First Show/Punk Show/Best Show

[dave]

For me, my first show was Cheap Trick on the One-On-One tour. It was in a basketball stadium, so the sound was a little washed out, but I was so stoked to hear 'em play that I didn't care.

First punk show was the Big Boys, (Texas) in a tiny li'l bar called Backstage, 1983.

Best shows, so far: The Cramps w/ Nick Knox, Stay Sick tour, and the Boredoms, 1993. Both shows were off-the-scale energy, wow...

Most disappointing show was The Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, 1996 (SXSW, ack!) the singer was waaaay drunk, the gtr player was pissed-off, and the band maybe played 20 minutes.

[Alison]

My first show was the B-52's at Six Flags Over Georgia when I was 13 - it was after Love Shack had come out.

By the time I came of age, "punk" just was a bunch of insecure, asshole "hardcore" dudes, so I can't say I saw a real punk show until 2006 when I saw The Avengers play CBGB's.  They were great of course.

My best show was on my 21st birthday when I went to see the band Toenut play at The Point in Atlanta.  They said happy birthday to me from the stage and when the clock struck midnight I legally had my first and last shot of Jager.

[John Battles]

First show ever - KISS , July , 1976 , with Bob Seger (Still kicking ass - check out "Live Bullet" , if it sets you back over a dollar , you was robbed.)  , and the now - popular Power Pop cult heroes , Artful Dodger. I was 11 years old (Before it was the norm to be a preteen at a KISS concert.) , so , of course , I loved it. I thought everyone on the bill was really good , actually.

This show got me out of a potential hazing when I started Jr. High. Some uptight older kid was giving me a lot of shit , when another one said , "Hey. Leave that guy alone. He was at The KISS concert.".

First Punk show ? uhhhhhh....Some people would say "That's not Punk , that's New Wave" , to which I'd say , "That's not I don't give a shit , that's I really don't give a shit."

But , the first show of note , for me , was at a house party in Denton , Texas , 1980 . My Brother's band at the time , The Jetsons (Feat. The future MC 900Ft. Jesus , Mark Griffin.)were playing with Chef Physique and Brave Combo , who used to be GREAT , no World Music , just Garge Rock Polka.). That was when I realized , like Leo Sayer put it "Hmmm...now waitaminnit ...I CAN DAAAAAANCE!!!". I was on the fence about a lot of the new music , but , that show turned my head around (Tho' we had to miss Brave Combo.).

Useless trivia : Mark Griffin went on to become a founding member of Lithium XMas , the still underrated Heavy Psych outfit. Several years later , my Brother , Tom Battles , joined the band , as well , and , in between , the Husband and Wife team that led Chef Physique briefly joined Lithium Xmas ( Who had NINE members at the time. Plan 9 only had eight .). 

Until I had an ID stating that I was 19 , tho' (All the cool kids had believable fake IDs , they tell me.), I did'nt see a lot of bands besides The Jetsons , The Telefones , 10 minutes of Chron Gen , Plimsouls ('81) , Robin Lane and The Chartbusters (same) , The Clash (82) The Stray Cats (same) and The Dead Kennedys w/MDC , Hugh Beaumont Experience , Butthole Surfers and Stickmen With Rayguns, also in '82 . DKs WERE VERY GOOD , I WAS STILL REALLY INTO 'EM. Hugh Beaumont Experience had their moments , they were pretty funny. They were all younger than me , which was encouraging.

[dave]

The B-52's, so classic! You're lucky, I've always missed 'em. Fun should be priority no.1...

Yeah, hardcore pretty much destroyed punk for me. I wouldn't even read MRR for years, it was synonymous w/ hardcore. Luckily, I learned about all those other sub-genres...

Jager, whew, licorice blackout ("and last"). Amen to that.

Alison said:

My first show was the B-52's at Six Flags Over Georgia when I was 13 - it was after Love Shack had come out.

By the time I came of age, "punk" just was a bunch of insecure, asshole "hardcore" dudes, so I can't say I saw a real punk show until 2006 when I saw The Avengers play CBGB's.  They were great of course.

My best show was on my 21st birthday when I went to see the band Toenut play at The Point in Atlanta.  They said happy birthday to me from the stage and when the clock struck midnight I legally had my first and last shot of Jager.

