I just got off the phone with my mom, and during the conversation I told her I had ordered tickets for Lollapalooza and was going to see a reunion gig of Iggy and the Stooges. My mom replied by saying, "oh, I saw The Stooges once...IN 1969!"

It was a very weird closing of the generation gap for both of us.

Then it got me thinking about all the cool shows my mom's seen over the years, especially during the '60s, that I'll never get a chance to see:

The Beatles
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Who (with Keith Moon)
Frank Zappa (both with and without the Mothers of Invention)
Alice Cooper (tux'n'make-up era)
The Police (yeah, whatever, they're reuniting, but she saw them pre-Synchronicity and I still remember her complaining about the opening act - "some rotten female guitarist - Joanie Jetts or something like that" )

And there are tons more I'm sure I don't even know she's seen, since avid concertgoing is something that must be in our genes.

Do your parents have any amazing concert-going experiences that make you green with envy?

Anx said:

Absolutely none at all. My mom is nowhere near as cool as your mom.

Artists I know for a fact she's seen live:

Elton John (several times)
Billy Joel
Julio Iglesias
Santana
Alicia Keys (I bought those tickets)
Ottmar Leibert
Ray Charles - this is actually a funny story: Ray did I think one song (or the show was ridiculously short), said good night and the show was over. My parents vowed to never go to a Ray Charles concert again.

I wanna say Celine Dion too becuase my mom loves her, but I'm not sure. I'll ask the next time I see her.

My dad has seen a bunch of jazz guys whose names escape me.

my mom saw the jackson 5 in early may 1973 b4 her 12th bday in seattle


she doesnt remember

We've seen some cool shows together like Prince and Bowie.

GangstaFam said:

Actually I did go with my parents to see Prince on the Musicology tour. It was when the general sale tickets for one of the Madison Square Garden shows went on sale before the presale tickets for NPGMC members. I bought crappy seats not wanting to be shut out and then was notified about the post-presale so I bought tickets again and gave the first pair of tickets to my parents while my brother and I sat in the first row.

the jacksons 1976 radio city music hall, 1981 madison square garden, 2001 madison square garden 2 nights...
Prince 2004 musicology 1st night...EVEN THO' I WENT ALL 3 !
[Edited 4/22/07 12:13pm]

GangstaFam said:

those are exactly the shows i've seen with my mom, too.

My Dad saw Elvis and actually was friends with Richard and Karen Carpenter.

Together with my mom, we went to see:
Tina Turner (twice)
Eric Clapton

My mom and step-dad have seen Neil Diamond and Elton John.

Most recently a bunch of my family saw Rolling Stones except me, lol.

I really can't recall what concerts they saw in their youth (if any), except my step-mom saw Heart in 1976 Dreamboat Annie era.

So, yeah. I don't feel like I missed much.

sextonseven said:

Oh, I think my mom might have seen him too but it would have been in the 90s.

My parents have only ever seen;
Fela Akuti.
[Edited 4/22/07 13:06pm]

The most memorable one my mom tells is when she went to see Miles, he came out late, stood in front of the crowd for about 30 seconds, didn't play a note, and then walked off the stage.

Well, at least he gave you a show you would never forget

oh - i remember my mom saying she also saw the byrds when she was a young'un. i think she was even a regional president of their fan club or something like that.

Anx said:

lilgish said:

Have any of you heard about Nina Simone antics on stage.? She use to stop her music and tell the audience to "Shout the f--k up".
[Edited 4/22/07 13:25pm]

whatsgoingon said:

yeah, i've heard about her antics. i even have a recording of an interview she did once where she goes WAY over the top. i think she was, um, somewhat MEDICATED at the time.

whatsgoingon said:

yea, Harlepolis has mentioned those incidents.
[Edited 4/22/07 13:18pm]

Not many. The only one I've heard my mum talk about from before my lifetime was the 1970 Isle of Wight festival.

I know my parents went to see Bob Marley (KAYA era), they had a shirt from the concert framed and hanging in the hallway.

My mom and her sister seen Millie Jackson (late 70's)

My dad saw Louis Armstrong in the mid-fifties. I'm sure there were others, but he never mentioned them and I never thought to ask.
[Edited 4/22/07 13:59pm]

My father used to work as a DJ on a radio station so he's been to a lot of concerts but The only ones I can remember him telling me about right now are:

-Ray Charles
-U2
-Michael Jackson
-The Police
-David Bowie
-Bob Marley-Claims this is the best concert he's ever been to in his life.
-Stevie Wonder-Claims this is the worse concert he's ever been to in his life .
-Prince
-Diana Ross
[Edited 4/22/07 13:44pm]

Cinnamon234 said:

Do you know if your dad owns Stevie's 70s albums?

CinisterCee said:

Yea. I came across "Innervisions" & "Songs In The Key of Life" when I was looking through his record collection a few months ago. Why?

the only concerts I've known
my mother to go to were:
MAZE ft. Frankie Beverly
B.B. King
Tom Jones ROTFL

my "play parents" (who are younger & still "party" somewhat)
have seen:
Rufus & Chaka Khan
MAZE ft. Frankie Beverly
P-Funk
Rick James & Teena
my play mama loves Gerald Levert
and Patti Labelle, so I'm sure
they made some of those concerts
I believe they saw Luther also

these are the only ones that I know of
they told me anytime there was a concert
in the area, they would be there

the most interesting ones they told us about
were the P-Funk one (how the mothership would land)
the Rufus & Chaka Khan one
when they came here to Convention Hall
they said between each song she went
behind the curtain (to get high)
and after the third song she was so high she said
"Alexandria, I love you... but I got ta go!" ROTFL
and the Rick James one @ Convention Hall also
(they said he would pass joints from the stage also)

reminds me of a T.I. concert I went to in '03 (Atlanta)
he & his entourage thought my then roomate was cute
(which she was/is a living china doll)
so they would pass blunts to her
and she in turn would pass to me
and then back to the stage

times don't change
people change

[Edited 4/22/07 14:32pm]

Cinnamon234 said:

Just was wondering what his frame of reference would have been before he saw him in concert. I'm surprised he said it was the worst concert.

EWF
Gladys Knight and the Pips
Sarah Vaughn
Tina Turner
The Jacksons
Miles Davis
Mother's Finest

that's all I can remember.

My dad still goes to a lot of concerts.

I remember my mom telling me when James Brown died that she got to see him at the Apollo! I was thinking "Mom? A white woman @ the Apollo?" and I could not stop gaping @ her. She went to college in NY and got free tickets to alot of shows, movies, and other stuff.

My mom used to hang out with Coltrane in the 50s, during that time she met "Bird", "Dizz" and Miles. She said Miles was the meanest man she ever met.

Together we saw Sade, The Jackson 5 and Earth Wind and Fire.

My parents (mainly my mom) have been to Bob Marley, Santana, and Stevie Wonder concerts back in the 1960's &1970's. IN Jamaica, as she explained it, it was a very BIG DEAL for everyone to see Bob Marley at least once. She saw Stevie back in the 1960's.


With my mom being from Jamaica, she always mentioned how nice Bob Marley was in person, usually playing with the neighborhood kids in soccer.

Back in 2000, I missed a chance to go with both of them to see Ray Charles perform for $10 bucks at the Roswell Town Square (Roswell, GA). They enjoyed the show immensily. That is a regret I have always had.

Anx said:

Maybe even the same tours.