Procol Harum & Eagles at Atlanta's Sports Arena

As follow-up to previous post, here is Howard Stein's promo ad for the Sports Arena concert with Eagles and Procol Harum in Atlanta. Radar, a local band, was added to the line-up to kick things off.

The Great Speckled Bird
Volume 5, Number 28
July 17, 1972

The Sports Arena

• 310 Chester Avenue SE, Atlanta GA
  "Only 8,020 Feet East of State Capitol on Memorial Drive"
• Owners: L.C. "Pop" Warren created the venue in the 1930s; sold to Clyde Darby during WWII; in 1965 bought by wrestling promoter Paul Jones
• Capacity: 3600 

The Sports Arena was designed to host wrestling and boxing matches. It was also home to AAU "semipro" women's basketball team The Atlanta Blues. Musical events were interspersed, wherein the wrestling ring was adapted for performances. Early on, square dances were held several times a week, the main moneymaker of the time. Musical prodigy Brenda Lee performed there when she was just 9 years old. Elvis Presley played the Arena at age 20 on December 2, 1955, as his popularity was beginning to surge. Sports events at the venue were phasing out by the mid-1970s. In the mid-1980s the building was demolished. 

Photo by Steve Deal, staff photographer,
Atlanta Journal, October 28, 1983

"The Arena is a ramshackle building [without air-conditioning] long used for local wrestling, boxing, country music, and square dances. Inside, the atmosphere is one of wood and honest corruption, not steel, concrete, and hydraulic hype. Outside, the feeling is, well, like the industrial part of town, you know, warehouses, steel mesh fences, truck loading docks, cotton mill buildings, and even some plain red dirt road dear to the heart of a country boy."
--The Great Speckled Bird, Vol. 3, No. 5, February 2, 1970, article by Cliff Endres

1970

• Fleetwood Mac, Hampton Grease Band, Radar, River People - January 25
• The Kinks, Osmosis, Booger Band, Brick Wall (Kinks cancelled day before; replaced with Pacific Gas & Electric) - February 22
• Kenny Rogers & The First Edition, The Glass Menagerie - March 8
• Spirit, River People, Ruffin - March 22 (Spirit cancelled less than 24 hrs before show; Hampton Grease Band and What Brothers added)
• John Mayall, Hampton Grease Band, Chakra - April 5
• Johnny Winter, Radar, Georgia Power Kompany - April 12
• Canned Heat, The House - April 19 
• "Rock and Roll Marathon" - Hampton Grease Band, Radar, Stump Brothers, Axis, Perpetual Motion, Brick Wall, Georgia Power Kompany, What Brothers, Ruffin - April 26 (9 hour benefit for The Midtown Alliance and Community Center)
• Grateful Dead, Hampton Grease Band - May 10 (members of the Allman Brothers Band joined Grateful Dead for an extensive jam; The Dead had borrowed the ABB's equipment as theirs was stuck in Boston)

1971

• Captain Beefheart, Ry Cooder, Booger Band - February 4
• Quicksilver Messenger Service, Brewer & Shipley - March 21
• Spirit, Trapeze, Radar - April 18
• John Mayall, Stonehenge, Randals Island - May 9
• Goose Creek Symphony, Chakra - May 23
• Steve Miller Band - June 10
• Buddy Miles and the Buddy Miles Express, Sugarloaf, Florida's Fabulous Tropics - June 20
• BB King, East Side Blues Band - June 27
• Chuck Berry, Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes, Sunday Funnies - October 17
• Fanny, Hydra, Orpheum Circuit, Phat Max - November 14
• The Guess Who, Peace Corps - December 2

1972

• John McLaughlin & The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Hampton Grease Band - May 7
• Edgar Winter, Groundhogs, Eric Quincy Tate - June 11
• Procol Harum, Eagles, Radar - July 13*
• Uriah Heep, John Baldry, White Trash - July 19
• The Byrds, Eric Anderson, New Riders of the Purple Sage - August 2
• T. Rex - August 21
• J. Geils Band - September 1
• Cheech & Chong, Hampton Grease Band - September 28
• John Mayall, Delbert & Glen - November 5

1973

• Mom's Apple Pie, Silverman, Joy - January 28
• Trapeze, Hydra - May 24
• Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, Mose Jones, Eric Quincy Tate, Greg Scott & Eddie Terrill Band - July 1 (benefit for C.A.R.E.)
• Joe Walsh - August 19
• Fleetwood Mac, Jambalaya, Dixie Grease - November 4

*Conflicting tour databases put Procol Harum and Eagles at both Atlanta's Sports Arena and The Warehouse in New Orleans July 14, 1972. Eagles opened several times for Procol Harum on their 1972 tour, promoting the May 1972 release of their debut single "Take it Easy." A couple of online accounts of Sports Arena attendees place both bands in Atlanta on July 14. Promoter Howard Stein advertised only the July 13 concert in The Great Speckled Bird's July 10 and 17, 1972 issues. I will stick with the 13th as evidenced in the display ads. Joe Roman's definitive concert review in the July 24, 1972 issue of The Bird also nails the event to Thursday the 13th.