[dave]

Shit, you're from Texas? Cool, did you ever see Really Red (I always missed 'em)? Yeah, regarding Lithium Xmas, my friend Scott Edgerton had a younger brother who was (I think) and original member. Small world... Stickmen w/ Rayguns, everyone I know was scared shitless of Bobby Sox. When I visited Dallas, tho', he seemed like a nice guy to me. Wish I'd seen the Surfers when they were at their most chaotic. I met Gibby and Paul, very cool folks, but that was years later. You made the rounds!
 
John Battles said:

First show ever - KISS , July , 1976 , with Bob Seger (Still kicking ass - check out "Live Bullet" , if it sets you back over a dollar , you was robbed.)  , and the now - popular Power Pop cult heroes , Artful Dodger. I was 11 years old (Before it was the norm to be a preteen at a KISS concert.) , so , of course , I loved it. I thought everyone on the bill was really good , actually.

This show got me out of a potential hazing when I started Jr. High. Some uptight older kid was giving me a lot of shit , when another one said , "Hey. Leave that guy alone. He was at The KISS concert.".

First Punk show ? uhhhhhh....Some people would say "That's not Punk , that's New Wave" , to which I'd say , "That's not I don't give a shit , that's I really don't give a shit."

But , the first show of note , for me , was at a house party in Denton , Texas , 1980 . My Brother's band at the time , The Jetsons (Feat. The future MC 900Ft. Jesus , Mark Griffin.)were playing with Chef Physique and Brave Combo , who used to be GREAT , no World Music , just Garge Rock Polka.). That was when I realized , like Leo Sayer put it "Hmmm...now waitaminnit ...I CAN DAAAAAANCE!!!". I was on the fence about a lot of the new music , but , that show turned my head around (Tho' we had to miss Brave Combo.).

Useless trivia : Mark Griffin went on to become a founding member of Lithium XMas , the still underrated Heavy Psych outfit. Several years later , my Brother , Tom Battles , joined the band , as well , and , in between , the Husband and Wife team that led Chef Physique briefly joined Lithium Xmas ( Who had NINE members at the time. Plan 9 only had eight .). 

Until I had an ID stating that I was 19 , tho' (All the cool kids had believable fake IDs , they tell me.), I did'nt see a lot of bands besides The Jetsons , The Telefones , 10 minutes of Chron Gen , Plimsouls ('81) , Robin Lane and The Chartbusters (same) , The Clash (82) The Stray Cats (same) and The Dead Kennedys w/MDC , Hugh Beaumont Experience , Butthole Surfers and Stickmen With Rayguns, also in '82 . DKs WERE VERY GOOD , I WAS STILL REALLY INTO 'EM. Hugh Beaumont Experience had their moments , they were pretty funny. They were all younger than me , which was encouraging.

[Bobby]

First show was John Denver when I was a kid. 

First punk show was Fugazi for the Repeater tour. 

Best show might have been Nobunny this past summer, but i have been lucky enought to see some great ones over the years. 

[John Battles]

Well , I lived there for 12 years. The ones that mess you up the most. I did'nt see Really Red , but , I liked the "Suburban Disease" EP , and their much earlier stuff , now that I've heard it. Never bought their LP , tho' I thought it was cool they did Red Krayola's "War Sucks"....I wanted to see them , heard they were really good , live , but , all the Hardcore violence was putting me off my food , y'know. I liked SOME H.C. - Bad Brains , Fear , D.O.A., stuff like that.   Butthole Surfers were terrible , that first time I saw them at the Dead Kennedys gig , but , I guess MDC , and certainly , Stickmen , made them look that much better. Paul Leary told me , later , even he felt it was a very bad night.  Scott Edgerton , that name is very familiar...He MIGHT have been Lithium Xmas ' first Drummer , who was , as I recall , also the Drummer from a group called Spazbot , whom I did a lot of shows with , usually on weeknights , when we were'nt a threat - HA HA HA HA . But , their founding Drummer was quickly replaced by Gitiim Chackamoi , who's from Nigeria , originally. She was the best drummer in town.Everyone wanted  her in their band , and she freelanced a lot , but mainly played in LXmas and The Howling Dervishes , which was also my Brother , Tom , Chuck Rose , from Ft. Worth Punk band , Cringe , and  , later , he was Johnny Carroll's last Bass player. He and myBrother still play in bands together, today.  BUT , the guy from EARLY LITHIUM AND SPAZBOT WAS ALSO A VERY GOOD DRUMMER. I think the late Reagan Eskridge (Could that be who you meant ?) from Quad Pi also played a few gigs before they arrived at Gitiim.

