Rock Shows!

by Tom Shafer

April 6, 2020

Okay, so I recently addressed my love of music in a post and have completed the task of populating most of my writings with musical selections somehow tied to them.  For me, that was a fun yet challenging experience – and certainly an opportunity to peruse thoroughly my rather extensive catalogue.  I enjoyed listening to computer-stored songs that hadn’t tickled my eardrums in months of Sundays and discovering tunes that I had simply forgotten.  My MP3 player is now plump with new old music that will further engross my brain and fancy. 

So at this point, I knew exactly what the next order of business would be: to create a calendar that pinpointed the concerts I have “attended” over the last fifty years or so.  This was going to be a rigorous undertaking.  Fortunately, I had already compiled a list of artists and bands I had seen (to the best of my recollection), and had a general idea of time period and venue for most of them.  And thanks to the internet and extensive data collections (and sites dedicated to live music), I was able to resurrect my past in a more detailed manner than I had truly expected.  I know there are gaps still in the process (as well as some incomplete information out in the ether), but I intend to continue researching the inner recesses of my cluttered mind for additional memories that have either been suppressed or irretrievably damaged (by many distinct means!).

And actually, this activity was even more entertaining than attaching music to my writings.  This turned into a virtual trip down amnesia lane as I not only pinned down a timeline, but also resurrected the experiences tied to each event.  Faces and names washed over me, my accomplices for each of these excursions.  Long-forgotten moments in time were ripped from history and revealed to the stark, white-hot light of now. 

• My friend Benny and I arriving in Cincinnati eight full hours before a Pat Benatar show with the goal of having at least one drink in twenty downtown bars. 
• Passing through a gauntlet of state highway patrol vehicles (it seemed like a million!) on our way to the Legend Valley Jam at Buckeye Lake – then to be almost physically accosted by literally hundreds of drug dealers selling anything and everything just inside the gate! 
• Standing backstage with new (and unbeknown-to-us famous) friend Michael Lloyd and a buddy at the Journey and Babys concert in Indianapolis, then partying with the Babys and lead singer John Waite after the show. 
• Unfortunately learning about the tragedy at the Who concert as my friends and I were arriving there late because of work and school conflicts. 

Of course, added to these were dozens and dozens of other little memories, all buried happily in my subconscious until shoveled back to the light.  This just makes me want to reach out to all of my co-conspirators and continue tickling and prodding the past, wondering what lost time-nuggets will be revealed next. 

So as you peruse the list, you will probably note a few things.  One, yes, I misspent much of my youth (and money!) attending these concerts.  In my defense, I ran in many different circles, and each one enjoyed slightly different styles of music – and live shows!  I just couldn’t say no when opportunity presented itself.  Two, yes, this reads like a veritable listing of rock’s hall of fame.  These just happened to be the bands and artists of my youth, and most of the shows were relatively affordable and close to home.  Frankly, I was a little more tuned to the punk and ska scene during these years, but bands like the Clash, Specials, Butthole Surfers, Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, and Sex Pistols rarely wandered away from the coasts.  I was lucky to catch Iggy Pop, the Pretenders, the Ramones, and the Dictators – as well as local Dayton bands The Lovers and Dementia Praecox. 

I encourage you to populate your own timeline with those experiences that brought (and bring) pleasure and gratification – no matter what it was (or still is): visits to Kings Island, sporting events, vacations, family gatherings.  Or even music like me.  The memories churned up will likely bring a smile to your lips – and make you want to reach out to your own “accomplices”!   Enjoy!

1968 or 1969

Glen Campbell and Roy Clark, Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

1976

January 24, Bachman-Turner Overdrive with REO Speedwagon, St. John Arena, Columbus

March 5, ELO with Journey and Elvin Bishop, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

1977

March 31, David Bowie with Blondie and Iggy Pop, Taft Theater, Cincinnati

May 29, Styx with Uriah Heep and The Dictators,  Hara Arena, Dayton

June 23, Pink Floyd, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

July 10, Boz Scaggs with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

July 28, Steve Miller Band with The Norton Buffalo Stampede, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

1978

March 11, Van Halen with Journey and Montrose, Hara Arena, Dayton

April 5, Jackson Browne with Karla Bonoff, UD Arena, Dayton

August 16, The Eagles, Steve Miller Band, and Eddie Money, Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

