Important programming note: the Analog Kid is taking off on a football-based vacation to the hills of West Virginia. I will be back late Sunday night. I have prepared blogs to publish during my absence, but they will be short and to the point. I am very rarely short and to the point, so please enjoy my brief descent into brevity.
It was 32 years ago today: my very first concert.
November 7, 1981. Reunion Arena. Dallas, Texas.
Loverboy opened, and then these guys took over:
This was the first song:
Journey: “Escape” (Neal Schon/Steve Perry/Jonathan Cain)
From the album Live In Houston 1981 : Escape Tour
Columbia Records, 2005
This version of “Escape” was recorded on November 6th in Houston, the night before my show. The ticket cost me $9.00. I think the t-shirt cost $10. I wore that jersey until it shredded apart.
People always ask me how I can remember specific dates of events like this– my response is usually, “How can I NOT remember?” It was the biggest event of my life up to that point. It was definitely the most anticipated.
I feel bad that the kids of today rarely get the “arena rock” experience like we did. The hazy smoke between acts. The cigarette lighters. The pungent smell that I couldn’t quite identify (at least not for a few years). The numb ear drums. It was glorious.
The Analog Kid 
I was there, but I didn’t see you.
Awesome!
Really? A football-based vacation in West Virginia? No, wait. . . really? And people think my wife is a saint.
I was at the Houston concert. Good times! Didn’t Brian Adams lead off for them on that tour?
That was the “Frontiers” tour in ’83. Saw Bryan open for Journey twice on that tour at the Forum in LA. They played five straight nights.
Your first concert ever, or your first parent-free concert? There were no mom-forced Neil Diamond or John Denver concerts before this?
First ever. We took Mom to see Neil Diamond about a month later,
[…] all, I was only in 9th grade at the time. I had attended my first concert (read about it here: https://theanalogkidblog.com/2013/11/07/november-7-1981-it-begins/) only a few weeks earlier with friends, but none of my friends were all that interested in driving […]
I was there Nov 1981 I was 13. I will see Journey for the second time ever this year in Dallas again. I am 47. It was my first concert back then. This is my most anticipated event this year. I am taking my kids. I do not know if they will appreciate the meaning of this event or not but I am going to try.
Beautiful! And if you haven’t heard, Steve Smith will be back behind the drum kit for this tour!