Quoting:
split enz   -   final concert @ festival hall,melbourne    85?
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I sure would like to have seen that one!  Split Enz was such a unique and magical band.  Never got to see them myself.

I won't wrack my brain trying to remember all of them, but here are some comments:

I wish I'd pushed to go see The Police w/AFOS & The Fixx in'83, and Talking Heads that same summer.  Anyway, my first concert was:
Howard Jones w/Marshall Crenshaw 11/85
--The Dream Into Action tour (loved Howie!)
some sweet faves:
Depeche Mode 6/86
--The Black Celebration tour (for my favorite DM album)
The Cure, summer '86, '87
(there ain't no blues for the summertime Cure)
Midnight Oil, 1988
The Pogues, Joe Strummer in lieu of Shane, 1991
King Crimson, 1994
David Bowie w/Nine Inch Nails, 1995
Laurie Anderson, 1995
The Legendary Pink Dots, various years
--LPD, my all time favorite band many have never heard of...

In more recent years I've dropped out of the "concert" scene, finding the process of getting and going too expensive and tedious.  I enjoy classical and jazz live more than rock and pop these days.  Anyway,
Some let downs:
Missing the Smiths in '86
--I relied on a very pretty girl who said she'd get us tickets, she didn't.  I didn't tell her off because I was hoping I'd get to sleep with her (I didn't!  :-[)
Echo and the Bunnymen '88
--can you say Echo and the BORING men?
A Flock of Seagulls '88
--see the AFOS thread!
Erasure, 1990
--Might as well stay home and listen to the records, unless you like to watch Andy Bell prance around.  Wire was supposed to be the opening act (who the hell came up with that idea?), but Wire cancelled, so we had to set thru a horribly cheesy set by Louie Louie (like Rick James meets RuPaul!)
Thompson Twins/OMD, 1985
--didn't get to go.  My ride crapped out, and I sure wanted to see OMD  :'(

Quoting:
Bon Jovi
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I just saw Bon Jovi's hits-gone-acoustic CD advertized on TV.  From the snippets I heard, the songs sound like Christian pop ballads when done unplugged!

Quoting:
Pretenders
Tubes
Todd Rundgren
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Quoting:
When and where did you see the Tubes, what show did they do? Same for Todd Rundgren.  Same for the Pretenders, was Chrissie young and beautiful amd wearing tight jeans and a spiked dog collar?

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Bj26, saw the Tubes in the 80's at JFK Stadium with Bryan Adams, John Cougar, Sammy Hagar and Journey.  Saw Todd Rundgren at Tower Theater years ago and also at a free show at Fairmount Park. Earth day or something.  Saw Pretenders about a year and a half ago at Tower.  Chrissy was not that young, but still great.

Quoting:
pink floyd, july 1, 1994. winnipeg stadium. that's all... :'(

although i've seen lots of great bar bands  :)
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Hey, I was at the same concert - it blew me away! It was like a dream come true for me and though I've been to hundreds before and since, it'll always be my Number 1 concert!

Incidentally, I also saw Paul McCartney and the Stones in Winnipeg - both stellar concerts, as well!

Quoting:
Cool topic! Here goes...