I talked about this , elsewhere , but , Bobby Soxx did'nt seem like such a threat at the time , just starved for attention. When I first met him , he  seemed pretty mellow. We had some very tame verbal disagreements , I guess because maybe he thought I was somebody he couldtalk down to , but , I really was'nt impressed. I heard some rumors and some thingsthat were probably true , but , I think , when Hardcore took over (Even tho' there were no Hardcore bands of note in Dallas . Some , like NOTA , and Stinky Shits , did'nt last long.), he sort of got left behind , though you could'nt call what he was doing "Punk" anyway , it was just slow death. The Butthole Surfers liked them a lot , tho. I could'nt stand 'em. I was'nt alone. But , years later , when I heard Bobby was going to jail for the attempted murder of his Girlfriend (Who lived to testify against him.), I was kind of thrown back. Most of the things I'd heard about him did'nt concern violence at all. I never really saw him in a violent situation at all , and I saw him around a lot , even in the daytime (Rule #1 , back then , was , it's not Punk to be seen in the daytime . Complain about being prejudged by society , but , don't  go out IN society.) . So , I knew him , in passing , but , I don't think that many people were really terrified by him. Maybe scared enough to not want to hang out with him , but , not like they thought he'd hurt them or anything. I did'nt really start going to see The Butthole Surfers , in earnest , until early '84  , after I bought their first EP ,and decided I liked them. They were different every time , never did the same set , twice , and got increasingly theatrical (And Gibby got increasingly nekkid.), and more Psychedelic.

Their gigs in Dallas became events , but , the one time I saw them , here , I was'nt feeling it , anymore.         I guess I felt I had to make the rounds , I was underage and without a car thru the heyday of Dallas Punk , and when better touring bands came thru on a regular basis. When I was a little older , I had to go out and find out for myself what I did and did'nt like. Looking back , most people agree it was a good time , peaking at or around 1986.

Shit, you're from Texas? Cool, did you ever see Really Red (I always missed 'em)? Yeah, regarding Lithium Xmas, my friend Scott Edgerton had a younger brother who was (I think) and original member. Small world... Stickmen w/ Rayguns, everyone I know was scared shitless of Bobby Sox. When I visited Dallas, tho', he seemed like a nice guy to me. Wish I'd seen the Surfers when they were at their most chaotic. I met Gibby and Paul, very cool folks, but that was years later. You made the rounds!
 
John Battles said:

First show ever - KISS , July , 1976 , with Bob Seger (Still kicking ass - check out "Live Bullet" , if it sets you back over a dollar , you was robbed.)  , and the now - popular Power Pop cult heroes , Artful Dodger. I was 11 years old (Before it was the norm to be a preteen at a KISS concert.) , so , of course , I loved it. I thought everyone on the bill was really good , actually.

This show got me out of a potential hazing when I started Jr. High. Some uptight older kid was giving me a lot of shit , when another one said , "Hey. Leave that guy alone. He was at The KISS concert.".

First Punk show ? uhhhhhh....Some people would say "That's not Punk , that's New Wave" , to which I'd say , "That's not I don't give a shit , that's I really don't give a shit."

But , the first show of note , for me , was at a house party in Denton , Texas , 1980 . My Brother's band at the time , The Jetsons (Feat. The future MC 900Ft. Jesus , Mark Griffin.)were playing with Chef Physique and Brave Combo , who used to be GREAT , no World Music , just Garge Rock Polka.). That was when I realized , like Leo Sayer put it "Hmmm...now waitaminnit ...I CAN DAAAAAANCE!!!". I was on the fence about a lot of the new music , but , that show turned my head around (Tho' we had to miss Brave Combo.).

Useless trivia : Mark Griffin went on to become a founding member of Lithium XMas , the still underrated Heavy Psych outfit. Several years later , my Brother , Tom Battles , joined the band , as well , and , in between , the Husband and Wife team that led Chef Physique briefly joined Lithium Xmas ( Who had NINE members at the time. Plan 9 only had eight .). 