Sources:

"Arena of Memories," by Sam Heys, staff writer, Atlanta Journal, October 28, 1983

www.thestripproject.com/the-sports-arena

Just for Fun: the Story of AAU Women's Basketball, by Robert W. Ikard, published by The University of Arkansas Press, 2005

Atlanta Municipal Auditorium

• 30 Courtland Street SE (at Gilmer Street), Atlanta GA
• Capacity: 5000
• Note: The building, built 1909, was sold to Georgia State University in 1979.

Atlanta Municipal Auditorium
Photo: Special Collections Department,
Pullen Library, Georgia State University

1970 

• Steppenwolf - January 10
• Jerry Lee Lewis - January 17
• "WPLO Shower of Stars" - Merle Haggard, Bonnie Owens, The Strangers - March 14
• James Brown - March 16-17
• Santana, Allman Brothers Band, Insect Trust - March 19
• Allman Brothers Band - March 26
• B.B. King, Judy Clay, Wild Man Steve & His Revue - April 6
• Johnny Winter - April 12
• Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, Norman Greenbaum - April 30 (D&B refused to play, blaming sound system; Norman Greenbaum performed for small crowd, for free)
• Pink Floyd, The Guess Who - May 12
• Van Morrison, Sabudi, Shelly Isaacs - May 14 (partial benefit for Community Center bail fund)
• The Who - June 22
• Steppenwolf, Chakra - August 3
• Fleetwood Mac, Hampton Grease Band - August 20
• Jefferson Airplane, Radar, Glen McKay's Head Lights - August 24
• Mountain, Mylon LeFevre, Joel Osner - October 8
• Ike & Tina Turner Revue, Chakra, David Kennedy & Fire Power - October 22
• Bloodrock, Hydra, Rusha - October 31
• "WPLO Shower of Stars" - Sonny James & his Country Gentlemen, Ray Price & his Cherokee Cowboys, Compton Brothers - November 28
• Ten Years After, Stonehenge - December 1
• The Band - December 10
• The Temptations, Carla Thomas, The Bar-Kays - December 19
• The Amboy Dukes, Bob Seger System, MC-5 - December 29

1971

• Allman Brothers Band, Hampton Grease Band - January 16
• James Taylor, Carole King, Jo Mama - March 2
• Eric Burdon & War - March 11
• "WPLO Shower of Stars" - Conway Twitty, Bill Anderson, Tom T. Hall, Bobby Bare, Jan Howard, Bobby Johnson & The Swinging Gentlemen - March 13
• Blood, Sweat & Tears - March 25
• Small Faces "featuring Rod Stewart," Savoy Brown, The Grease Band - March 30
• Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes, Brownsville Station - April 1
• Jethro Tull, Brethren, Younguns - April 13
• Judy Collins - April 17
• Mountain, Procol Harum, Hydra - April 29
• Johnny Winter, Booger - May 15
• "Super Heavy Blues Express" - Big Mama Thornton, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, Joe Turner, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Al Hibbler - May 16
• Elton John, Mark-Almond - June 8
• Edgar Winter's White Trash, Mott The Hoople, J. Geils Band - June 17
• "WPLO Shower of Stars" - Conway Twitty & The Twitty Birds, Loretta Lynn & The Nashville Tennesseans, Dave Dudley & The Roadrunners, Anthony Armstrong Jones - June 26
• Melanie, Janey & Dennis - June 30
• Black Sabbath, Blues Project - July 7
• Allman Brothers Band, Cowboy (7:30pm), Hampton Grease Band (2:30pm) - July 17 (2 shows)
• Bloodrock, Savage Grace, Robert Savage Group - July 22
• Mother Earth, Doobie Brothers - August 2
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Humble Pie - August 4
• Faces "featuring Rod Stewart," Southern Comfort - August 5
• Ten Years After - August 11
• John Sebastian, Savage Grace - August 12
• James Gang, Mylon, Smoo's Barn Dance - August 17
• Leon Russell, Freddie King - August 18
• Savoy Brown - September 2
• Alice Cooper, Lee Michaels - September 11
• Long John Baldry, Cactus, Savoy Brown - September 23
• It's A Beautiful Day, Boz Scaggs - October 16
• Traffic, Fairport Convention - October 18
• Mountain, J. Geils Band, Stray Dog - October 27
• Cat Stevens, Mimi & Tom - November 10
• Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage - November 11
• David Cassidy - November 13
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Yes - November 22
• The Who - November 23
• "WPLO Shower of Stars" - Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Sonny James & The Country Gentlemen, Freddy Weller - November 27
• Canned Heat, Gary Wright, REO Speedwagon - December 15
• Bloodrock, Spirit, Crabby Appleton - December 20

