December 3, 1979: The Riverfront Coliseum Disaster

December 3, 1979: Disaster strikes a concert by The Who at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.

From 1964 to 1978, The Who were Roger Daltrey on lead vocals, Pete Townshend on lead guitar and doing most of the songwriting, John Entwistle on bass guitar, and Keith Moon on drums. On September 7, 1978, Moon's substance abuse reached its inevitable conclusion, and he died. He was replaced on drums by Kenney Jones, formerly of another renowned British rock band, The Faces.

Officially, The Who were recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records as the loudest musical act of all time. Unofficially, many people considered them the best rock band in the world, especially in the early 1970s, when Moon was still mostly functional and possibly the greatest drummer rock and roll has ever known, Townshend was writing some of his best work, The Beatles had broken up, The Rolling Stones were believing their hype a little too much, and Led Zeppelin were still a bit too far out there for mainstream American audiences.

The Who were among the first acts to destroy their instruments at the end of a performance, which sometimes looked like a riot onstage. But there had never been a riot at any of their shows.

They had played the Monterey Pop Festival outside San Francisco in 1967, and Woodstock outside New York City in 1969. They hadn't invented the concept of, well, the concept album. Nor had they invented the concept of the "rock opera." But they had written the 1st truly successful opera to incorporate rock and roll music, Tommy, in 1969. And they had played it at the Metropolitan Opera House at New York's Lincoln Center in 1970. So they were immensely talented and widely respected: They had beaten both rock's best and rock's haters at their respective own games.

Their 1979 tour was their 1st without Moon. Jones was healthier, smarter, and very good. But a lot of the camaraderie had been lost with Moon. Still, they were giving it their best, and had already had a sellout stand at Madison Square Garden.

The Riverfront Coliseum had been built in 1975, on the Ohio River, nearly adjacent to Riverfront Stadium, home of baseball's Cincinnati Reds and football's Cincinnati Bengals. The Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association had played at the Coliseum, but stopped when the league folded and they weren't invited into the National Hockey League. The Coliseum was hosting selected basketball games of the University of Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati Kids of the Major Indoor Soccer League. And it hosted rock concerts.

The Riverfront Coliseum, now named

the Heritage Bank Center

The Who were scheduled to play there on December 3, 1979. At 5:00 PM, a crowd had formed outside the gate for General Admission seating. At 7:15, 45 minutes before the curtain was due to go up, someone thought they'd heard The Who playing. It could have been a sound check. Or, it could have been a section of a documentary film about them that had recently been released, The Kids Are Alright. Whatever it was, some fans were sure that the band was already playing their show.

And the crowd outside the gate surged, and pushed toward the doors. This caused some people to get trampled. Many were crushed against each other and asphyxiated. It was a situation similar to the one that would happen at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England before an FA Cup soccer game 10 years later. There were 11 deaths, and 26 other injuries.

The promoters and the arena operators, desperate to keep the money they were going to make, decided not to tell the band members what had happened. Roger, Pete, John and Kenney played their regular show, not knowing. Only afterward were they told.

This was before the age of social media. News of the similar event that took place at the Astroworld complex in Houston in 2021 swept across the world in minutes. But in 1979, that kind of mechanism for delivering information through mass communication simply wasn't there. Many people didn't even read about it in the newspaper the next morning.

It was only when they saw the network evening news on December 4 that they realized the magnitude of what had happened. The band looked very bad for playing after the tragedy, but that wasn't their fault: They didn't know there was a tragedy. Indeed, of the 18,348 paying ticketholders on the night, most of them weren't in the crowd crush, and they didn't know until the next day, either.

The Who continued their tour. On December 4, at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Daltrey told the crowd, "We lost a lot of family last night. This show's for them."

The families of the victims filed a class-action lawsuit against the band; the promoters, Electric Factory Concerts; and the City of Cincinnati, operators of the arena. The case was eventually settled out of court, with each of the families of the deceased receiving around $150,000 -- about $604,000 in 2022 money.

The City banned "unassigned festival seating" on December 27. This was reflected in an episode of the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, set at a radio station that had, in that fictional version of the world, promoted the concert. The episode, "In Concert," aired on February 4, 1980.

The Who announced their farewell tour in 1982. But in 1989, they went back on tour, this time with Zak Starkey, son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, on drums. In 2001, with the lineup of Daltrey, Townshend, Entwistle and Starkey, the played The Concert for New York City at Madison Square Garden. It was Entwistle's last performance: He died in his hotel room in Las Vegas, just before their 1st show of a planned 2002 tour. Daltrey and Townshend are still alive, and have occasionally reunited with other musicians making up "The Who."

