The original concert ever held on the Coliseum, a few months following the venue’s March 1964 opening, checked brand new Four Freshmen as well as the Five Preps. (Which had been, of course, the new Greek Month tell you.) This new Five Season did the initial Homecoming performance indeed there in Oct ’64 (my buddy Mindy Moore Bacon remembers supposed, regardless if she was just in junior higher), and you may Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong produced his All-stars truth be told there to possess a free of charge let you know for the February 1965, used about three months after from the Johnny Mathis as well as the More youthful Us americans.
On account of complaints regarding the audio on before suggests, new college earned Atlanta-based Baker Musical (which in fact had done The brand new Beatles’ 1965 tell you on Atlanta Arena) to try and increase the voice having Armstrong, but, the truth is, truth be told there was not far they might manage regarding the cavernous arena.
I inquired folk We visited school having – while others exactly who grew up in Athens or decided to go to UGA – to talk about their favorite performance recollections throughout the inform you. Here are some of those memory:
My classmate Tom Hodgson said the brand new Coliseum performance he appeared give into the very was Jerry Butler singing his moves from “The new Frost Man Cometh,” plus “Just the Solid Endure.” Tom told you the guy remembers “Jerry, wearing a light fit which have a great quartet out-of breathtaking female singing equilibrium at the rear of. I don’t remember whom my date is actually, but she need I found myself since the cool since Jerry Butler, and i also obviously desired she are just like the scorching given that those singers.”
Simultaneously, Sam Heys said that “my personal favorite and most long-lasting memories is the brand new Jerry https://worldbrides.org/filter/dominikanske-single-kvinder/ Butler Homecoming concert on October. 24, 1969, because the my personal blind date, Pat Finley, has been with me more than a 1 / 2-century after.”
Betz Tillitski provides vivid memory of this 1973 tell you of the Allman Brothers, claiming the within of one’s arena resembled an enormous bong. “We had seated in addition to bulbs dimmed and, boy, is actually I stunned observe these types of strange flickers of white the along the put. Such as for example smokes nevertheless the fire lived brighter stretched. I did not understand I was enjoying bones being illuminated. Not ever been close a shared just before. Citizens were passage all of them doing. I thought I was at the Woodstock. I recall in hopes my personal moms and dads did not smelling they to my clothes when i got home.”
However,, she said, “probably the most enjoyable show I went to discover regarding the spring season of 1974, and i also noticed the newest Coasters, Brand new Platters therefore the Tams. Endured on the ground ahead of the stage dance the new entire date. Wound up into the a beneficial guy’s shoulders watching the incredible tell you.”
Not that the reveals during the Coliseum was in fact a beneficial achievements. Dan Pelletier remembers the evening Karen and you can Richard Carpenter “was indeed stinking up the mutual and the crowd booed, therefore Richard went off the phase during the an excellent huff. From the considering, ‘Ok, so are you likely to reimburse the cash you had been paid down for a speed you aren’t providing?’ No refund was given.”
My late friend Rusty Gunn, exactly who took a few of the pictures associated that it piece, explained a couple of years right back one to his first show at the the fresh Coliseum was as he is actually an excellent junior during the twelfth grade, in which he and lots of family members grabbed dates to see Absolutely nothing Stevie Wonder together with Temptations. (Helen Castronis remembers Ponder still is recharged as “Absolutely nothing Stevie” during the time, and this seemed like “he played most of the appliance towards stage.”)