Saturday, October 31, 2009

Spectrum memories

Well, I've heard from a few of you, and here is what you sent back.

From Mike Shaw (both attended Allentown College at the same time. He graduated the following year):

Went back to the Spectrum for the last time a couple of weeks ago to see my very first Bruce Springsteen concert. It was sort of a surreal experience, stepping foot in that building. All the banners were gone from the rafters - except for the Bruce Springsteen Sell-Out banner and, inexplicably, the Canadian flag.

For me, the Spectrum will always be the place that I saw my first hockey game, sat in a luxury box, saw my first concert, and actually got to play a game. In grade school, my basketball team (the team was bad, I was worse) got crushed by St. Joe's Prep (a perennial basketball great) on the floor of the Spectrum prior to a Sixers game. I got to meet Scottie Brooks (a little white dude who played for them), Mike Gminski (a big white dude, who was a bit of an asshole), but not Charles Barkley - who stayed in the locker room until we left the floor, to my extreme disappointment.

I was with you at that Phantoms game and a few others; and it was a truly great time and a memorable experience. I'll never forget the little kid behind us with the foul mouth! I couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. (Jeff Bachman note: This kid had the worst mouth I've ever heard on a six year old. 12 years later and no one has still beat it.)

Whether it was hockey or basketball or a concert or even a circus, the Spectrum holds some great memories - and I will definitely miss it a great deal.

From Rob Roche: (high school classmate. Also, the person who introduced me to Pearl Jam)

To whom it may concern.

My friend asked for memories of the Spectrum to post on his blog. I thought I would share mine with him and the Ten Club. (Jeff note: this is the Pearl Jam fan club.) Please see below.

I had attended many events at the Spectrum, including Sixers’ games, Harlem Globetrotters’ games and numerous concerts. However one event holds a special place in my memory for various reasons. On April 28th, 2003, my brother Patrick and I attended Pearl Jam’s first concert at the Spectrum.

Although they had played larger venues like the Tweeter Center and intimate, Philly institutions such as JC Dobbs, Eddie Vedder expressed to the audience the band’s almost reverent feelings towards the hallowed Spectrum. Noting that the band is made up of huge basketball fans, Eddie commented a few times how special it was to be playing in the same arena where Dr. J. performed his magic on the Spectrum floor.

We enjoyed a typical Pearl Jam concert with rarities, B-sides, famed covers and hits both past and present. During that time period, Pearl Jam began to release bootlegs of all of their concerts to deter outsiders from making money at Pearl Jam’s expense, as well as providing the best possible quality to their fans. I spent most of the following day downloading the bootleg and most of that night listening to their greatness with the music in my ears and the visuals in my mind’s eye.

As a dedicated Ten Club member, I attended many more Pearl Jam concerts but never again with my brother. We lost him to kidney cancer in the spring of 2008 (Jeff note: Patrick passed April 13 at age 27.) It is a loss that I will never fully recover from but as Eddie has said, I am still Alive. I take solace now in the fact that I can relive the concert simply by turning on my iPod. I crank up the sound, close my eyes and know in my heart that my brother’s voice is soaring amongst that Philadelphia crowd. At the time, it was just another concert, but now it is a tangible tribute to a bond that two brothers shared.

Thanks to Pearl Jam, I will always have evidence of the time we shared and know that his voice will live on in more than just my own memories.

Rob Harman (friend and fellow go-kart/open wheel racing enthusiast):

My memorable Spectrum experience was my first time there, which also happened to be my first heavy metal concert. Megadeath (Peace Sells, but Who's Buying?) opened for Metallica (Master of Puppets). I will never be the same after that.

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