Your first ska show?

So the AZ Moonstomp facebook page inspired this. Someone had posted a flyer of a Skatelites/Kongo Shock show from back in the mid-90's, and my friend Dave said it was his first ska show. (quite a first show eh?) So what was yours?

My first Ska show was The Insyderz in 96 or 97 at a church (of course), It was the summer before 8th grade. They were touring for their first album, Motor City Ska, which I think is still a pretty good ska-core album. A hand full of shitty local christian bands opened (the Echoing Blue and someone else). I only knew one of the Insyderz songs off of a sampler I got for free at a Christian book store.

The whole experience kinda blew my mind. I was into a few Christian ska-punk bands (Supertones, Five Iron Frenzy, Squad 5-0) and 2tone stuff my dad had ("that's not ska son, the specials are ska" "ok dad"), and the Bosstones. I stood in the back most the time with my mom and my younger brothers and sisters, because I didn't know how to dance and it seemed like everyone knew eachother and all knew the same dance.

I went home and practiced "that dance." I also drew checkerboard all over my shoes (purple puma's w/ neon green laces). That's what all the cool ska kids did.

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Permalink Reply by Jorge Martinez on April 12, 2010 at 1:57pm

Hmm if i remember correctly my first ska show was fishbone back in 09 when they played warped tour, i saw other bands too like street light, big D, and west bound train. it was pretty great haha i had been listenin to ska since 07, and up until then did not realy go out to shows, i had only been to one show before that.

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Permalink Reply by Kyle on April 12, 2010 at 3:09pm

That's rather a coincidence oneboycircus, my first ska show was also an Insyderz show in 97. I saw them at some Christian coffee house called Heart & Soul Cafe in Illinois. It was an amazing experience because so many people (including me) were having the time of their life. I left that show thinking to myself, "I want to go to more shows like this where people are having such a good time."

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Permalink Reply by Skibz McCullock on April 12, 2010 at 4:22pm

My first concert in May 2003 was a ska-punk show: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Buck-O-Nine and Suburban Legends. At the time, I was touching upon all eras of ska but still had a predilection towards ska-punk...thus I didn't really have a grasp on what constituted "ska culture" and didn't think of the show as being a representation of such. I just wanted to see the Bosstones, genre didn't play a part. Sure enough, the atmosphere was far more upscale punk than "ska"; the only thing that briefly resonated with me was seeing a bunch of punk guys wearing ska patches all over their jackets...for a while, I assumed that was the definitive ska "style".

It wasn't until June 2004 and concert #2 that I fully experienced the workings of a real ska show: Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Let's Go Bowling and the Chris Murray Combo. It had everything, suits and ties, real dancing and solid-rhythm SKA music. It was amazing, and each of the bands put on incredible shows...it truly defined to me what a ska show is and was capable of. Unfortunately, the only other time I experienced a show with the same vibe and atmosphere was a Bad Manners show in 2007, and another in 2008. :/

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Permalink Reply by Danny C on April 12, 2010 at 6:25pm

My first ska show was The Beat in 2004, or maybe it was in earlier 2005. I was probably the youngest person there. At that time my brother was into ska, and I just wanted to go see a show, so I went with him. I was kind of into ska a little bit at that time too. I knew like one Streetlight song, a few Aquabats tunes and "Jamaican Ska" by Desmond Dekker. I can remember listening to those bands on purevolume.com at the end of class. So fifth grade was good year for me, musically.

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Permalink Reply by Miss Upsetter on April 14, 2010 at 1:37am

I'm pretty sure my first ska show was the skatalites back in like....1964...or something.....

Okay, I'm pretty sure my first ska show was Save Ferris back in the late 90s. After that, I started going to shows on a weekly basis...Now i'm not so involved....

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Permalink Reply by Danny C on April 14, 2010 at 6:24pm

Miss Upsetter said:

I'm pretty sure my first ska show was the skatalites back in like....1964...or something.....

Haha if only...

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Permalink Reply by Brixton Beat on April 19, 2010 at 5:35pm

I saw The Israelites at a multi-genre festival back in '95, but we didn't know what they were playing was ska... just considered them reggae. "Ska" was the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Rancid and Sublime back then. ;)

First show where I knew what was going on was the OC Supertones at a church somewhere around here.

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Permalink Reply by Anti Everything on May 12, 2010 at 9:07am

Im from finland and my first show was at my schools halloween party where the local ska band GOON played. You guys should really listen to their songs (only thing is that they sing finnish, but hey: ska-p) heres a link to my favourite song from them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21EyLpueeQg

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Permalink Reply by Kingston a Go-Go on May 13, 2010 at 9:49pm

My first Ska Show was The Ska-ta-lites 1989 @ the Wiskey a Go-Go in Hollywood! Roland, Tommy, Knibbs, Brivett maybe Lester as well, where the original Members at the time!! Changed my life literally!!

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Permalink Reply by Ska Bob on May 14, 2010 at 2:00am

I think the first real ska show I went to was a pretty good one. Over 10,000 people and covered by espn I think. Ska Summit 2003 in Vegas. Reel BIg Fish, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Forces Of Evil, The Selector, Suburban Legends (before they turned CA Boy band), Save Ferris (or atleast Monique ), Toasters, Dr. Octopus, Lets Go Bowling and a bunch more.

BTW: I just got your EP Kingston a Go-Go, good stuff.

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Permalink Reply by CzechRudie on October 11, 2010 at 11:53am

Hi I'm from Czech republic and my first ska show/concert was maybe in 2006 at small village on czech countryside, I was invited to this concert my freind, which lived near.I was very young (16 years old) but it was my first live concert in my live, ska was my first live music what I saw :D .Played there 2 bands first was skapunk band from Prague 2v1 and second was Ve3ska from Plzeň.2v1 was best skapunk band in Czech republic but 3 years ago ended.And My first Jamican legend what I saw, was Dennis Allcapone in 2008 on festival Mighty sounds in south Czech but it was more reggae than ska.He played only one song from Skatalites.