Nostalgia time - Pop festivals, Rock bands, Gigs I have seen

Ixion my mum introduced me to the Stones . She called me into the sitting room and made me watch them perform Little Red Rooster.

I have been told that I look like Ronnie Wood and as I currently have a large (3.8cm diameter) gallstone I have named it Ronnie

I know there are lots of others I can’t recall at the moment. I have a load of tickets in a box somewhere.

I’ve never been to a festival other than Proms in the Park, does that count?

Lots of live music though starting with Free, sixteen year old me thought Paul Kossoff was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. Walked into Glasgow Apollo and bought tickets at the door to see Elton John in the early 70s. Saw him again years later at Hamden Park

Some others were
Paul Simon
Lady smith Black Mambazo - just them after seeing them with Paul Simon.
Chris Rea
Brian Ferry
Peter Gabriel
Dire Straits
James Taylor
Leonard Cohen
Eric Clapton
Rod Stewart
Gerry Rafferty
Bruce Springsteen

The Dubliners (an impromptu session in the mens’ dormitory on the overnight sailing from Glasgow to Dublin)
The Chieftains
Imelda May

Kate Rusby
Beth Nielsen Chapman
Eddie Reader
Mary Chaplin Carpenter
K.d. Lang
Jules Holland and his band several times.

Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain plus too many to recall at Celtic Connections.

I’m also a huge ballet and opera fan so I’ve seen many, many live performances over the years.

I have only been to jazz festivals,

Visgirl we too have Killers rescheduled.

It was so refreshing to be part of Stones concert 50 years on!
A cursory look around us showed us hearing aids, walking sticks, the odd frame - brilliant!
As heartwarming was the lad of about 10 of 11 with his mum, having the time of his life.

Eric Clapton 3 times
Genesis
Phil Collins
Elton John
Andy Fairweather Low
Beach boys
Deep Purple.
Chicken Shack
Stevie Winwood

Very impressed NotAGran55

The Who performed at a university student ball back in the 60s.
I’m not sure we realised at the time just how lucky we were!

The only other ones were bands like The Searchers, long after their heydays. When we were living in the Middle East in the 1980s several of these would perform at a dinner/concert round a hotel swimming pool.
So we’d have a table with friends. Some of these were the best nights out ever.

There were also ‘dinner/theatre’ nights, same idea only inside, when West End plays would come out on tour. Saw some brilliant ones - nearly always comedies - with some star actors. I still remember Leslie Phillips in one of them - merely by raising an eyebrow he brought the house down.

Billy Connelly once came on such a tour - alas we were too late to get tickets. An almost instant sell-out.

Visgirl. I don't know if you've seen him before but DO try to see Michael Buble no matter how long you have to wait.
We saw him about two years ago. What a showman. He puts on an amazing show. He involves the audience. He has amazing musicians. We were lucky enough to be so close we could have touched him (I resisted ). My husband wasn't really a fan but he is now!

Grandma70s why don’t you start us off with a classical thread - these type of threads are great fun

I have one ☝️ concert that I could contribute .

How amazing that you guys have seen some of the world's biggest Legends.
I have seen quite a few as well, but we are all so lucky.
I'm still sitting on Tickets for Michael Buble and The Killers for this summer, doubt they will be on tho?

If I see the word festival I think classical, not pop. There were classical festivals well before there were pop ones. Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Edinburgh among others. Am I alone in this?

I know this isn’t the point of this thread, but the assumptions really irritate me.

The Beatles in 1963.
The Rolling Stones in 1963. The proper Rolling Stones with Brian Jones, not later imitations!
Several other 'lesser' 60's groups like the Merseybeats.
Later in life 4 concerts by Prodigy. Just not the same since Keith Flint's death.

NeilYoung concerts here in Germany absolutely brilliant . Lovely reminiscing .

The three degrees. very good
Darts. funny
The Osmonds,three times. brilliant
BrunoMars. Unbelievabley entertaining.
Justin Timberlake. the best.
Queen tribute act.George Michael t/act,Michael Jackson t/act all really good.

We saw the Rolling Stones in Barcelona on their last tour. The previous time I had attended a concert they were in they didn’t even top the bill. Little Richard did. ?

Music has been my lifelong interest since I got my first record player aged 9.

There were gigs at the 2 local colleges , and 2 live music venues that we when to every week when I was at school.

Far too many to list but I started off seeing The Love Affair , The Herd , Amen Corner , Free , The Who ,Osibisa , Genesis (1971) Hawkwind , Wishbone Ash , King Crimson , AC/DC whilst at school.

Moved on to The Doors , Q-Tips (Paul Young when he went solo ) The Stranglers , Frankie Goes To Hollywood , Ultravox
Joe Jackson, Dr Feelgood , Slade

Leo Sayer umpteen times . Met him once after a gig when I was 19 as a competition winner .

