What was the first concert you went to?

I went to see Roy Harper at The Burnt Post one Sunday night in the early 1980's. Unfortunately, for reasons still unknown, he didn't show up!!

Beesman, I remember that. It was around New Year's Eve time & he rescheduled & played the next weekend. I seem to recall the no-show was due to his falling off a stool. Another great pub to see live music was the Freemasons. We used to go there every Tuesday & Thursday for the Folk & Blues clubs in the late 70s/early 80s.

All I can remember Beesman is that it was a New Year's Day and it was upstairs in the Burnt Post but it was a long time ago and your right it was a rearranged gig, not many there but let's say it was a very intimate gathering and he was on top form.

I attended some of the concerts etc. that have already been mentioned, David Bowie & Ian Dury at the Hippodrome but my first 'adult' gig was seeing Desmond Dekker at the Police Ballroom, Little Park Street (no trouble!). The second was Gilbert O'Sullivan at the former venue. Subsequently, as posted on another thread I saw Cockney Rebel & Average White Band before they became famous at the Technical College in the Butts, and likewise Supertramp at the Matrix Ballroom.

My first in Coventry was Martha Reeves & the Vandellas and the Four Tops at the Coventry Theatre, closely followed by Stevie Wonder supported by the Foundations at the Odeon in New Street, Birmingham. Stevie Wonder performed a couple of encores and didn't want to finish his set. Consequently we had to run like hell to catch the last train back home from New Street. I'm fairly certain that we also saw Stevie Wonder perform at the Coventry Theatre in the early 1970's, but for the life of me I cannot remember who supported him. My love of Motown started aged 12, and has continued to this day.

My first concert was to see Queen at the Coventry Theatre back in the 70's, I think it was the release of "A night at the opera" album. "I see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramouche, Scaramouche will you do the fandango? Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening, me Galileo, (Galileo), Galileo, (Galileo), Galileo, figaro"

The first gig I went to see was at the Hippodrome on February 1963 when Helen Shapiro topped the bill. I have to be honest it is only in recent years that I learnt the Beatles were one of the support groups. The programme for the tour included Red Price Band, The Honeys, Dave Allen, The Beatles, Danny Williams, The Kestrels and Kenny Lynch. In all honesty I don't know if they all appeared on the same bill, I can only remember Helen. This tour was the Beatles first as a relatively unknown group Their first record, Love Me Do was released on 11 February 1963 (the tour having begun on the 2 February) reaching No 9 when they appeared in Coventry. Many in the know seem to attribute Beatlemania starting 13th October 1963 after an appearance on TV on Sunday Night at the Palladium. I also recall seeing Tommy Steele which was in the early 60's possibly one of the Birthday Shows - do you remember those?

Just for you Billybobs... I'm sure I've posted this elsewhere, but it won't hurt repeating it for now

Interesting to see Helen Shapiro topping the bill and the Beatles second.

Helen pre-dated The Beatles with two No.1s, a No.2 and a No.3 before the Fab Four had charted, so she was an existing star, not an up-and-coming quartet

I've been thinking about this and I think my first concert was to see Slade at the Coventry Theatre, but it could have been The Rolling Stones at Birmingham Odeon (possibly) support was The Mighty Groundhogs.

My first gig was really by complete accident. My grandparents lived in Newcombe Road and I spent a lot of time in Earlsdon. I cycled down Albany Road and hearing a lot of noise I practically rode into the Butts Stadium by the railway line completely unchallenged to witness the Rock against Racism gig going on. June 20th 1981. Not realising at the time I was witnessing a seminal 2-Tone moment I promptly cycled back up Newcombe Road missing most of the rest of the 'action' - equally not realising that 2-Tone HQ was just round the corner from where I spent my formative years. Ironically enough my future father-in-law turned out to be one of the people who had helped organise this gig. I think the first 'big' gig I paid to get into was the King concert at Coventry Theatre on March 3rd 1985. The queue went down Hales Street around the Grammar School corner into Bishop Street. Would have loved to have seen John Foxx's Ultravox Ghengis! Photo courtesy of Mark Osbourne Ghengis - see if you can spot yourself here!!! Another Coventry band of the era I see little mention of was Blitzkreig Zone. My sister knew a friend of a friend of the lead singer and witnessed several of their gigs circa 1986 bouncing off the post-Romantic movement with hints of Punk and Glam. Didn't last long though.

I think my first would have been a Sunday night at the Coventry Theatre that had the Rolling Stones as a supporting act to Joe Brown and The Bruvvers.

@Neil's Yard, I think the photos in the link are from the RAR gig at Hearsall Common, Autumn '79. A lot of familiar faces there, but not myself. I remember that one. It was, to put it nicely, a quagmire. I don't think I was at the one in the Butts (might have been though ) The Jon Foxx Ultravox gig at Tiffany's was amazing. IIRC, one of the support acts was the Coventry Automatics (early Specials, with Tim from Virgin Records on vocals). I saw Blitzkrieg Zone (2020) once down the D&T, I think Dave Pepper who used to work in the guitar shop down Whitefriars Street was guitar/vocals in them.

My sis knew (of) Steve Guest, they were very Sigue Sigue Sputnik IIRC. Check out the images from the rest of Mark Osborne's site - some terrific stuff - Robert Smith before he discovered make-up!