Academic

Super Bowl Of Rock Redux: Birmingham Alabama Discovers 1977

By Dan Filler

I was taking a look at this weekend's line up at City Stages in Birmingham.  Lynyrd Skynyrd (such as it is.)  REO Speedwagon.  38 Special.  Hey, wait!!  This is sounding suspiciously like one of the most important musical events in the history of me! 

The Super Bowl Of Rock, Game 3.  Rather than sharing my own account, why not crib it from some random blogger who was similarly situated?  Artster 63 captures the action:

It was incredibly hot that Sunday in Chicago at Soldiers' Field. My first outdoor concert experience and I was freaking that I was there to see: .38 Special, Journey, REO Speedwagon, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Ted Nugent headlining. What a show... For an 8th grade grad starting high school that September, I was on top of the world. I think it was more the event then even knowing who the bands were...As I sat there with the sun slowly warming up the stands, I was taking in everything. Here it was 8:00 A.M. and there was a girl passed out in the row in front. Later some guy started to spew. There was liquor being passed around in 7UP bottles and the distinctive smell of "weed" floating through the bleachers. When the bands started playing I was amazed at the blanket of people on the field as they jumped up and down together to the beat. Rolls of toilet paper being tossed from the upper stands down leaving a white tail behind. On the field there were beach balls and empty plastic milk jugs popping up and down like a popcorn machine. When Nugent finally came out blasting "Catscratch Fever" the jugs started flowing toward the stage in a ritualistic honor to the headliner. And as they flew on stage his response was, "Hey if you hit me Motherf---ers, I've got a lot of friends out there that will kick your ass". It was awesome.

If I thought that City Stages in the Magic City could deliver another day like that, I'd be on the first flight out of Philly!

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on June 19, 2009 (boomark / email).