Barry White (My first-ever concert, 5 years old, 1976)
KISS (71 times between 1978-2003)
Aerosmith (37 times between 1982-2003)
Fleetwood Mac (5x)
Janet Jackson (3x)
Michael Jackson (2x)
The Jacksons (2x)
Madonna (4x)
ZZ Top
Alice Cooper
The Who (2x)
The Rolling Stones (3x)
Prince (3x)
AC/DC (6x)
Phil Collins
Van Halen (4x, but none with Roth, unfortunately)
Motley Crue (5x)
Metallica (4x)
Guns 'N Roses (1x, with Metallica)
Patti LaBelle (2x)
Ted Nugent (16x, all opening for KISS or Aerosmith)
Rush
Bruce Springsteen (3x)
RUN DMC (8x, 1 w/The Beastie Boys and 7 w/Aerosmith)
Kid Rock (6x, with Aerosmith)
The Beastie Boys
Earth, Wind & Fire
Lou Rawls
LL Cool J, N.W.A., Heavy D & The Boyz and Big Daddy Kane
Duran Duran (2x)
Hall and Oates
Jimmy Buffet (3x)
B.B. King
U2 (3x)
Cheap Trick (8x)
Bon Jovi (2x)
Poison (3x)
Warrant
Winger
Faster Pussycat
Queensryche
Danger Danger
The Rockets
The Plasmatics
Smashing Pumpkins (2x, 1 opening for KISS)
Slaughter (5x, opening for KISS)
Trixter (3x, opening for KISS)
Great White (3x, opening for KISS)
Alice in Chains
The Time
Rick James
Depeche Mode
The Commodores (w/Lionel Ritchie)
Luther Vandross (3x)
En Vogue
Jodi Watley
Anita Baker
New Edition (2x, w/Johnny Gill, though Bobby Brown opened)

I'm missing a lot, including plenty of the openers for the headliners, but those are the ones that come to mind right now...





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WOW! :-)  That's a lot.  When and where did you see the Time?  I kind of wish they were still around... I wonder if they would ever start touring again.

Also, looking back on the "List all the CDs you Own" thread from a few months ago, I must say, I admire your very, very wide variety in music. ;-D

Quoting:

WOW! :-)  That's a lot.  When and where did you see the Time?  I kind of wish they were still around... I wonder if they would ever start touring again.

Also, looking back on the "List all the CDs you Own" thread from a few months ago, I must say, I admire your very, very wide variety in music. ;-D
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Thank you!  :) I saw The Time when they opened for Prince in late '82 on the 1999 Tour. This was at the Masonic Temple in Detroit. My father took my brother and I, though it was a birthday present for me. I was a HUGE fan of The Time. I wanted to wear the baggy pants and Stacy Adams shoes because of Morris Day! There are still some pictures of me in a family photo album looking like Morris on the What Time is It? album cover.  :D

I'd love for the original Time to reunite again, too. But I wonder if Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis would consider that beneath them now, since they are successful producers.

Quoting:
Blmey this'll take a while !!

I have a photo album that contains all my ticket stubs - but while looking thru it I was remembering gigs I went to but have lost the ticket.

Anyway heres what I remember !

David Bowie - 1983
Cliff Richard - 1983, 1984, 1988 x 2, 1989 (at Wembley Stadium), 1991 x 2, 1995 x 2, 1998 x 2
Dr Hook - 1984, 1995
Split Enz - 1984
Rod Stewart - 1985
Uncanny Xmen - countless times in 84, 85, 86, 87
Psuedo Echo - same as Xmen, plus 2002
Kids in The Kitchen - same as Xmen, plus 2002
Real Life - loads in 86,87
Models - many times in 85, 86, 87
Meat Loaf - 1985 x2 , 93 x 2 (I can remember another gig in the 80s but cant find the ticket - and March next year)
Australian Crawl - 84, 85, 86
The Motels - 1985
Tina Turner - 1985, 1987
Phil Collins - 1984, 1985 or 86 - ticket is faded !!
Jimmy Barnes - 1986, and several times in the 90's
The Saints - 1986
Feargul Sharkey - 1986 (officially the worst concert ever !!)
Simple Minds - 1986 (officially the 2nd worst concert ever)
Genesis - 1986
Richard Clayderman - 1987 (dont laugh !!)
Eurythmics - 1987
Mental As Anything - various times in 86, 87
The Cockroaches - various times in 86 & 87 (and for those who dont know who they are - they quit pubs and became the Wiggles !!!!)
John Farnham - 1984, 1987, 1991 x 2, 1992, 1994
Sting - 1988 (in Reno NV), 1996
Skyhooks - 1991
Billy Joel - 1991, 1994, 1998
Neil Diamond - 1992, 1996, 1999
Southern Sons - 1993
James Blundell - 1993,
Peter Gabriel - 1994
Johnny Cash / Kris Kristofferson - 1994
Willie Nelson / Waylon Jennings - 1994
John Paul Young, William Shakespear, Marty Rhone, Ted Mulry Gang, Rose Royce, Gloria Gaynor, Alicia Bridges, KC & Sunshine Band - all together 1994
Roxette - 1995
The Highway Men - 1995
Bryan Adams - 1997
Olivia Newton John - 1998
Elton John - 1998
Michael Crawford - 1998
Brian May - 1998
Chris Isaak - 2002 x 10 !!

