Cheap Trick at After Dark — August 4, 1976
Fresh off signing to Epic and months before cutting their debut LP, Cheap Trick worked the Western New York bar circuit — a night at After Dark in Lockport catching the Rockford road warriors mid-grind. Rick Nielsen’s guitar chaos in a small club before ‘Surrender’ made them famous. Fifty years ago.
The Doobie Brothers at Utica Memorial Auditorium — August 3, 1976
The Doobie Brothers played the Utica Memorial Auditorium. ‘Listen to the Music,’ ‘China Grove,’ ‘Long Train Runnin” — West Coast boogie-rock at its finest, rocking Central New York. Fifty years ago.
Keith Urban at Turning Stone Resort Casino — August 2, 2001
Before ‘Somebody Like You’ made him a superstar, Keith Urban played the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona — a rising country-rocker touring behind his self-titled solo debut and its breakout ‘But for the Grace of God.’ Banjo, Telecaster, and Nashville swagger in Oneida County. Twenty-five years ago.
Céline Dion at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center — August 1, 1996
Celine Dion played Darien Lake in the summer of 1996 — the year Falling Into You dominated the charts worldwide. Her voice, one of the most powerful in pop music, filled the Western New York amphitheater. Thirty years ago, and she was just getting started on her run as one of the best-selling artists of […]
The Kinks at Mid-Hudson Civic Center — July 31, 1979
In the summer of 1979, the Kinks were in the middle of a remarkable American comeback, touring behind Low Budget — the album that returned the British Invasion legends to arena stages and the U.S. charts. When Ray and Dave Davies brought the show to the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, audiences got both the […]
Blue Öyster Cult at Ulster Performing Arts Center — July 30, 1986
Forty years ago, Long Island’s own Blue Öyster Cult brought their dark, smart hard rock to the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston — a grand old vaudeville and movie house turned concert hall. The band behind “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” “Burnin’ for You,” and the gleefully heavy “Godzilla” were arena-rock veterans by 1986, equal […]
Jeff Beck & Buddy Guy at CMAC — July 29, 2016
Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy shared the CMAC stage in Canandaigua — two of the greatest guitarists in blues-rock history on one bill. Beck’s jazz-fusion virtuosity meeting Guy’s raw Chicago blues fire. For guitar fans, this was a once-in-a-lifetime double bill under the Finger Lakes stars.
Whitney Houston at Saratoga Performing Arts Center — July 28, 1986
Whitney Houston played SPAC in Saratoga Springs. Her debut album had just made her the biggest new pop star on the planet — ‘Greatest Love of All,’ ‘How Will I Know,’ ‘Saving All My Love for You.’ That voice, under the SPAC pines. Forty years ago.
Heart, Joan Jett & Cheap Trick at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center — July 27, 2016
Heart, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and Cheap Trick shared the Darien Lake stage — three rock legends, one epic summer night. Ann Wilson’s powerhouse vocals, Joan Jett’s punk swagger, and Cheap Trick’s power-pop perfection. A triple bill that would be the concert of the year for most cities.
Elvis Presley at Rochester Community War Memorial — July 26, 1976
The King of Rock and Roll played the Rochester War Memorial in the summer of 1976. Elvis was still drawing massive crowds and delivering powerful performances. For Rochester, this was one of the biggest shows of the year — and one of the last chances to see the most iconic performer in music history.