# Did Any Concerts Change Your Life?



## CatchARisingStar (7 mo ago)

Here I was, this 17-year-old, wet-behind-the-ear, ultra nerdy kid sitting/standing in Madison Square Garden in 1979 at his first concert. And of all groups, it just so happened to be KISS (Dynasty Tour). To say that they blew me out of the park is the understatement of the year. After seeing the spectacle that was KISS, my trajectory in life was set - buy a guitar and play that guitar on the MTV. Things never exactly panned out that way; nevertheless, I was a musician and engineer off and on and am currently still making music.


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## Great Uncle Frederick (Mar 17, 2021)

CatchARisingStar said:


> Here I was, this 17-year-old, wet-behind-the-ear, ultra nerdy kid sitting/standing in Madison Square Garden in 1979 at his first concert. And of all groups, it just so happened to be KISS (Dynasty Tour). To say that they blew me out of the park is the understatement of the year. After seeing the spectacle that was KISS, my trajectory in life was set - buy a guitar and play that guitar on the MTV. Things never exactly panned out that way; nevertheless, I was a musician and engineer off and on and am currently still making music.


Royal Festival Hall London, 11/11/1969. Weber Overture 'Euryanthe', Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 (Christoph Eschenbach), Bruckner 4th Symphony, RPO/Franz Paul Decker. Life-changing because the young lady who accompanied me that evening still accompanies me to concerts - most recently yesterday!  (It also kick-started my enduring love of Mozart concertos).


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Not a pop concert But this:

Next year 50 years ago. I was stunned , overwhelmed and madly in love with that beautiful voice of Dame Joan Sutherland


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

October, 1968. The Stockholm Philharmonic conducted by Antal Dorati. Beethoven Egmont overture, Blomdahl's Sisyphus suite and then Mahler 5. I was just a teenager who knew orchestral music only from records on a crummy record player. I had no idea that a fine, live orchestra could sound like that! On the way home I made the decision to learn all I could about music, play in orchestras, maybe conduct.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I wouldn't say any concerts have particularly 'changed' my life but I have seen some great, ensembles, artists, orchestras and bands over the years that have definitely enhanced my appreciation of music. The orchestral gig that probably enhanced my love of orchestral music was Loughran and the Halle playing the Planets. The chamber music gig that kickstarted my love of the Beethoven quartets (and SQs in general) was the Takacs Quartet at the RNCM, in Manchester. For rock gigs I could probably name several that have had a big impression on me. As I said, none have changed my life drastically but they have improved it. I actually prefer live chamber music over any other live music these days.


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## Nate Miller (Oct 24, 2016)

in 1977 I was 12 years old and I went with a couple friends to my first rock concert. It was Led Zeppelin on tour after releasing their record "Presence". Since me and my two buddies were still too young to drive, we got dropped off and somebody's mom would come to pick us up after the show.

thing was there was a riot. I dont remember what started it, but I remember Led Zep had the crowd really worked up. I think they didn't come back out for another encore, and that set it off. Anyway, the concert was at the Houston Summit and we had to wait there to get picked up, but the mob is getting really out of hand. I saw a guy that had been jumped by one of the gangs and there was blood all over the place and the police took him off in an ambulance. I heard that somebody got thrown through the big glass partitions there at the Summit, but I didn't see that. All in all, though, great show, awesome riot, and a really good time was had by all.

unfortunately, after a first show like that, every other concert I saw never really lived up to that first one.


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

CatchARisingStar said:


> Here I was, this 17-year-old, wet-behind-the-ear, ultra nerdy kid sitting/standing in Madison Square Garden in 1979 at his first concert. And of all groups, it just so happened to be KISS (Dynasty Tour). To say that they blew me out of the park is the understatement of the year. After seeing the spectacle that was KISS, my trajectory in life was set - buy a guitar and play that guitar on the MTV. Things never exactly panned out that way; nevertheless, I was a musician and engineer off and on and am currently still making music.


The Dynasty album is what caused me to lose respect for KISS. Namely that disco song which was overplayed on AM pop radio.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

As I am reading this, I realise, that every time I have fallen madly in love with a musical piece, usually an opera, it was never live concert or live performance ! Always a TV or something on internet. Better interprets ? An ability to turn things on when I am in the best mood for it ? ... 

