Post by darkstar on Mar 8, 2006 11:37:45 GMT
San Bernardino County Sun
Article Display Date: 03/08/2006 12:23 AM PST
Orange Show Hits New Low
By: John Weeks, Staff Writer
The National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino has had its highs and lows as a concert venue. I've been there for a lot of both.
I couldn't make it to the big punk show last weekend, where rioting spilled into the streets and dozens of businesses were damaged.
I'm not a card-carrying punk any more, like I used to be.
As I think back over many decades of attending concerts at the Orange Show, I don't recall any rampages on the scale of what was seen last weekend.
I do remember plenty of skirmishes. Scuffling, disorderly conduct, rock and bottle throwing, that sort of thing. In fact, the riot police have been a steady presence at Orange Show rock concerts dating back to the '60s.
There was trouble, for example, after Sly and the Family Stone failed to show for an August 1969 concert at the Orange Show's Swing Auditorium.
There was more of the same when an overflow crowd grew surly at a Jimi Hendrix concert in June 1970. More than 7,000 fans paid $4 each to get in, filling the Swing to capacity, but thousands more showed up.
Some were squeezed in, but others were turned away. A melee resulted, and there were several arrests and minor injuries.
At a San Bernardino City Council meeting later in the week, there was much hand-wringing over the threat caused by unruly teenagers. Mayor Al Ballard said, "I wonder where these kids get the money.'' Police Chief Louis Fortuna answered, "They don't wear shoes or get haircuts.''
Oh, yes, we were punks, all right.
Actually, I missed the Hendrix show. I think.
Hey, I went to a lot of concerts in those days, and I can't remember them all. It was the '60s, for crying out loud.
The greatest rock concert I ever attended was at the Orange Show. That's saying a lot because I've seen most of the greats at most of Southern California's great concert venues.
I saw the Beatles at Dodger Stadium, the Stones at the Coliseum, the Beach Boys at Hollywood Bowl, Pink Floyd and later U2 at the Sports Arena, Bob Dylan at Staples, and many, many acts at the Forum, including David Bowie, Elton John and Queen.
Not one of those concerts is my all-time favorite. The best show I ever saw, and probably ever will see, was at the Orange Show.
It wasn't at Swing Auditorium. It was in the tiny Kaiser Dome, at the northwest corner of the Orange Show grounds, at Mill and E streets.
It was the Fourth of July weekend of 1967 and fliers had been circulating around town. A new band out of L.A., the Doors, would be performing Sunday night at San Bernardino's Kaiser Dome.
Their song "Break On Through'' had been on the radio, and their new tune, "Light My Fire,'' was getting airplay.
My girlfriend and I went to check it out. Tickets were a couple bucks, and there were plenty of seats. We sat in the second row, stage center.
We sat spellbound. The Doors played for hours. They performed not only "Break On Through'' and "Light My Fire'' but lots of long, strange songs like nobody had ever heard before. Songs like "When the Music's Over'' and "The End.''
Lead singer Jim Morrison wore black leather, with a garish silver conch belt. If you've seen the cover of the group's "Absolutely Live'' album, that's the outfit he was wearing.
He sang like a person possessed, which of course he was. He would scream on some songs, almost cry on others. He sometimes looked at us with eyes on fire. Other times, he sang whole songs with his eyes shut.
When he shook his hair, our faces were splashed with his sweat.
We finally had to leave. Monday was a school day, and we had homework to do. I have no idea how long that concert lasted.
But I know one thing. Even though I didn't see it all, it's the greatest concert I've ever seen.
The worst concert? That's easy. It also was at the Orange Show. And it also was a Doors concert.
This time the concert took place at the Swing. It was several years later and the Doors were more famous. Morrison was more notorious.
I went with a friend, who was visiting from out of state. Boy, was he going to be impressed. I assured him he was in for the concert experience of his life.
The Doors came onstage about an hour late and performed for about five minutes. Morrison was so drunk, or stoned, or both, he could barely stand. When people started to heckle, he cursed and walked off. That was all, folks. End of show. Drive home safely.
We all were pretty disappointed. What a bummer, man.
But if memory serves me, we didn't start tussling with the cops, or throwing things, or breaking windows and looting stores.
