Bowling Green State University Athletics
Anderson Arena Memories - Volume 4
June 02, 2010 | General
"The House That Rocks"
Throughout the 2010-11 season, the BGSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will be celebrating the storied history of Anderson Arena, as we are 'Closing the Doors of the House That Roars' and preparing for the opening of the Stroh Center in the fall of 2011.
To submit a vote for the All-Anderson Team, to share your favorite memory of Anderson Arena or to keep up with the progress of the Stroh Center construction, Click Here. We will be sharing some of your fondest memories of Anderson Arena here at BGSUFalcons.com in the coming weeks and months.
Anderson has played host to many great athletic events, to be sure. But, the Arena also has seen its share of concerts. Many of you have sent in recollections of your favorite concerts at 'The House That Roars' – or, in this case, 'The House That Rocks.'
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MARK
The year was probably 1970 or so. Jethro Tull was the headliner at an Anderson Arena concert. (Front man Ian Anderson serendipitously playing Anderson Hall).
I was engaged in squeezing four years of college into five and coping with the associated impoverishment. Before I had morphed into a long-haired campus activist and co-publisher of an alternative weekly (The Crystal City News), I had been a Phys Ed major. Having taken classes in Anderson, I was familiar with some of its nooks and crannies.
Armed with my camera (an SLR shooting....film) and the skills learned in the inestimable Jim Gordon's photojournalism courses, I met my girlfriend outside the arena at around 4:30 in the afternoon. She brought a blanket, our reading material and a knapsack full of food and drink. We walked into the building, climbed to the top floor and slipped in the entrance to the catwalks that criss-crossed the arena's ceiling. We walked out to a spot above and in front of the stage, spread out the blanket, lay back and read, napped, nibbled and waited for the Tull concert to begin (a good three hours or so later).
When the doors opened and kids (who had paid what - $7 or $8 a ticket?) filled the basketball floor, I made some photographs of the crowd from directly overhead (editor's note: photo at top of page was submitted by Mark). I liked one of them enough to enter into a contest or two. The photos of the band performing -- or rather the photos of mostly the tops of their heads -- were not as appealing.
So ... a word to the wise regarding Stroh Center. Watch the catwalks carefully. We can't have been the only such resourceful and penny-pinching students of the past 40 years!
CRAIG
My favorite memory? Easy -- Three Dog Night, Homecoming 1970. I was a freshman at BG, and this was the first rock concert I ever attended. I loved the Pat Haley coached basketball teams of the early '70s (Jeff Montgomery, Cornelius Cash, Skip Howard, et al), but that Three Dog Night concert will forever hold a special place in my BGSU memory bank.
VIC
I have many memories of concerts at Anderson Arena. The funniest story might be the night that we had exams the next day, and knew that the only way for us to study would be to go to the library, because Jethro Tull was playing that night. At midnight, the library closed and we left only to hear the concert still playing. Of course we had to go in. Jethro Tull played until 3 AM. By the time we got to our apartments to sleep, we ended up nearly missing our exam the next morning only to find out that our grad assistant was also at the concert.
My other concert story involved the Temptations playing at the arena. We had dates -- an amazing thing in itself. We were excited. Our football coach, Don Nehlen, saw us in line. His 12-year-old daughter and her friends were going to the concert too. We were asked to chaperone. Of course we did it, or have to face extra wind sprints the next day.
MARK (a different Mark)
One of my favorite Anderson memories was the Dan Fogelberg concert in '75. Supposedly his band took a wrong flight and he showed up alone with just a few guitars and a piano. For the next 2 1/2 hours he gave the best concert I have ever attended. Anderson Arena was the perfect venue that night - not too big and not too small.
LYNDA
We saw some great concerts in the late 70's in Anderson Arena. The two that stood out the most were The Doobie Brothers and Bob Seger.
STEVE
We were attending an Aerosmith concert in 1974 at Anderson Arena. We had arrived early to get in line and were allowed into the lobby. Meanwhile, a large line formed outside, and as the line got larger, the fans outside began pushing forward toward the doors. Suddenly behind us we heard the sound of glass crashing as somebody got pushed through the glass doors of the lobby. I never knew whether or how badly that person got hurt.
RANDALL
Aerosmith concert; Oct. 12, 1974. It was four days before my 20th birthday. The crowd gathered early on the lawn in front of the arena. By the time that the sound check was starting, the crowd had begun pressing hard against the doors. One panel shattered and things had almost got out of control. One of the band's staffers leaned out a second story window with a bullhorn and said that if the crowd did not relax and pull back, the show was over. Calm heads prevailed and the show was fantastic.
MATT
I have wonderful memories of Anderson Arena. During my freshman year, several friends and I went to the Cheap Trick/John Waite concert there, after camping out overnight for tickets several weeks before the show. A picture of the campers appeared in the BG News the day after tickets went on sale, and I was "front and center" in the picture. I still have that photo somewhere.
I also camped out for tickets during my junior year for the INXS show at Anderson, and the following year for the UB40 concert at Anderson. Camping out for concert tickets in the days before Ticketmaster's ticket lotteries was the thing to do back then. For INXS and UB40, it resulted in 2nd and 1st row seats, respectively. Cheap Trick, INXS and UB40: great concerts in a wonderful, cozy venue - not a bad seat in the house!
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We'd love to hear about your favorite memories of Anderson Arena. Click Here to share them with us, and perhaps you will see your own recollections of Anderson Arena right here at BGSUFalcons.com in the near future. Roll Along!
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CLOSING THE DOORS OF THE HOUSE THAT ROARS
A Legend's Last Words - May 6
Anderson Arena Memories - Volume 1 - May 12
Anderson Arena Memories - Volume 2 - May 19
Anderson Arena Memories - Volume 3 - May 26