The initial concert ever before held about Coliseum, a couple of months adopting the venue’s February 1964 opening, searched the brand new Five Freshmen together with Four Preps. (That was, naturally, new Greek Week show.) The new Five Year performed the first Homecoming show here during the Oct ’64 (my good friend Mindy Moore Bacon remembers heading, regardless of if she was only inside the junior higher), and you can Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong introduced their All-stars around to have a totally free let you know during the February 1965, observed around three weeks after of the Johnny Mathis additionally the More youthful People in america.
Karen came out and you may spoke for some of the kept crowd and you can explained they’d come on the road and you will was exhausted
Due to issues towards acoustics in the before reveals, brand new university brought in Atlanta-mainly based Baker Tunes (which had done New Beatles’ 1965 tell you during the Atlanta Arena) to try and increase the voice to have Armstrong, but, truth be told, around was not much they could would in regards to the cavernous stadium.
I inquired individuals We decided to go to school having – although some just who was born in Athens otherwise decided to go to UGA – to share with you their favorite show thoughts in the show. Listed below are some of these recollections:
My classmate Tom Hodgson said brand new Coliseum concert he checked submit for the extremely is actually Jerry Butler vocal their hits regarding “The brand new Frost Man Cometh,” along with “Only the Solid Endure.” Tom told you he recalls “Jerry, using a light match having an excellent quartet of breathtaking female singing harmony behind. Really don’t consider just who my personal big date are, but she need I was as cool once the Jerry Butler, and that i obviously desired she was as hot while the the individuals singers.”
On top of that, Sam Heys said that “my personal favorite and most long-term memories was the brand new Jerry Butler Homecoming performance on October. 24, 1969, because my personal blind day, Tap Finley, remains beside me over an one half-century later.”
Betz Tillitski has vivid memories of these 1973 reveal by the Allman Brothers, stating the within of the stadium resembled a massive bong. “I got resting and also the lights dimmed and you can, boy, is We stunned observe this type of uncommon flickers regarding light all over the lay. Such as for instance cigarettes although fire resided better lengthened. I didn’t know I found myself enjoying joints are lit up. Not ever been close a joint in advance of. Citizens were passage them to. I imagined I found myself at Woodstock. I remember hoping my moms and dads didn’t smell it back https://lovingwomen.org/da/blog/belarus-dating-sider/ at my gowns when i had family.”
But, she said, “by far the most fun performance We attended there is from the springtime regarding 1974, and i noticed the Coasters, This new Platters additionally the Tams. Stood on to the ground ahead of the phase dancing the fresh new entire big date. Wound up on the a good guy’s arms enjoying the incredible show.”
Following you to strange however, nice smelling are every where
Not that all shows during the Coliseum have been a beneficial profits. Dan Pelletier remembers the night time Karen and you will Richard Carpenter “was indeed stinking up the joint in addition to audience booed, so Richard walked off the phase inside the a beneficial huff. From the thinking, ‘Ok, so can be you probably refund the money you’re repaid to own a rate you’re not giving?’ Zero refund gotten.”
My late friend Rusty Gunn, which grabbed some of the photo accompanying which bit, told me a few years straight back you to definitely 1st inform you within the fresh new Coliseum is actually as he try a junior in the twelfth grade, in which he and several family got dates observe Little Stevie Inquire and also the Temptations. (Helen Castronis recalls Ask yourself nevertheless was charged while the “Little Stevie” at that time, and this seemed like “he played all of the software towards the phase.”)