Until I had an ID stating that I was 19 , tho' (All the cool kids had believable fake IDs , they tell me.), I did'nt see a lot of bands besides The Jetsons , The Telefones , 10 minutes of Chron Gen , Plimsouls ('81) , Robin Lane and The Chartbusters (same) , The Clash (82) The Stray Cats (same) and The Dead Kennedys w/MDC , Hugh Beaumont Experience , Butthole Surfers and Stickmen With Rayguns, also in '82 . DKs WERE VERY GOOD , I WAS STILL REALLY INTO 'EM. Hugh Beaumont Experience had their moments , they were pretty funny. They were all younger than me , which was encouraging.

[John Carlucci]

My first show ever was Grand Funk Railroad & Bloodrock at the Fillmore East in NYC in 1970. My first punk concert... Occurred before there was a term called Punk Rock, that was Iggy & The Stooges @ The Academy of Music 1973.  saw The NY Dolls and Dictators at The Coventry in Queens later that year and saw Johnny Thunders Heartbreakers  & The Ramones again, at the Coventry on Queens blvd in 74!  ( pre CBGB's  era ) 

John Battles said:

Well , I lived there for 12 years. The ones that mess you up the most. I did'nt see Really Red , but , I liked the "Suburban Disease" EP , and their much earlier stuff , now that I've heard it. Never bought their LP , tho' I thought it was cool they did Red Krayola's "War Sucks"....I wanted to see them , heard they were really good , live , but , all the Hardcore violence was putting me off my food , y'know. I liked SOME H.C. - Bad Brains , Fear , D.O.A., stuff like that.   Butthole Surfers were terrible , that first time I saw them at the Dead Kennedys gig , but , I guess MDC , and certainly , Stickmen , made them look that much better. Paul Leary told me , later , even he felt it was a very bad night.  Scott Edgerton , that name is very familiar...He MIGHT have been Lithium Xmas ' first Drummer , who was , as I recall , also the Drummer from a group called Spazbot , whom I did a lot of shows with , usually on weeknights , when we were'nt a threat - HA HA HA HA . But , their founding Drummer was quickly replaced by Gitiim Chackamoi , who's from Nigeria , originally. She was the best drummer in town.Everyone wanted  her in their band , and she freelanced a lot , but mainly played in LXmas and The Howling Dervishes , which was also my Brother , Tom , Chuck Rose , from Ft. Worth Punk band , Cringe , and  , later , he was Johnny Carroll's last Bass player. He and myBrother still play in bands together, today.  BUT , the guy from EARLY LITHIUM AND SPAZBOT WAS ALSO A VERY GOOD DRUMMER. I think the late Reagan Eskridge (Could that be who you meant ?) from Quad Pi also played a few gigs before they arrived at Gitiim.

I talked about this , elsewhere , but , Bobby Soxx did'nt seem like such a threat at the time , just starved for attention. When I first met him , he  seemed pretty mellow. We had some very tame verbal disagreements , I guess because maybe he thought I was somebody he couldtalk down to , but , I really was'nt impressed. I heard some rumors and some thingsthat were probably true , but , I think , when Hardcore took over (Even tho' there were no Hardcore bands of note in Dallas . Some , like NOTA , and Stinky Shits , did'nt last long.), he sort of got left behind , though you could'nt call what he was doing "Punk" anyway , it was just slow death. The Butthole Surfers liked them a lot , tho. I could'nt stand 'em. I was'nt alone. But , years later , when I heard Bobby was going to jail for the attempted murder of his Girlfriend (Who lived to testify against him.), I was kind of thrown back. Most of the things I'd heard about him did'nt concern violence at all. I never really saw him in a violent situation at all , and I saw him around a lot , even in the daytime (Rule #1 , back then , was , it's not Punk to be seen in the daytime . Complain about being prejudged by society , but , don't  go out IN society.) . So , I knew him , in passing , but , I don't think that many people were really terrified by him. Maybe scared enough to not want to hang out with him , but , not like they thought he'd hurt them or anything. I did'nt really start going to see The Butthole Surfers , in earnest , until early '84  , after I bought their first EP ,and decided I liked them. They were different every time , never did the same set , twice , and got increasingly theatrical (And Gibby got increasingly nekkid.), and more Psychedelic.

