Plain Dealer Historical Collection

Classic Cleveland concert ads: Richfield Coliseum 1974-94

RICHFIELD, Ohio -- This year marks the 25th anniversary of the last concert ever held at the old Richfield Coliseum.

Though the arena at I-271 and Route 303 was best known as the home of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, the venue opened with a concert. Frank Sinatra christened the Coliseum stage on October 26, 1974. Twenty years later, Roger Daltrey turned off the show lights on Sept. 1, 1994. In between, the "Palace on the Prairie" was the site of memorable shows by music's biggest stars, from Elvis Presley and Bruce Springsteen to Prince and U2.

If Cleveland was the birthplace of rock and roll, Richfield was its capital, at least until the Rock Hall opened 20 miles to the north in 1995. That's because the Coliseum was such a special place to see a show.

Why? First, it was easy to get to, right off I-271 and with plenty of parking. There wasn't a bad seat in the house thanks to the arena's open-bowl, loges-at-the-top design. The acoustics were very good for such a big place.

But what separated it from other concert venues in the region were the acts the place drew. In those days, you didn't have to worry about the biggest shows skipping Cleveland. They all played the Coliseum. Always.

So, let's take a trip down memory lane and relive the Richfield Coliseum's glory days through these more than 50 vintage concert ads.

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October 25, 1974

In a cover a story in The Plain Dealer's Action Tab -- the predecessor to the newspaper's Friday! magazine -- on the eve of the Coliseum's first show, reporter William Hickey compared the new arena to the Roman Colosseum.

"However, Mileti's Coliseum, located near the intersection of Ohio 303 and Interstate 271, houses appointments spectacular even in this day and one can only imagine how boggled of mind first century Romans would have been upon seeing the like it."

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October 26, 1974

'Ol Blue Eyes opened the Coliseum on Oct. 26, 1974. "The crisscross of lights, mirroring the animation of 21,000 stylish people packed from floor to roof, transformed the gray amphitheater in the hills of Richfield Township into a huge first-night bouquet of green and blue," The Plain Dealer wrote on its front page the following morning. "It was Frank Sinatra who fixed this wash of color on the stage, holding it in a view remembered long after it was over."

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October 4, 1974

Stevie Wonder brought Chaka Khan with Rufus and Wonderlove with him for the first rock concert at the Coliseum. "It was a mind-bending soul platter that had Apollo Theatre roots, and all the historical makings of a film presentation at the Rock Hall today," cleveland.com writer Peter Chakerian recalled in 2014.

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November 8, 1974

The Beatles were long broken up by the time the Coliseum opened, but George Harrison was booked to play one of the first concerts there on December 2, 1974. Unfortunately, the two shows were cancelled due to a snowstorm.

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February 8, 1975

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April 18, 1975

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May 30, 1975

This show took place 13 months before Tina Turner filed for divorce from her husband following an infamous altercation in a limo in Las Vegas.

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June 13, 1975

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June 29, 1975

Elvis Presley played two sold-out shows in Richfield during an eventful summer at the Coliseum in 1975. "His white-sequined jump suit is a couple of sizes larger these days. And granted his blue-black hair is a bit thinner, and even his most worshipping fan will admit he doesn't shake it like he used to," the Cleveland Press wrote following the first show. "But his voice never sounded better, and that's what made him king of rock n' roll for more than 20 years."

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July 4, 1975

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August 22, 1975

For as little as $6, you could've seen Paul Anka perform "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" live and in person.

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March 12, 1976

Promoters didn't take out full-page ads very often, but John Denver was at his peak and had a new album, "Windsong," to sell.

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April 30, 1976

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July 4, 1976

1976 was quite the summer for rock and roll fans in Cleveland.

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December 17, 1976

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June 3, 1977

More than 40 years later, the Osmonds are still playing Cleveland. Donny and Marie performed at the Hard Rock Rocksino back in December 2018, while Marie will return there with brothers Merrill and Jay in March 2019.

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August 26, 1977

The Jacksons at the Coliseum would've been a great show, but the brothers ended up canceling the gig.

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November 25, 1977

Three future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acts graced the Coliseum stage in November 1977, though you can make an argument that Kansas should have made it four.

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February 17, 1978

Six words: "See EWF disappear into thin air!"

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March 31, 1978

Bob Seger! David Bowie! Genesis! Peabo Bryson! But tell me more about that little movie advertised in the corner.

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May 5, 1978

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June 2, 1978

The summer of '78 brought the Isley Brothers (with special guest Teddy Pendergrass) and Crosby, Stills & Nash to the Coliseum. But I'm pretty sure my parents dragged me to the Front Row for that epic Rich Little and Mel Torme show instead. (I distinctly remember seeing Rich Little do a Henry Kissinger impression and not knowing who that was, but I don't remember if it was in 1978).

