1984

where were you in 1984? .....(remember if u can).... well, i was a teenager just learning what high school was all about. i was basically a shy metalhead geek. there was so much great rock music back then. ... >>>>>fast forward to today>>>>>... i am still kind of a geek and i still like metal but i have expanded my musical tastes quite a bit. but the biggest (and best) difference now is that i can use my computer geekyness to find LOTS of BOOTLEGS on the internet from way back in that great musical year of 1984 ( wiki ~ images ). here are some bootlegs that i have recently collected from the wonderful year of 1984 featuring bands that were my favorites in that year. these recordings vary in quality. the soundboard ones are especially good. all the performances ROCK!! enjoy!


i will start with the concert that i ATTENDED. it was the first concert that i truly LOVED. and it is still one of the best i've ever seen!
THE POLICE in Greensboro, NC, February 10, audience
09 wrapped around your finger
11 hole in my life
20 can't stand losing you


same venue, later that month. i wish i could have been at this one. VH was at the peak of their career promoting the just released album 1984. here are 3 songs that were new at the time from the last DLR-era show at the old coliseum.
VAN HALEN in Greensboro, NC, February 22, audience
02 hot for teacher
09 house of pain
15 girl gone bad


i was very pleased to find this show featuring the first post-makeup lineup: Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Carr & Vinnie Vincent (listen to him shred!)
KISS in Nashville, TN, soundboard
04 fits like a glove
16 all hell's breakin' loose
17 black diamond


Billy Idol had the best sneer in rock n roll since the king himself. he also had an awesome band featuring guitarist Steve Stevens. the "Idol sound" was also the "Stevens sound". they complimented each other perfectly.
BILLY IDOL, Palladium in Los Angeles, CA, FM radio broadcast
02 do not stand in the shadows
03 blue highway
05 flesh for fantasy


this is from a radio broadcast called "Night Ranger in Concert". Night Ranger dared to mix keyboards with heavy guitars and catchy pop-metal. it worked.
NIGHT RANGER, Tokyo, Japan, vinyl bootleg
04 rumors in the air
09 touch of madness
12 don't tell me you love me


same city, different metal. Scorpions were from Germany and popular all over the world. i can't understand most of what Klaus Meine sings but i still love it.
SCORPIONS, Tokyo, Japan, soundboard
02 bad boys running wild
05 can't live without you
09 holiday


another HUGE international band. the first "speed" metal came from Iron Maiden. leader/bassist Steve Harris is an unsung hero in the history of metal. this is from a CD bootleg called 'Iron Curtain'. i'm guessing it may have been taped from a radio broadcast and then copied a billion times.
IRON MAIDEN, Budapest, Hungary, Aug. 17, fair quality
02 the trooper
03 number of the beast
07 iron maiden


Judas Priest were pure metal. motorcycles, leather, chains and spikes. very tuff. no one even considered Rob Halford was gay. now it seems obvious.
JUDAS PRIEST, Long Beach, CA, soundboard
07 desert plains
08 some heads are gonna roll
18 hell bent for leather



amazingly ALL of the bands featured here are STILL performing together in some form. LONG LIVE ROCK!

.....