Toledo Sports Arena & Concerts (Cleveland, Cincinnati: theater, live, cost)

[mrslumpy]

Originally Posted by fuzzymystic

I was on the floor for all the concerts I went to there. My first one was Three Dog Night! But I saw Yes, Blue Oyster Cult a few times, Frank Zappa, Journey. I never thought it was rough, but it was really hot at one of the Yes concerts, everyone was just dripping wet, overheated people all over. But, hey, tickets didn't cost SEVENTY-FIVE bucks then either!

I loved the Sports Arena. We were probably at some of the same concerts My first was Black Oak Arkansas in November of '75. Got the ticket for my 15th birthday. I saw Journey, Kiss, Queen, Blue Oyster Cult, AC/DC, REO, and the list goes on and on. It was hot....we called it the Toledo Sweatbox and I would not trade my memories for anything!!!

[mrslumpy]

Originally Posted by grmi66

Wondering if anyone on the forum remembers going to concerts back at the old Toledo Sports Arena back in the late 70's or 80's.

Just got finished reading a book and in it the author was talking to a guy that worked the sound board for bands on tour in that era. Said that the roughest, toughest arena in the midwest was the Toledo Sports Arena, especially in the era of general admission concerts. Said that if you could survive being on the floor of the Sports Arena for a general admission concert consider yourself lucky. As someone who was at just about every concert at the Sports Arena from 1980 to 1984, I don't remember that. Maybe I was just too heavily medicated.

I would make my way to the front when the headliner band came on. I never saw it get rough. We were all just there to "get high and have a good time". Worst I ever saw was Queen A Night at the Opera Tour. People wanted it and were trying to break the doors down. When they finally did open them it was a frenzy. My sister lifted her feet and the crowd carried her all the way into the building. She saw a girl falling and all she could do was grab her by the back of the hair and pull her back up so she didn't get trampled. She probably saved her life to be honest. But once inside, everything seemed fine....I mean not rough or anything. I will never forget that concert as long as I live (or the other many, many concerts there).

[FleeTheRustBelt]

Luckily now Toledo gets no concerts besides Bob Seger, Ted Nugent and Miranda Lambert.

[grmi66]

I only check into the Toledo forum a few times a year. Forgot that I posted this a few years ago.

Concerts have changed, saw an interview with some heavy metal band big in the 80's earlier. They said back in the day you could spend two weeks just touring around Texas. Now the economics of touring means that they hit Dallas, Houston and maybe Austin. In the 80's bands would play Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Detroit, Toledo and then head over to Cleveland filling hockey arenas in every city. For fans it was great, $20 got you a ticket and a t-shirt.

[acealive1]

toledo sucks for concerts now. second/ third rate "country" pop crap and they dont sell out but its their cash cow because they dont book anything else...and if they do, they dont promote it so nobody goes.



the ticket prices are stupid high because there arent enough seats in the place. toledo loves to do things small time and on a budget and wonder why people avoid having shows here.


and the "do me a favor" " good ol boy" "hold me a ticket" crap mosied on over from the old arena and magically before pre sales even start, the best seats are gone because people in town "know" someone.

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by FleeTheRustBelt

Luckily now Toledo gets no concerts besides Bob Seger, Ted Nugent and Miranda Lambert.

FWIW, IMO most of the good concerts are at the casino lol.

I do wish they would have some at the Huntington Center.

I am younger and so didn't see too many shows at the Sports Arena. I used to go see the Storm hockey team back in the 90s play with friends from high school. I also remember going to see WWF wrestling there and I got to meet Macho Man Randy Savage when I was 13.

My mom dropped my brother and cousin off there to go to WWF. Great seats. That was probably my favorite memory of the Sports Arena.

My mom's was seeing George Clinton and the Funkadelic Relics back in the 1970s. She said you could get high just breathing the weed fumes in there lol. And that it was the most exciting concert she ever saw due to the "mothership" landing on stage.

[grmi66]

Yep, you pretty much could get high just being in the arena. Remember a few shows where the smoke was so thick you literally could not see the other side of the arena.

[Tobias C]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...sS8RToqFau3z8w

Im interested to see what kind of acts come to the new venue the mud hens are opening in the old bank there off Madison next to the arena. I think it could be really cool. Theres not much in the way of venues for acts that are big/national following...but not 8,000 seat arena big. Theres the Stranahan but its all seats so its not really suitable for any newer styles of music. The only bigger place i can think of is Headliners, but it seems to have seen its heyday too. It had a good capacity something like 1500 or so for the main stage, but it seems like its kinda been in decline over the past several years. Its obscure, less than desirable location doesnt help.

Places like Frankies and Ottawa Tavern host hip new bands and acts that are still more underground, but what do we have for the next tier of acts. Im thinking of places like the Filmore or Majestic in Detroit, Newport in Columbus, HoB or Agora in Cleveland.

[AnytimeAnywhere]

Originally Posted by grmi66

Just had another buddy of mine from high school tell me about seeing Rush back in the early 80's. Geddy Lee had to tell the crowd to back off a couple of times. Lines to the bathroom were too long so guys just let loose in the hallways, garbage cans, beer cups. Said that there was no way he was going down to the floor level, much safer up in the seats.

I've got a recording of him telling the crowd to back off. I didn't think it was in Toledo.

[acealive1]

Originally Posted by Tobias C

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...sS8RToqFau3z8w

Im interested to see what kind of acts come to the new venue the mud hens are opening in the old bank there off Madison next to the arena. I think it could be really cool. Theres not much in the way of venues for acts that are big/national following...but not 8,000 seat arena big. Theres the Stranahan but its all seats so its not really suitable for any newer styles of music. The only bigger place i can think of is Headliners, but it seems to have seen its heyday too. It had a good capacity something like 1500 or so for the main stage, but it seems like its kinda been in decline over the past several years. Its obscure, less than desirable location doesnt help.

Places like Frankies and Ottawa Tavern host hip new bands and acts that are still more underground, but what do we have for the next tier of acts. Im thinking of places like the Filmore or Majestic in Detroit, Newport in Columbus, HoB or Agora in Cleveland.

that's toledo's problem, they tore down all the movie theaters downtown and now theres no cool old places to put 2,500 rock and roll fans for shows like cleveland has with the agora. valentine is far different, u couldnt hold a concert in there if u tried.

they tore down the toledo agora...and whats there? an empty field. nice going, toledo.



and since they bought the bank....why the helL did they even shoehorn the new arena at that site instead of tearing that old crappy bank down? they destroyed over a city block to make the new arena anyway, whats another corner?


toledo shot themselves in the foot again.


better shows at the casino. wait until they actually build a venue next to the casino, summer concerts at the fair in toledo will end up dying.