Plus I have memories of tonnes more aussie bands but I cant find any of the tickets.  They use to come over 3 at a time back in the 80's.






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That must have cost you a lot! Concerts are too bloody expensive! You went to see the Eurythmic too, they're my favourite band if you didn't already now. I can only see them live on DVD.

Quoting:

That must have cost you a lot! Concerts are too bloody expensive! You went to see the Eurythmic too, they're my favourite band if you didn't already now. I can only see them live on DVD.
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Yeah you could be right - I am too afraid to add them up as I may realise I could have paid off my mortgage ten times over !!  Especially since I am never satisfied with seeing someone only once.

Aus tickets back in the 80's were under $20 - I remember the first time they went over $30 in 1988 and everyone kicked up a huge stink.

I am just looking at some of my tiks now to see which ones have a price on them.

Hmmm it seems companies here didnt start printing prices on tickets until 1990 !  

I have a John Farnham one here for $33.20 in 1990.  By 94 he was costing $43.80.

David Bowie in 1983 cost a whopping $19 and by 2004 he cost $155.90  :o

Billy Joel in 1991 cost $41.30, in 1994 $62.90.  In 98 with Elton he cost $71.

Neil Diamond in 1992 $44.60, in 1996 $63.90, and by 99 he cost $73.

Meat Loaf in 1985 cost $16.95, in 1993  $44.90 and in 2004 $140.  Yowser !

Peter Gabriel in 1994 $48.80

Sting in 1988 was $US18, back in Aus in 96 he cost $53.

The Chris Isaak gigs around Oz in 2002 cost me between $80 and $100 depending on the city.  And man did I go to a lot of them - Chris can afford a new car thanks to me !

Good grief !  I gotta give up concerts !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quoting:


Yeah you could be right - I am too afraid to add them up as I may realise I could have paid off my mortgage ten times over !!  Especially since I am never satisfied with seeing someone only once.

Aus tickets back in the 80's were under $20 - I remember the first time they went over $30 in 1988 and everyone kicked up a huge stink.

I am just looking at some of my tiks now to see which ones have a price on them.

Hmmm it seems companies here didnt start printing prices on tickets until 1990 !  

I have a John Farnham one here for $33.20 in 1990.  By 94 he was costing $43.80.

David Bowie in 1983 cost a whopping $19 and by 2004 he cost $155.90  :o

Billy Joel in 1991 cost $41.30, in 1994 $62.90.  In 98 with Elton he cost $71.

Neil Diamond in 1992 $44.60, in 1996 $63.90, and by 99 he cost $73.

Meat Loaf in 1985 cost $16.95, in 1993  $44.90 and in 2004 $140.  Yowser !

Peter Gabriel in 1994 $48.80

Sting in 1988 was $US18, back in Aus in 96 he cost $53.

The Chris Isaak gigs around Oz in 2002 cost me between $80 and $100 depending on the city.  And man did I go to a lot of them - Chris can afford a new car thanks to me !