September 8, ELO with Kingfish, UD Arena, Dayton

November 5, Aerosmith, UD Arena, Dayton

December 19, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band with Molly Hatchet, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

1979

March 17, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Victory Theater, Dayton

March 24, Boston with Sammy Hagar, UD Arena, Dayton

July 15, Legend Valley Jam, Cars, Cheap Trick, Todd Rundgren and Utopia, Eddie Money, Roadmaster, Buckeye Lake, Ohio

August 31, Rush with Pat Travers and Wild Horses, Hara Arena, Dayton

September 19, John Mellencamp, Music Hall, Cincinnati

November 2, Styx with April Wine, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

December 3, The Who, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

1980

Dementia Praecox, Slugs, Lovers, numerous shows 1980-83, Dayton area venues

May 4, Journey with the Babys, Elliott Hall of Music, Indianapolis (backstage! Thanks, Michael Lloyd!)

July 1, Jackson Browne, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

October 31, Talking Heads, John Carroll University, Cleveland

1981

February 19, REO Speedwagon with .38 Special, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

March 18, Kansas with Loverboy, Hara Arena, Dayton

March 28, Styx, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

April 20, REO Speedwagon, UD Arena, Dayton

August 27, Pat Benatar with David Johansen, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

September 25, Pretenders with The Bureau (ex Dexys Midnight Runners), Mershon Auditorium, Columbus

October 7, The Ramones, She Nightclub, Dayton

October 8, Triumph with Point Blank, Hara Arena, Dayton

November 4, Journey with Foreigner and Billy Squier, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

1982

April 6, Police with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

May 9, Charlie Daniels Band with McGuffey Lane, Hara Arena, Dayton

July 29, Van Halen, Hara Arena, Dayton

August 15, John Waite, Timberwolf Amphitheater, Mason

September 6, Flock of Seagulls with the Go-Go’s, Timberwolf Amphitheater, Mason

September 19, Steve Miller Band, Timberwolf Amphitheater, Mason

November 24, Pat Benatar, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

December 7, Stray Cats, Bogart’s, Cincinnati

1983

April 20, Adam Ant with INXS, Memorial Hall, Dayton

August 19, Men at Work with INXS, Timberwolf Amphitheater, Mason

1984

1985

May 17, Madonna, Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati

1986

April 8, ZZ Top, UD Arena, Dayton

May 29, Judas Priest with Dokken, Hara Arena, Dayton

October 31, Twentieth Anniversary World Tour, Monkees, Gary Puckett and Union Gap, Grass Roots, Herman’s Hermits, UD Arena, Dayton

1987

1988

1989

September 14, Rolling Stones, Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

1990

February 10, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Lenny Kravitz, UD Arena, Dayton

1991

1992

January 14, Guns and Roses with Soundgarden, Nutter Center, Fairborn

February 21, Dire Straits, Nutter Center, Fairborn

1993

June 29, Lyle Lovett, Fraze Pavilion, Kettering

1994

June 14, Jimmy Buffett, Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati

July 10, Indigo Girls, Fraze Pavilion, Kettering

August 30, Rolling Stones with Lenny Kravitz, Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

1995

April 25, Page & Plant, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati

November 21, The Ramones, Hara Arena, Dayton

1996

parker ben parker, numerous shows around Dayton in the mid-90s

1997

June 22, Dave Matthews, Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati

1998

July ?, Jack Johnson, Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, Jackson, Wyoming

1999

July 23, Lyle Lovett, Fraze Pavilion, Kettering

2002

June 27, Indigo Girls, Fraze Pavilion, Kettering

2003

October 28, Lyle Lovett, Taft Theatre, Cincinnati

2006

July, WC Jamison, Cody, Wyoming (other private shows, Eureka Springs, Arkansas)

2005

July 29, Elvis Costello and the Imposters with Emmylou Harris, Fraze Pavilion, Kettering

2009

September 8, Lollipop Factory, Canal Street Tavern, Dayton

2011

March 5, Dan Bern, Canal Street Tavern, Dayton

2014

August 2, Avett Brothers, Fraze Pavilion, Kettering

September 27, Bret Michaels, JD Legends, Dayton

2017

July 18, Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Fraze Pavilion, Kettering

2018

June 27, Steely Dan with Doobie Brothers, Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati

2019

October 18, Lyle Lovett, Victoria Theater, Dayton

2020

March 3, Indigo Girls with Becky Warren, Victoria Theater, Dayton