Great guitar players

[JollyElm]

That's really bizarre. I was just looking up the Agora Ballroom, because I have mp3s of "Boston Live At Agora Ballroom 1976" and wanted to see what the place is/was. Never heard of it before, and BOOM!!! the moment I look it up, there's a reference to it in a thread. Strange days, indeed.

Oh, has anyone 'nominated' Tom Scholz yet? He unquestionably deserves to be included here. It's nearly impossoble to listen to a Boston tune and NOT go into air guitar mode.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

That's really bizarre. I was just looking up the Agora Ballroom, because I have mp3s of "Boston Live At Agora Ballroom 1976" and wanted to see what the place is/was. Never heard of it before, and BOOM!!! the moment I look it up, there's a reference to it in a thread. Strange days, indeed.

Oh, has anyone 'nominated' Tom Scholz yet? He unquestionably deserves to be included here. It's nearly impossoble to listen to a Boston tune and NOT go into air guitar mode.

Hey Darren,

What is the old saying, "Truth is stranger than fiction!", right?

You can't make up stuff like this. Will always have the memories of the old Agora. It was open seven days a week. The concerts were just on Monday nights. The rest of the week it was just your local bar with live local bands playing. (With the exception of the Wednesday morning "Coffee Break" concerts they also held there at times, emceed by the WMMS deejay Matt the Cat, and broadcast live on local FM rock station WMMS.)

There was actually a second, separate bar in the basement of the Agora building also, somewhat appropriately called the "Mistake". Much smaller and more intimate than the upstairs Agora, and open mostly on the weekend nights. But still featured live local bands. Can still remember the night the Hell's Angels showed up in the Mistake, and I witnessed a couple of them beat and kick the $hit out of some guy who just accidently bumped into the one Angel standing at the bar. My college buddy's older brother was actually working behind the bar in the Mistake that night, and I remember looking over and seeing him standing back away from the bar with the baseball bat they kept behind it in his hands, with this absolutely shocked and stunned look on his face. The beat-down was over so fast, if you blinked twice, you'd miss it. Nobody could do anything because it had happened so quick The two Angels who did it turned right back around and started drinking and talking to themselves as if nothing had happened, totally ignoring the poor guy who lay on the floor all battered and bloody. A couple of his friends gathered him up and got him out of there pronto. The rest of the Angels gang in the bar, maybe a dozen or so, never moved or did anything, and went right back to talking and drinking themselves as if nothing had happened either. It wasn't more than five minutes or so later that I saw more Cleveland police officers than I had ever seen all in one place in my life. There were many in riot gear and with shields and shotguns. My friend and I snuck outside to watch as the cops formed two lines and "escorted" the entire gang of Hells Angels outside through the corridor of cops they had formed, and had them get onto their bikes. They left, and immediately afterwards so did all the cops, without apparently arresting anybody. It was after that that I developed a new understanding and appreciation for the biker movies put out back then. Was definitely not your typical Saturday night in Cleveland, Ohio back in the 70s. LOL Just another chapter in the Agora legend.

[KCRfan1]

A new guy to watch is Aidan Fisher.

https://m.facebook.com/aidanfishermu...2479471197465/

[steve B]

Interesting, when I hear the Agora I think of the converted hangar/quonset hut/hockey arena that is better known as the West Hartford Ballroom, but went by "the agora" for a while before that name.

Im guessing they didn't know about the other places and got told to change? Or maybe the same owner but he sold it later?

[steve B]

I forgot about buckethead.

I also forgot about Buck Dharma

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIUKlVEvyTo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUIELsVpv4M

[BobC]

Originally Posted by steve B

Interesting, when I hear the Agora I think of the converted hangar/quonset hut/hockey arena that is better known as the West Hartford Ballroom, but went by "the agora" for a while before that name.

Im guessing they didn't know about the other places and got told to change? Or maybe the same owner but he sold it later?

https://www.mmone.org/agora-ballroom/

The West Hartford location was just one of about a dozen locations across the US that Cleveland Agora founder, Hank LaConti, opened up in the late 70s/early 80s when he tried expanding the original location and idea he had started in Cleveland. For whatever reason, changing times, changing/different people, changing tastes, they didn't last like the original Cleveland location.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by BobC

https://www.mmone.org/agora-ballroom/

The West Hartford location was just one of about a dozen locations across the US that Cleveland Agora founder, Hank LaConti, opened up in the late 70s/early 80s when he tried expanding the original location and idea he had started in Cleveland. For whatever reason, changing times, changing/different people, changing tastes, they didn't last like the original Cleveland location.

The only time I went there was that Stryper show they mentioned.

Insane and weird show and place.

The lines were crazy, all the way around the building. But the person I went with said we can just go to the box office and the lines were for people who already had tickets. Box office had a line like 10 people long.

First time I saw a vending machine that took dollars.

They had beer girls! Carrying a case of beer in a somewhat suggestive location, must have been very profitable. "Would you like a beer?" "Oh yes!" "Ok, that will be $3".... later on thinking "I paid way over retail for a warm bud just because she held the case near her chest... I'm sooo stupid"

The warmup acts were forgettable metal bands. and it was really hot in there.

Stryper... People in the crowd passed out, and were taken out over the stage. One girl realized that got her close to the band, and faked it then got away and nearly tackled the guitar player mid -solo. To his credit he didn't miss any of it. And it wasn't like the staged stuff for videos, it took 3 security guys to peel her off ... twice!

