deVience – FIRST CONCERT EVER

In this First Concert Ever segment, the hard rock band, deVience, talk about their first concerts ever. You can check out the feature, after the break.

Giovanni Spanó: I saw MJ (Michael Jackson) at a packed Wembley Arena. It was his ‘History Tour’ so it was banger after banger and I remember it like it was yesterday. He owned the stage every single second of every single minute and has pretty much put anything to shame that I have seen since. His passion and drive was exemplary. Vocals, moves, and charisma were all phenomenal he is a true genius. I was caught by security standing on chairs and they asked that I get down but me being a short arse and a cheeky 12 year was “sir I can’t see a thing if I don’t stand up here, any chance of getting us in there” pointing at the VIP, he then said “let me see what I can do”, Little did I know that he was going to come back and say “Yes you are allowed in there but you must be accompanied by an adult” thank god my Mums was there! So front and center chubby little Gio was having the time of his life watching the ‘King Of Pop’ with his mum, brother & sister, LEGENDARY!

Donnie Roulstone: Eric Clapton 1996, Royal Albert Hall. In the bitter winds of February 1996, my Parents took me up to the bustling streets of London to invest in my already growing interest in all things Guitar (I’d been playing about a year by then, so I class this as a pivotal moment in my life). had no idea of the gravity of who I was about to see, but as they thundered into their first song I soon knew I was witnessing something special (I’ll never forget the feeling the heaviest snowfall I’d ever seen, descending on the enormous pane glass windows during the interval). I was glued to the stage throughout the show and fought against sleep with a valour unlike most 8-year-olds at 11 pm, all topped off by a snowball fight in the street on the way home, and dreams of strings and melodies were made from that night on.

Jim O’Conner: My first gig was Metallica on the last day of Reading Festival back in 2003. They were supported by System Of A Down and Sum 41. Just a fresh-faced 15 year old at the time, I went with a group of mates from school. I remember legging it to the very front of the arena as soon as it opened at about midday and being pressed up against the front barrier for the opening band.

The intention was to stay at the very front all the way through until Metallica left the stage at about 11 pm. This was obviously a ridiculous idea, and it being a particularly warm August day, by about 5 pm we were all dying of dehydration and from being crushed up against a metal railing by thousands of people, so to my disappointment, we had to retreat further back into the melee. I was very keen on both Sum 41 and SOAD at the time, so got a huge kick out of watching them, but nothing compared to my love of Metallica, and by the time The Ecstacy of Gold announced their impending arrival on stage I was experiencing uncomfortable levels of excitement.

I can’t remember exactly what they played, other than the usual staples (they closed with Enter Sandman I recall). But as my first gig, and watching my favourite band at the time, it was a defining moment in my existence. In my subsequent years, my attention switched to other bands, but it was that Sunday that I first felt the atmosphere of a truly electric live performance – something that I’ve been fortunate to experience many times since.

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