Their gigs in Dallas became events , but , the one time I saw them , here , I was'nt feeling it , anymore.         I guess I felt I had to make the rounds , I was underage and without a car thru the heyday of Dallas Punk , and when better touring bands came thru on a regular basis. When I was a little older , I had to go out and find out for myself what I did and did'nt like. Looking back , most people agree it was a good time , peaking at or around 1986.

Shit, you're from Texas? Cool, did you ever see Really Red (I always missed 'em)? Yeah, regarding Lithium Xmas, my friend Scott Edgerton had a younger brother who was (I think) and original member. Small world... Stickmen w/ Rayguns, everyone I know was scared shitless of Bobby Sox. When I visited Dallas, tho', he seemed like a nice guy to me. Wish I'd seen the Surfers when they were at their most chaotic. I met Gibby and Paul, very cool folks, but that was years later. You made the rounds!
 
John Battles said:

First show ever - KISS , July , 1976 , with Bob Seger (Still kicking ass - check out "Live Bullet" , if it sets you back over a dollar , you was robbed.)  , and the now - popular Power Pop cult heroes , Artful Dodger. I was 11 years old (Before it was the norm to be a preteen at a KISS concert.) , so , of course , I loved it. I thought everyone on the bill was really good , actually.

This show got me out of a potential hazing when I started Jr. High. Some uptight older kid was giving me a lot of shit , when another one said , "Hey. Leave that guy alone. He was at The KISS concert.".

First Punk show ? uhhhhhh....Some people would say "That's not Punk , that's New Wave" , to which I'd say , "That's not I don't give a shit , that's I really don't give a shit."

But , the first show of note , for me , was at a house party in Denton , Texas , 1980 . My Brother's band at the time , The Jetsons (Feat. The future MC 900Ft. Jesus , Mark Griffin.)were playing with Chef Physique and Brave Combo , who used to be GREAT , no World Music , just Garge Rock Polka.). That was when I realized , like Leo Sayer put it "Hmmm...now waitaminnit ...I CAN DAAAAAANCE!!!". I was on the fence about a lot of the new music , but , that show turned my head around (Tho' we had to miss Brave Combo.).

Useless trivia : Mark Griffin went on to become a founding member of Lithium XMas , the still underrated Heavy Psych outfit. Several years later , my Brother , Tom Battles , joined the band , as well , and , in between , the Husband and Wife team that led Chef Physique briefly joined Lithium Xmas ( Who had NINE members at the time. Plan 9 only had eight .). 

Until I had an ID stating that I was 19 , tho' (All the cool kids had believable fake IDs , they tell me.), I did'nt see a lot of bands besides The Jetsons , The Telefones , 10 minutes of Chron Gen , Plimsouls ('81) , Robin Lane and The Chartbusters (same) , The Clash (82) The Stray Cats (same) and The Dead Kennedys w/MDC , Hugh Beaumont Experience , Butthole Surfers and Stickmen With Rayguns, also in '82 . DKs WERE VERY GOOD , I WAS STILL REALLY INTO 'EM. Hugh Beaumont Experience had their moments , they were pretty funny. They were all younger than me , which was encouraging.

[matthew rosedon]

The Damned - early '77 at a local college here in the UK.  Rat Scabies told my friend, John to fuck off - it's been a badge of honour ever since.

[John Battles]

I'm sorry , none of us are going to top THAT. Especially when John once played for The Fuzztones and Sylvain Sylvain at the same time , and even gigged with both on the same night , at two clubs right across the street from each other in L.A.  I have my sources. It's been widely argued (Tho' I'm not here to argue.) that the term "Punk" as a musical genre was already in use when The Stooges , most assuredly , embodied the (Free ) expression. The first widely recognized uses of the term come from the Rock Encyclopedia (1969?)  , which referred to "Punk Rock" as newer , percieved as amateurish , bands , like the pre - fame Alice Cooper Group , Black Sabbath , and even Foat Wuth's favorite sons , Bloodrock (No , wait . I meant The Neurotic Sheep .).  Dave Marsh used the term "Punk Rock" in a review of a very early ? and The Mysterians comeback attempt in '71. The UK Rock mag , Story of Pop , ran an article called "Punk Rock" in the early 70's , possibly written by Lenny Kaye (Also an early user of the phrase.) , which covered a plethora of US Garage Punk bands , some that charted , and others that lay dormant for decades , waiting to be rediscovered.....

