It was fun to see Loyal O’Leary’s ticket for The Guess Who concert in 1973. I was part of the team that put the event together. The opening act was indeed to be Bruce Springsteen, and he was so unknown we had conflicting information about how to spell his name. On the tickets we spelled it Stringsteen and on the posters something else. He and the other opening act cancelled soon before the show, and rumors to that effect caused chaos and demands for refunds (general admission was $2.50). We had to send radio station WMPL to meet the plane when The Guess Who arrived. They interviewed Burton Cummings of the band right there on the tarmac and reassured people over the air all day long that the Guess Who were indeed in town and would perform.
Tom Arbuckle ‘75
I don’t think he said; it was fairly common for acts to cancel when they found where Houghton really is and the logistics of getting there. I was afraid it was because we couldn’t get his name right.
Tom
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My husband and some friends went to visit my brother-in-law, then a student at MTU, and we all attended the Guess Who concert. I know it was not 1970 or 1971, but it is a good bet that it was 1972 or 1973. I am thinking 1972. I will see what kind of memories my husband and the others have, and get back to you.
Marsha Lucas, 1977 graduate, MS
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I was at Tech 1977 – 1981, and was a member of Mu Beta Psi from Sophomore year through graduation, so we did a lot of the setups and teardowns for performances, and our SLS (Sound and Lighting Systems) team did a lot of the …well… sound and lighting!
The musicians/groups I recall include the aforementioned Harry & Tom Chapin (just months before Harry died). That was a wonderful, warm memory, performing in Sherman Gym. After it was over, they asked if one of the basketball hoops could be lowered, and did we have any basketballs? They shot hoops with some of the MBY members during our teardown, and it was wonderful to see the two of them wind down after such a memorable performance! Left me with warm fuzzies about those brothers.
Maynard Feguson and his band – SDC. We had to lay down plywood over the ice, then help set up the stage and all those chairs…. One of the roadies promised us t-shirts for the work setting up/tearing down…which never materialized (we were not surprised). That was a lively show!
On sidetrack (an “off campus” music note), Mel Blanc came in as part of the Lecture Series (I was so sorry I missed that one!), but my (now-late) husband was playing at The Library with “Funk & Wagnall” (jazz combo made up of Don Keranen and members of the MTU Jazz Lab Band) when Mel Blanc arrived after wrapping up the lecture… and then Bugs Bunny ordered drinks for the band!!
Karen Shields Finlayson, Class of ‘81
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Hi Dennis,
Yes, I can also verify Head East. It was a fun concert! After they closed the bars, a friend brought half the band and a couple of the roadies up to my apartment over Surplus Outlet. We continued to party until the sun came up. One of them offered me a couple hundred bucks my acoustic guitar because he liked the sound. (Haven’t played it in a while, but I still have the guitar!)
I think I recall Chuck Mangione in Sherman Gym…was it ’78-’79? Yep, went to the Meatloaf concert, and am I the only one who saw Arlo Guthrie in the SDC in the mid ’80s? I think he said it was the first tour with his son playing in the band. The audience did a great chorus of “I don’t want a pickle, just wanna ride my motorsickle.”
Can you tell I took the slow boat through Tech? I wonder if my tassel is still hanging in the Dog House….
Lisa Sporleder, ’87
BS-STC by way of Mining Engineering
Lisa: I was at that Arlo show, and his first song rocked! I’d love to know what it was. Great band, too.