TeamHorseTales

Late 80s/early 90s I attended mainly rock gigs as that’s what I was used to hearing from my big brothers’ record collections. Though there was a shift in my tastes to more maverick and risky bands than they would have entertained as I moved up to Belfast as a student. But around the time of my 18 th birthday I persuaded my brother to take me to see Heart, along with his girlfriend. This was the Brigade tour and I’d seen the Wilson Sisters in the videos for their hits from the previous album. I remember being slightly taken aback when Ann appeared resplendent in military style jacket. The concert was in the by now very familiar King’s Hall and at the peak of their powers the band played to a packed house, Ann Wilson still has an incredible voice to this day. The next concert I’d attend was a very special one. I’d been a fan of Prince since I was 12, when Purple Rain became a massive success. By 1990, he’d released the classic run of albums (Purple Rain, Around The World In A Day, Par...

My blogs are now going to recall as much as I can remember from the gigs and concerts I’ve been to over the years. Whilst the last few years have seen me venture out a LOT less than I used to, I’ve seen in excess of 150 artists since my first outing in 1984. Some gigs I can’t recall anything about so they’ll get a cursory mention, others will have a lasting memory or detail I’d like to share and maybe you’ll have been to some of these shows too. I thought long and hard about how to go about this, and I reckon the best way is to go chronologically. That way you get to see how my musical tastes and ability to withstand different genres came to be. So, let’s begin… The first proper show I’d been to, outside of maybe some of my big brother’s band, was an all-star outdoor festival at Ramore Head in Portrush. Indeed, it was my brothers who were heading to the concert on a rain sodden July day when 12 year old me decided he wanted to tag along. After much persuasion I was allowed to go. On ...