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© 2026 The Concert Room
Description
The legendary Philadelphia Spectrum Arena- America's Showplace!
A podcast session about the Philadelphia Spectrum Concerts! From 1967-2009, the Spectrum held and hosted close to 1500 concerts and shows. The Stones, Springsteen, Billy Joel, Zeppelin and the Dead. We will delve in to the performances, recordings and memories. Featuring perspectives from your host Bob Hill and guests, including national and local photographers, the radio, print and media who covered the shows and performers, Spectrum personnel who worked in promotions and the crews... and of course the fans sharing their experiences. Spotlights of bands and performances on the Spectrum stage featuring recordings and archival information. Hit the House Lights and let's rock!
33 Episodes
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Send us Fan Mail The concert room welcomes renowned local professional Photographer and Cinematographer Paul Simeone to the show. Paul has a vast portfolio on his website shooting clients that include portraits, the fashion industry and corporate photo shoots, and within his portfolio is the Legends of Rock gallery. These fine art prints from the early days of concerts and shows captures bands in the early days on various stages in and around the Philadelphia area. Legends such as Zeppelin, T...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room features legendary band Phish, and a stellar performance during their Fall Tour 1997. Phish rolled in to the Spectrum for a 2 night stand, on December 2 and 3, 1997. The shows were recorded and then later released as a 6 CD box set featuring 33 tracks in March 2024 (The Spectrum '97), these shows were the best on the tour, and "Down with Disease" is among the best of the entire 1990's. This could be due to the fact that Trey Anastasio considers the Spectrum h...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room features 2 rocking performances from the legendary American rock band, Aerosmith! Aerosmith rolled back in to the Philly area on March 26, 1978 to play on the stage in the Tower Theater during the Draw the Line tour. They barrel into the opener “Rats in the Cellar”, a commentary on the band's tumultuous lifestyle during the 70's, and later a killer rendition of “Seasons of Wither. The setlist was filled with classics and deep cuts. Recorded as a bootleg, this...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room Welcomes special guest Russ DiBella, local musician and author who’s love of music and backstage adventures are captured in his book, “From the Inside: A Backdrop to the Music of My Life”. "From the Inside" is a fun and informative detailed look of how music shaped his life, became an integral part of his world and lets fans peek behind the proverbial curtain of the shows and concerts during the heyday of rock shows from the Spectrum to Camden Waterfront to L...
Send us Fan Mail Ike Richman, the former VP of PR at the Spectrum for over 2 decades returns to give us the inside perspective and marketing behind the final season and events planned for the Spectrum's closing in 2009. Our session is dedicated to the personnel and fans who helped make the Spectrum "America's Showplace" during its forty plus years of hosting events and performances. The final celebrations are still talked about today and Ike's thoughtful creativity working with Chairman Ed Sn...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room welcomes back The Grateful Dead for another great homestand in the Fall of 1989. Sad news hit us recently when Bob Weir, a founding member of The Dead and popular legendary musician, passed away on January 10, 2026. This show is dedicated to Bobby as we honor him and his band, and the great performances and shows at the Spectrum! The Dead rolled in to the Spectrum during their Fall East Coast tour on October 18, 1989, for a spectacular three nightstand, with ...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room features one of the greatest recording and live acts in music! Jethro Tull rolled in to The Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA for a two nightstand, on the “The Not Quite the World, More the Here and There Tour” supporting the Album Crest of a Knave. The second night at the Tower was simulcast/recorded on FM stations for the King Biscuit Flower Hour and broadcast to cities across the U.S. Once again, Philly is chosen for this honor and the Tower Theater, ...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room celebrates local legends The Hooters! There have been many bands and Artists who formed and played in our area back in the heyday 80’s but no band captured the fun and spirit of the local scene than The Hooters. From the early 80’s success in the Clubs to the National stage kicking off with their debut album in 1983 and opening the Live Aid world benefit music event in Philadelphia, The Hooters enjoyed world fame while still coming home to perform at events a...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room welcomes friend and longtime Philly resident Stephen Hightower to the show. Stephen is a photographer/artist who has shot his subjects with a great eye on the artistic viewpoint, including our own Spectrum Arena! In this session we hit on topics such as the concert experience, his great photos capturing events and the arena, the special qualities of the Spectrum as a concert venue, and the closing events in which he attended. Stephen's photography perspective...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room celebrates the closing of the Spectrum! In this session, the closing events are discussed in 2009 - The last call series of Concerts, The last Stroll and of course Pearl Jam's incredible 4-night sold out closing shows at the end of October 2009, culminating in the last, final public performance ever on Halloween night. Soon after, the Spectrum would be demolished. The Spectrum is a monument to millions of historical moments and memories to which Philade...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room celebrates and remembers local Philly legendary Disc Jockey and friend to all, Pierre Robert! Pierre passed away on October 29, 2025, and his forty plus year of rock radio at WMMR, Robert became a fixture of the Philadelphia music and radio scene. He was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance’s Music Walk of Fame in 2019. His show became known for its warm, welcoming tone—he greeted listeners with the signature phrase "Greetings, Citizens!" and cultiva...
