Arena Concerts Revisited - My, How Times Have Changed!

Back in 1975 I made it to my first concert, at the Toledo Sports Arena. This past Saturday, March 26, 2011, I attended a concert for the first time in the new Huntington Center Arena. My, how times have changed!


Me, as I appeared in 1980

Throughout the latest experience, my mind kept drifting back in time. While I sat there waiting for a now 65 year old Bob Seger to take the stage, I looked around the Huntington Center trying to visualize the grand old Sports Arena in comparison to what I was now experiencing. It seems as though the places have changed, but at the same time we, and people in general, have undergone changes that are every bit as dramatic.

Back in the 70s, a typical concert experience began weeks before the event as we stood in line at Finders Records to buy our tickets, which were all general admission and cost about $6 each. On the day of the event a friend with a large car or van began to round up his friends to make the trip to Toledo. The route of choice for us was usually SR 51, as we felt almost obliged to pass under the Led Zeppelin bridge. (this was a railroad bridge north of Elmore that had been grafitied with the iconic bands name) Throughout the trip adult beverages and other supplies were libeally partaken of.

Toledo Sports Arena, April 11, 1975

Arriving at the 6500 seat Toledo Sports Arena, the sight of our gang spilling out of the vehicle would surely have been a comical site, were it not for the fact that it was so very commonplace at the time. This was the "where's the party generation", and moderation was not a terribly common virtue. Without delay we made our way to the front of the arena, as general admission seating meant that the best seats were first-come-first-served. There we joined the growing mob, all of whom were bent on getting the best seats possible.

Ticket stubs from Toledo Sports Arena shows
Grand Funk Railroad/Eric Burdon, Bad Company/Maggie Belle, Robin Trower/Boston, Blue Oyster Cult, Angel/Godz/Starz, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Heart & Aerosmith

Finally the front doors began to open. Almost instantly the crowd began to push forward. For those at the front of the mob the crowd-crush packed tighter and tighter as the thousands behind them inched steadily ahead. Nobody was surprised at this crush, as they all knew that this was the price to be paid for those prime spots. Entering the arena area, we rushed to get the best possible spots, trying to be carefull to keep the group together. If you happened to get separated before you had chosen your spots, the chances of finding them in the arena were quite slim.

As the arena began to fill with people, it also began to fill with smoke. People smoked cigarettes without hesitation, and this provided the perfect cover for the thousands that were smoking cigarettes of the less than legal variety. Security was scattered throughout the arena, but they paid no attention to what product people may have been smoking.

The seats in front of you were spaced such that people could pass in and out of their seats with relative ease. But the restrooms were always woefully inadequate, and every sink became a makeshift urinal.

I shared my wine bag with this stranger, April 11, 1975

The stage appeared very much as it is today, except that towers of speaker cabinets rested on each end of the stage.  The sound crew was stationed in the middle of the arena, and this area consisted of sound and light control boards, along with the usual rack mounted components. Recorded music of the period was played at a liberal volume.

As the lights went out, the crowd erupted, and thousands of cigarette lighters were held up by the fans. Again, the volume of sound was liberally used. When the warmup act had completed their set, the lights came back on. By this time the smoke had filled the arena to the point where it was difficult to see some of the farther reaching seats. At the same time, the presence of so much smoke made the stage lights cut an absolutely magnificent bead through the haze.  As the headliner played, it was not all that unusual for the people up close to the stage to wince at the piercing sensation of some of the notes. But the pure energy that passed between the artists and the audience was often both intense and at once indescribable. This was a generation that shared an unprecidented love affair with their music, and with the artists that created it.

The band Angel takes a bow, April 1, 1978

Van Halen onstage, May 8, 1979

Before the advancement of technology, a certain amount of distortion was an integral part of the package. This was true of each individual instrument, as well as in the overall mix. Having seen a number of classic acts in the last few years, I believe that many have become overly sanitized. The total elimination of the distortion element results in a very definate change in the sound of the overall performance. Perhaps it would be best if classic acts would also use classic instruments, and classic devices in order to better preserve that classic sound.

Fast-forward about 35 years.

Our tickets were purchased online and printed out on our home computer. We paid about $80 for each ticket, which we paid for by debit card. We drive via I-280, since it seems a speedier route. We arrive at the hotel to check into our 15th floor rooms. Shortly we go down to the lounge for a meal and a couple of beers. When the time comes to go to the arena, we get there via a series of indoor walkways, including one that passes over Summit Street.

Finally we reach our seats in a very orderly manner. The Huntington center holds about 8200, although the building seems smaller than the old Sports Arena. This can be partially explained by the fact that the seats in front of us are less than two inches in front of my knees. In order to let someone out, you must stand up and fold up your seat. Everywhere the latest technology is evident. When the lights go out, there is no sea of cigarette lighters. But hundreds of cell phone lights line the rows, as people text their buddies or check their messages.

The main P A speakers are now hung above from the light structure. Down in the sound control area, there are a few controll boards and about a half dozen computers. The lighting system is much more sophisticated and operators can reposition banks of lights by computer control.

The air in the arena stayed clean all night. The only time I caught any smell of smoke at all was when a brave young soul lit up a "left hander" during the very last song.

Onstage a 65 year old Bob Seger takes the stage with his equally aging Silver Bullet Band. The music is not as loud as it was 35 years ago and Seger, although quite energetic for his age, is not nearly as brisk as he was as a young man. The crowd contains a surprising number of people who are much too young to remember Seger in his heyday. His voice is surprisingly sharp, but he does lower the key an octive on a number of occasions.

Bob Seger onstage March 26, 2011

Bob Seger is absolutely adored by his fans. This is especially true here in the midwest, where hard working blue-collar types still dominate the population. His music plays out like a microcosm of the 70's - Carefree, yet thoughtful and often philosophical. He has 3 female backing singers onstage, but in reality he has about 8000 backing singer who seem to know every word to every song. The last line of the last song that he played on this night seems quite appropriate for the occasion. After all, it is true that "Rock & Roll never forgets."

We wake up in the morning in our hotel room, no worse for the wear. No hangover, or no aftereffects, other than the Seger tunes that continue to fill my mind. Opening the curtains I gaze down on Toledo from our 15th floor room. Then one area down below catches my attention. There at 1 Main Street, the Sports Arena property is now empty, save for a small collection of debris at the rear of the property. Again my mind drifts back to so many memories of what once was in that place. Yes, the years have flowed slowly past, and we're older now. Again a line from a Bob Seger song crosses my mind.

"And those are the memories that make me a wealthy soul"

The now empty property where the Toledo Sports Arena once stood.

It was built in 1947 and was torn down a few years ago.