Nearly every musician remembers that moment when everything changed. Sometimes it was expected, other times not. This month our editors, along with our new Power Shred columnist Herman Li from Dragonforce, remember their first concert. Feel free to send your early concert
memories to info@premierguitar.com.
Going Out in Style. Love
these guys. Celtic spirit,
punk attitude, crazy energy… they’ve got
their thing dialed in.
What was your first concert? Van Halen
at Reunion Arena in Dallas on July 15,
1984—the 2nd-to-last US gig of the first
Roth era. They stayed about 20 feet apart
the whole time. Still a great show.
Jol Dantzig
Esoterica Electrica
Columnist
What am I listening to?
Otis Rush, The Cobra
Classic Recordings 1956-
1958. The guitars are great, but the emotional punch of the vocals is what floors
me. Bonus: Ike Turner is on second guitar.
What was your first concert?
The Dirty Wurds, a Chicago-based Rolling
Stones-wannabe band, played at my high
school. Three songs in, the principal pulled
the plug and I was hooked on rock!
Rebecca Dirks
Web Content Editor
What am I listening to?
Ian Moore and the Lossy
Coils, El Sonido Nuevo.
I’ve been loving this
album of guitar-driven pop-rock—and not
just because Ian writes a monthly column
for premierguitar.com!
What was your first concert?
My first concert was almost certainly one
of the Jimmy Buffett shows my Parrothead
parents took me to as a youngster, but the
first show I chose to attend was Green Day
with Blink 182 and Saves the Day.
Andy Ellis
Senior Editor
What am I listening to?
Wes Montgomery,
Movin’ Along. A guitar bro turned me
on to this frequently overlooked album.
Incredibly, on three tunes (a total of five
takes) Montgomery plays his inimitable
lines on a Gibson EB- 6 tuned an octave
below standard guitar.
What was your first concert?
Little Stevie Wonder at the Olympia
Theater in Paris, in December 1963.
Oh wait, you mean guitar concert? The
Yardbirds with Jimmy Page.
Shawn Hammond
Editor in Chief
What am I listening to?
Radiohead, The King
of Limbs. There’s little
of the grooving soulfulness found on 2007’s In Rainbows, but the
hauntingly beautiful tracks and cool guitar
syncopation remind me why I’ll always dig
Radiohead’s steadfast refusal to be pigeonholed or bossed around by the industry.
What was your first concert?
Van Halen’s 1984 tour. My cool mom and I
were in the nosebleeds, but I still daydreamed
about being called onstage to jam with the
guy who inspired me to pick up guitar.
Herman Li
of Dragonforce
Power Shred Columnist
What am I listening to?
The last couple of weeks
I’ve been listening to
a lot of Eric Johnson. I only got Up Close
about a month ago, and I really love his
beautiful tone and melodies.
What was your first concert?
The first concert I went to was Steve Vai’s
Sex & Religion Tour in London. I had only
been playing guitar for a year, and seeing
Steve play for the first time was an experience
I will never forget. I also remember Devin
Townsend running into the crowd like a
lunatic! It was like, “WOW!”
Charles Saufley
Gear Editor
What am I listening to?
Six Organs of
Admittance, Asleep on
the Floodplain. Ben
Chasny returns to more pastoral, mostly
acoustic settings, but the grooves are stunningly honest, intimate, and intense.
What was your first concert?
My supra-cool mom used to take me to all-ages club dates at Berkeley Square, where
I’d watch my brother’s instrumental surf
band open for the Raybeats and Ventures,
among others. An amazing education.
This disc showcases the
Seattle quartet’s most
recognizable lineup on top of its game,
with ferociously primal vocals from Chris
Cornell and spot-on solos and riffing
from Kim Thayil. Two surprising covers—
”Helter Skelter” and “Search and Destroy.”
What was your first concert?
Besides the mid-’90s Warped Tour, I think
my first real show was a bill with AFI and
Rancid at the Rivera in Chicago. The
best part—mom was the chauffeur!
Jason Shadrick Associate Editor What am I listening to? The Warren Haynes
Band, Man in Motion.
It was recorded in Texas,
but you can hear the ghosts of Motown and
Memphis in every note. It also has amazing
rhythm guitar playing.
What was your first concert?
The first concert I went to on my
own that really changed me was Dave
Matthews Band in August of ’ 95. I was
pretty clueless then and actually thought
DMB wrote “All Along the Watchtower,”
since they played it as an encore.