But , the expression was not being WIDELY used in The Stooges' first lifetme ,  no.

Bill Bulinski of The Electras  told me that in the mid 60's , people did say "Punk" to describe bands like his , but it was just slang , not something you'd read in a magazine. 

"People called us Punks in The 60's. I'd say , "Don't call us Punks!" , because , to me , to be "Punk" meant you were bad. But , we were never violent , like The Sex Pistols."   Question Mark , to John Battles , Detroit , '97.
 
John Carlucci said:

My first show ever was Grand Funk Railroad & Bloodrock at the Fillmore East in NYC in 1970. My first punk concert... Occurred before there was a term called Punk Rock, that was Iggy & The Stooges @ The Academy of Music 1973.  saw The NY Dolls and Dictators at The Coventry in Queens later that year and saw Johnny Thunders Heartbreakers  & The Ramones again, at the Coventry on Queens blvd in 74!  ( pre CBGB's  era ) 

John Battles said:

Well , I lived there for 12 years. The ones that mess you up the most. I did'nt see Really Red , but , I liked the "Suburban Disease" EP , and their much earlier stuff , now that I've heard it. Never bought their LP , tho' I thought it was cool they did Red Krayola's "War Sucks"....I wanted to see them , heard they were really good , live , but , all the Hardcore violence was putting me off my food , y'know. I liked SOME H.C. - Bad Brains , Fear , D.O.A., stuff like that.   Butthole Surfers were terrible , that first time I saw them at the Dead Kennedys gig , but , I guess MDC , and certainly , Stickmen , made them look that much better. Paul Leary told me , later , even he felt it was a very bad night.  Scott Edgerton , that name is very familiar...He MIGHT have been Lithium Xmas ' first Drummer , who was , as I recall , also the Drummer from a group called Spazbot , whom I did a lot of shows with , usually on weeknights , when we were'nt a threat - HA HA HA HA . But , their founding Drummer was quickly replaced by Gitiim Chackamoi , who's from Nigeria , originally. She was the best drummer in town.Everyone wanted  her in their band , and she freelanced a lot , but mainly played in LXmas and The Howling Dervishes , which was also my Brother , Tom , Chuck Rose , from Ft. Worth Punk band , Cringe , and  , later , he was Johnny Carroll's last Bass player. He and myBrother still play in bands together, today.  BUT , the guy from EARLY LITHIUM AND SPAZBOT WAS ALSO A VERY GOOD DRUMMER. I think the late Reagan Eskridge (Could that be who you meant ?) from Quad Pi also played a few gigs before they arrived at Gitiim.

I talked about this , elsewhere , but , Bobby Soxx did'nt seem like such a threat at the time , just starved for attention. When I first met him , he  seemed pretty mellow. We had some very tame verbal disagreements , I guess because maybe he thought I was somebody he couldtalk down to , but , I really was'nt impressed. I heard some rumors and some thingsthat were probably true , but , I think , when Hardcore took over (Even tho' there were no Hardcore bands of note in Dallas . Some , like NOTA , and Stinky Shits , did'nt last long.), he sort of got left behind , though you could'nt call what he was doing "Punk" anyway , it was just slow death. The Butthole Surfers liked them a lot , tho. I could'nt stand 'em. I was'nt alone. But , years later , when I heard Bobby was going to jail for the attempted murder of his Girlfriend (Who lived to testify against him.), I was kind of thrown back. Most of the things I'd heard about him did'nt concern violence at all. I never really saw him in a violent situation at all , and I saw him around a lot , even in the daytime (Rule #1 , back then , was , it's not Punk to be seen in the daytime . Complain about being prejudged by society , but , don't  go out IN society.) . So , I knew him , in passing , but , I don't think that many people were really terrified by him. Maybe scared enough to not want to hang out with him , but , not like they thought he'd hurt them or anything. I did'nt really start going to see The Butthole Surfers , in earnest , until early '84  , after I bought their first EP ,and decided I liked them. They were different every time , never did the same set , twice , and got increasingly theatrical (And Gibby got increasingly nekkid.), and more Psychedelic.