Good grief !  I gotta give up concerts !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



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In the '80s I payed between $20 and $25 for tix at major venues.  I noticed prices escalating in the '90s, but by then most of the big acts didn't interest me.  If a concert's coming that I absolutely MUST see, I can finagle a guest pass or promo ticket through my radio station.  Even so, I find concerts at large venues hardly worth the time.  Unless you've got great seats, the performers are too far off to seem real.  The music is so processed and amplified it loses its "live" intimacy.  In general, I find major concerts more standing in lines, getting poked at by security, and waiting, waiting, waiting than actual musical enjoyment.
:(
I know the artists aren't to blame for the inflated ticket prices, but just who is that is most to blame for the phenomenon?  With tickets to platinum-selling acts routinely rising above $150.00, why hasn't the market corrected itself?  Are people just willing to shell out more than the can possibly afford, or is every loaded except for me?
??? ???

Quoting:

In the '80s I payed between $20 and $25 for tix at major venues.  I noticed prices escalating in the '90s, but by then most of the big acts didn't interest me.  If a concert's coming that I absolutely MUST see, I can finagle a guest pass or promo ticket through my radio station.  Even so, I find concerts at large venues hardly worth the time.  Unless you've got great seats, the performers are too far off to seem real.  The music is so processed and amplified it loses its "live" intimacy.  In general, I find major concerts more standing in lines, getting poked at by security, and waiting, waiting, waiting than actual musical enjoyment.
:(
I know the artists aren't to blame for the inflated ticket prices, but just who is that is most to blame for the phenomenon?  With tickets to platinum-selling acts routinely rising above $150.00, why hasn't the market corrected itself?  Are people just willing to shell out more than the can possibly afford, or is every loaded except for me?
??? ???
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I paid about that too, and I used to buy my tickets from a scalper in the early '80's and the venue was always the Spectrum in Philly.  No small theatre.  I don't know how somewhere along the line these prices just got so out of hand.  I went alot of years without going to any concerts and couldn't beleive the prices when I finally did want to start going back. Springsteen cost my husband and I an arm and a leg when we saw him at Giants Stadium last summer, and let me tell you, Bruce might as well have been in another state he seemed so far away.  Believe it or not, some groups are fed up with what their fans are paying for tickets.  Tom Petty started last summer doing free or low cost concerts at smaller venues and Eddie Vetter (sp) has done the same.  Springsteen always makes the box office hold a certain number of tickets back so that a fan can walk up to the box office on the night of the concert and be able to buy a ticket at face value.

Quoting:


I paid about that too, and I used to buy my tickets from a scalper in the early '80's and the venue was always the Spectrum in Philly.  No small theatre.  I don't know how somewhere along the line these prices just got so out of hand.  I went alot of years without going to any concerts and couldn't beleive the prices when I finally did want to start going back. Springsteen cost my husband and I an arm and a leg when we saw him at Giants Stadium last summer, and let me tell you, Bruce might as well have been in another state he seemed so far away.  Believe it or not, some groups are fed up with what their fans are paying for tickets.  Tom Petty started last summer doing free or low cost concerts at smaller venues and Eddie Vetter (sp) has done the same.  Springsteen always makes the box office hold a certain number of tickets back so that a fan can walk up to the box office on the night of the concert and be able to buy a ticket at face value.
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Artists of conscience, such as Springsteen, Petty, and Vedder don't want their fans to go broke.  They probably don't want their fans to associate them with sky-high prices as well.  I don't know, but I'm willing to bet if a ticket goes from $50 to $100.00, the artist doesn't see a penny more of that.
Is the main culprit the promoters or the venues, or both?  It seems to me that all these concerts get major corporate sponsorship as well.  So much for the idea that advertising will hold down the cost to the consumer.
I would love to see Springsteen play an acoustic show in a club.  He'd be wonderful in an atmosphere where you could sit up close and have a few drinks.  For obvious reasons, he can't do that for the general public.  When all is said and done at a place like the Philly Spectrum, you'd have a more intimate Bruce experience sitting at home with your headphones!