Looking for dates of concerts

[LovableGoober]

Hi!

I'm looking for the exact dates of some concerts I remember attending back in the day but now I can't find any info on them. If anybody could be of any help I would greatly appreciate it.

Chuck Berry at McAsland Field House in Norman. It would have been in the mid 70's, probably somewhere between 1973 and 1975.

Huey Lewis and the News at a bar in OKC, maybe a place called Jaggz. It was probably in 1982.

The Band at Lincoln Plaza in OKC.

Violent Femmes at The Bowery in OKC. This would have been the original Bowery in the basement on 10th Street.

Wall of Voodoo, also at the original Bowery.

If anybody has those dates, please share them. Thank you!!

[ManAboutTown]

Try www.Setlist.FM. I have found almost every concert I ever attended on there.

[Pete]

I'm working on these and will post as I verify.

Here is Wall of Voodoo (Stan Ridgway!) from Thursday, February 3, 1983:

[Pete]

Huey Lewis was at Jagg's in OKC in late May of 1982.

All I could find was an interview published on June 1, 1982 where they mentioned his recent gig at Jagg's.

[Pete]

The Femmes were at The Bowery Tuesday, November 15, 1983:

[Bill Robertson]

Try www.Setlist.FM. I have found almost every concert I ever attended on there.

I didn't know about this! I've often wondered about exactly when I saw The Stones, The Who, etc. etc. etc. back in the late 70s and 80s. Now that I have time I'm going to look a bunch of them up.
For instance. This afternoon I was part of a discussion on a bass player's forum of the most energetic concerts you've seen. I know for me it was The Stones and The Who. Both in the Cotton Bowl. Both in the same summer sometime in the 80s. I'm really curious exactly when.

[Pete]

I started doing this about 10 years ago and have persuaded lots of friends to do the same:

Make a big spreadsheet with a tab for various categories such as:
Concerts
Plays
Weddings
Funerals
Pets
Jobs
Trips
Relationships
Cars
Places lived
Friends

Then start filling in entries and dates. Go through and start adding items and dates; don't worry about getting everything and all the dates exact, just fill in what you know.

Then put things in proper order and start plugging the holes. You can find almost everything on the internet these days.

Once you get a decent amount of information, it makes it much easier to plug the gaps: "Let's see, I know I was living on X street and driving X car, and working at X, so I must have dated her sometime between 1985 and 1987."

You'll be surprised how much you can fill in. I've found every single concert (including my very first, the Beach Boys at the Myriad) and now I just keep adding things. I can answer questions all the time: "When did I come visit you in California? You were living in Manhattan Beach and driving that Red Acura..." I can immediately narrow it down, especially if we went to a movie or ball game, because those are easy to confirm.

"I know I visited you in Houston the summer after our sophomore year in college because we went to see the re-release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and research tells me it came out in early August 1980."

It's fun and interesting! It's also a good way to keep your memory sharp.

It's one of the reasons I wanted to find the answers in the OP because I've learned how to find such info. In fact, I am helping a friend who was a very successful radio DJ and stand-up comedian start to outline a book; I've volunteered to do research and fact-checking because he's done so many clubs and met so many famous people, he can't keep it all straight. It's super interesting to help him piece things together.

[ManAboutTown]

I didn't know about this! I've often wondered about exactly when I saw The Stones, The Who, etc. etc. etc. back in the late 70s and 80s. Now that I have time I'm going to look a bunch of them up.
For instance. This afternoon I was part of a discussion on a bass player's forum of the most energetic concerts you've seen. I know for me it was The Stones and The Who. Both in the Cotton Bowl. Both in the same summer sometime in the 80s. I'm really curious exactly when.

I love the Setlist website, Bill. It's awesome!

[LovableGoober]

Thanks for the help so far! I knew if anybody knew any of these it would be you guys!!

[LovableGoober]

That's a great idea! The reason I'm looking for those dates for those concerts is I have started a spreadsheet for concerts I've attended and those specific concerts can't be found on setlist.fm. I got a lot of dates from ticket stubs, of course. I'm also slowly adding the setlists to the shows I've seen and putting the spreadsheet together has brought back a ton of memories, not just of the shows but of the friends I attended with and things that happened before and after the show.

[Pete]

That's a great idea! The reason I'm looking for those dates for those concerts is I have started a spreadsheet for concerts I've attended and those specific concerts can't be found on setlist.fm. I got a lot of dates from ticket stubs, of course. I'm also slowly adding the setlists to the shows I've seen and putting the spreadsheet together has brought back a ton of memories, not just of the shows but of the friends I attended with and things that happened before and after the show.

You're a man after my own heart! It's so fun to build your own personal history. As they say, 'A life worth living is a life worth documenting'.

If you have a lot of old ticket stubs, you should consider making a physical photo album. Put in all your memorabilia, print out setlists, add dates, find photos if not from that particular night, from the tour itself, etc. It's really fun to be able to see things in a physical way (and I'm the most digital person you'll ever meet). When viewed in this way, concerts and other events help to tell your life story. If nothing else, it shows how your musical tastes and interests evolve, and that's an interesting story in itself.

