When was your first Elvis gig?

[Masterpiece?]

Although I became a rabid fan in the early 80s, I didn't see him live until 1994, at Summerstage in Central Park with the Attractions. After that, I made up for lost time:

Many shows at the Beacon Theater, various years (Attractions, C/N, other combos)
Several at Town Hall/NYC, and again at Summerstage in 2005 (Imposters)
Radio City Music Hall in '98 with Burt Bacharach (also the performance/signing at Virgin Mega that day)
The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel w/the Imposters, Vegas, 7/2003
Steve Nieve's opera "Welcome to the Voice" at Town Hall/2000, plus the epic party at the Algonquin afterwards
The "Bravo: Musicians" taping, 2002

I'm sure there are other epic shows I'm forgetting. Haven't seen that many shows recently. Must be getting old...

[Azmuda]

...recorded Elvis in 1984 at St Austell Coliseum in Cornwall

sulky,

Do you remember if The Pogues were the support act at St Austell Coliseum?

[DodgyTC]

Despite buying my first EC single in '77 - Red Shoes, I did not start going to see him live until 1983.
First show was at the Hammersmith Palias in London on October 17th 1983.
Have seen another 53 times since then, the most recent last year at the Wiltern in LA on May 12th 2011.
I have nearly all my ticket stubs, and I keep a list of all live shows seen on the computer.
Many wonderful memories spread across those shows.

Favorite show, solo at the Royal Festival Hall, London December 3rd 1984.

TC

[sulky lad]

Hi, Azmuda, yeah, the Pogues definitely supported and I remember being totally underwhelmed by them particularly when one of them accompanied a song by banging a beer tray on his head , and , as a bass player, I couldn't believe how crap Cait (though I didn't know who she was then) was !!
Didn't record the Pogues, I'd just bought a Walkman cassette recorder and I was worried about running out of battery power. Incidentally , it's me going "Oh brilliant" at the end of the 1979 version of High Fidelity on the St Austell boot !!

[when i was cruel]

Some of you guys truly are FANS, I lovveee the man and his music, but have never been. Out of curiosity, was anyone at Roy Orbison's Black & White Night ? Remarkable stuff though guys. Very interesting to just be a passer by of this awesome thread !

[bronxapostle]

Steve Nieve's opera "Welcome to the Voice" at Town Hall/2000, plus the epic party at the Algonquin afterwards

HEY...12 years later (almost to the day!) this is the first i am hearing about an EPIC ALGONQUIN AFTERSHOW PARTY! were songs performed? who knows more about this please as i see masterpiece has NOT posted in two years. thanks, ba

[Jocko Wainwright]

I had to wait until 2005 to get my chance. It was at Clowes Hall in Indianapolis. Solo show. Just the man and his guitar. The crowd was great. The performance was great. I had been a fan for about 15 years by that point, so finally getting to see him was a huge thrill.

[oliversa1]

1981, A Tour To Trust at the Empire Theartre Liverpool, funnily enough its the last place I have seen him (last month).

It was Probably the worst one I have been to, right at the back, sound dreadful, unlike last month which rates as one of the best I have seen.

[Paul B]

Palladium, 1989, solo Spike with Nic Lowe knocking around. I was a whopping 24 years old and had got progressively more into each LP since Cruel World. Even the fact of a visiting American student sat next to me who I'd got chatty with earlier on leaning over and saying very loudly 'Wow this is amazing!' just as Elvis was delivering the lines 'A butterfly feeds on a dead monkey's hand, Jesus wept...' didn't spoil it!

Chalked up another 30 gigs since. Had a glorious total binge at Meltdown (I was working nearby and just wandered back along the river to catch each night's entertainment). I missed the final Saturday night Glad To Be Unhappy show, my girlfriend's dog got run over and died just before we were to leave...she was too upset...I mean I liked the dog an'everything but...no Jeff Buckley...damn mutt.

[Natasha]

Less than one month ago, at Royal Albert Hall in London. :p

[snarling pup]

My first was 1982-08-14 East Troy WI (Alpine Valley), with Talk Talk opening. Many more since then...

[nicola76]

Glasgow Barrowlands July 1996 was the first for me. Curiously it came out of seeing him in the street in London while on a Uni trip. He passed me in the street, I knew him immediately as Elvis Costello, and it struck me that as someone who was a music fan, I couldn't name songs of his bar Oliver's Army and Watching the Detectives. So, I went to the local library, got the Best of, then All this Useless Beauty and it started from there.

