My first concert(s)

KEXP has been talking all morning about people's first concert they ever went to. I have a few...

My first actual rock concert (I'm not talking Raffi here) was Bob Dylan in Omaha, Nebraska a long long time ago. I can't remember the actual year, but I was little. I was at a family wedding, and was walking around downtown Omaha with my parents and some other very hip family members. We randomly go by this theatre, and my dad sees on the marquee that Bob Dylan was playing that night. He used to be a DJ in the 60s and 70s and is a very big fan, despite the fact that Dylan was basically at the bottom of his career at the time. We walked in, and the ticket guy said we could just go in and catch the rest of his set for like $10 a head (I'm sure it went right into his pocket). So we did. I remember very little of the actual show, but it makes for a good story.

My first concert I actually got tickets for was the Simon and Garfunkel reunion at the Paramount (now the Theatre at Madison Square Garden). I was in 8th grade. With my parents. It was a great show...I loved them back then. They opened with 'The Boxer' and Art Garfunkel screwed up the lyrics to 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters.' Was a really fun show, especially growing up on 'Graceland', and having just gotten into their older stuff.

But both of those were bands from my parents’ generation that they were probably just as excited to go see as I was. The first show I went to that was MY music was Green Day at Nassau Coliseum...also in 8th Grade. My mom actually liked Green Day cause she got the Woodstock '94 Pay-Per-View feed and enjoyed their mud-slinging set. I stayed home from school the whole week cause I was sick, but somehow found the energy to make it to the show that Friday night. I went with my parents and a friend of mine from school (who, as a side note, is now apparently in training to be an officer in the Marines. He was always the token Republican friend from grade school.) I remember all the teenagers storming the pit from the seats near us, and being embarrassed that Billy Joe had this 'Fuck You' call and response going on while standing next to Mom and Dad. I think my Dad even leaned over and told me it was OK if I wanted to participate, but I don't remember if I did or not.

Finally, and I'm having trouble remembering this one for sure, but the first show I went to WITHOUT my parents I think was U2's Popmart tour in high school. I could be wrong about this tho. Me and a group of friends sat in the top row of Giants Stadium and watched the spectacle unfold, with the giant lemon and whatnot. I still think of this as the benchmark for megatours...if you're gonna be playing 70,000 seat stadiums, you gotta make it BIG...and U2 did just that.
Good times looking back.