Arena Rock - Gone But Not Forgotten

Capital Center - Largo, MD

 Growing up as a music fan in Baltimore, there was never a shortage of good concerts to see. For the bigger acts, there was the Baltimore Civic Center and the Capital Center (near Washington DC). For the summer time shows, Merriweather Post Pavillion in nearby Columbia was a popular stop for national acts. And for local acts there was the Painters Mill Music Fair (the stomping ground for local favorites such as Kix and Crack The Sky).

I can remember seeing huge bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Aerosmith. There were plenty more and they always packed the arenas. And back in the day, getting tickets wasn't as easy a few mouse clicks.  When we heard that our favorite bands were coming to town, my friends and I would head down to the local Hecht's store and take our place in the Ticketmaster line. Each passing minute moved us a few rows back. So, time was of the essence! If we were really lucky, we would score floor seats. It was all part of the ritual...

Back in the 1980's, we had the best of both worlds: an abundance of shows and reasonable ticket prices. I would sometimes possess tickets to three or four different shows at one time. You could buy a ticket for $10-15 back then. Even for a teenager, these prices were relatively cheap. So, we went to every show that we could! For my very first concert, I went to see Ted Nugent. The opening acts were Def Leppard and the Scorpions. The total cost of the ticket? $8.80....

I'm not sure when it started but somewhere along the line, the arena concerts started to dry up. Nowadays, only mega-stars are booked at major venues. And even with some of those acts, portions of the arena are closed off due to dismal ticket sales. So, what's the reason for the lack of big shows these days?

Ticket prices and the state of the economy, in all likelihood, have something to do with it. If you're struggling to make ends meet, shelling out a couple hundred dollars for concert tickets probably isn't going to happen. I bought tickets to see Fleetwood Mac a couple of years ago. The price? Over $300 (with service fees) for two tickets! Being somewhat frugal, I normally would not have paid that much. However, Tina is a huge Stevie Nicks fan, and although we had seen Stevie before, we had never seen her with Fleetwood Mac. And let's face it, they're not getting any younger. Figuring it might the last opportunity to see them, we had to go....

I also believe that the easy accessibility to bands today has a negative effect on the arena shows. All you have to do is go to You Tube or various other internet sites to catch live footage of your favorite bands. There is also no shortage of music channels form your cable company. Before all of this was available, there was a certain degree of mystique to going to a live show. Sometimes, you didn't even know what the band members looked like until they hit the stage. And the opening riff to each song brought an element of surprise and excitement. The first time I saw the band Triumph live, I was really confused. They hit the stage with one of their signature songs, and although I heard the vocals, I didn't see anyone singing. I finally realized that  the drummer, partially hidden by his massive drum set, was actually doing the singing. These were the kind of "surprises" that made live shows so special.

Many of today's acts are booked in bars or nightclubs. The maximum capacity of these places is usually pretty low, so it can get a little tight. However, even in these small venues, part of the room can be still closed off. I saw the popular 80's band Queensryche at Ram's Head Live in Baltimore a few years ago. They whole upstairs was closed off! I found this amazing because I saw these guys back in 80's and 90's when they were packing the arenas. And most recently, I saw Y&T (one of my all time favorite bands) at the small Baltimore Soundstage. This is probably the smallest room in which I've ever seen a national act. And still, half of this room was closed off!

I've heard some people say that traditional rock and roll is dead. There just isn't any new bands that can draw the massive crowds anymore. Today's kids seemed to have transitioned over to the hip-hop scene while the adults have migrated towards country music. Sadly, the days of arena rock appear to be behind us. It was fun while it lasted.......

Where are they now?

• The Baltimore Civic Center still stands in it's same location, but through the years, it's been remodeled and renamed to the 1st Mariner Arena. 
• The Capital Center was briefly renamed the USAir Arena before it was demolished to make way for a shopping center in 2002. The correct spelling of the venue was actually Capital Centre. I never quite understood why. For those who want to take a trip down memory lane, I recommend a documentary called "Heavy Metal Parking Lot". 
• A group of arsonists burned Painters Mill Music Fair to ground in 1991. It was never rebuilt and is now the site of a BJ's Wholesale Club. 
• Merriweather Post Pavilion has remained  pretty much unchanged through the years and still remains a popular summertime stop for many bands.

kw