“Ask someone, ‘What was your first concert?’ and pretty good stories almost always come out.”
That was the nut graph of a story pitch the Evansville Living editorial offices received in May. (In journalism, a nut graph is a paragraph that explains the context of the story in a nutshell.) Evansville native and Texas resident Anthony Head, a writer of more than 30 years now focusing on live music, proposed a story about his first concert ahead of its 40th anniversary – the July 7, 1984, performance at Roberts Municipal Stadium by hard rock band Van Halen.
Head’s query caught our attention; his timing was great. We invited him to recount the memories of his first concert in Final Detail (page 144). In the office at the same time, we were putting the finishing touches on the organization of “Sounds of the City,” working with writer and musician Zach Evans. As the feature team was wrapping up a meeting with Evans, they put Head’s icebreaker question to the test, revealing their first concerts (find below). The responses were as broad as the age range of Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., employees. The music feature, robust in its inclusion of artists across musical genres, venues, festivals, and more, begins on page 46.
Enjoying live music was something I grew up with. My parents took me to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, before I was a teenager, in 1974 or 1975. I saw Tony DeFranco and The DeFranco Family perform at Mesker Park Amphitheatre. (Look them up; a pre-teen blast from the past. Those of a certain age might remember the pop single, “Heartbeat, It’s a Lovebeat.”)
The first rock concert I saw with a friend was on July 9, 1979, at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Downtown Evansville: Molly Hatchet and AC/DC. Today, my taste in live music isn’t quite so loud. In early June, my husband and I traveled to New York City to Harlem’s famous Apollo Theater to see one of our favorite musical performers, Joe Jackson. And right before this issue went to press, on June 24, we saw Little Feat bring its catalog of rock, funk, folk, blues, jazz, country, rockabilly, and New Orleans, Louisiana, swamp boogie spanning six decades to the historic Victory Theatre. Now then, what was your first concert? It’s never too late for that first!
As always, I look forward to hearing from you!
Kristen K. Tucker
Editor & Publisher
What Was Your First Concert?
Todd A. Tucker, TPG President
“My first show was AC/DC, UFO, and The Motors at Freedom Hall Civic Center, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, circa 1978.”
Jodi Keen, Managing Editor
“My best friend and I went to see ‘NSYNC at the then-Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 2, 1999.”
John Martin, Senior Writer
“[My first concert] was the heavy metal band Ratt, who played on the campus of Western Kentucky University in 1984.”
Maggie Valenti, Staff Writer
“My first concert was Kelly Clarkson at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey.”
Hadley Mitchell, Digital Marketing Coordinator
“My first concert was Justin Bieber at the KFC Yum! Center in 2012.”
Maliah White, Graphic Designer
“My first concert was a Pentatonix concert in 2017 at the PNC Pavilion in Cincinnati, Ohio.”
Adin Parks, Photography Fellow
“My first concert was Lecrae at the International in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Oct. 18, 2017, for my close friend’s and my 14th birthdays. A very good time.”
Jessica Hoffman, Senior Account Executive
“My first concert was Boyz II Men at the old Roberts Municipal Stadium.”
Logen Sitzman, Sales and Marketing Coordinator
“My first concert was Florida Georgia Line at the Ford Center in 2014 … the tickets were free.”
Gregg Martin, Circulation and Distribution Manager
“My first concert was Three Dog Night at Roberts Municipal Stadium in 1972.”
