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My first show was the Indigo Girls at the Arie Crown theater in Chicago for the swamp Ophelia tour. The tour shirt I got (de rigueur to wear at high school the next day) was a bit of a letdown though, with the silhouette of a crane holding a snake. I'm not sure what I wanted, just something a little more badass that screamed "I went to a concert last night!" and less something that looked like it came from a national park.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

Gen X'er here.

My first show was Tina Turner and that oiled up saxophone guy from The Lost Boys.

They were playing at a dog race track (in the DC area) and my Dad thought it would be cool.

It sorta was actually.

LOL

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My first show was Janet Jackson at Canada’s Wonderland in 1994. I was 13 and my aunt picked me up early from school, we rode rollercoasters, saw the show, and I got a $50 t-shirt from the merch area. First show without an adult was the Foo Fighters in 1996. My friend and I met Dave Grohl after the show, shook his hand, and I didn’t touch anything on the car ride back until I could get home and trace my hand in my diary. 😬🤣

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

New Kids on the Block in, I believe, 1989. Fourth row center, thanks to my best friend’s dad. #joey4eva

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first concert was C&C Music Factory with opening act Gerardo - the Rico Suave guy!!!?! - in the 6th grade with my friend and her mom, who was pretty excited about Gerardo. 🤷‍♀️ I think my next THREE concerts, amazingly, were Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, with the same friend and mom, who in retrospect had a shirtless man candy type, I think. 😂 I cannot fathom why MM would be in Cincinnati that often but hey,. My kids haven’t really been to a concert yet, but I should probably get on that!

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first stadium concert was at 12-ish - Prince, Purple Rain Tour, Rosemont Horizon with my mom (1985-ish). My first all-ages show was Husker Du at the Riv in 1987 (not with my mom.)

We took our kids to see The Aquabats at Metro a few years ago. It was fun for all of us, I recommend seeing them live if you have kids and especially if you watched Yo Gabba Gabba / The Aquabats show.

Have fun at Weird Al!

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first show was Eddie Money, who was touring in support of “Take Me Home Tonight.” It was December 1986, I was 13, and it was at Constitution Hall in DC. I brought my friend Sheryl with me to see it, and my Dad chaperoned us (wearing earplugs). We didn’t know ANY of Eddie Money’s other songs, so it was an incredibly boring concert from a music perspective, but when he closed the show with the radio hit, we got up and danced in our seats and it was allllll worth it. (My Dad stayed seated as to not embarrass the girls.)

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My mom won radio station tickets to see Bon Jovi in the mid 90s (I was probably 10)! In retrospect, I had a pretty cool mom! She definitely could have gotten a babysitter but she took me (and maybe my little sister?)

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

Radiohead and Belly at the Aragon (Aragorn?) Theater in Chicago. 1993, fall of freshman year of high school. It was especially memorable because there had been a pep rally at school earlier in the day and a stampede of freshmen trying to avoid getting pennies thrown at them by upperclassmen knocked me down and led to me having my first (and only) black eye.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

*NSYNC!!!! May 4, 1999. I was in 5th grade and went with 8 other girls in my class. Never screamed so much in my life. The local newspaper realized that they had no one on staff who could name all 5 members so they outsourced the next days right up to a couple 13 yo girls 😂 I didn’t do the write up but I still have a copy of it and my ticket stub (remember those?)

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first concert was Alanis Morissette, the tour for Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. I was in high school and was rivaled in dorkiness only by my best friend, who had procured the tickets and obviously invited me (who else?) to attend with her. Also with us were her parents, who had had the decency to get their seats directly behind ours, rather than right next to us - a move which prompted both of us, bless our hearts, to ask, "Why don't you want to sit with us?" We were 15 or 16.

I think this may count, on a technicality, but my firstborn's first concert came about 36 hours before he was born. It was Queen with Adam Lambert and I definitely had the most sensible shoes in the whole arena; I also chose ahead of time which songs, exactly, I would permit myself to stand for, and forced myself to sit in the valley of the audience for the rest. We had VIP seating, which - due to work reasons - I was able to conveniently access by waiting and using bathroom facilities several times backstage, then coming out across the stage a few minutes before the concert began, which I'm sure was a real "WTF" moment for everyone else in the arena. Many, many stagehands and other workers made jokes about how I should not stand too close to speakers, lest they vibrate me into labor, and I was all "Psh! I'm only 38 weeks 4 days, don't these people know first babies usually come late?"