I had heard about the bibles and figured it would be pocket ones, or maybe small paperback versions... nope, full size hardcovers. Ok, they just drop them into the front rows. Umm, ok, throwing them a bit farther back and a bit farther still... last couple were really thrown all the way back near the sound board. Last one nailed some kid right in the forehead.

Wild times. And maybe close to the end, I moved back up to mass maybe a year later in late 87

[1952boyntoncollector]

John Fruciente

[BobC]

Originally Posted by steve B

The only time I went there was that Stryper show they mentioned.

Insane and weird show and place.

The lines were crazy, all the way around the building. But the person I went with said we can just go to the box office and the lines were for people who already had tickets. Box office had a line like 10 people long.

First time I saw a vending machine that took dollars.

They had beer girls! Carrying a case of beer in a somewhat suggestive location, must have been very profitable. "Would you like a beer?" "Oh yes!" "Ok, that will be $3".... later on thinking "I paid way over retail for a warm bud just because she held the case near her chest... I'm sooo stupid"

The warmup acts were forgettable metal bands. and it was really hot in there.

Stryper... People in the crowd passed out, and were taken out over the stage. One girl realized that got her close to the band, and faked it then got away and nearly tackled the guitar player mid -solo. To his credit he didn't miss any of it. And it wasn't like the staged stuff for videos, it took 3 security guys to peel her off ... twice!

I had heard about the bibles and figured it would be pocket ones, or maybe small paperback versions... nope, full size hardcovers. Ok, they just drop them into the front rows. Umm, ok, throwing them a bit farther back and a bit farther still... last couple were really thrown all the way back near the sound board. Last one nailed some kid right in the forehead.

Wild times. And maybe close to the end, I moved back up to mass maybe a year later in late 87

That is a great story Steve, and rivals some of the ones I remember and have already posted about from shows I'd seen at the original Cleveland Agora. Sounds like you had a heck of a time at the show, and I'm guessing it is one those things that you'll always be able to fondly look back upon and remember, and never regret having gone to. LOL

I think shows in small, more intimate venues like the Agora's of the world are way better than most of the huge stadium shows. Don't get me wrong, being able to see the likes of Zeppelin or the Stones, regardless of the venue size, is great. But seeing some of these groups in the smaller, night club/bar like venues before they become too big for them, takes you back to the real roots of what rock was all about, and how it was supposed to be performed, heard, seen, and truly enjoyed.

[earlywynnfan]

Originally Posted by BobC

Hey Darren,

What is the old saying, "Truth is stranger than fiction!", right?

You can't make up stuff like this. Will always have the memories of the old Agora. It was open seven days a week. The concerts were just on Monday nights. The rest of the week it was just your local bar with live local bands playing. (With the exception of the Wednesday morning "Coffee Break" concerts they also held there at times, emceed by the WMMS deejay Matt the Cat, and broadcast live on local FM rock station WMMS.)

There was actually a second, separate bar in the basement of the Agora building also, somewhat appropriately called the "Mistake". Much smaller and more intimate than the upstairs Agora, and open mostly on the weekend nights. But still featured live local bands. Can still remember the night the Hell's Angels showed up in the Mistake, and I witnessed a couple of them beat and kick the $hit out of some guy who just accidently bumped into the one Angel standing at the bar. My college buddy's older brother was actually working behind the bar in the Mistake that night, and I remember looking over and seeing him standing back away from the bar with the baseball bat they kept behind it in his hands, with this absolutely shocked and stunned look on his face. The beat-down was over so fast, if you blinked twice, you'd miss it. Nobody could do anything because it had happened so quick The two Angels who did it turned right back around and started drinking and talking to themselves as if nothing had happened, totally ignoring the poor guy who lay on the floor all battered and bloody. A couple of his friends gathered him up and got him out of there pronto. The rest of the Angels gang in the bar, maybe a dozen or so, never moved or did anything, and went right back to talking and drinking themselves as if nothing had happened either. It wasn't more than five minutes or so later that I saw more Cleveland police officers than I had ever seen all in one place in my life. There were many in riot gear and with shields and shotguns. My friend and I snuck outside to watch as the cops formed two lines and "escorted" the entire gang of Hells Angels outside through the corridor of cops they had formed, and had them get onto their bikes. They left, and immediately afterwards so did all the cops, without apparently arresting anybody. It was after that that I developed a new understanding and appreciation for the biker movies put out back then. Was definitely not your typical Saturday night in Cleveland, Ohio back in the 70s. LOL Just another chapter in the Agora legend.

I'm showing my age and faulty memory, was it the Agora where early Metallica was so loud plaster was falling from the ceiling during the show??

[BobC]

Originally Posted by earlywynnfan

I'm showing my age and faulty memory, was it the Agora where early Metallica was so loud plaster was falling from the ceiling during the show??

Hey Ken,

I think you may be right, I unfortunately did not go to that particular Monday night concert (married w/kids by then). But I think if you go back to the link I included in one of my earlier posts (Post #79), it talks about Metallica's 12/18/83 concert at the Agora, along with 34 other acts that had performed at the old Agora over the years as well. Unfortunately, the YouTube video/recording link from that show is apparently no longer available. I honestly wasn't aware of that site and those available recordings until doing a little online research in response to someone else's Alex Lifeson/Rush post. Talk about bringing back memories though, WOW!

[Exhibitman]

Darren, I posted Scholz earlier in the thread. So innovative, I absolutely love the first album, even Let Me Take You Home Tonight, which is a bit cringey lyrically.