Who did you see live in the 80s? How good were they?

[BettyUnderswoob]

Just reminiscing and getting a bit nostalgic today! I was a teenager in the 80s, and had the best time. Was recalling some of the gigs I went to. Who did you see, and were they good live?

I saw, amongst others:

Bruce Springsteen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (6 out of 5! wasn't even a fan before!)
U2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Cure ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Ramones ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Smiths ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Alice Cooper ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Siouxsie and the Banshees ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Iggy Pop ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tom Waits ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Iggy Pop ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tom Waits ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Simply Red ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Didn't like them, went to keep friend company... good show!)
The Pogues ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Mission⭐⭐⭐
The Cult ⭐⭐

There must be others I've forgotten!

What were your good (or bad) gigs?

Def leppard
Skid row
Bon Jovi
I was supposed to see Springsteen, had a ticket… but missed it.

I was 16 in 1989 so didn’t manage too many!

Duran Duran
Kajagoogoo (the shame)
Depeche Mode
Howard Jones
OMD

Enjoyed them all at the time but my tastes are rather different these days

Michael Jackson supported by Taylor Dane August 5th 1988 in Marbella, I was a wee nipper and it blew my mind!

Bruce Springsteen
U2
Elton John
Glastonbury x 2
The Human League
The Eurythmics
Probably lots of others, we had great bands at uni (they didn't have festivals to fill up their schedules then).

And the Rolling Stones, how could I forget.
Simon & Garfunkel

INXS at Wembley and REM in a small venue both amazing

Duran Duran- First live gig aged 13 ,I was blown away by the atmosphere.
Then Jerico
Eric Clapton ,
Elton John
,Phil Collins
, The Bee Gees ,
Peter Gabriel,
Wet Wet Wet,
Midge Ure,
T'Pau,
Rick Astley
Howard Jones.

Alexander O'Neal,
Erasure,
Mike and the Mechanics,
Level 42,
Mica Paris,
Swing out Sister,
Spandau Ballet
,Van Morrison,
Will Downing
Plus others I can't recall.
Most absolutely brilliant, those were the days!

Springsteen - always been a massive fan and have been all over the world to see him.
TPau
Wet Wet Wet
Simple Minds
Duran Duran
Adam and the Ants
Bon Jovi
Deacon Blue
Paul Young

Wow, OP. You saw them all! You were a very cool teenager.

Howard Jones
Five star
Erasure
Sting
Eric Clapton & Mark Knopfler
Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel and Tracey Chapman all at a big Wembley Amnesty benefit concert.

They were all amazing concerts and I remember them all fondly.

Then in the early 2000's I caught up and saw Duran Duran and A-ha still in their prime, thus completing my 80's journey.

The Pogues (4 stars)
Boomtown Rats (4 stars)
David Bowie (about a million stars)
Dire Straits (5 stars)
Tears for Fears (2 stars - loved them, but the sound was dreadful)
Eurythmics (4 stars)
Tracy Chapman (2 stars, could sing, but I only really knew Fast Car)
Sting (3 stars)
George Michael (dire, 1 star)
Wet Wet Wet (forgettable)
Midge Ure (disappointing)
Spandau Ballet (3 stars. Big fan, but they weren't great live, apart from Tony Hadley's voice)
Paul Young (3 stars)
UB40 (not my cup of tea)
Simple Minds (3 stars. Ok, but bfs fave, not mine)
Peter Gabriel (3 stars. Doing his political bit)
Whitney Houston (not my sort of music, but she could sing)

A lot of these were at the Nelson Mandela concert at Wembley in 1988.

Fela Kuti
The Cramps
Crowded House
David Bowie

Was a bit too young for most of the 80s but I did see Wet Wet Wet (cos i fancied Marti Pellow 😬) and Erasure. Erasure were great.

It was a bit of a ballache to get to any venues from where I lived so I had to beg my mum or dad to take us places. I went to many more in the 90s when I could get myself there and back. The 90s were the best for seeing live bands!

Wow @WestendVBroadway how did you find time to see all of those!!?? So lucky

I wouldn't know who to see now, so many forgettable artists. Wouldn't even bother to see the sought-after people like Taylor Swift. I AM going to see the Foo Fighters next month, though, but most of the bands I like are getting on a bit now so not sure how many more gigs I'll attend as I go through my 50s.

Smiths (loads)
Simple Minds
James
Jesus and Mary Chain
Waterboys
Teardrop Explodes
Echo and the Bunnymen
ABC
And more, but would have to go back through the ticket box!

U2
Fleetwood Mac
Christy Moore
Luka Bloom
Midnight Oil
Dire Straits
Crowded House
Elton John
Billy Joel
Pink Floyd
Simply Red
Chris Rea
Tina Turner
Rod Stewart
James Taylor
Squeeze
Huey Lewis and the News
Mike and the Mechanics
Little River Band
Dragon
Lindisfarne
Status Quo

Lots more that I can't remember. Best gigs - Dragon, Huey Lewis (great fun), Dire Straits, Lindisfarne (Christmas at Newcastle City Hall so brilliant atmosphere), Crowded House and Luka Bloom (so good I went back the next 2 nights).

And Duran Duran supported by Kajagoogoo

Bruce Springsteen - very good
U2 - amazing
Simply Red -disappointing. on stage for about 45 mins and that was that
Genesis - amazing
Steve Harley - amazing
The Police - fantastic
Steve Wonder - awful, so disappointed
Peter Gabriel - forgettable
Paul McCartney - OK
Fairport Convention - brilliant

Missed out on the Wembley charity events sadly. Just watched them on TV

Ah I forgot... Also saw REM ~1988.
Another 5⭐ performance!

In the 70’s
Rolling Stones
The Kinks
The Who
Status Quo
The Hollies

Michael Jackson
The Pet Shop Boys
Madonna
Abba

Those were all massive in the 80s! Must have been stadium shows.

Skid Row (Sebastian drop kicked a plastic pint pot into the audience and went arse over tit. Was v amusing, he was po faced and couldn't laugh at himself at all)

Motley Crue - amazing. A complete spectacle.

Guns n Roses - Donnington 1988 when 2 people were killed in a crowd crush

Iron Maiden, Kiss and David Lee Roth on the same bill but I wasn't really there to see them.

Quireboys (a lot)

I was 16 in 1988 so didn't have much time in the 80's!

Showaddywaddy. In my defence I was only 13, my friend's mum was a fan. Don't remember much about it except there seemed to be hundreds of them on the stage, and that the queue for the toilets was very long (probably trying to find refuge from the performance)

Dead or Alive
King
Squeeze
Curiosity Killed the Cat
The Communards
Rik Mayall & Ben Elton

In the 80's I was mostly too young. Saw a-ha, bon jovi, heart and def leopard.

Stretch it out a few years and loads - everything from slayer to Michael Monroe.