[Pete]

Also, and I hate to say this, but most people only really become interested in documenting their life as they reach a certain age, and sadly that means other people like parents, aunts and uncles, and even friends, are no longer around or are starting to lose their memory.

I pride myself on having an awesome memory, and it's because your mind is a muscle you need to constantly exercise. If I can't figure something out, I work and work until I get an answer. It can be incredibly gratifying.


In fact, I recently posted about a school photographer who was somewhere off Linwood, as I couldn't remember the name. My senior year in HS, we had to go down there in the summer before school and have our photo taken. It was a big deal to me at the time, as it represented this big pivotal moment in life; on the cusp of my last year in high school and on the threshold of making big decisions about my future.

After posting here, doing research, and talking to my friends I found out it was Wagoner on Linwood, and when I looked up the building, they are long gone but I instantly visualized driving my Mustang down there (felt like another country at the time), parking in the side lot, walking into the front, then going back into the studio space. I also distinctly remember borrowing a tie from my dad and having him teach me how to tie it -- now, a memory I really treasure that had previously been lost to me. That little reminiscence was like a time machine that took me back to a specific place and date and triggered a whole flood of feelings and emotions. I LOVE that experience.


Another fun exercise is when I see an old photograph of OKC or someone posts an old memory of a place or time that has some resonance, I like to think through exactly where I was both physically (still living with my parents, away at college) and emotionally. And with my master list of various spreadsheets, I can pin things down pretty emphatically and somewhat reconstruct that exact moment in my life.

[gjl]

I've had a few people from my younger days (teenager) contact me after seeing my name on Nextdoor. Then we either chat about old times through text or DMs and we go down that memory lane. For me at age 69 that is a long time ago and it is so much fun going down that memory lane with some of those people I haven't had any contact with in over 50 years. As far as concerts. I can't even remember all the bands we went to see in my 20s let alone try and remember even what years they were.

[Pete]

I've had a few people from my younger days (teenager) contact me after seeing my name on Nextdoor. Then we either chat about old times through text or DMs and we go down that memory lane. For me at age 69 that is a long time ago and it is so much fun going down that memory lane with some of those people I haven't had any contact with in over 50 years. As far as concerts. I can't even remember all the bands we went to see in my 20s let alone try and remember even what years they were.

With the concerts, just start making a list and adding approximate dates. The more you write, the more you can start piecing things together.

Then, if you want, post any gaps and I (and probably others) will help.


I realize many people just don't care about this stuff at all (famously, a girlfriend heard me talking about this process and couldn't begin to understand and I had a horrible time trying to explain) but even if you care a little bit, it can be really fun and I guarantee it will jog many long-lost memories and feelings. Music, in particular, has a deep inner connection.

[Pete]

I am obviously a very sentimental person, and I've been that way since I was a kid. I realize I am at the far end of the spectrum in this regard.

But it brings me such joy! And most people love remembering old times (the good ones, anyway) and so it's fun to encourage and help them.


There is one area of my life that keeps paying dividends over and over in very unexpected ways.

Growing up, my dad inherited a bit of money and decided to put in a large, beautiful backyard pool. Big blue fiberglass slide with embedded water jets, 8.5 feet deep, nice diving board, the works.

At the same time, on Tuesdays and Thursday my parents opened the gate and as long kids were escorted by an adult, any and all neighbors were welcome. This went on for 20 years and I never thought of it at the time but it was just incredibly generous of my parents. This was the 60s and 70s when almost no one had a pool and there were very few available to the public.

We'd also host 4th of July block parties, athletic teams, church groups, our many relatives and tons and tons of friends. I am not exaggerating when I say hundreds and maybe even over a thousand swam at our pool.

So, I wrote a story about all this and posted it on Facebook and got an absolute *flood* of responses. It was shared by many and I heard from scores of people -- many I didn't know or couldn't remember -- and all said they swam there and knew my parents. This is a huge deal to me because I lost both my parents in college and right after. "Your mom was so sweet. I can still see her sitting on a towel in the grass, sunning and socializing. Your pool was one of the highlights of my childhood."

And without fail at a class reunion, someone I barely remember will come up to me and talk about swimming there and the related great times. How many kids in our area learned to swim in my family's backyard pool? Dozens, for sure.

I'm 64 now and those stories STILL keep coming. And every time, I let the feelings wash over me and I swear I can smell the chlorine and Sea & Ski suntan lotion. What an incredible gift that is to my soul.

[Pete]

Here is the Chuck Berry concert (this ad is super cool!) from the OU Daily 2/28/74:

[Pete]

And this is the last one, The Band at Lincoln Plaza on 11/13/83:

[Pete]

Was also able to pin down that Huey Lewis concert:

April 23rd, 1982.

And Jagg’s was at 3046 N. Portland, one of many short-lived venues that operated in that Will Rogers Plaza complex.