The First Gig We Ever Went To

For Generation X, live music was not something you streamed. It was something you felt.

Before festival livestreams and mobile phone torches in the air, your first gig was a rite of passage. A milestone moment that marked independence, identity, and the beginning of a lifelong relationship with live music.

And no matter how many concerts you have seen since, you never forget the first one.

The Build-Up

The excitement usually started weeks in advance.

You had the ticket somewhere safe. Maybe pinned to a noticeboard or tucked inside a wallet so you could check it was still there. You played the artist’s album constantly, learning every lyric so you could sing along on the night.

Outfits were planned. Travel was organised. Parents were negotiated with if you were younger. Everything built towards those few hours.

Arriving at the Venue

Walking up to the venue was unforgettable.

Seeing tour buses parked outside. Hearing the muffled bass through the walls. Crowds gathering in band T-shirts. It felt bigger than anything you had experienced before.

Whether it was a local civic hall, a university venue, or somewhere iconic like Wembley Arena, it felt enormous at the time.

The Support Acts

Your first introduction to the world of support bands happened here too.

Sometimes they were brilliant. Sometimes not. But they were part of the experience, warming up the crowd and building anticipation for the main act.

You might even have discovered new music completely by accident.

The Moment the Lights Went Down

Then it happened.

The lights dropped. The roar went up. The first chord rang out and suddenly the music you knew from radio or cassette was alive in front of you.

Louder than expected. Rawer. More electric.

It was the moment many Gen X music fans realised live performance hit differently.

Ticket Stubs and Lasting Memories

Back then, tickets were physical keepsakes. You held onto them for years, tucked into drawers or stuck into scrapbooks alongside posters and setlists.

They became time capsules of youth.

You might forget what you did last week, but you can still recall your first gig. The artist. The venue. The feeling.

Why First Gigs Matter

That first concert often shaped musical taste forever.

It cemented favourite bands, sparked interest in live shows, and created stories still told decades later. It was more than entertainment. It was identity forming in real time.

And for many Gen X listeners, the love of live music started with that single night when the lights went down and the speakers came alive.

Because you never forget the gig that started it all.