CONCERT FLASHBACK: February 21st, 1979. 41 years ago today. The Arena. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Carbondale, IL. Heart. With opening act, Exile. Ticket price: photo credentials.
Heart was red hot in early 1979. Touring to promote the band’s fourth album, “Dog and Butterfly.” Still the “classic” line up with Ann and Nancy Wilson, Roger Fisher, Howard Leese, Steve Fossen, and Michael Derosier.
It was announced they’d play The Arena, on the campus of SIU-Carbondale on February 21st.
In an attempt to score great seats, I spent the night before tickets went on sale in the backseat of my Ford Granada in the arena parking lot. It was cold, and it was wasted time. Early the next morning, approaching the box office, I discovered the staff handing out wrist bands with numbers. The lottery system. My turn finally came, floor seats were secured.
At some point, an idea was hatched. Why not take it one step further and apply for a photo pass?
Early in the afternoon the day of the show, I approached a roadie who was loading in equipment. “You need to talk to the road manager, Kelly Curtis,” the guy said. “He’ll be around in a couple of hours.”
I went home and grabbed a binder with photos of previous bands and concerts I’d photographed. Most were pretty raw. But I took my “portfolio” back to campus and tracked down Curtis. He studied the photos and called out some names he recognized. I made my pitch, offering to send photos to management for use. He bought it. I was in!
Instructions were given as to when and where to be that evening to pick up the photo pass. The next move was a short drive downtown to purchase 4-5 rolls of color transparency film. Super excited, I killed time at home before heading back to the arena for the evening.
The photographers, a few of us, were led into the photo pit directly below the stage. The area between the stage and audience, separated by a solid wall approximately 3-4 feet tall. Exile, a group of soft rockers, opened the evening. A few photos were made of them, just to make myself look busy.
Heart came out and opened with “Cook With Fire.” These were the days when photographers were allowed to shoot the entire show from the pit. And in this case, we even had access to make photos from the side of the stage, stage left. It gave a great view of Michael Derosier and his drum kit.
Ann belted out songs. Nancy played her Ovation guitar and sang back up. Roger Fisher played his Gibson SG really well. He also seemed to want to channel Jimmy Page in appearance. Fisher wore a satin suit adorned with dragons, much like Page wore in that era.
It went fast. I had fun and figured that was it… Until I got into a small group who were invited and escorted backstage. There was a short wait and then we were led back. The Wilson sisters were seated. Nancy with a dog on her lap. Ann had her neck wrapped in a scarf to keep that voice intact. Band members milled about. Roger Fisher and Steve Fossen were especially nice. They were tired but polite. Autographs were signed. Some photos taken. I handed Nick Sortal, the entertainment writer for The Daily Egyptian, the student paper, one of my Minoltas. The Wilson sisters and me. Sweet!
The set list. I can’t verify this one was from Carbondale. I DO know they opened with “Cook With Fire,” I DO know they encored with Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” And I DO know “Devil Delight” was early in the show. I have no reason to believe otherwise, that the set list provided here is not the exact show they did in Carbondale. And it was a fine show.
Following through on my promise, I did send photos to Seattle. Nothing came of it, but my photos were returned. Looking today, the exposures were a tad hot and a tad contrasty. It was a huge boost in experience.
And the road manager, Kelly Curtis? He moved up a notch. Years later, he took the title as “manager” for another Seattle band. Pearl Jam.
