First and last

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

First :
The Damned, Carlisle Sands Centre, 1988 (the night before my French oral for GCSE)
Song - New Rose

Last :
The Joy Formidable, Newcastle Think Thank, a few hours ago
Song - Whirring

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

First :

The Joy Formidable, Newcastle Think Thank, a few hours ago

Ooh - local band. We like them a lot.

First: Bunnymen/Teardrops. Song: Read it in Books (as they have both recorded it)
Last : Ian Prowse. Song: Raid the Palace

[Disco Child Ballads]

The last gig I went to was seeing the jazz orchestra my girlfriend plays baritone saxophone in. If we're doing "proper" gigs where the performers are professional musicians, then it would be:

First: Paul McCartney, Wembley Arena, January 1990
Last: Public Service Broadcasting, Royal Albert Hall, November 2018

As for songs, for McCartney I'd go for 'Temporary Secretary' and for PSB, I'd go for 'Spitfire'.

[Benjm]

It's weird seeing Public Service Broadcasting as PSB. Those initials are spoken for!

[Disco Child Ballads]

Indeed they are! I was just too lazy to type out the full name of the band again.

[Benjm]

That is a very valid consideration. I'd use an abbreviation for Can if I could.

[Ray de Galles]

As a fan of both acts, the correct abbreviation of Pet Shop Boys is Ver Shoppies so Public Service Broadcasting can have PSB.

[HeavyDracula]

First: Marillion (supported by Beltane Fire, whoever they were) at the NEC in December 1985
Last: Teenage Fanclub (supported by themselves) at Birmingham Institute in November 2018

"Market Square Heroes" and "Gene Clark"

[Patrick Thistle]

Volume 2 seems to be shaping up to be at least the equal of Volume 1

[Artificial Hipster]

First gig by a band I can name songs by was Hawkwind at Manchester Apollo in 83 or 84 (Choose Your Marques tour). If i was to choose a song for the CD I'd have to cheat and insist on Assault and Battery / The Golden Void (this I tell you brother etc)
Most recent was Richard Hawley. I'd forgo a choice if helped ensure my Hawkwind selection made the cut.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

That is a very valid consideration. I'd use an abbreviation for Can if I could.

I'm looking for an abbreviation of 'U2'.

[Patrick Thistle]

Wait, so, three OTFers are claiming their first gig was a Hawkwind gig?

[Nocturnal Submission]

You sound as though you're dubious.

Rubettes or Racey fans trying to draw a veil over their youthful passions, do you reckon?

[Patrick Thistle]

No, it's just not a band I would regard as popular for first gigs.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Yes, I know what you mean, but first gigs aren't always the hottest act at the time or your favourite band. They're usually the first band that you quite like, or think you might like, that are playing in the area, that you can get a ticket for, that some mates are going along to, aren't they?

[Benjm]

Condensed down to the compilation listing, which was great work by PT, the firsts disc seemed to feature significantly more no nonsense rockers than the lasts.

The tendency seems to be for forum members, as the years roll by, to lose their edge big time and start thinking they're Gideon fackin' Coe or something.

[San Bernardhinault]

Yes, I know what you mean, but first gigs aren't always the hottest act at the time or your favourite band. They're usually the first band that you quite like, or think you might like, that are playing in the area, that you can get a ticket for, that some mates are going along to, aren't they?

Or, in my case, were playing the dodgy free festival...

[MsD]

Not sure of the line-up between Tommy Steele, Joe Brown, Basil Brush, Leslie Crowther, Larry Grayson and John Hanson, but I saw all of those in two seaside shows when I was 12.

[WOM]

My best mate Pierre's older sister (she swore and smoked) took us to some kind of rock show at our local high school when we were maybe eight or nine. It's possible we saw Rush or Triumph, as they both played our school back in the mid '70s, but it's far more likely we saw some shit 'battle of the bands' with some local nobodies.

[matt j]

My parents took me to see Diana Ross sometime circa 82/83. Hard to see past "I'm Coming Out" personally, but no idea if she actually performed that then. I distinctly remember her performing '''Muscles" though. I think my young 6 year old brain got seared

Last was FFS. So, "So Desu Ne".

[Nocturnal Submission]

Not sure of the line-up between Tommy Steele, Joe Brown, Basil Brush, Leslie Crowther, Larry Grayson and John Hanson, but I saw all of those in two seaside shows when I was 12.

The original supergroup.

[Nocturnal Submission]

My best mate Pierre's older sister (she swore and smoked) took us to some kind of rock show at our local high school when we were maybe eight or nine. It's possible we saw Rush or Triumph, as they both played our school back in the mid '70s, but it's far more likely we saw some shit 'battle of the bands' with some local nobodies.

Rush wouldn't have been playing schools in the mid-70s, would they?

[WOM]

According to their online gig archive, definitely into 1975. But by '76 everything is listed as 'Hall', 'Gardens' or 'Arena', so clearly they'd graduated. In '75, they were playing Massey Hall in Toronto one week, and bars called Denny's and Gasworks a few weeks later. And high schools in small towns. Man, did those guys log the early road miles.

As I say, I'm not claiming it...but it could have happened.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Wow, that's fantastic.

That's the way to spread your name and build your fanbase though.

[Sporting]

I was at Vetch Field that day as well. Terrific. Still glaze over at the memory.

Wow! Were you living in the Swansea area at the time?