The Concert Room

Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room wraps up season 2 with a blistering performance from the Outlaws, on the Tower Theater stage! The Outlaws rolled in Delco for a 2-nightstand January 29, 1982, and January 30. The January 30 show was broadcast on MTV and captured for a DVD release. The Outlaws are a legendary band that belong on the Mount Rushmore of southern rock bands, blending county, rock and b...

Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room features one of favorite bands at one of our favorite venues, Journey live at JFK Stadium! Journey rolled in to Philly on June 4, 1983, on their Frontiers Tour, to play outside on a beautiful summer evening in front of a sold-out crowd of 90,0000 faithfully strong. Portions of this historic JFK stadium show were filmed by NFL Films and later used for Journey'...

Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room celebrates and features legendary rock band U2. A stellar early performance during the War tour, U2 rolled back in to Philly area to play the Tower Theater on May 13 and 14, 1983 to sold out crowds! The May 13th show was simulcast on Super Groups Concerts network, a shortened broadcast of the entire show running about 45 minutes. We'll play the entire set so...

Send us Fan Mail SRV and Double Trouble rolled back into the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia on June 30, 1990, their fourth appearance at our favorite outdoor music venue in beautiful Fairmount Park in Philly! Listen as we go over his history and performances in our area, and two tunes from this night. The opener “Scuttle Buttin”, a fierce showcase for his stellar blues guitar playing and his ba...

Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room features the legendary band, Foreigner in the early days! Foreigner rolled in to the Spectrum on December 1, 1978, on their Double Visions tour, supported by opening act The Cars. Broadcast on FM Radio, this epic show to a sold-out Philly crowd captures a young but already seasoned band in top form, catching them right on the verge of massive arena superstardom! ...

Send us Fan Mail We are rebroadcasting a prior Podcast Session from Season 1 that celebrates the Anniversary of the legendary world music day - Live Aid. Chuck Darrow, the local esteemed journalist and rock critic, joined me for his recollections of the days leading up to the concerts and takes us backstage during the World event on the 40th anniversary.  July 13, 1985: The global event concerts h...

Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room features the legendary Bon Jovi as we feature an entire live performance from his first show in Philly! Out of the rock clubs and into the bigger venues, Bon Jovi rolled on to South Street shortly after his debut album was released for a headline performance at Ripley’s Music Hall on March 3, 1984. Recorded for promotional purposes, this stellar show has Bon Jovi...

Send us Fan Mail Today we feature one of the most influential bands of the 70's, Thin Lizzy! The band rolled in to the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA for a two night stand- October 20 and 21, 1977 on the Bad Reputation tour. Recorded for King Biscuit Flower Hour and later culled tapes used for the official Live Album, "Live and Dangerous" although uncredited After 3 0yrs of lockup...

Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room to celebrates and remembers 1976 with friend and veteran entertainment Journalist, Chuck Darrow! We dive back 50 years to the great events and shows held at the Spectrum and JFK Stadium during the Spirit of 1976 celebrations in Philadelphia. From Elton Jonhn, Paul McCartney to Springsteen and the local bands, it was a fun and festive summer in Philly!  Chuck Darro...

Send us Fan Mail The Concert Room features legendary performer David Bowie!  Bowie and his band rolled in the Spectrum during his Isolar II world tour on April 28 and 29, 1978 for 2 sold out shows. These shows were recorded for his live album Stage, released later that year. David Bowie and Philadelphia have a long and mutual love of musical history tied together, with his album “Young Americans”...

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...

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...

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 rendi...

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 cu...

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 performa...

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...

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 t...

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 eve...

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 a...

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 demol...

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,...

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 wit...

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...

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, &qu...

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 cata...