Having been to Carnegie Hall classical concerts and Broadway musicals in NYC with my parents, I began going to rock, pop, folk and jazz concerts with my friends and on my own in 1964 at the age of twelve, the same year I took up the guitar. In a fit of nostalgia, I spent a few hours on the internet determining some of the concerts I was lucky to attend. I’ve included notes plus set lists and posters when I could find them.
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The Four Seasons at Paul D. Schreiber High School Gymnasium, Port Washington, NY May 22, 1964- My first professional rock concert was at my older brother's high school.
The Beach Boys at Philadelphia Convention Hall, Philadelphia, PA, on February 12, 1965 - This was during the striped shirt days, one of the last shows with Brian Wilson.
Fun, Fun, Fun
The Little Old Lady From Pasadena
Little Honda
Surfer Girl
Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow
Little Deuce Coupe
Louie Louie
Wendy
Monster Mash
Hawaii
In My Room
Surfin' U.S.A.
Dance, Dance, Dance
Don't Worry Baby
Do You Wanna Dance?
I Get Around
Johnny B. Goode
Bob Dylan and Joan Baez at Philadelphia Convention Hall, Philadelphia, PA, March 5, 1965. - Both artists performed solo acoustic. They played together for the encore.
The Blues Project with Woody's Truckstop at Town Hall Philadelphia, PA May 7, 1967- Lineup included Al Kooper. Opener Woody's Truckstop and The Nazz which opened the following show, featured Todd Rundgren.
The Doors with The Nazz at Town Hall Philadelphia, PA June 18 1967- This was their second concert, more than a month before their first single Light My Fire was on the Billboard charts. My date and I met and chatted with keyboardist Ray Manzarek on stage as he was striking his own equipment after the show (no crew).
Jimi Hendrix at Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA February 21, 1968
I met and chatted with Jimi as he was wandering through the crowd after the show.
(details of my encounter with Jimi Hendrix)
Cream at Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA April 19, 1968
Rollin' and Tumblin'
Sunshine of Your Love
N.S.U.
Sitting on Top of the World
Steppin' Out
Train Time
Philadelphia Folk Festival August 1968-70, 197?, 1997
Countless legends including Joni Mitchell, Doc Watson, U Utah Phillips, Phil Ochs, Emmylou Harris. In '68 and '69 I attended free as a volunteer for the Folksong Society, in '97 I was working as sound engineer for Sat. night headliner, Pele Juju.
Quaker City Rock Festival Spectrum Philadelphia, PA, October 19, 1968- Vanilla Fudge, Big Brother and the Holding Company (Janis Joplin), Chambers Brothers, Moby Grape, Buddy Guy
Ravi Shankar, twice in the late sixties at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia
Mother Earth, Allentown, PA 1969?
The Who at Ohio State University Stadium Columbus, Ohio, November 7, 1969 - Shook Kieth Moon's hand after the show.
Young Man Blues
Pinball Wizard
Summertime Blues
Shakin' All Over
Underture
Tommy Can You Hear Me?
Incredible String Band, Ludlow’s Garage, Cincinnati, OH 1969
The Beans (Later known as The Tubes), Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff Arizona, February, 1970- We met the band at a truck stop earlier that day, they gave us some psychedelics and put us on the guest list for their show later that night.
Country Joe and the Fish, Area Code 615, Sons Of Champlin Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, February, 1970.- Area Code 615 was a good but short lived band of Nashville studio musicians. I was most impressed by the opening act, The Sons Of Champlin, who were unknown back east.
The Grateful Dead University of Cincinnati Field House April 3, 1970
They were touring with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and the Hog Farm, unforgettable night
The summer of 1970 I spent in Cambridge, Mass. That summer I saw Poco and The Youngbloods at free concerts in Boston and Paul Butterfield Blues Band and B.B. King at the Harvard Stadium for one dollar.
Monterey Folk Festival, The Beach Boys, Joan Baez, Linda Rondstadt, John Phillips, Kris Kristofferson, Mimi Farina, Country Joe & The Fish, John Hartford, Mark Spoelestra, and Merry Clayton, Monterey County Fairgrounds, Monterey, CA, October 3 1970
Hot Tuna (electric) with Brewer and Shipley, January 1971 Academy Of Music, Philadelphia, PA
Steve Miller Band with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, 1971 Berkeley, CA and later later with Sandy Denny, Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA 1973
Poco at Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio May 23, 1971
A free outdoor show in Richie Furay's home town.