The thing I remember most about that gig was the string snapping at one point, and Elvis just played it in a different key instructing the band to do the same thing with relative ease It was a fantastic live introduction to him, and getting to see him with The Attractions was also a bonus.

I managed to get the 5 ft high concert poster from the former HMV store on Union Street (?) in Glasgow the Monday afterwards and hope (but doubt) that it still nestles in my Mum's loft somewhere.

[Man out of Time]

Malvern Winter Gardens, 27 March 1978 which was just after TYM had been released. I remember listening to it a lot in the run up to the gig. Here is my ticket:

1978-03-27_Malvern_ticket.jpg (30.38 KiB) Viewed 21246 times

This was my local venue, where I saw many great bands of that era, including The Buzzcocks, The Cure, Joy Division, Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Simple Minds, The Specials, Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones, and Dexys Midnight Runners. Some are still going, others clearly not, but with the notable exception of Dexys and possibly Magazine, none are still writing and moving forwards in the way that Elvis is.

Cherry Red was the local independent record shop, only open one day a week in the back bedroom of a basement flat (where I bought my first bootleg vinyl LP (Live at the El Mocambo)). It was also the promoter for all but one of gigs above. When the owners moved to London to set up their own record label, they stopped promoting in Malvern and the town was the worse for it.

MOOT

[Little Fool]

Southampton March 1981, then Albert Hall in December of the same year. After that I tried to attend at least three dates of every UK tour, usually, Bournemouth Bristol and London. Have just 'clocked up' No.54 during recent tour, (should have been 55, but Basingstoke was cancelled).

[docinwestchester]

Malvern Winter Gardens, 27 March 1978 which was just after TYM had been released. I remember listening to it a lot in the run up to the gig. Here is my ticket:

An apology for the delay printed on the ticket?! How quaint. Any story behind that?

[SoulForHire]

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-deta ... ?id=407456
Elvis Costello
Magaw Hall
Northwestern University
Evanston, Il.
April 22, 1989

Nick Lowe opening set (27:20):
(1) When I Write The Book About My Luck (start cut) (4:39)
(2) Cruel To Be Kind (3:12)
(3) Heart (3:14)
(4) When The Heart Don't Care (3:32)
(5) So It Goes (4:43)
(6) I Want To Build A Jumbo Ark (3:56)
(7) I Knew The Bride (4:02)

Elvis Costello set:
Disc 1:
(1) Intro Music (0:10)
(2) Accidents Will Happen (2:48)
(3) Blue Chair (4:09)
(4) Deep Dark Truthful Mirror (5:10)
(5) Watching The Detectives (5:24)
(6) New Amsterdam (4:47) =>
(7) You've Got To Hide Your Love ... (1:06) =>
(8) New Amsterdam (reprise) (3:48)
(9) God's Comic (12:04)
(10) Veronica (6:20)
(11) Mystery Dance (1:43)
(12) Pads, Paws, and Claws (2:57) =>
(13) Leave My Kitten Alone (4:21)
(14) Radio Sweetheart (4:00) =>
(15) Jackie Wilson Said (2:24)
(16) Hidden Charms (3:19)
(17) Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (3:39)
(18) Your Latest Fling (2:59) *
(19) Indoor Fireworks (4:53) *

Disc 2 (43:05):
(1) Peace, Love, and Understanding (3:54) *
(2) Taped Music/Banter (6:59)
(3) Tramp The Dirt Down (5:46)
(4) Taped Music/Banter (2:22)
(5) Coal Train Robberies (3:15)
(6) Taped Music/Banter (2:34)
(7) Big Light (4:45)
(8) Taped Music/Banter (1:32)
(9) Alison (3:44)
(10) Taped Music/Banter (2:31)
(11) Pump It Up (5:38)

* w/Nick Lowe

[Goon Squad]

This topic came up for discussion at our London meet-up the other day, and it got me searching for all my old ticket stubs.............the memory's not what it used to be !
I found them all , but just to complicate matters a lot of the old tickets only had a date and not a year printed on them !
Anyway, after some detective work I can confirm that my first Elvis gig was on MONDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER 1980, at The Rainbow Theatre ( London) supported by the then unknown ( and soon to become one of my guilty pleasures ! ), THE STRAY CATS !
I have got a photo of the ticket stub which I will post here when I get the chance !

