The great part of growing up in Philly . . . there are few bands/acts that I’ve missed. And some I’ve seen dozens of times (I’m looking at you Bruce and you Stones).
ETA: And how did I forget Bowie? I saw him at least 5 times over two decades.
The great part of growing up in Philly . . . there are few bands/acts that I’ve missed. And some I’ve seen dozens of times (I’m looking at you Bruce and you Stones).
ETA: And how did I forget Bowie? I saw him at least 5 times over two decades.
His guitar skills are mesmerizing.
I never said anything to the Wifeacita, happy wife happy life, but for years she has kept a small grocery store in the trunk of her car that she and her work wife get at Sam’s Club at lunch.
Here are highlights, toilet paper, paper towels, bottled water, we do get hurricanes, plus laundry detergent.
We didn’t have to travel the Earth for these staples.
The girl is a genius.
My first Bruce concert was at the old Vets Stadium during the Born In the USA tour in 1986. Won 4 tix, lunch at the Lycoming Hotel in Williamsport and a limo ride from Williamsport to Philly and back. Then I got tix for the first-ever concert at Fenway after moving up to Boston…Bruce. Also several concerts of his at Gillette Stadium. Amazing shows, all!
And I saw the Stones in their Steel Wheels tour at the old Foxboro Stadium. Most memorable moment? Leading a group of 4 women (friends) into the men’s room because I was NOT going to wait on line for the few ladies rooms they had there!
Ahhhh, big stadium concerts. Definitely for the young. LOL
I’ve been dying my own hair since I was 17. It’s not rocket surgery. One h to another - Mrs. H will look fabulous.
The Astrodome had the same problem until they remodeled. I caught my girlfriend coming out of the men’s room at an Oilers game in the early 80’s. My only thought, good for her.
My friends still attend concerts. I cut it off when Bowie and Nine Inch Nails appeared together in Camden. Two more disparate crowds have never been seen. Bowie had become a lounge singer and NIN . . . well, they were interesting.
Yeah, the Krafts were smart and added a LOT more ladies rooms when they built Gillette. And I had to laugh…after my friends and I came out of the men’s room and the women who were STILL on line saw us leave, they asked “How did you do that?” I looked at them with a HUH? face and replied “Just go up to the entrance, holler out that women were coming in to use the stalls (most of the guys weren’t using them), keep your eyes averted and use the bathroom.”
It’s not rocket science.
I guess the conventional wisdom was sporting events will be attended by mostly guys but news flash, most women love going to sporting events as do most guys, but not all.
I would die if I went to a couple of stadium concerts in the mid 70’s if they did it now. Houston, middle of July starting mid day, beyond hot.
The only redeeming quality beyond the copious amounts of beer and weed was the music. One concert was Crosby Stills and Nash/Allman Brothers the other Eagles /Beach Boys.
Stills was awesome on guitar and vocals wearing his football jersey and the Eagles opened with “Already Gone.” The Allman Brothers are my favorite band but Duane Allman had been killed in a motorcycle and they never were the same. RIP Duane.
Funny story. My friends and I went to the roundup concert at the old JFK stadium in Philly. Lots of headliners. The guys in the row behind us kept rolling “cigarettes” and they kept rolling down the slanted steps. We generously shared our smokes with them. I wonder if they ever realized we were just sharing their weed with them and we left with our stash intact
We used to see CS&N and the Beach Boys every summer. Never did see the Allman Bros live.
Saw Bowie once, when he came to Manchester. Also saw the Beatles when they came to the city in 1965. Also Simon & Garfunkel in the city - Graham Nash was sitting a few seats along from me.
Have to go back and re-read the past dozen posts or so, but I’ve been sooo envious of others’ concert experiences. I’ve been lucky to see many fabulous musicians, but sadly never Bowie, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tom Petty, and others. My first concert was the Beatles in Seattle in 1966, when I was 13. Please do NOT do the math! Also, my comment about seeing one of EC’s properties in New Orleans, I realize, makes me sound like a groupie/stalker sort. Considering I didn’t see it until 2015, that would make me a very, very old groupie. Also saw Nicholas Cage’s elaborate tomb to be in the St Louis Historic Cemetery #1 in NOLA. Along with Madame LeVeau’s final resting place, as an aside. Quite fascinating.
Oh BTW, while living in Reno, Nevada back in the day, saw a lot of headliners at Harrah’s, including BB King, who we saw about a dozen times. Wonderful. Rumor has it, he played there a lot to work off gambling debts he incurred there. Sat at the bar afterwards with him & his band. Saw the Byrds a few times, Al Stewart, and many others there also. Since we moved from there in 1991, I think most of the headliners play in Tahoe - even most has been type of bands still touring, but don’t know for sure. I miss those days. Have seen the Stones X 2, and Dylan 3 times. Many, many others, but nothing like @gaffk’s lucky history.
How could I forget that I saw the Byrds once, at a festival. Well, when I say “saw”, they were on the stage a long, long way away. No recollection whatsoever of any other band at the Lincoln Festival, 1971 .
Well @Harters, at our respective ages, we have a lot of memories stored in the gray matter, and they don’t always come up together…
Oh yeah, forgot to mention the Doors, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Sir Elton John, Billy Joel, Jethro Tull. Will try to remember others. Met Buffalo Springfield people, got autographs, Donovan , remember him? Edgar Winter, Joe Walsh.
Never Springsteen, but think he had the best body in rock n roll. Yes, I’m sexist that way. But will have to do some serious comparisons haha.
He’s still got it at 70yo.
Heartily agree! He is really something…can’t believe he’s 70. Evidently, unlike some musicians, he’s lived a pretty healthy lifestyle. Have seen some of his contracts on the Smoking Gun, with food and drink requests.
You may have missed Springsteen, but it sounds like you saw more than your fair share of big names. I can honestly say he puts on the best show of them all–always high-energy and never less than 3 hours–and yes, he is dripping in sweat from about 15 minutes in. And yes, very well put-together.
My first concert was Tom Petty’s Damn the Torpedoes tour when I was 14. I was so excited to be attending my first live concert that I left the house without my ticket. Fortunately, my older sister noticed them and drove to the bus stop to get them to me before the bus arrived. This was obviously well before cellphones, so I can’t imagine how devastated I would have been had she not arrived before the bus.
Late 70’s.
Standing on stage next to future Hall of Famer Houston Oiler Earl Campbell while Willie Nelson played about 25 feet away with thousands of the unwashed masses surging against a chain link fence.
I start to wonder about my memory. No, seriously.
Saw Willie, again in Manchester, in 2010. It was disappointing. Felt like he couldnt wait to get off the stage.