Chester sometime early 70’s
Roxy Music,several venues across the years,always great.
Springsteen,again several times,best being Manchester Apollo,where he included Quo’s Rockin All Over The World in the encore.
Bowie for every UK tour from 1976 onwards,never saw a bad show.
Peter Gabriel MEN Manchester,
Edit,how could I forget Split Enz at Eric’s Liverpool,1978!
1 Like
Hmmm, memory is a bit loose now, maybe ‘88 then?
27/08/88 Prince. Lovesexy tour @ Frankfurt Waldstadion
11/08/07 Prince Aftershow @ Indig02 (featured Beverley Knight for most of the set and finished around 4am)
19/06/08 Grace Jones @ Royal Festival Hall
I’m not a huge fan of either artist, but these performances were on another level.
Seeing the Kraftwerk shows at Tate Modern in 2013 was also brilliant, but I wouldn’t want to rekindle the debate about whether they’re a tribute act these days… 
1 Like
The other one I forgot was
11/8/79, a matinee show at Eric’s in Liverpool (we were up there seeing rellies during the school holidays) – Joy Division. They only played for about half an hour, but my, what an impact!
4 Likes
Not even on The Glass Spider Tour? I walked out of one of the Wembley Stadium shows in '87, I was so appalled (and heartbroken).
2 Likes
Bowie Ziggy, Romford Odeon 1972 or 3 ( wish I’d kept the ticket). We queued all night for tickets.
Television -Hammersmith Odeon
Laurie Anderson all-dayer Dominion Theatre
Art Ensemble of Chicago - Roundhouse
Front 242 UCL
4 Likes
This thread got me thinking. First that I hadn’t seen Bowie live - in fact I had, but just once, at the Rainbow, London, in 1972, supported by Roxy Music.
I think my two most anticipated gigs and which fully met my expectations were Cream in 1967 at the Marquee and the Grateful Dead at the Hollywood Festival, Newcastle-under-Lyme, in 1970.
Later in the summer of 1970 was the big Bath Festival with an incredible bill, including Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, etc. It was fairly chaotic as festivals were in those days, and there was some heavy rain which meant missing some of the acts. The highlight was probably Pink Floyd performing Atom Heart Mother as dawn broke.
And two more. Fela Kuti in Brixton (sometime in the 80s) and k d lang at the Albert Hall for the Ingenue tour - the only gig I have been to where most of the audience were women.
6 Likes
No,not even then. Granted it was overblown,pretentious,but the man’s performance was still amazing,imo.
In fact went twice on that tour,Cardiff and Manchester !
If i had to choose one concert it would be Mary Black at the RAH when Declan Sinnott was still playing and producing her.
4 Likes
Bowie ‘78 on two consecutive nights June 14/15th @City Hall Newcastle (I couldn’t afford the third night as the tickets were £3/£5! Hung around his hotel (Gosforth Park) in between and met Bolder, his driver/bouncer and loads of others, happy memories!
Saw him at at least once on every UK tour since then.
3 Likes
Loads of great memories but the Runrig final concert “The Last Dance” before they retired in 2018.
25,000 on each of the 2 nights in a field under Stirling Castle is the most memorable.
Fantastic 3 hours of music and Not a dry eye in the crowd or on stage after the final numbers and final speech’s by the band.
Still get a lump in my throat when I watch the DVD today.
For those who didn’t follow them they will never understand the family feeling we all had band and riggies.
3 Likes
1983 (MK Bowl) was the first time for me Ian. I really wished I’d seen the '76 tour but I was a bit too young.
1 Like
Yes my parents wouldn’t allow me to to London in ‘76! And it wasn’t too easy sorting tickets/train tickets when you’re only 15!
2 Likes
I once saw Jake Thackeray at the Trout Farm at Platres, on Cyprus, bloody brilliant. Does that count?
5 Likes
A legend.
3 Likes
Somehow managed to do it at 15 and the year before made it to Alice Cooper’s Welcome to my Nightmare Tour (Support Heavy Metal Kids).
But I know what you mean as I recall all done by stamped letters, postal orders and a National Express bus ticket.
We could have been sitting next to you, Kev.
Right hand side, a way back from the stage. I’m not really a festival-type so didn’t want to go down to the front and get intimate…
Back on topic, one gig that surprised me was of all things, Clannad. We were at Finsbury Park and I really did not want to see Sting on the main stage, so wandered into the tent where Clannad were about to play…blimey, they were great I have to say. Still didn’t buy any of their albums though, which was a bit snobby of me.
2 Likes
Tool? Rush? Anyone? 
Queen fist gig in Rotterdam Ahoy. Earth shattering for me. Four musicians with such perfection. Brian, Roger, John and Freddie. Still miss Freddie.
2 Likes
So many…for a start …Brian Wilson Festival Hall London 28 1 2002…some described the gig as a spiritual experience, the love for Brian was wonderful.
1974 the Bucolic Frolic, the first Knebworth gig, with an amazing line up… Tim Buckley, Alex Harvey, John Mclaughlin with Jean Luc Ponty, Van Morrison, doobie Brothers and the Allman Brothers. All for about £3!
Rolling Stones 1995 Sheffield.
The Fleet Foxes 31 10 2008, Custard Factory Birmingham ( it really was were the Birds custard was made) when the gig was over we knew we’d seen something very very special.
As the thread develops, it’ll prompt more memories.
1 Like