I attended the ELP show (Works Tour) and the Bad Company show (Burning Sky). Couldn't get tickets back then (I was in high school) for Led Zep or the Pink Floyd (Animals Tour).

It almost makes me want to cry thinking how cheap tickets were back then.

yeah the price wasn't the problem, actually getting your hands on them when you live 50 miles outside of Manhattan was a problem. These days its so much easier with an internet connection. But I didn't have a lot of money when I was 16 years old.

Well, my first concert wasn't until 1984 or '85, but even then the price to see Ronnie Dio at the Oakland Coliseum was only around $17 with fees. The price for shows has just gotten ridiculously out of control. I mean, I realize the bands are using it to make up for loss of record sales, but damn, some of those bigger acts are charging what I make in a week for a ticket.

I can remember my ticket to see KISS in Madison Square Garden later that year (1977) was only $12. That was a continuation of the KISS Alive 2 Tour so it was quite spectacular (and very loud).

One thing that was true back then, these were the real bands still making awesome albums (not the tribute bands that some have become). I'm so glad I got to experience rock music at its height.

Yeah, I saw a lot great bands back in the 80s, and like you I'm glad I got to see them before we started seeing all the replacements and the stale setlists.

My first concert that year, KISS. Dec. 2nd in St. Paul, MN. They were at the height of their popularity on that Alive II tour.

Two years later when I saw them again, the spark was gone (Dynasty).

I am looking at that St. Paul venue here in 1977. It amazes me as to how many bands were touring that year, much less summer. It also amazes me how many bands could play, and fill, huge arena's back in those days.

And look at all the multiple dates. Zep basically took over the Garden that June. Guess the Stones weren't touring.

I saw Deep Purple in the 80s for $13.00. I think it was at what was the Brendan Byrne Arena in NJ.

I like the poster, for the "Hottest Summer In Our History". Imagine who they can book now with Climate change?

I forgot to add...... my ticket to KISS that same year was only $6.50

In 77? I was 5, so I wasn't going to any of these. But if I were 15, and it was 1977, it would have been just Zeppelin and Bad Company for me. I was never a prog fan, so ELP, Yes, and Pre-Wall Floyd probably would have been a pass.

Still, yes, that is one helluva summer line up.

One of the first major decisions I ever had to make was to spend $6.50 or $7.50 to see The Ramones Tuff Darts and another band that i can't recall at the Capitol Theater in Passaic in 1977. I finally decided that $6.50 better fit my budget.

I was way too little for any 70s shows, but my first was Rush/Rory Gallagher 12-13-82 at the Spectrum in Philly for $10.

Followed that up with Iron Maiden (w/ Fastway and Coney Hatch opening) in summer 1983 for $9 8 rows from the stage. $9!!! At the Spectrum, which held 17,000. Crazy.

Next was Rainbow w/ Aldo Nova opening at the Spectrum in November for $9.50.

I can't remember all the others in order, but I'm now past 400 shows and if I was healthy and wealthy (I'm neither) Id have more.

Price these days are sickening when $150 in the nosebleeds is considered a bargain.

Oh, you see Kiss and The Who are touring again, I take it.

One thing that list has made me realize at this late date, for some reason I always thought the Bad Co concert was my first actual concert but it turns out the ELP Works Tour was my first. I still remember that night vividly, Keith stabbing his keyboard, Greg with that voice, and Carl pounding away on his impressive drum kit. Plus there was an orchestra and choir. Fanfare For The Common Man still gives me goosebumps all these years later.
Not a bad start at concert going, I was 16 years old.

So it seems my first few concerts were all at the Garden in 1977-78 and were:

ELP
Bad Company (the Burning Sky tour), this group was a big favorite among my high school peers)
Peter Frampton (the I'm In You tour) but plenty from Frampton Comes Alive.
KISS (the Alive II tour, epic)
Genesis (with Steve Hackett and Gabriel came out and sang the encore) basically the Seconds Out tour.

My cousin asked me if I wanted to see KISS when they come to MSP later this year.

"How much?" I asked.

"$150," she said.

"Nope," I replied.

We went to see KISS together in 1979.... for $9.75 a ticket.

Found the setlist for Bad Company at that time Summer 1977:

I’m working The Who show, so I get paid for that one.

Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Kiss, Stones, Elton, etc all insane prices and sold out.

Here's a ticket (not mine) documenting the show I saw.



BAD COMPANY w/opening act Maggie Bell

This was for the "STRAIGHT SHOOTER" TOUR / 1st HEADLINING U.S TOUR

Most star studded concert I ever attended. All four members of Zeppelin were there in the front row to root for their label mates on their Swan Song label as well as manager Peter Grant of both bands.

I was in the seventh row on the floor, 3 rows in front a few seats to the left was Ian Anderson of Tull. And Leslie West was right in front of me as we proceeded to the floor to take our assigned seats.

One of the best concerts I ever attended!

I remember that summer with great fondness. I was 16. I actually went to all those shows with the exception of Pink Floyd (me and Jim saw them in June of ‘75) and Fleetwood Mac who at the time I considered as pure bubblegum. Also the CSN show that I went to was two or three days later at the Nassau Coliseum.

I ended up going to the opening night of those Yes shows with my friend Mitch who was a Berkeley trained jazz drummer who played all Buddy Rich note for note. I convinced him to go even though he thought all of rock was pure tripe. He loved it so much he insisted on scalping for the next two nights, even floating my tickets. Three nights in a row. Pure magical musical genius.

Might’ve told this story about the Zeppelin show before, but me and my fellow pole vaulter buddy from the H.S. track team got there real early and went to our seats the second they opened the doors somewhere around 6:30 for the 8:00pm show. We were three rows off the floor in a section equivalent to about the 15th row. Right after we sat down there was a kid who was staggering drunk that barfed right on the bottom step. He got up off the steps and kept on going along his merry way. After that, the rest of the night, everyone who hit that step they went flying cause it was so slippery. Being a little tipsy we thought this was hilarious.

After the show started, a guy in the row behind us started selling joints. The cops caught onto this and began to drag him out. As a defense mechanism he pretended to be wasted and started stumbling around. It was all the cops could do to keep him upright. They didn’t notice that he started to take his stash bag out of his pocket. Then when they hit the barf laiden bottom step all of them went down. This allowed him to toss the bag unnoticed into the air. In slow motion Me and my friend saw it flying high in the air coming towards us, landing directly under my seat. My buddy, Dave, whispered not to touch it till we were sure no one else knew it was there. Once clear the rout was on. Of course, that was back in the day!