After the concert (!!! AFTER THE CONCERT!!! who was I, once upon a time?) we met our work clients at a bar nearby and the cruel, oblivious waiter seated us at what was almost the only table with high stools instead of chairs. The stools had no backs and also no convenient foot rest. I had to climb up precariously onto my stool and then sit there, unable to cross my legs because I was like 30 hours from giving birth and their was a head wedged in my pelvis, but desperately trying not to just splay my legs outwards (in my trendiest maternity dress, of course) and flash everyone sitting at their very normal-height tables, my legs held firmly in place by sheer willpower, feet dangling in the open air below, bump constantly threatening to push me backwards off the open cliff of the back of the stool. This is how I know that was immediately pre-motherhood me: nowadays, if I could be reasonably assured that the clients were not going to see my maternity underwear, I would flash the hell out of everyone else in that restaurant to make room for resting the bump between my legs and leaning forward a bit.

My main takeaway from these two stories is that I was somehow cooler as a 30-something heavily pregnant woman in supportive sandals than I was as a teenager. I have nosedived since then, of course, but man, what a weird peak.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

Mine was Tiffany with a group of girls for a birthday party… I think maybe 7th or 8th grade. I remember being underwhelmed. I wasn’t a huge Tiffany fan. Miles’, who is 15 now, was Chance the Rapper at Lollapalooza when he was 10. Justin make it semi-tense worrying the whole time that Miles was going to be trampled.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My parents took me to a Beach Boys concert when I was about 6 or 7 - John Stamos came out to play the drums for a bit, which I thought was the COOLEST THING EVER.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

DC Talk, baby. Which tells you a lot about my youth! My kids haven’t been to anything yet unless you count some outdoor festivals.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

I begged to go see Heart, mom compromised and took me to Whitney Houston at Kemper Arena, I was probably 11 or 12.

I took my son to see Elton John for his 6th birthday 🐊

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first concert was Lilith Fair at Tinley Park outside Chicago. I bought tickets for my friends but they bailed at the last minute. My two older brothers ended up taking me since I couldn't drive. They were pretty good sports about it (it was an all-female crowd and they were in their 20s--what more could they ask for?) and I got to see Sarah McLachlan. Win-win.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first show was....drum roll..... Tina Turner at Darien Lake in.... 1991? Maybe? My best friend's parents had tickets. I was 12 and definitely not old enough to understand how amazing that was. What a first show! Live music is my happy place now and I've been to more concerts than I can count. My son and daughter who are 9 years apart saw the same band for their first show, different years. Barenaked Ladies. I'm an obsessed BNL superfan, and I've seen them 22 times, so there really was no question. My son was about 5 or 6, my daughter was 2. So much joy!

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

Claire, you took me to my first concert! We saw Tom Petty at the United Center during the Wildflowers tour. I think your dad drove us downtown?

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first concert was Debbie Gibson (in Madison Square Garden, couldn't see anything). My daughter went to a kid-friendly They Might Be Giants show when she was a toddler, but her first real concert was Haim, quickly followed by Phoebe Bridgers. I think she has a better batting average than I do.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first show was goo goo dolls & sugar ray at jones beach. I felt so cool there alone with my friends!

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My son hasn’t been to a concert yet, but Weird Al would definitely be a perfect first concert for him.

My first concert was Dave Matthews Band in the early 00s. I was a sophomore in high school and felt very very cool that my parents let me go with my friends.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

I saw The Killers when I was 13. My daughter has experienced live music in utero but that's about it for now haha

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My aunt took me to see Neil Diamond when I went to visit her for the weekend. I was in 7th grade and thought it was SO uncool. Kicking myself now for not appreciating it!

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first show was a Backstreet Boys cover band followed Creed.(guess how old I am😂). My kids first show was blue man group!

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

Peter, Paul and Mary at Wolf Trap. It was a family affair, we had a picnic of KFC which was such a rarity that I remember the fried chicken as much as the singing!

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My mom dragged me along to see Bad Company & Damn Yankees when I was 9 and I'm pretty sure I got a contact high. The first concert that I actually picked to see myself was Live & Counting Crows.

My daughter's first concert was They Might Be Giants, but for their kids music. The first "grown-up" concert I took her to was Janelle Monae. My son has not been to a concert yet, but he's only 6.

(Side note: I just looked up the Johns from TMBG and they're in their 60s, which makes me feel really freaking old.)

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My daughter's first show was Taylor Swift at 8 - amazing first experience for that demographic! She's 11 now and we just saw The Chicks at Jones Beach - we had so much fun! I loved parenting little kids, but having big kids is pretty great, too! And man, does "Wide Open Spaces" hit differently when you're the mom standing with your daughter and you're suddenly relating to the parents in the song. Also, we don't deserve Natalie Maines.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

So funny bc I saw Weird Al when I was a kid and LOVED it 😂 my mom wanted to go and dragged us and I pretended to be annoyed but couldn’t help like it. My first concert was embarrassingly enough New Kids on the Block before they were famous and I knew better lol. As for my kids I’m taking my 14 year old to see Lizzo in Sept and I cannot wait!!