Incidently, this also got me thinking about my first ever gig, and it was SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES AT Chelmsford Odeon on 11th October 1979. The Cure were the support group and in fact Robert Smith and one of the other Cure guys played their support set and then came back to play with Siouxsie as two of the Banshees had gone AWOL mid tour !.......
.............aaaaahhhh, those were the days !


STOP PRESS ! STOP PRESS !.............EDIT, EDIT, EDIT !

I told you my memory was bad ! I've still been checking through old gig lists and have now found out that my first Elvis gig was in fact one that I don't have the ticket stub for.
On Wednesday 2nd APRIL 1980 I went to The Paddocks on Canvey Island where I was treated to a fantastic gig. I'll never forget the gig, it's just that I thought it was after The Rainbow one.
The reason it was so memorable was because of the quality of bands................Dr Feelgood, Clive Langer and The Boxes, Rockpile ( with NL and DE ! ), and then headlining was Elvis !

So there you have it ! My first Elv gig...............................but I will keep double checking in case another one has slipped through the net !

[sheeptotheslaughter]

I was at that Rainbow show with support from The Stray Cats. The Cats were magnificent that nights and I saw them a few times in the following years.

I saw Elvis in Canvey island around that time, was that the gig when he stopped halfway through a song to throw two people out for fighting?
If so I cant remember the support being that good.
1. the memory is now what it was and
2. perhaps we only in for Elvis. I know I have seen Clive Langer with him though.

We were in Canvey thinking being a seaside resort there would be loads to do..............it was all shut when we go there.

[FrankieJ]

I'm a youngun'. Well, 24 to be precise. I only recently discovered EC's music and my first concert was at RAH in 2012. I saw him again twice in 2013 and twice this year. Obviously now I'm addicted.

The sad thing is every one of these attendances I've gone to alone. I don't know anybody that loves EC. Particularly people my age. Having said that, I once spoke about EC to my dad and he went blank. He asked me to bring up a few songs. I said the obvious "Oliver's Army", and to my surprise he said "...Orriger's Army? What's that? I've never heard of Orriger's Army!"

Can you sympathise with me now?

[MOJO]

1986, Tower Theatre, Phila. w/ the Confederates.

[supplydavid]

March 22 1978 Newcastle City Hall, followed by Middleborough and the Roundhouse on the same tour, 90 shows later and still counting.

Those early shows had such energy.

[bobfrombob]

El Mocambo in Toronto, March 7, 1978 - the night after the "Live at the El Mocambo" recording.

[Heats101]

Think it was Cambridge Corn Exchange either 1978 or 79. I didn’t keep my ticket stubs then. I am sure the Wiki will confirm actual year. I was seeing a lot of the "New Wave !" bands/artists around in those days so apologies for my vagueness.

It was definitely pre Armed Forces release though. Have to say I never imagined then that I would become an avid attendee of his concerts.

However I am eternally grateful to "The Man" that he stuck around and continued to make so much new and relevant music.

[bronxapostle]

Malvern Winter Gardens, 27 March 1978 which was just after TYM had been released. I remember listening to it a lot in the run up to the gig. Here is my ticket:

1978-03-27_Malvern_ticket.jpg

This was my local venue, where I saw many great bands of that era, including The Buzzcocks, The Cure, Joy Division, Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Simple Minds, The Specials, Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones, and Dexys Midnight Runners. Some are still going, others clearly not, but with the notable exception of Dexys and possibly Magazine, none are still writing and moving forwards in the way that Elvis is.

Cherry Red was the local independent record shop, only open one day a week in the back bedroom of a basement flat (where I bought my first bootleg vinyl LP (Live at the El Mocambo)). It was also the promoter for all but one of gigs above. When the owners moved to London to set up their own record label, they stopped promoting in Malvern and the town was the worse for it.

MOOT

WANT THAT TICKET STUB MOOT!!!

1986, Tower Theatre, Phila. w/ the Confederates.

my 23rd and one of the TOP FIVE EVER for me as the METS WIN THE WORLD SERIES THE SAME NIGHT! stellar little road trip indeed! WHAT A SHOW to begin with Mojo.