QUEEN

I attended two QUEEN concerts, both at the Richfield Coliseum. Out of high school, I was drawn to the guitar work of Brian May. His homemade "Red Special' had a different sound than other bands I listened to.
I believe the first show I attended was for the "News Of The World" tour on November 25, 1978:

a ticket from the show:









The second show was on September 21,1980 and DAKOTA opened:

TED NUGENT with J.GEILS BAND

The Motor City Madman rolled into Cleveland on December 17, 1982 and I was there. The venue was the Richfield Coliseum. Opening act was REX (REX SMITH) followed by J.GEILS BAND. Ted was LOUD. My seat was on the floor about 3/4 back. I remember somebody throwing a firecracker on stage....which got Ted agitated. He stopped in a middle of a song and wanted someone to bring the a$*H@&& up onstage...

Although a mild fan of J. Geils (owned a few LPs),I don't remember much their set...I'm sure I enjoyed it.

an ad for the show:

what Ted sounded like....

THE DEAD MILKMEN

On September 24th 1986 The Dead Milkmen played Cedars Lounge in downtown Youngstown. Cedars was THE place in Y-town for alternative/punk bands. This is where you could find me most weekends. Before Cedars started hosting bands in the early '80s...it was a stop for my friends & I prior to going to a show at the Agora (Tomorrow) Club...just around the corner. Cedars had bands from all around the valley as well as some national and even international. It has since closed and moved to the west side of town.

The Dead Milkmen got some play on early MTV. I think I heard "Bitchin Camaro" and got hooked!

what they sounded like:

RAMONES

I've been lucky enough to see the Ramones live 3 times. The first show was in my hometown which by the way is the first city outside of NY that the band ever played!

From Wikipedia:    At the band's first major performance outside of New York, a June date in Youngstown, Ohio, approximately ten people showed up.

The first show I saw them at was on October 4 1981.  I stood up front near the stage...which led to me not hearing well out of my right ear for 4-days!

 newspaper ad for the show:

my ticket stub:



The next show was on July 21, 1986 and was at the Phantasy night club in Cleveland. I bought a tour shirt (long gone!) and an autographed B&W promo photo. This was the ANIMAL BOY tour.

a flyer for the show:

  the photo:

The last I attended was at Kent State University. This was November 15, 1986. The thing I remember most about the show was seeing Stiv Bators in the parking lot & heading into the building.

an ad for the show:

my ticket stub:

what they sounded like in 1981....this performance is 22 days after I saw them:

DEVO

Devo made a name for themselves via MTV. They had a decent hit with "Whip It". They were from the Kent State area and played alot of clubs in that area and Cleveland. In a 2011 interview, bassist Gerald Casale stated they never played Youngstown....but he was wrong! The date was Tuesday July 10, 1979. The venue, The Agora. I remember the show fairly well as it was like nothing I had seen before! Booji Boy videos were playing behind them. Mark's Tele had wires , a box and only...3 strings.

I don't have a ticket stub for this show. This may because for many shows I saw at this venue I got in by either:
1) buying a ticket
2) paying at the door
3) getting in free as my friend knew the cop at the door
4) climbing the rusted 3-story fire escape on the side of the building and entering in the upper balcony (no alarm on the ancient door)

 Booji Boy:

 The Youngstown Vindicator ad for the show:

What they sounded like:

JEFF BECK

I've been lucky enough to see almost all of the iconic guitarists that have come from the UK (minus Clapton..but never was a fan...). Started listening to Jeff Beck as a youngster because a used car my dad once bought had some 8-track tapes in it. BECKOLA was one of them. Starved for music as I hit my teens...it got lots of play!
The great Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh was a stop for Jeff's There and Back tour. The date was October 15, 1980. I don't believe there was an opening act. As I recall, not much was said by Mr. Beck...he just jammed away!