Send us Fan Mail The Boss rolled in to town again (prior shows in May of '78) during the Darkness on the Edge of Town tour for a two night stand on August 18 and 19, 1978. Philadelphia and Springsteen have a long and storied history. The Spectrum and Bruce are intertwined together in Rock history. Our session goes over the beginnings of his career and the path that led him to superstardom with the help of Philly and the sold-out crowds, while his concerts in Philly were legendary. The feature...
Send us Fan Mail Season 2 kicks off with longtime friend and local musician Dennis Parrish! Dennis has a long history of shows and concerts in the Philadelphia region and in this episode, we talk about some standout shows and stories from the Spectrum and the original Electric Factory venue. Dennis took on a project to pull all of his Ticket Stubs he managed to save over the years, dating back to beginning in 1969. He created a website to archive his stubs along with show notes for references...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room features the legendary band from London, The Who! The Who rolled in to the Spectrum during their tour in support of Quadrophenia, which was released in 1973. On the night of December 4, 1973, The Who was recorded for the US FM Radio show, King Biscuit Flower Hour of the concert at the Spectrum in front of a sold-out enthusiastic crowd! The opener of the show, "I Can't Explain" set the vibe and mood for a great evening of tunes! Mixing hits and the compl...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room features legendary artist Billy Joel from his breakout small session at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia on April 15, 1972. Performing songs from his debut Album "Cold Spring Harbor" in the studio for Rock Station WMMR's concert series at Sigma Sound, it was the performance of the unreleased song "Captain Jack" here that would help catapult his career. The DJ's would play this in heavy rotation, while it caught fire up the East Coast capturing the attentio...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room features a twofer from Tom Petty in the early days. Petty and the Heartbreakers rolled in to the Spectrum for their first appearence ever at America's Showplace, on July 9 and 10, 1980. In the midst of the Damn the Torpedoes Tour, the July 9 show was recorded for live FM radio Broadcast, and it showcases Petty and the Band's heartland Rock genre they would hone to a fine art throughout the next couple of decades. Enjoy this performance of "I Need to Know" goi...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room features a great performance by one of our favorite bands in the 80's, Dokken! Opening for Aerosmith this night on November 10, 1987, Dokken rocked a packed Spectrum house with a fiery set of all of their hits. Blending great harmonies, melody, top notch musicianship and Don's spectacular tone and vibrato, this performance captures Dokken at their peak. This is the final song of their set for a great night of tunes! Dokken Official: dokken.net Dokken Of...
Send us Fan Mail YES played the Spectrum a total of 18 times, some dates were multiple night stays such as this tour- part of the summer leg of the tour supporting the album Tormato, YES rolled in to the Spectrum for a 3-night stay - June 20, 21 and 22nd. The concert staging was 'in the round'. The stage was set up in the middle of the Spectrum and rotated slowly while they performed. These shows are legendary! This performance of Roundabout was recorded on the evening of June 21, 1979, to an...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room dedicates this session to Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away from us on July 22, 2025. Ozzy is celebrated and beloved throughout the World and we thank him for his life and music, and of course the performances. We celebrate Ozzy with a performance of Symptom of the Universe, recorded at the Asbury Park Convention Center on August 5, 1975. Playing to a raucous and sold-out crowd, this concert captures Sabbath at their live peak! Sabbath rolled in to The Spectrum ...
Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room continues to celebrate the legacy of Ozzy Osbourne, featuring a blistering performance of Flying High Again recorded at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA on June 4, 1989. Ozzy and his band were on fire this tour, supoorting the No Rest for the Wicked album. Ozzy will be sorely missed but we thank him for his life and music and staying true to himself!
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