Their gigs in Dallas became events , but , the one time I saw them , here , I was'nt feeling it , anymore.         I guess I felt I had to make the rounds , I was underage and without a car thru the heyday of Dallas Punk , and when better touring bands came thru on a regular basis. When I was a little older , I had to go out and find out for myself what I did and did'nt like. Looking back , most people agree it was a good time , peaking at or around 1986.

Shit, you're from Texas? Cool, did you ever see Really Red (I always missed 'em)? Yeah, regarding Lithium Xmas, my friend Scott Edgerton had a younger brother who was (I think) and original member. Small world... Stickmen w/ Rayguns, everyone I know was scared shitless of Bobby Sox. When I visited Dallas, tho', he seemed like a nice guy to me. Wish I'd seen the Surfers when they were at their most chaotic. I met Gibby and Paul, very cool folks, but that was years later. You made the rounds!
 
John Battles said:

First show ever - KISS , July , 1976 , with Bob Seger (Still kicking ass - check out "Live Bullet" , if it sets you back over a dollar , you was robbed.)  , and the now - popular Power Pop cult heroes , Artful Dodger. I was 11 years old (Before it was the norm to be a preteen at a KISS concert.) , so , of course , I loved it. I thought everyone on the bill was really good , actually.

This show got me out of a potential hazing when I started Jr. High. Some uptight older kid was giving me a lot of shit , when another one said , "Hey. Leave that guy alone. He was at The KISS concert.".

First Punk show ? uhhhhhh....Some people would say "That's not Punk , that's New Wave" , to which I'd say , "That's not I don't give a shit , that's I really don't give a shit."

But , the first show of note , for me , was at a house party in Denton , Texas , 1980 . My Brother's band at the time , The Jetsons (Feat. The future MC 900Ft. Jesus , Mark Griffin.)were playing with Chef Physique and Brave Combo , who used to be GREAT , no World Music , just Garge Rock Polka.). That was when I realized , like Leo Sayer put it "Hmmm...now waitaminnit ...I CAN DAAAAAANCE!!!". I was on the fence about a lot of the new music , but , that show turned my head around (Tho' we had to miss Brave Combo.).

Useless trivia : Mark Griffin went on to become a founding member of Lithium XMas , the still underrated Heavy Psych outfit. Several years later , my Brother , Tom Battles , joined the band , as well , and , in between , the Husband and Wife team that led Chef Physique briefly joined Lithium Xmas ( Who had NINE members at the time. Plan 9 only had eight .). 

Until I had an ID stating that I was 19 , tho' (All the cool kids had believable fake IDs , they tell me.), I did'nt see a lot of bands besides The Jetsons , The Telefones , 10 minutes of Chron Gen , Plimsouls ('81) , Robin Lane and The Chartbusters (same) , The Clash (82) The Stray Cats (same) and The Dead Kennedys w/MDC , Hugh Beaumont Experience , Butthole Surfers and Stickmen With Rayguns, also in '82 . DKs WERE VERY GOOD , I WAS STILL REALLY INTO 'EM. Hugh Beaumont Experience had their moments , they were pretty funny. They were all younger than me , which was encouraging.

[John Battles]

Oh , yeah . Best shows....So hard to do....

Muddy Waters , Chicago , '79.

The Clash , Dallas '82 (You don't have to believe me).

Sir Douglas Quintet ,Berwyn Ill , '89 (Twice.)

Jerry Lee Lewis (THIS FUCKING MONTH !!!) .

Stooges - Clarkeston , Mich. '03 . Chicago , '09.

Screamin' Jay Hawkins , dALLAS , 86 . ( I got to sing with him ! My GF got pissed , because I would'nt stand in the back , and be lame , when I was WORKING.).

Johnny Cash - Two shows , Chicago. 90's.

James Brown - same

Alice Cooper - Chicago , 98 (Small venue.)

Any show by Roky Erickson , Deadmoon/Pierced Arrows , Arthur Lee and Love , Downliners Sect, others.

[The Pulsebeats]

First show - Green Day in Manchester in 1994 on their Dookie tour.

Best show (by a country mile!) - Tom Waits a couple of years back in Edinburgh on his Glitter and Doom tour. Pure theatre.

[Mongul]

First: The Ramones at City Gardens in Trenton, NJ May 29, 1991

Best: The Ramones at The University of Maryland, Summer 1993 - the show started with only about five people in attendance - like my own private Ramones concert!