Grateful Dead with New Riders of the Purple Sage, Columbus, Ohio, 10/31/71
Garcia, who played pedal steel with NRPS, scolded the crowd for requesting Truckin’.
Garcia Band (with Howard Wales) with opener Mahavishnu Orchestra (with John McLaughlin), Villanova, PA, 1/23/1972
Loggins and Messina, Winterland San Francisco, CA, 4/28/1972
Laurie Spiegel, Newtown, PA 1973
Bonnie Raitt with Little Feat, Doylestown, PA, April 2, 1973
The Watkins Glen Festival with The Band, The Grateful Dead and the Allman Bros., July 28-30, 1973 Watkins Glen, NY
Bob Dylan with The Band, January 6, 1974, Spectrum Philadelphia.
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
Lay Lady Lay
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
It Ain't Me, Babe
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Ballad of a Thin Man
All Along the Watchtower
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
The Times They Are A-Changin'
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Song to Woody
Mr. Tambourine Man
Nobody 'Cept You
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
Forever Young
Something There Is About You
Like a Rolling Stone
Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine
Steven Stills February 17 1974, Academy Of Music, Philadelphia, PA
Bruce Springsteen with Return to Forever at Bucks County Community College, Newtown, PA, May 6, 1974.
Joni Mitchell with L.A. Express, Ambler, PA, August 1974
Little Feat at Irvine Auditorium, Philadelphia, PA, October 1, 1974
Kingfish, Bob Weir, Les Dudek, Cold Blood, Philadelphia, PA, March 26, 1976
Toots and the Maytals at Irvine Auditorium, 1976
Paul McCartney and Wings, The Spectrum, Philadelphia, May 14, 1976
Jefferson Starship, several mid ‘70s shows at the Spectrum in Philadelphia
Rolling Stones June 17 1978, JFK Stadium, Philadelphia
Bad weather and a sick Jagger made for a short, dismal show.
Club dates including Rick Danko, The Flying Burrito Bros., Yusef Lateef and Tracy Nelson at the Bijou Cafe and Dizzy Gillespie at Grendel's Lair in Philadelphia and Doc Watson, David Bromberg, Merle Saunders at the Main Point in Bryn Mawr, PA,
That's just the '60s and '70s. Later attended countless other concerts, festivals and club dates, most memorably including The Rolling Stones, twice at the Oakland Colleseum in CA in the '90s, Count Basie, Venetian Room, San Francisco February 1982, Santa Cruz clubs in the '80s brought Los Lobos and Robben Ford at O.T. Price's and X, Jellyfish, Tom Johnston, KBC, The Knack and NRBQ at The Catalyst. Jefferson Starship with Huey Lewis and the News, Greek Theater, Berkeley, CA Aug, 1981, Patrick Simmons at Keystone Palo Alto, Berkeley Symphony with Tandy Beal Dancers performing Zappa's Sinister Footwear, Berkeley, CA 1984, Jeff Beck with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Sacramento, 1989, Paul McCartney, 1990 Berkeley, CA, numerous Todd Rundgren shows in Northern CA, 1990-91, Booker T and the MGs, 1991 at Slim's in San Francisco, CA, the concert for Bill Graham with Grateful Dead, Santana, Los Lobos, Joan Baez, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jackson Browne, and John Fogerty, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco November 3, 1991, Tears For Fears with Jellyfish, San Jose 1993, Steely Dan, 1993 at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA, Bob Dylan in San Jose, CA, October 12, 2001, Todd Rundgren Aladdin Theater, Portland OR 2004, Maceo Parker at Aladdin Theater in Portland 2006, Sufjan Stevens at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland in 2006, Was (Not Was) at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland in 2008, Laurie Anderson, Keller Auditorium, 2024, Oregon Sympnony, Schnitzer Concert Hall, 2024, and many, many more.
(list of concerts I have engineered sound for)