Who Saw Them First?

[Didier]

I saw the Shadows at the Paris Olympia, I don't remember exactly when, but Jet and Tony were still there, so it must have been in 1961.

Didier

[StuartD]

Hi Andrew

The 1962 week in Leeds was not the first time i had seen them. I was at the concert at Leeds Odeon on 06.05.1961, according to Ulrich's great records, which was the night that Tony was late and missed half the set!!

Regards

Stuart

[Paul Childs]

March 1965 at the London Paladium with Cliff in Alladdin.
Never saw them again until 1981 when they came down to the Cornwall Coliseum. That was the night when Hank was given a copy of Play In A Day from someone in the audience, the picture is in the book 'Story Of the Shadows' by Mike Reid.
They came back there on every tour until 1990 which I went to every one and I went to one night on all Hanks tours in the 90s. Once at Colston Hall, Bristol, once at Plymouth Pavillions and the rest at Princess Theatre, Torquay.

[Derek Mowbray]

I saw The Shadows in 1961 but Cliff was top of the bill that was at the Leeds Odeon Cinema and with the original line up.Then I saw them again with Brian on drums but still with Jet on bass so that was early in 1962 then once again that year when they did a week at The Leeds Grand this time with Licorice on bass.

[Twilight Ranger]

I first saw The Shadows on the open-air stage of Linnanmäki, the Helsinki amusement park, on 28 May 1964. I didn't see them again until 8 November 1980, again in Helsinki, but indoors this time, of course.

My third Shadows concert took place at the Hammersmith Apollo, London, on 12 June 2004. They came to Finland again the next year, and I was there: Helsinki Ice Hall 18 April 2005.

I attended two of the Final Tour concerts, the O2 in London on 28 September 2009 and Hartwall Arena in Helsinki on 16 November 2009.

In addition to those concerts, I have seen Hank twice without the other Shadows: Helsinki in the autumn of 1998 and the London Palladium on 16 June 2002.

[alewis41]

Saw them 1959. With clif I was only 13 at the time it was at the Chiswick Empior the Tedy boys slung tomatoes at them and they had to call the Police to sling them out Bruse remembers it well. Fulham

Some very interesting responses. Several folks saw them in 1961 or 1962 but I think Charles is the only one to go back to 1959. According to Ulrich's excellent listings, that would have been between April 27th and May 2nd, 1959 when they were still The Drifters. 56 years ago they were pelted with tomatoes! It doesn't get any more rock & roll than that.

Anyone go back any further than April 27th, 1959?

Andrew

[Uncle Fiesta]

The first time I saw the Shads was also the last - 2004 in Oxford, on the Final Tour.

Previous to that I had seen Hank and Brian at the Colston Hall in Bristol, this was in 1994 when they appeared with their sons. A few years later I saw Hank on his own at the same venue, couple of times I believe.

By the way The Story Of The Shadows wasn't written by Mike Reid. It was Mike Read.

[jimbojet]

First time I saw The Shadows was in 1977 on the 20 golden dates tour at the Colston Hall, Bristol, rumours were rife that Cliff might show up as he had been allegedly been seen in a local church the Sunday before, but he did not appear, but I always remember the opening tune was Shazam.
I went with my uncle who had first seen the Shads ( or in those days called the Drifters with the original line up with Cliff ) also at the Colston Hall, Bristol in 1958 on the first " Kalin twins " tour, and my mum ( his sister ) went too.