I guess we weren't half the punks we were cracked up to be.
sbsun.com/news/ci_3578954
Article Display Date: 03/08/2006 12:23 AM PST
Orange Show Hits New Low
By: John Weeks, Staff Writer
The National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino has had its highs and lows as a concert venue. I've been there for a lot of both.
I couldn't make it to the big punk show last weekend, where rioting spilled into the streets and dozens of businesses were damaged.
I'm not a card-carrying punk any more, like I used to be.
As I think back over many decades of attending concerts at the Orange Show, I don't recall any rampages on the scale of what was seen last weekend.
I do remember plenty of skirmishes. Scuffling, disorderly conduct, rock and bottle throwing, that sort of thing. In fact, the riot police have been a steady presence at Orange Show rock concerts dating back to the '60s.
There was trouble, for example, after Sly and the Family Stone failed to show for an August 1969 concert at the Orange Show's Swing Auditorium.
There was more of the same when an overflow crowd grew surly at a Jimi Hendrix concert in June 1970. More than 7,000 fans paid $4 each to get in, filling the Swing to capacity, but thousands more showed up.
Some were squeezed in, but others were turned away. A melee resulted, and there were several arrests and minor injuries.
At a San Bernardino City Council meeting later in the week, there was much hand-wringing over the threat caused by unruly teenagers. Mayor Al Ballard said, "I wonder where these kids get the money.'' Police Chief Louis Fortuna answered, "They don't wear shoes or get haircuts.''
Oh, yes, we were punks, all right.
Actually, I missed the Hendrix show. I think.
Hey, I went to a lot of concerts in those days, and I can't remember them all. It was the '60s, for crying out loud.
The greatest rock concert I ever attended was at the Orange Show. That's saying a lot because I've seen most of the greats at most of Southern California's great concert venues.
I saw the Beatles at Dodger Stadium, the Stones at the Coliseum, the Beach Boys at Hollywood Bowl, Pink Floyd and later U2 at the Sports Arena, Bob Dylan at Staples, and many, many acts at the Forum, including David Bowie, Elton John and Queen.
Not one of those concerts is my all-time favorite. The best show I ever saw, and probably ever will see, was at the Orange Show.
It wasn't at Swing Auditorium. It was in the tiny Kaiser Dome, at the northwest corner of the Orange Show grounds, at Mill and E streets.
It was the Fourth of July weekend of 1967 and fliers had been circulating around town. A new band out of L.A., the Doors, would be performing Sunday night at San Bernardino's Kaiser Dome.
Their song "Break On Through'' had been on the radio, and their new tune, "Light My Fire,'' was getting airplay.
My girlfriend and I went to check it out. Tickets were a couple bucks, and there were plenty of seats. We sat in the second row, stage center.
We sat spellbound. The Doors played for hours. They performed not only "Break On Through'' and "Light My Fire'' but lots of long, strange songs like nobody had ever heard before. Songs like "When the Music's Over'' and "The End.''
Lead singer Jim Morrison wore black leather, with a garish silver conch belt. If you've seen the cover of the group's "Absolutely Live'' album, that's the outfit he was wearing.
He sang like a person possessed, which of course he was. He would scream on some songs, almost cry on others. He sometimes looked at us with eyes on fire. Other times, he sang whole songs with his eyes shut.
When he shook his hair, our faces were splashed with his sweat.
We finally had to leave. Monday was a school day, and we had homework to do. I have no idea how long that concert lasted.
But I know one thing. Even though I didn't see it all, it's the greatest concert I've ever seen.
The worst concert? That's easy. It also was at the Orange Show. And it also was a Doors concert.
This time the concert took place at the Swing. It was several years later and the Doors were more famous. Morrison was more notorious.
I went with a friend, who was visiting from out of state. Boy, was he going to be impressed. I assured him he was in for the concert experience of his life.
The Doors came onstage about an hour late and performed for about five minutes. Morrison was so drunk, or stoned, or both, he could barely stand. When people started to heckle, he cursed and walked off. That was all, folks. End of show. Drive home safely.
We all were pretty disappointed. What a bummer, man.
But if memory serves me, we didn't start tussling with the cops, or throwing things, or breaking windows and looting stores.
I guess we weren't half the punks we were cracked up to be.
sbsun.com/news/ci_3578954