If something changed my life recently, it was an online lecture on operatic history. My mother was the student, not me. But she needed my help with the computer. After this lecture, I gradually stopped following the news about Covid, filled up my facebook with opera-oriented groups, and my partner was very happy with the change


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I saw Townes Van Zandt near the end of his life, with an an opening act of an unknown girl singer, Gillian Welch. Must have been in 1995 or 1996 since I was with my first publisher. ( I looked it up, it was March 30th, 1995, at 12th and Porter.)

I had been in Nashville for a few years and working my way into the songwriting community, and this was a taste of some great songwriting and has been an enduring inspiration. Can't say it "changed" my life, since I was already on that track, but it kicked me in the ***, for sure.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Not sure these changed my life, but certainly changed my view on how incredible live music can be, and the amazing level of musicianship that can be accomplished.

I will keep this to non-classical concerts.

*King Crimson* in 1973 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
*Mahavishnu Orchestra* in 1974 also the Santa Monica Civic
*Gentle Giant* at the Shrine Auditorium, with Renaissance opening, 1977
*PFM* at the Roxy in 1977
*Steve Coleman and the Five Elements* at the Blue Whale in LA, in 2019
*After Crying *a chamber-prog band from Hungary at BajaProg festival in 1999, and again in 2000
*Allan Holdsworth *numerous times at The Baked Potato
*Return to Forever* at the Troubadour in 1974 (they played 5 nights, I saw 2)
*UK opening for Al Dimeola* at the Santa Monica Civic in 1977

I could list many more.


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## Nate Miller (Oct 24, 2016)

I would have loved to have seen the Mahavishnu Orchestra

...but I would have been 9 years old at that show, so I dont think mom would have let me go


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## CatchARisingStar (7 mo ago)

I think, in my next life, I'm going to make a point of seeing historical shows I missed in this life such as Friday Night In San Francisco (Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin), Woodstock '69, Peter Frampton during his Frampton Comes Alive heyday, The Clash at Bond's Casino in NY, The Who at Madison Square Garden (Who's Next tour), and most definitely David Bowie at any tour.


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

CatchARisingStar said:


> I think, in my next life, I'm going to make a point of seeing historical shows I missed in this life such as Friday Night In San Francisco (Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin)....


I'd particularly love to go back and see the follow-up tour when Steve Morse joined the 3 of them.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Nothing famous but I met my former partner of 25 years when I went to a local club to see a popular blues band back in 1989. She was an interesting woman from Vietnam so meeting her definitely opened my world up to a different culture, people, food, traditions, etc.


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## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

Told this story long ago on Amazon, so forgive me if you saw it before...

With a few exceptions, I've seen almost every rock band I want. By 1979, I'd seen Led Zeppelin twice and had a third chance to see them in San Diego. By that time I didn't consider it so important to see them, and was staying away from arena shows in general.

The same night Zep was in town, I went to a jazz show with a fellow student at a jazz venue not far from the Sports Arena, and I'd never been there or few other jazz concerts for that matter. I went because the name was familiar, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw or heard.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk took the stage in a wheelchair and only stood when he had to play 2 or 3 instruments hanging from his neck. I believe he'd had a second stroke and was half-paralyzed or worse. He talked a lot and joked that the audience must have been unable to get Led Zeppelin tickets. His live albums Bright Moments and Blacknuss are good documents of his live concert vibe around that time.

The concert not only signified a swing in my personal music interests, but was also inspiring to see his determination and good humor as a musician with such handicaps and failing health. From that time forward I began investigating jazz with serious intent.


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## Wigmar (7 mo ago)

CatchARisingStar said:


> Here I was, this 17-year-old, wet-behind-the-ear, ultra nerdy kid sitting/standing in Madison Square Garden in 1979 at his first concert. And of all groups, it just so happened to be KISS (Dynasty Tour). To say that they blew me out of the park is the understatement of the year. After seeing the spectacle that was KISS, my trajectory in life was set - buy a guitar and play that guitar on the MTV. Things never exactly panned out that way; nevertheless, I was a musician and engineer off and on and am currently still making music.


I remember an evening in february 1992, Alfred Brendel is entering the concert hall of Oslo and begins to play the opening sequence of Brahms' piano concerto no 2 op 83. Being present to experience this performance, with Brendel & Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, made me even more interested in the music of Brahms. Moreover, several new Brendel recordings were later purchased, among them the third set of complete Beethoven sonatas, recorded 1992-6, Philips 10 cd. 
A great evening 🎼


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