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November 17, 1978

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December 29, 1978

Bruce Springstreen brought his "Darkness on the Edge of Town" tour to Cleveland three times in 1978. But his show on New Year's Eve nearly ended in disaster after a fan threw a lit firecracker at the Boss' face.

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September 14, 1979

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October 12, 1979

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September 18, 1981

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November 27, 1981

One of the Coliseum's biggest draws was its central location, as this 1981 ad touted.

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November 27, 1981

The Michael Stanley Band ruled the Cleveland concert scene in the early 1980s.

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May 21, 1982

After a decade when concert tickets cost below $10, prices started to creep up in the early '80s.

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July 16, 1982

Country music singer turned movie star turned pop superstar Olivia Newton-John brought her massive hit "Physical" to the Coliseum concert stage in August 1982.

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July 30, 1982

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April 29, 1983

On the strength of their "Frontiers" album, which included monster hits like "Separate Ways',"Faithfully," "Chain Reaction" and "Send Her Love" and spawned an arcade game, Journey sold out three consecutive nights at the Coliseum in 1983. The future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers were joined by Bryan Adams, then a little known Candian singer who just released "Cuts Like a Knife."

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March 2, 1984

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September 21, 1984

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February 22, 1985

U2's inconspicuous placement at the bottom of this ad wasn't a mistake. The band, a few months shy of a career-making performance at LiveAid, wasn't a household name yet.

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April 19, 1985

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June 14, 1985

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July 26, 1985

Best known for its rock concerts, the Coliseum hosted some of the biggest country stars too. The Willie Nelson/Waylon Jennings & Jessi Colter show, though, had to compete with Sylvester Stallone's blockbuster "Rambo."

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October 18, 1985

This was probably the first and last time Bon Jovi's name appeared in tiny letters under Ratt.

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May 30, 1986

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September 19, 1986

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March 27, 1987

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July 17, 1987

True story: My cousins and I camped overnight in the Coliseum parking lot waiting to buy Madonna tickets. When we finally got to the ticket window, we split into two groups. They got floor seats. I ended up in the nosebleed section. Yes, I'm still bitter about it.

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September 18, 1987

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January 15, 1988

Def Leppard will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 29, 2019.

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July 1, 1988

In his review of the Michael Jackson show, The Plain Dealer's music critic Edward Hill wrote on Oct. 11, 1985, "'Bad,' Jackson's farewell road opus, swept into the Coliseum last night, under the cloud of sheer hysteria, with the force of a thousand hurricanes. Jackson jampacked 19 songs, including two encores and a lot of theatrics into a 2 1/2-hour songfest that was a spectacle rivaling a Busby Berkley production."

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July 15, 1988

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August 26, 1988

I camped overnight in the Coliseum ticket line on three occasions as a teenager, the final time for this George Michael show in 1988. My cousin Irene and I had a blast.

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August 25, 1989

After appearing at the Medina County fair a few months earlier, New Kids on the Block were at their "Hangin' Tough" peak by the time they arrived at the Coliseum in late 1989.

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THE 1990s

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January 19, 1990

Janet Jackson will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March as part of the class of 2019.

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June 15, 1990

cleveland.com writer Peter Chakerian remembers those David Bowie shows this way: "Bowie was neither Ziggy nor Thin White Duke on these nights; he was 'retiring' his back catalog on the road after releasing a career retrospective box-set. The shows themselves were positively stellar, but the back-to-back nights at the Coliseum were capped with a visit by U2's Bono and The Edge. Bowie eventually coaxed Bono out on stage, and into singing lead on The Doors' 'Gloria.'"

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August 17, 1990

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May 31, 1991

Full disclosure: 1991 me probably would've gone to both Guns n' Roses and that epic Tony! Toni! Tone! / C&C Music Factory / Gerardo and Tara Kemp show.

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Belkin Productions

July 1994

Roger Daltrey's "Celebration of the Music of Pete Townshend and The Who," was the final concert at the Coliseum.

Michael Norman, The Plain Dealer's music critic at the time, reported just fewer than 5,000 people attended. At one point promoters even considered moving the show to a smaller venue.

Instead, the show went on but in the smaller, more intimate Coliseum Theatre configuration. In his review, Norman wrote that "Daltrey and his band and orchestra (which included Who bassist John Entwistle) sounded great in the scaled-down venue."

But, "Fans looking for the visceral energy of The Who's vaunted live shows probably left disappointed," Norman wrote. "But Daltrey and his new musical compatriots cooked up a different kind of excitement. The orchestra added a certain elan to The Who's music, and the expanded arrangements brought out new shades and emotions."

While the Roger Daltrey show was the last concert ever at the Coliseum, the minor-league hockey team Cleveland Lumberjacks played three exhibitions games at the arena before turning out the lights.

A few weeks later, on Oct. 17, 1994, Billy Joel christened the new place downtown with the first concert ever at Gund Arena.