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?

Tina Turner supported by Brian Adams - she phenomenal, he pretty darn good

Bob Dylan - iconic

Dire Straits - on the same day as Live Aid but in the Wembley Arena. Great, although the earlier hits they played were better.

Santana - zzzz 😴

UB40 - a whole set from them is really samey and I took a while to want to listen to them ever again

Tom Robinson Band - brilliant

Queen - amazing
The Alarm, INXS, Status Quo - Support for Queen - OK
Styx - pretty good
Cast of Thousands - good pub gigs
Twenty Flight Rockers - good pub gig
i am sure there were more…. I would have loved to have seen Bruce doing The River tour

this epitomises the eighties saw them at the octagon in Sheffield I was about 15 lol good times

Oh I forgot, I think it must have been the 80s when I saw Suzanne Vega at the Albert Hall. She was brilliant but the trip was most notable for the room in student house of a friend’s boyfriend. The room had a bed etc. but the only other feature of the room was a huge wall sized poster of the album cover of Revenge by Eurythmics. I shall never forget the feeling of being watched over by the more than life sized torsos of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart 🤣

Did anyone else here go to that free gig at the then GLC building ( County Hall) in 1984?
It was called Jobs For a Change or something...Redskins, Billy Bragg, Mari Wilson, Misty in Roots - but most importantly, The Smiths!
Wandering through county hall looking for a toilet, walked past Artur Scargill coming the other way 😂

Was just coming on to say I saw a few of those GLC gigs. I remember Working Week, I think Billy Bragg (likely) but I don't remember The Smiths so maybe another one?

But other than that very few:-

Culture Club
Depeche Mode (very boring stage show)
Half Man Half Biscuit (was that the 80s?)
My boyfriend's band 🤣 x infinite

For the bands before my boyfriend my best friend and I mostly went to gigs to meet boys and get off with them. We were spectacularly unsuccessful! 😬l

I knew there were more..
Squeeze - great
Imagination - fun
The Larks - OK
Katrina and the Waves - OK

Ooh George Michael too in that free Nhs gig

What a fantastic thread!
As a teenager I spent a year living in the US going to a handful of great gigs:
The Cure ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Simple Minds⭐⭐⭐⭐
Siouxsie & the Banshees⭐⭐⭐
Young Fresh Fellows⭐⭐⭐⭐
REM⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Moving back to Europe I primarily went to gigs at summer festivals:
The Clash⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nina Hagen⭐⭐⭐
Ramones⭐⭐⭐⭐
Billy Bragg⭐⭐⭐⭐
Indochine⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Iggy Pop ⭐⭐⭐
The Cult⭐⭐⭐
The Replacements⭐⭐⭐⭐
Diamanda Galas⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Triffids⭐⭐⭐⭐
The HooDoo Gurus⭐⭐⭐⭐
Echo & the Bunnymen⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh, I forgot a US club show with Feargal Sharkey⭐⭐⭐⭐

I wasn’t really a gig-goer but somehow I managed to see
Siouxsie & The Banshees
Tom Waits
and Leonard Cohen.

With hindsight, probably not a bad tally for a fairly random selection!

Bananarama
Five Star
Jason Donovan
Michael Jackson
INXS - in a students union. Incredible
Tina Turner
Madonna
Wet wet wet
Bryan Adam's
Was supposed to see Whitney but I was ill and still disappointed!

And New Kids On The Block!

OMD
Tears for Fears
Human League
Japan
The Jam
David Bowie
James

Trying to remember who else!

Oh, Del Amitri and The Saw Doctors too!

Thanks for all your posts... been a nostalgic read!

So envious of some of your experiences; less so of others! 😁

The only group I saw live during the 80s was Thin Lizzy. Once in 1980 then 3 more times in 1981. My best friend and I were massive fans. Really wish I'd managed to see Depeche Mode as well.

Everyone I think with the exception of Madonna and Jacko. Tickets were cheap and no stupid fees. So Springsteen in 1981 was £12 in Mcr Apollo. I was 3rd row centre stage both nights. Never seen anything that surpassed that tour. He was 32 and tireless. Went to both shows at the NEC as well. Tina Turner/Bryan Adams. He had the reckless album out and was breaking out. Kiss with Bon Jovi as support then watched Bon Jovi climb the ranks as they got bigger. INXS at Leeds Uni then a year later touring the Kick album. Did approx 2 -3 shows a week because I could. Mainly rock but others like Whitney on her second album. You could see these acts for your Saturday job money. Going to the box office or ringing up the venue. No VIP overpricing or ticketmaster. Think I was there with so many of you at these shows. Was good to see certain bands break out to major names. Def Leppard or Bon Jovi for instance. Aerosmith making a return in 1987. Saw them at Newcastle in the 1800 seat Hall. Elton numerous times but he had a strop occasionally.

You're so right about the cost. I was a child of a single mum, living on a council estate with little pocket money and a Saturday job; I had no trouble affording tickets to see pretty big bands!

I'd buy them from our local independent record store usually. There were no mad rush phone queues, quick sell outs or ridiculous prices; it was so easy and affordable then.

You're also right about the boundless energy of Bruce Springsteen. I saw him in 85 (Born in the USA tour) and he and the whole band were charging around the stage nonstop for hours, always smiling. Sexiest man my 16 year old self had ever seen. He's still gorgeous at 74!

Judy Tzuke, not bad but a small venue.
Went to reading rock twice
The best were Suzi Quattro, Thin Lizzy ( Phil Lynott's last concert)
Gary Moore
Really bad the stranglers.

I'm not really into music so only went to gigs when I was dragged alonge

Bananarama who were performing on Jim'l Fix It whilst on a school trip to London. And Cliff Richard with my mum. My musical taste has improved slightly 😋

Jethro Tull
Steeleye Span
Fair portion Convention
Simon and Garfunkel
All wonderful.

Irrespective of who you saw... remember queuing for hours for tickets if it wasn't pay at door.

I saw Culture Club, King, Hazel O'Conner and The Specials. Obviously I never set foot over a 20 mile radius from my hometown of Coventry 😁

I was gutted I never saw the specials,they broke up a few weeks before they were due to play in my home city in Ne Scotland.