1972

• Alice Cooper, Redbone, White Witch - January 8
• Smokey Robinson, Georgia Prophets - January 20
• Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Malo featuring David Santana - January 24
• Allman Brothers Band, Alex Taylor - January 25
• Traffic, J.J. Cale - January 31
• Melanie - February 16
• Ike & Tina Turner Revue, Wet Willie - February 19
• "WPLO Shower of Stars" - Waylon Jennings & The Waylors, Freddie Hart, Jim Ed Brown & The Gems, Stonewall Jackson & The Minutemen, Barbara Mandrell & The Mandrells - March 11
• Joe Cocker - March 21
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer - March 28
• The Guess Who - April 5
• Humble Pie, Alexis Corner, Edgar Winter - April 6
• Jethro Tull, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - April 27
• Jackson 5 - May 8
• Chicago - May 15
• Black Sabbath - June 19
• The Staple Singers, Joe Simon, Stylistics- July 13
• "Rock & Roll Revival" - Bill Haley & The Comets, The Coasters, Chubby Checker, Gary U.S. Bonds, Freddie Cannon, Bobby Comstock & The Comstock Ltd - July 15
• Rare Earth - July 18
• Leon Russell - July 20
• Black Sabbath - July 22
• Badfinger, Bloodrock, Kindred - August 3
• Jackson 5 - August 7
• James Gang, Captain Beyond - August 14
• Deep Purple, Fleetwood Mac, Silverhead - August 28-29
• Allman Brothers Band, Wet Willie (8/30), Eric Quincy Tate (8/31) - August 30-31
• The Al Green Review, The Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose, Herb Jubrit - September 16
• T. Rex, Doobie Brothers - September 23
• Yes, Eagles - September 30
• Brother Bait, performing "Tommy" - October 10
• Ten Years After - October 12
• B.B. King, Bobby Womack with Peace, Eric Quincy Tate - November 6
• The Hollies, Raspberries, Danny O'Keefe - November 8
• New Riders of The Purple Sage, Eric Quincy Tate - November 14
• "Bluegrass Music Spectacular" - Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Osborne Brothers, Jim & Jesse, Ralph Stanley, Lewis Family, Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman, Reno-Harrell, James Monroe, Clyde Moody, Curly Seckler - November 18 (12 hours!)
• The Supremes, Jackson 5 - December 1
• Humble Pie - December 14
• Edgar Winter, Wild Turkey - December 16

1973

• Rare Earth - January 20
• Charley Pride, Freddie Hart - January 27
• The Delfonics - February 10
• Traffic, John Martyn, Free - February 14
• Johnny Rivers, Brewer & Shipley - February 15
• Stephen Stills & Manassas - February 17
• Uriah Heep, Silverhead, Spooky Tooth - February 22
• Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, Dr Hook & The Medicine Show - February 26
• "WPLO Shower of Stars" - George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings - March 10
• Pink Floyd - March 24
• Loggins & Messina, Doobie Brothers - March 29
• Stephen Stills & Manassas - April 2
• Wishbone Ash, Vinegar Joe, Dr Hook & The Medicine Show - April 26
• Chi-Lites, The O-Jays, The Main Ingredient, Detroit Emeralds, Moments, Millie Jackson - May 2
• David Gates & Bread - May 3
• Waylon Jennings - May 12
• Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge - May 28
• George Carlin - June 21
• Ike & Tina Turner - July 12
• Black Oak Arkansas, Jo Jo Gunne - July 14
• Beck, Bogert & Appice; Dr John - July 16
• Curtis Mayfield - July 19
• "CTI Summer Festival" - Esther Phillips, Milt Jackson, Hubert Laws, Hank Crawford, Johnny Hammond, Eric Gale, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Bob James, Ralph McDonald, CTI Strings, Frankie Crocker MC - July 21
• Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Speck Rhodes & The Wagonmasters - July 28
• Cactus - August 3
• Kool and The Gang, Ebony - August 5
• Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - August 11
• Roger McGuinn - August 22
• Sha Na Na, Wet Willie - August 23
• Roy Buchanan - September 6
• Al Green, Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose - September
• ZZ Top, Albert King - September 29
• Yes, Eagles - September 30
• Mott The Hoople, Aerosmith, New York Dolls - October 4
• Pat Boone - October 9
• Ten Years After - October 10
• Joe Walsh, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, REO Speedwagon - October 11
• Steve Miller Band - October 17
• Arlo Guthrie - October 21
• John Denver - October 25
• Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn - October 27
• John Mayall, Ballin' Jack - November 1
• Freddie King, Tower of Power, Sylvester & The Hot Band - November 14
• John McLaughlin & The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Argent, Papa John Creech - November 21
• "Shower of Stars" - Hank Williams, Barbara Mandrell, Tom T. Hall, Johnny Rodriguez - November 24
• David Crosby & Graham Nash, David Blue - November 28