The Riverfront Coliseum still stands, although it's gone through some name changes. In 1997, it became The Crown; in 1999, the Firstar Center; in 2002, the U.S. Bank Arena; and in 2019, the Heritage Bank Center. It has hosted minor-league hockey, mostly the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL; college and minor-league basketball, indoor soccer, arena football -- and, of course, concerts.

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December 3, 1979 was a Monday. On ABC Monday Night Football, the Oakland Raiders beat the New Orleans Saints, 42-35 at the Superdome in New Orleans.

There was 1 game played in the NBA that night: The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Utah Jazz, 96-89 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City. This was the Jazz' 1st season in Utah, after 5 weak seasons in New Orleans, where their name made a lot more sense.

And there was 1 game played in the NHL, a rematch of the previous season's Stanley Cup Finals: The New York Rangers and the defending Champion Montreal Canadiens played to a 3-3 tie at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Warren Miller, and a 2-1 lead on a goal by Phil Esposito. But Larry Robinson canceled out the Miller goal, and Guy Lafleur and Pierre Larouche gave the Habs a 3-2 lead. But Esposito scored again with 13:37 left in regulation, and it ended 3-3.

And actress Tiffany Haddish was born on this day.

June 26, 1977: Elvis Presley's Last Concert

June 26, 1977: Elvis Presley completes his tour at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, home of the NBA's Indiana Pacers and the WHA's Indianapolis Racers.

The tour had been rough. His shows at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Nebraska on June 19 and the Rapid City Convention Center in South Dakota on June 21 were videotaped for a CBS special, which the network intended to air in December. But the June 19 footage had technical issues, and, above and beyond that, Elvis looked awful. The footage was said to be "unusable." The June 21 footage was clear, but Elvis still looked like a mess, way overweight, and sweating too much under the hot stage lights.

The footage that CBS got has never been released to the public, except in "bootleg" footage. In their 1982 book Elvis: The Illustrated Record, Roy Carr and Mick Farren wrote, "Had it been shown during his lifetime, it would have caused more irrevocable damage to what was left of his career than almost a decade of starring in third-rate movies." The network decided they would have to try again on his next tour, to begin in mid-August.

On June 25, in Cincinnati, for the next-to-last show of the tour, he got arguably the worst reviews in his career, save for early on when middle-aged critics weren't willing to accept any rock and roll, especially from its "King." Typical of this was from Ken Williams in the Journal News, a newspaper in the Cincinnati suburbs. I have not changed a word, nor the spelling, nor the punctuation:

There comes a time when a performer should retire for the sake of his fans as well as for himself. I'm sad to say Elvis Presley has reached that time. Reports of recent Elvis concerts have been disheartening indicating that the King of Rock 'n' Roll is dead. Apparently the reports are founded upon truth, and the King confirmed the suspicions with his listless, lifeless performance Saturday night at Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum before another sellout crowd.

It is obvious the fans still love Elvis, as they still pack arenas to see their idol. They come to see the legend, but only find the remains It is a most sad occasion for many, including myself. Gone from his performance is the magic price generated by one of the world's ultimate legends; gone is the energy and vitality of a healthy Elvis; gone is the beauty of the voice that charmed millions.

In last week's AWAY, magazine, Rolling Stone reporter Charles M. Young spoke of Elvis' disaster in Baltimore. I feared the worst for Cincinnati and the fears became a nightmare for me. I don't take pleasure in destroying legends.

On this night, in Indianapolis, the show began at 8:30 -- half an hour later that usual. As usual, there was a warmup comedian, in this case Jack Kahane; orchestra leader Joe Guercio put the orchestra through a few songs; and Elvis' backup singers, the soul group The Sweet Inspirations, including Cissy Houston (Whitney's mother), sang a few songs.

Market Square Arena

At 10:00, Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra was cued up, and then the band went into the familiar opening vamp, and The King took the stage. He seemed to have lost weight, and definitely had more energy. As usual, the show began with his take on the blues standard "C.C. Rider," and included songs from throughout his career, including the early stuff and more recent recordings like "Moody Blue" and "Fairy Tale."

After 1 hour and 20 minutes, he closed his show, as usual, with his 1961 hit "Can't Help Falling In Love," written by George David Weiss (who also wrote "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"). He walked offstage, his "Memphis Mafia" bodyguards escorted him outside to a waiting limousine, and, as he was driven out, an announcer said, as was customary, to discourage people from waiting for an encore, "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building."

The reviews were noticeably better. He flew back to his hometown of Memphis, where another tour was planned, to start in Portland, Maine on August 17. That tour would not take place.