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My first show was the Beach Boys at SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) which is one of those lovely outdoor amphitheaters. I'm not THAT old, I think they just tour forever. We just took our kids 10 and 7 to an AJR concert which was fun but what was... surprising and hilarious... was that GAYLE was the opening act. Yes, GAYLE of ABCDE Fuck you fame. And wow did my 11 year old's eyes nearly fall out of her head when I decided to lean in hard and shout the unedited lyrics along with the crowd. How many times do I have to tell you child, Mommy knows ALL THE SWEAR WORDS.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

Hehehe! That sounds awesome!

Here's our answers:

Mine: Huey Lewis and the News at NMSU PanAm Center

Mine & my partner's: Huey Lewis again at the NM state fair rodeo arena

Kids: The Psychedelic Furs at the Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco

What can I say, the kids are cool😊

https://copaseticflow.blogspot.com/2019/08/kids-festivals-and-freedom.html

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

NKOTB, Giant’s Stadium. I didn’t even like them that much but my best friend did, so I went with her. I think we were 12.

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Jul 12, 2022·edited Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first concert was Debbie Gibson at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, which I was not super into but my BFF was a huge fan so I went with her. The first concert I WANTED to go to was Primus, Public Enemy and Anthrax at the Salem Armory, which was RAD. I got absolutely stomped in the mosh pit and my ears were ringing for days afterward :) My daughter is 10 and has not been to a concert yet, unless you count watching a free showing of "Encanto" in the park (which I do not lol)

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first concert was a ska show with four different bands at the Metro in Chicago in 1998. I definitely got pushed around a bit on the floor at the beginning and decided to move up to the balcony for the rest of the show. I haven't listened to ska in any meaningful way since then, but it was a super fun show--it still lives in my memory as one of my favorite concerts ever.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

Olivia Newton John, my mom took me for my 5th birthday, I was obsessed with her and named all my dolls and stuffed animals Olivia. And my older daughter's first, second, and third concerts (and the younger one's second) were Weird Al :). Her fourth/the younger one's first was the Gogo's a few months ago.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

Ohhh I love this question! My first show was Reba McEntire when she was traveling with Brooks & Dunn and I think Kenny Loggins opened. My mom was a huge Reba fan so I went with her and all her friends when I was 12 or 13. We had super nosebleed seats, like alllllll the way at the top and it was so much fun. I'm not a big country fan, but I credit this concert with my love of all live music, Reba was amazing!

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

I love all these, especially the ones from Chicago area Gen Xers! Mine was INXS, I think at Rosemont Horizon, and Michael Hutchence draping himself languidly on the set was a revelation.

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Jul 12, 2022·edited Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

1998, Foreigner at a horse arena in Farmington, NM. I can still see the fine particles of dust floating through the crazy light show.

My husband wanted to bring our 5 year old to Dua Lipa/Megan Thee Stallion because he has no sense. Luckily, I do so she will have to wait until she's older for something cool like Foreigner to come along.

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Jul 12, 2022·edited Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first show: David Cassidy at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago. My mother took me. Somewhere in a childhood photo album are Kodak Instamatic pictures of a tiny (from my vantage point) David dancing around in an Elvis-like white jumpsuit with fringe. Circa 1972.

Second concert: Andy Gibb, I vaguely remember it was at a theater in the Chicago theater district. Again, my mother took me and my brother got dragged along as well.

My kids' first concerts were kids artists: Joel Frankel (local Chicago children's singer), Ralph's World (Ralph Covert, also from Chicago), Dan Zanes. We hit the big time with the (original) Wiggles, circa 2006-2008.

My kids' first 'real' concert was Survivor at the Alameda County Fair (CA) in 2001. Dragged another family with us on that specific day so we could see therm because I wanted to see them. Took all the kids down to the stage area to dance and see the band up close.

My now 21 year old daughter would consider her first real concert BTS in Chicago in 2019, a high school graduation present from us. My husband drove her in, and attended the concert with her in

Soldier Field, an experience for both of them. I don't think my 19 year old son has been to a real concert yet.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

Jumped in the deep end with my first show being U2's ZooTV tour at Dodger Stadium in 1992. It was an amazing show but I have to admit one of my strongest memories is of the *extremely* steep stairs where we were up in the cheap seats :)

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

Mine was Depeche Mode on the Violator tour (so, 1990? 1991?) at the Woodlands Pavilion in the Woodlands, TX. It blew my 14-yo mind to pieces and then I saw them a second time like 20 years later and they were just as amazing.

My kid went to a Richard Thompson show when he was an infant and slept through 99% of it, and now he's 10 and hates anything loud, so he may never go to a concert again!

