Say Goodbye to The Spectrum

One of the country’s great arena rock venues meets its demise starting today as The Spectrum in Philadelphia meets a four-ton wrecking ball. At noon, Philly’s mayor and Spectrum officials will say a few words about the former home to the 76ers and Flyers before the exterior demolition, a process which the Philadelphia Inquirer reports will take four months, begins.

The Grateful Dead hold the record for most shows played at The Spectrum with 53. Other notable concerts from the venue’s history include a Doors’ gig in 1970 released as Live in Philadelphia ’70, numerous Phish and Yes performances, a Bruce Springsteen concert that took the place the night after John Lennon was shot and a Pink Floyd show featuring the only song the band ever performed without Roger Waters after the bassist was taken to the hospital just before the Us & Them encore.

Pearl Jam closed out the arena’s life as a rock venue with four epic shows last October. Comcast-Spectacor owns the property on which The Spectrum resides and plans to replace the 43-year-old arena with a giant mall called Philly Live! R.I.P. Spectrum, rock fans everywhere will miss your unmatched vibe that only decades of historic rock shows can provide.

Have you seen any concerts at The Spectrum? Any shows in particular stick out? Let us know all about it by leaving a comment below…

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9 Responses

  1. Caught my first concert (R.E.M.’s Monster tour) and my first Phish show here: 12.11.99. Lots of great memories — the Spectrum will be missed.

  2. I love that 12/11/99 show. Quite a show for your first, Pete.

    My first show at The Spectrum was a Grateful Dead performance on 3/17/95. While the show kinda sucked and turned me off of that band for years, the energy in the venue was undeniable.

  3. Saw Furthur there years ago and Shakira was playing the Wachovia Center the same night…hippies were walking around saying “who’s got my Shakiracle?”

    Haha

  4. I’ll never forget the You Enjoy Myself> Rotation Jam> Sixteen Candles> YEM, Harpua> Champagne Supernova> Harpua from 12/29/96! Mike kept singing/shouting “SEX… teen candles” as he played the piano! Oh yeah, the Caravan bustout that night wasn’t too shabby either.

    12/15/95 was really good as well, fun to hear Trey tell the story about how he saw Jethro Tull there for his first concert, and Fishman donning the cape for Suspicious Minds was priceless!

    And of course, you can’t reminisce about the Spectrum without mentioning all the hippie-crack outside! I’ve never seen as many balloons as I did at Spectrum shows, for worse more often than better.

    RIP Spectrum!

  5. I recommend Phish’s FIRST show there. 12.15.95.

    STUNNING amount of energy. From the first note they never let up.

    One of the top shows I’ve ever seen easily (and the best they’ve ever done at the spectrum)

  6. First time I was at the Spectrum was for a sixes game with my dad, I was 10, loved that place since then. Saw every Phish show there. Damn I’m gonna miss that place. RIP Spectrum.

  7. First Cat Stevens 1976. Last was Neil Young in 2010. Best one i ever saw there was Wings Over America.. although the last Phish show there was great. Also was at 15 of the 53 dead shows.

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