After writing and reading the "4 new albums from 80's bands" thread, it made me think of the US Festival from 1983. Recently I found some old items in a box under the house and it made me think of that monster concert. I still have my Concert Shirt and a few fliers and a button.
I was 13 years old. I went with my sister and a few of her friends. My sister is 2 years older than me. It was one of the first times I ever smoked pot and drank. We left my parents house in Van Nuys, California at 3:30am to head out to San Bernardino, California. Back in 1983, the freeway system in that area wasn't finished like it is today and it took a long time together there and with the volume of people it took hours. We parked 10 miles from the venue and road buses in. It was like being in Bangladesh, people were hanging on the outsides of the buses, riding on the roof. Total madness.
We didn't go for the whole festival, only Heavy Metal Sunday. That day still holds a record for the most people at a concert on one day in the United States.
We got to the venue around 10am and started walking. We must have walked 20 miles by the time that weekend was said and done. We set up camp half way from the stage to the rear of the lawn right behind one of the repeater speaker towers. The venue was so big that they had MASSIVE towers which held speaker stacks that were timed to repeat the music coming from the stage. Meaning that as the music traveled out from the main speakers on the stage, the speaker towers were delayed slightly so the music flowed out on time. I've been out to the venue many times for shows since. It has been reworked and the parking lot is now were those towers used to me. It is still the largest open air amphitheater in the United States and yet it is a mere fraction of it's original size.
To say it was F'n Loud that day would be a serious understatement! My ears rang for weeks after that show. I remember it being so hot, people were passing out. The amphitheater was built into the side of a mountain at a slight angle and they put all the drinking fountains at the top, back of the lawn. Over the course of the weekend, so much was water pumped through the water fountains that is just turned the lawn to mud! By the end of the day, everyone was muddy and dirty. But we didn't care...
I remember in the middle of the day, at the peak of the heat, seeing Judas Priest come out on stage, FULL LEATHER! They rocked so hard, I don't know how they didn't pass out in the heat.
To see the VERY top of the Heavy Metal genre live in their peak has always been one of my greatest memories!
For more info check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Festival
Below is the full concert line up.....Look at the list of these bands! The greatest bands of the 80s for sure
Memorial Day Weekend, 1983
Three days, 115°F (plus a fourth Country Day a week later), 670,000 in attendance, $12 million lost, two reported deaths,
Saturday, May 28 (New Wave Day)
Divinyls
INXS
Wall of Voodoo - Stan Ridgway's last appearance with Wall of Voodoo
Oingo Boingo
The English Beat
Missing Persons
A Flock of Seagulls
Stray Cats
Men at Work
The Clash - Mick Jones' last appearance with The Clash.
Sunday, May 29 (Heavy Metal Day)
Quiet Riot
Mötley Crüe
Ozzy Osbourne
Judas Priest
Triumph
Scorpions
Van Halen
Monday, May 30 (Rock Day)
Los Lobos (on a side stage only)
Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul
Berlin
Quarterflash
U2
Missing Persons
The Pretenders
Joe Walsh
Stevie Nicks
David Bowie
Saturday June 4th (Country Day)
Thrasher Brothers
Ricky Skaggs
Hank Williams, Jr.
Emmylou Harris & The Hot Band
Alabama
Waylon Jennings
Riders in the Sky
Willie Nelson
[youtube]E2GZLRdFWVQ[/youtube]
[youtube]JWbQKEwiids[/youtube]
[youtube]0Pm3G4Ig0GQ[/youtube]
[youtube]bgTzNtcqBmk[/youtube]
[youtube]vTASqkuC8KM[/youtube]
[youtube]I7ymivGVHEA[/youtube]
[youtube]O2TyVuYL8bM[/youtube]
I was 13 years old. I went with my sister and a few of her friends. My sister is 2 years older than me. It was one of the first times I ever smoked pot and drank. We left my parents house in Van Nuys, California at 3:30am to head out to San Bernardino, California. Back in 1983, the freeway system in that area wasn't finished like it is today and it took a long time together there and with the volume of people it took hours. We parked 10 miles from the venue and road buses in. It was like being in Bangladesh, people were hanging on the outsides of the buses, riding on the roof. Total madness.
We didn't go for the whole festival, only Heavy Metal Sunday. That day still holds a record for the most people at a concert on one day in the United States.
We got to the venue around 10am and started walking. We must have walked 20 miles by the time that weekend was said and done. We set up camp half way from the stage to the rear of the lawn right behind one of the repeater speaker towers. The venue was so big that they had MASSIVE towers which held speaker stacks that were timed to repeat the music coming from the stage. Meaning that as the music traveled out from the main speakers on the stage, the speaker towers were delayed slightly so the music flowed out on time. I've been out to the venue many times for shows since. It has been reworked and the parking lot is now were those towers used to me. It is still the largest open air amphitheater in the United States and yet it is a mere fraction of it's original size.
To say it was F'n Loud that day would be a serious understatement! My ears rang for weeks after that show. I remember it being so hot, people were passing out. The amphitheater was built into the side of a mountain at a slight angle and they put all the drinking fountains at the top, back of the lawn. Over the course of the weekend, so much was water pumped through the water fountains that is just turned the lawn to mud! By the end of the day, everyone was muddy and dirty. But we didn't care...
I remember in the middle of the day, at the peak of the heat, seeing Judas Priest come out on stage, FULL LEATHER! They rocked so hard, I don't know how they didn't pass out in the heat.
To see the VERY top of the Heavy Metal genre live in their peak has always been one of my greatest memories!
For more info check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Festival
Below is the full concert line up.....Look at the list of these bands! The greatest bands of the 80s for sure
Memorial Day Weekend, 1983
Three days, 115°F (plus a fourth Country Day a week later), 670,000 in attendance, $12 million lost, two reported deaths,
Saturday, May 28 (New Wave Day)
Divinyls
INXS
Wall of Voodoo - Stan Ridgway's last appearance with Wall of Voodoo
Oingo Boingo
The English Beat
Missing Persons
A Flock of Seagulls
Stray Cats
Men at Work
The Clash - Mick Jones' last appearance with The Clash.
Sunday, May 29 (Heavy Metal Day)
Quiet Riot
Mötley Crüe
Ozzy Osbourne
Judas Priest
Triumph
Scorpions
Van Halen
Monday, May 30 (Rock Day)
Los Lobos (on a side stage only)
Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul
Berlin
Quarterflash
U2
Missing Persons
The Pretenders
Joe Walsh
Stevie Nicks
David Bowie
Saturday June 4th (Country Day)
Thrasher Brothers
Ricky Skaggs
Hank Williams, Jr.
Emmylou Harris & The Hot Band
Alabama
Waylon Jennings
Riders in the Sky
Willie Nelson
[youtube]E2GZLRdFWVQ[/youtube]
[youtube]JWbQKEwiids[/youtube]
[youtube]0Pm3G4Ig0GQ[/youtube]
[youtube]bgTzNtcqBmk[/youtube]
[youtube]vTASqkuC8KM[/youtube]
[youtube]I7ymivGVHEA[/youtube]
[youtube]O2TyVuYL8bM[/youtube]
Those were truly the days, right fellas?. I was 16 and totally into ALL those bands. I could've got down with every one of those concert days. Major league hitters and no quitters 
Boy, I'd rather listen to all those genre bands than the lame stuff today. Real Metal, Pop, Country, Rock, Hip Hop, you name it, it was fun times. 
theyre an awesome band 