What he sounded like (this a few years later):

LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH

Friday July 10th 1987...The AGORA in Cleveland hosted the Lords of the New Church. I went with a group of friends from college. One was a photographer/art major that had did some work with Stiv Bators...lead singer. Stiv was from my hometown and fronted The Dead Boys prior to the Lords. We were able to get backstage after the show and meet the band and...Stiv's parents! Stiv was nice enough to autograph my jean jacket..which I still have albeit the name is barely legible after all these years.

my ticket stub:

I would see Stiv a year later as The Dead Boys re-united...more on that show later...

what they sounded like:

BILLY IDOL

A friend of mine in college was a HUGE Billy Idol fan. So when Billy made a stop in Pittsburgh, we were there. The date was January 31, 1984. The show was at the famous Stanley Theatre. Billy's current web page doesn't list this show. My ticket stub below tells it like it was.

An add for the show:

Billy Idol live on MTV:

VIOLENT FEMMES with BEN VAUGHN

On Monday April 3rd 1989, I was at the Violent Femmes show at Bowling Green University. Ben Vaughn was the opening act. Don't remember too much about the show other than being on the campus. I must of liked Ben's set as I picked up his latest release on cassette a year or so later in a bargain bin.

My ticket stub:

A write up of the show in the school's paper:

Violent Femmes live a few years later on TV:


Ben Vaughn live:

IAN HUNTER with the DAVID JOHANSEN GROUP

I was lucky enough to see Ian Hunter three times in three years. Ian was front man for Mott The Hoople and had two solo LPs by the time I picked up his third : "You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic". I won this LP off a local AM radio station. My friends & I liked it and after getting his other solo efforts...seeing him live was a must.

The first show was at the Richfield Coliseum and was on Sept. 22, 1979. They only used half of the venue to keep it more of a small hall feel. The opening act was the David Johansen Group. David was the front man for The New York Dolls. Sylvain Sylvain another ex- Doll was with David.

My ticket stub from the show:

An ad for the show:

Tour button purchased at one of the shows:

The next show I attended was in my hometown and had Mick Ronson on guitar. This show was at The Agora (Youngstown) which was an old vaudeville era theater that had many transformations throughout the years, starting off as The State Theater in 1927.

My ticket stub from the show:

The final show was also at The Agora in Youngstown:

My ticket stub:

Ian at The Cleveland Agora-1979:



David Johansen Group live:

THE CARS

I saw The Cars on their "Candy O" tour in Pittsburgh. The date was July 13, 1979. I don't recall an opening act. The venue was The Stanley Theatre which is downtown. It was once named one of the best places in the country to see a show. Very ornate with lots of history.

BAD COMPANY

The first BIG act I remember seeing was Bad Company. This show was at the Richfield Coliseum which was south of Cleveland...out in the middle of nowhere but close to routes 77 & 271. We would come up through route 303 which was a county road lined with trees and wooded areas and the all of a sudden..there stood the Coliseum like a huge castle!

I remember having good seats, on the floor...near the stage. The show was on May 15, 1979. The opening act was Frank Carillo. I would see more shows in this venue. The big hall concert event will later be replaced by smaller venues for me, but as a first experience...this was a good start.

LEFT END and BIGGY RAT

THE very first live show I ever saw consisted of (at least) two local bands : Left End and Biggy Rat.
The show was sometime in the summer of 1973 or '74 (guestimate) and was held on the west side of Youngstown at a small hall used for bingo. Me and a couple of friends made the 3 mile walk in the afternoon. I remember seeing Dennis T. Menass (R.I.P.) just before the show. He was sporting his signature "black-eye" that was rumored to influence Alice Cooper....Someone noticed us young 14yr old punks gawking at him and said.."He's a rock star"!!


Left End - "Spoiled Rotten" LP on POLYDOR records: had it on 8-track stereo cartridge!

Biggy Rat had a female lead singer (Shirliann Shank) that sounded like Janis Joplin. I remember them doing "I Just Want to Make Love to You". Guitar was handled by the great Jim Gustafson who would later form Poobah.

This show would be the base of a lot of shows to come.
LEFT END- "BAD TALKIN' LADY" with scenes from Idora Park (a local amusement park)


BIGGY RAT: