Favorite shows covered the Spectrum

The Spectrum opened in 1967 and, along with the Flyers and the Sixers, dozens of musicians played there. It is closing October 31, after the last of four Pearl Jam concerts. Here are some readers' favorite memories:

Marc B. Zingarini, Philadelphia:

The memories of the Spectrum which are most vividly etched in my mind are those from the '70s. Concert-going was a much different experience back then; much more down and dirty. The air was always thick with pot smoke, the floor sticky with spilled beer (which was sold for the duration of the show, no matter how long into the evening or early morning hours), people held up matches for encores rather than cell phones, any band worth seeing showed up several hours late, and the concourse was usually littered with people who passed out before the first note was even played. And of course, who can forget the ability of Deadheads to be able to spin around in a circle for about three hours without getting dizzy? I usually spent most Dead shows out in the concourse watching the dancing rather than inside watching the band. Ah — those were the days.

While in high school, I never seemed to have the connections to get tickets to the big names of the early '70s, so it was a matter of going down to the Spectrum just for the concert experience, or to go see whatever show the guy who had a driver's license got tickets for. That would be the only explanation for being there for such acts as Slade and Beck, Bogart and Appice. I do remember once having tickets to see the Doors, but my mother wouldn't let me go after hearing about Jim Morrison's on-stage antics.

I saw my first-ever concert there — Ten Years After and Bo Diddley. (I was mesmerized by Alvin Lee's guitar-face on the big screen in Woodstock) — just had to see them.

Before I had a license, I had to take the train down from Trenton to go to shows. I recall being so enthralled by the Lou Reed/Brian Auger's Trinity Express concert that my friend Terry and I missed the last train back to Trenton and had to spend the night in the Greyhound bus terminal popping quarters into the armchair TVs they had until the testing patterns came on and then catching the 6 a.m. bus. My parents were really happy about that one.