I have seen Phil Collins, Genesis , Pink Floyd , Elton John ( even though I don’t like him ) , 10cc , Rod Stewart , Billy Joel , Dire Straits, The Police all numerous times . I even fell asleep during a Police concert as I had not been to bed after a night shift .

I’ve been to Glastonbury and Reading Festival several times, Knebworth also , so many many bands there.

Bob Dylan
Michael Jackson - free VIP ticket
Joe Cocker in Sheffield
Rolling Stones
Bruce Springsteen
The Pretenders
George Michael
Steve Winwood
Stevie Wonder
B.B King
Buddy Guy
Robert Cray
John Mayall
John Mayer
Gary Moore
Jo Bonamassa
Ry Cooder
Jackson Browne
Santana
Simply Red
Jeff Heeley
Beach Boys
Eagles
Tim Jones

Absolute highlights

Queen at Hammersmith Odeon on Christmas Eve 1975 live on The Old Grey Whistle Test .

Eric Clapton more than 150 times .
Cream 4 nights in 2005 when they reunited.
Private invitation to recording of Eric Clapton Unplugged
Private invitation to dress rehearsal at Bray Studios on the eve of George Harrison’s Japanese tour 1991 using Eric’s band.
Private invitation to EC’s alcoholic anonymous gig on New Years Eve in Guildford.

LIVE AID

Wham! Final Concert at Wembley .

There are more ... but don’t immediately come to mind ..

Sar53
Led Zeppelin! Wow, I'm envious.
Of course I've seen Santana several times.
James Taylor too.
Paul Carrack a recent favourite.
I've never been to Glastonbury festival, but been caught in the traffic so many times, it feels almost like I have.
OH claim to fame was Cream's farewell performance at the Albert hall.

Frankie Lane
Johnny Ray
Johnny Mathis,
Celine Dione
Barbra Streisand
Shirley Bassey

Just remembered, this thread jogged the old brain cells, came across John Mayall and his band, we were travelling, USA or Canada in about 1988 or 89. It was an outside concert small audience, we didn’t pay.

Genesis at Newcastle City Hall when Peter Gabriel was their lead singer, in his fox's head. They were the support act for Lindisfarne!!!
Cat Stevens at the same venue before his name change.
Meatloaf, again at the City Hall
Chris Rea at both the City Hall and Whitley Bay Icerink
Never been to a music festival and think I am too old now....? the queues for the toilets. Not been to a big stadium either, not sure I would want to. It seems pointless if the band are just distant dots on stage tho I guess the atmosphere is still exciting.
Which reminds me....I listened to Take That from outside the stadium at Ashton Gate, Bristol in 2019....the atmosphere in the area of the stadium was lovely all day as fans gathered and had drinks in the local bars and cafes.

I saw quite a few acts at the The Rainbow, Finsbury Park, The Faces and Roxy Music spring to mind. Sadly that venue is no longer there.
Went to several all day concerts at the Oval, The Who topped the bill, it was a great day, even if it was a poor man's Woodstock, where we'd rather have been, or closer to home The Isle of Wight 3 day affair, too young for that oh well at least my sons did Bestival many, many, years later.
Also went to Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath and Crystal Palace, both all day concerts, again Roxy Music and The Beach Boys, Richie Havens, I definitely saw Santana somewhere or other, but can't remember where.
The Doors at The Roundhouse, Belsize Park around Camden if I remember rightly.
Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd at Wembley
Elton John several times, once at Croydon, Fairfield Hall and once at Watford Football Ground.
Also a lot of acts around in the '70s that have faded into oblivion, Ralph McTell "Streets of London" Lindisfarne "Fog on the Tyne" Don McLean "American Pie"
I never saw The Beatles they'd split by the time I was old enough to go to concerts. Nearly got to see the Stones at Twickenham which was just up the road from where I lived, but they were old timers by then.......so not too bothered!
They probably only did that gig because Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood lived in Richmond a mere couple of miles away from the stadium and thought "won't have to travel far for this one "

Wow Chestnut I also saw the Beatles at Hammersmith Odeon in 1963, maybe we were sitting next to each other! I have also seen:

The Dubliners
The Chieftans
The Small Faces
The Who
The Animals
Jools Holland
Ruby Turner
Eric Bibb (American Blues Singer)

Yes indeed lots of lovely memories.

Led Zeppelin
Dire Straits
Pink Floyd
Rolling Stones
U2
Phil Collins
Muse
Evanescence
Bon Jovi (twice)
Bruce Springsteen
So many great memories.

Oh, I forgot, Michael Jackson at Milton Keynes Bowl in the 70s, with Kim Wilde.