gigs what I went to as a youngster ...

I posted this list on the DJ History forum recently in a thread about The Dirty Projectors.

Gigs I went to back in the 70's and early 80s (I'll add to it from time to time as I remember more) -

Mostly at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester.
Tyrannosaurus Rex first electric gig with Micky Finn on bongos and the support was John Peel reading a Ray Bradbury short story.
The Groundhogs - Tony McPhee's guitar lead was too short so it kept pulling out of the amp when he walked to the front of the stage.
Led Zep at UMIST - didn't like them.
Pink Floyd doing Atom Heart Mother - boring without Syd
Hawkwind more times than I care to remember - they usually had a good light show but I never got to see Stacia get her kit off..
Genesis twice with Peter Gabriel singing and Phil Collins in his rightful place stuck behind the drums - first time they were playing support to Lindisfarne.
David Bowie with so few people there they closed the circle and put everyone in the stalls. He played a load of stuff off Ziggy Stardust although it was just before the album's release.
A great version of the Velvet Underground's White Light, White Heat
I was there with my long curly hair and my duffle coat, but went home and changed my image after that - Bowie and the band were in full Ziggy regalia. I remember Mick Ronson's guitar playing being amazing.
The Strawbs with Rick Wakeman
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - one of the best gigs I've ever been to. I can't remember the name of the venue - it was on old converted cinema in Manchester with most of the inside painted mat black. A bloke in front of me turned round and threw up and I got sick on my shoes.
Carol King and James Taylor - tedious and weary
Loudon Wainwright III - brilliant and very funny
Fleetwood Mac when they were still good with Peter Green
Taste with Rory Gallagher - I had to leave before the end to get the last train and you could still hear them nearly all the way to Victoria Station they were so loud.
The Byrds - brilliant - they did a 3 hour long version of 8 Miles High (well it felt like 3 hours )
Tangerine Dream in Manchester Cathedral - I was bored witless and freezing cold
Soft Machine - I enjoyed it then but I'm not sure I would now
The Rolling Stones at Belle Vue (I got pushed out of the ticket queue for their Free Trade Hall gig by Hells Angels)
Humble Pie - Steve Marriot had such a great soulful voice
Jethro Tull - I seem to remember the gig started at midnight - I don't recall much else about it. I don't think I enjoyed it much.
MC5 at the Clitheroe Festival - I went to it twice and also saw Barclay James Harvest, Stackridge, Bridget St. John and The Third Ear Band.

When I was on a 6th form geography field trip in Torbay I went to see the Crazy World of Arthur Brown and as he sung something along the lines of "and your brain leaves you body" someone dressed as a giant brain wobbled across the stage and at the climax of the show they "poured" Arthur into a giant syringe ....

A mate at art college asked if we'd like to go and see his brother, a drummer, in a punk band. They were on at a gay club in Manchester called The Ranch next door to Foo Foo Lammar's. They were called Buzzcocks and had a slightly odd looking little singer called Howard. They only managed about 20 or 30 minutes of their set before Foo Foo came through from next door and told them they had to stop as the noise was interfering with his act.