1974

• Slade, Brownsville Station - January 16
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer - January 24
• Billy Preston - February 14
• Dave Mason, James Gang - February 21
• B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, Ann Peebles - February 25
• Foghat, Maggie Bell, Frampton's Camel - March 27 
• Beach Boys - April 11
• King Crimson, Grin - April 13
• Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Climax Blues Band - May 6
• Procol Harum, Renaissance - May 8
• Slade, 10cc, Brownsville Station - June 5
• "Guitar Battle of the Century" - Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes, Cactus featuring Mike Pinera - July 26
• Foghat, Brownsville Station - August 5
• Choice, Stories, Brother Louie - August 19
• Mountain - August 21
• New York Dolls, White Witch - September 7
• Joe Cocker - September 9
• Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt - October 31
• Lou Reed - November 7
• Dave Mason, Poco - November 16

The Fox Theatre

• 660 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta GA
• Opened: 1929, as a "movie palace"
• Capacity: 4675
• Note: In 1974, a massive campaign saved the building from demolition. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

The "Fabulous" Fox Theatre

1971

• Grateful Dead - March 18
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer - August 4

1972

• "Live entertainment on a regular basis is projected for the Fox Theater under plans announced today. The first offering under this new format will be rock concerts by both Humble Pie and the J. Geils Band." --Atlanta Journal, by Scott Cain, Friday, October 27, 1972
• "Cin-A-Rock Show" - motion picture Free, with live music - Dr John with The Meters, Wet Willie, Buckwheat - November  29-December 5
• Humble Pie, J. Geils Band, Marc Benno - December 14

1973

• America, "introducing John David Souther" - March 1
• Procol Harum, Doobie Brothers, Tranquility - April 26
• Johnny Winter, Foghat - May 16-17
• The Dells, The Detroit Emeralds, Jackie Moore - July 26
• Clint Holmes, Southside Movement, The Bacchanal, Bro' Malcolm & The Peoples - August 31
• Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, Dalton & Dubarrie - November 2
• Steve Miller Band - November 30
• Blue Oyster Cult, Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - December 7
• Jo Jo Gunne, REO Speedwagon, Montrose - December 27

1974

• New Riders of The Purple Sage, Commander Cody - February 15
• Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - March 1
• Genesis - March 8
• Gregg Allman, Cowboy, Boyer & Talton - March 19-20
• Hawkwind & Man present "1999 Party," Liquid Len & The Lensmen (lightshow), DJ Andy Dunkley - March 29
• Todd Rundgren's Utopia - April 25
• War - April 29
• James Taylor - May 16
• Mott The Hoople, Queen - May 17
• David Bowie - July 1
• Mountain - August 23
• Hawkwind - October 4
• Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Charlie Daniels Band, Bob Seger - October 8
• Marshall Tucker Band, Cowboy, Boyer & Talton - October 11
• Billy Joel, Roger McGuinn Band - October 18
• America - November 1
• Graham Central Station, Mother's Finest - November 9
• Dickey Betts American Music Show, Elvin Bishop - November 19
• Todd Rundgren's Utopia - November 21
• La Belle - November 23
• Manfred Mann's Earth Band; Souther, Hillman & Furay - November 27
• Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge, Billy Swan - November 30
• Gregg Allman, Cowboy, Boyer & Talton - December 31