Market Square Arena opened on September 15, 1974, with a concert by Glen Campbell. It hosted Wayne Gretzky's 1st professional hockey game in 1978, and Michael Jordan's return from exile in 1995. It closed on October 22, 1999, with a preseason game won by the Pacers over the Utah Jazz. The last concert was 5 days earlier, with ZZ Top as the headliner, and the surviving members of Lynyrd Skynyrd as the opening act.

On July 8, 2001, with the Pacers having moved into a new arena, currently named the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and the Racers long defunct, Market Square Arena was demolished. When the implosion was done, an announcer told the gathered crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building."

In 2017, Cummins, a vehicle components company, opened their Global Distribution Headquarters on the southern half of the site. A 28-story apartment building, with a Whole Foods store on the ground floor, opened on the northern half the next year. A plaque commemorating Elvis' last concert is also on the site.

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June 26, 1977 was a Sunday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat their arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox, 5-4 at Yankee Stadium. Don Gullett and Reggie Cleveland started, but neither figured in the decision. Gullett took a 4-1 lead into the 9th, but blew it, and had to be bailed out by Sparky Lyle.

Reggie Jackson, whose 11th-inning single had beaten the Sox 2 nights earlier, had already fallen victim to one of manager Billy Martin's moronic replacements of him with Paul Blair for defensive purposes -- this was 8 days after the shouting match in the Fenway Park dugout -- and Reggie would have been the 5th man up in the bottom of the 9th.

This time, though, it worked: With 1 out, Roy White drew a walk. Thurman Munson singled. Chris Chambliss was intentionally walked to load the bases, to set Blair up for the double play. But Martin's move paid off, as Blair singled White home, to complete a 3-game sweep of the Sox. Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-4.

* The New York Mets lost to the Chicago Cubs, 5-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Mike Krukow outpitched Jon Matlack. Bobby Murcer and Steve Ontiveros hit home runs for the Cubs. Bud Harrelson went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles, 2-0 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Pete Vuckovich, not yet the ace of the Brewers, pitched a 6-hit, 1-walk, 12-strikeout shutout, to outpitch Jim Palmer. Rookie Eddie Murray got 2 of those 4 hits.

* A doubleheader was split at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the opener, 7-4. Willie Stargell did not play. The Montreal Expos won the nightcap, 6-3. Stargell went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres, 8-5 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Phil Niekro was the winning pitcher. Willie Montañez, Darrel Chaney and Jeff Burroughs hit home runs. Dave Winfield went 1-for-4 for the Padres.

* A doubleheader was split at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Reds won the opener, 5-4. Fred Norman outpitched Rick Rhoden. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the nightcap, 9-3. Doug Rau went the distance for the win, while Paul Moskau didn't get out of the 1st inning.

Over the 2 games, Pete Rose went 1-for-7 with 2 walks, while Johnny Bench went 0-for-3 with a walk and then sat out the 2nd game.

* A doubleheader was split at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The Cleveland Indians won the 1st game, 6-2. The Detroit Tigers won the 2nd game, 3-2.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Seattle Mariners, 8-6 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Robin Yount went 2-for-4 with a walk.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox, 19-12 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Yes, that's an American League Western Division game, not an NFC Central Division game, although the Vikings also played at The Met before moving with the Twins to the Metrodome in 1982.

The Twins scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 2nd, knocking Steve Stone out of the box, but the Pale Hose came right back with 6 in the top of the 3rd, knocking Bill Butler out. Tom Johnson ended up the winning pitcher.

Rod Carew, in the middle of his Most Valuable Player season, went 4-for-5 with a home run, a walk, and 6 RBIs. He ended the day batting .403. Glenn Adams went 4-for-5 with a home run (a grand slam) and 8 RBIs.

The South Side Hit Men got homers from Lamar Johnson, Eric Soderholm, Jim Essian and Chet Lemon. Brian Downing did not hit a home run, but went 4-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-0 at Busch Memorial Stadium. Jim Kaat allowed 9 hits, but no walks, in 8 innings, and Gene Garber finished a 10-hit shutout. The Phils' runs came on solo home runs by Mike Schmidt (no surprise) and Garry Maddox (a bit of a surprise, since he was a contact hitter and better known for his defense).

* The California Angels swept a doubleheader from the Texas Rangers, each game ending 4-3 in the Halos' favor. Ron Jackson singled Gil Flores home in the bottom of the 11th inning to win the 1st game.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros, 2-0 at the Astrodome in Houston. Ed Halicki pitched a 6-hit shutout, and helped his own cause by going 2-for-3 with an RBI, to outpitch Ken Forsch.

* And a doubleheader was split at the Oakland Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics won the 1st game, 7-3. The Kansas City Royals won the 2nd game, 9-3. Over the 2 games, George Brett went 3-for-9 with a walk.