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

I don’t think I really remember my first concert because we took animals to the county fair and lived there for the week and the trailers were next to the entertainment stage so I know I saw some sundry late 80s soft rock and country mid level touring whomevers. In 1989 at 10 my parents agreed to let me go see Amy Grant with my cousin because it was not objectionable. In high school those parents would not let me go to the gorge with friends to see original lollapalooza or Lillith Fair and I am still mad about Lillith Fair.

My daughter’s first concert was at 2.5 at Preservation Hall in New Orleans which is wonderful but tiny. So tiny. We sat on the floor in the second row with her on my lap and she was mesmerized! Then covid happened and her next concert was in April when 5yo her went to see some jazz on a Sunday matinee at the Jazz Showcase in downtown Chicago, a thing her dad had been dreaming about since she was the idea of us having kids. She found it weird a stranger was seated at our table, but she was delighted to be served a giant glass glass of water with ice like she was an adult (she doesn’t like fizz or the juices on offer). She also has been following the pianist (with her dad) through livestreamed monday night concerts since the pandemic started, so she was quite attentive and interested. She takes piano, we let her dress up fancy, and she was easily the youngest person there by a decade. My husband is not sorry for his success at turning her into a jazz nerd.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

Huey Lewis & the News, Power of Love tour in Portland, ME.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

It was Neil Diamond, like 1982? My mom was a huge fan and my parents had seen him on his previous tour and vowed to take my sister and I next time. My mom couldn’t get 4 seats all together so we were scattered around the arena (he played in the round, so there weren’t really any bad seats per se) which was kind of fun (I was 12 and my sister 10). Great show.

Despite the fact that I go to shows all the time, our kid has shown no interest in live music (his music tastes are pretty narrow and distinct from ours). He did see They Might Be Giants as a baby, strapped into a baby Bjorn, at a free show for their first kids album.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

The first concert I remember was Peter, Paul, and Mary at Ravinia when I was about 12? My first chosen-by-myself (and not a suggestion by my mom or a cousin) concert was probably Red Hot Chili Peppers at First Avenue in Minneapolis? Or maybe Indigo Girls with my friend? Those were for sure before Lilith Fair in its third year. I suddenly wish that I was a ticket stub saver or journal keeper.

My kid has been to lots of cool concerts before she was older school age and then told us that they were too overwhelming. The first one we took her to at her own request was Lisa Loeb at a family Pride event in Andersonville, as a follow-up to seeing her at Old Town School of Folk Music.

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Jul 12, 2022·edited Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

OMG Weird Al was MY first concert! He opened for the Monkees at the Garden State Arts Centre in NJ in 1988. My 11yo is also completely obsessed with Weird Al right now and would DIE to see him in concert 😆 - first concert I actually asked to go to was Pearl Jam 1994 at the Paramount Theatre in NYC when I was 13 so my mom and aunt came with me

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

I work in music so my kids have been to a bunch of shows in gardens and in-store performances and once a Beatles cover band who I later found out is also a Grateful Dead cover band. Which maybe explains why "George" played the guitar with his teeth? But, their first "big" show will be tonight when we go see The Chicks! My 8yo keeps saying "do you think they will play that song I like?" I think he means "Gaslighter," but I just say YES.

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Jul 12, 2022·edited Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first show was in 1995 and it was The Offspring. My friend got hurt trying to crowd surf but it was a fun show despite being dropped like a hot potato. My kids are too young or maybe they are fine to go to an outdoor concert but I haven’t been brave enough to take them. In utero, my older son heard Tears for Fears five years ago.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

My first show was the H.O.R.D.E. tour in 1996; Blues Traveler, Lenny Kravitz, 311, Rusted Root, etc. I remember I had to leave a little early (after Lenny but before Blues Traveler) because I had to work my very important job at TCBY. When I got there I told my coworker I was sorry I was late but I'd been at a concert, she was aghast that I hadn't called out.

Last fall I took my 10 yo with me to see Twenty-One Pilots and she thought she was the coolest kid ever, could not stop talking about it for weeks! This past spring the whole family (including by 7 yo for his first concert) went to see AJR and Gayle. Both were great experiences, I'm so glad I got to take the kids and see them experience the joy of live music for the first time.

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Jul 12, 2022Liked by Claire Zulkey

We took our 6-month old to Chance the Rapper at Northerly Island 4 years ago. It was a benefit concert for the Special Olympics so not quite as crazy as that sounds, but it was still loud and late and totally messed up her nighttime sleep for the next several months. But kinda cool she can say Chance was her first concert? I guess she’ll be the one who decides that!

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Pearl Jam at the Masonic Temple in Detroit. 1994? Could have been 93. Their first big tour. It was fucking epic.

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