Summer’s (almost) here, and the time is right.

Remembering the Dr. Pepper summer concert series.

Growing up in the suburbs of New York had many advantages, particularly in an era when parents, to the extent they cared, didn’t mind if we took the train into the city and stayed out all night (last train home left Grand Central at 1:20 am, which would have you walking in the door around 2:15 AM, depending on how far you had to walk from the station).

Thanks to that, low ticket prices and a first-come, first-served entrance policy, my friends and I were able to get very up-close-and-personal at a number of great shows at Central Park’s Wollman Rink. (The concert series later moved to Pier 84, but it wasn’t the same. Hanging out in the shadow of a massive aircraft carrier isn’t very ‘rock and roll.’)

We’d send one or a couple of people down to hold a place near the front of the line, usually around 10 or 11 AM. It was part of the fun. Gradually, the rest of our crew would join and the line would grow throughout the day. Sometime around 6, they’d open the doors for the 8PM show. Aside from a small VIP section (just the first row, usually), you could grab seats right up front.

Look closely and you might see me.

Here’s a list of the shows I remember attending. (memory lapses are due to age, not substances). You’ll notice a few favorites popping up a few times:

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes (SSJ) July 15, 1977

Bruce wasn’t playing live very often in late 1977 (he was busy recording what would become Darkness on the Edge of Town and waiting out his lawsuit with Mike Appel) but, for us, The Jukes were always much more than just a substitute. They were pretty much one of the best live bands you’d ever want to see. Even after he took a near-fatal spill off a stage (in Cleveland, I believe), Southside Johnny Lyon remained a first-rate frontman. A not-to-be-missed band, as you’ll see from the list.

The Patti Smith Group August 4, 1978

Patti Smith was already an icon around NYC, and her album was relentlessly played on WNEW-FM. So, we couldn’t miss this one. An outdoor venue wasn’t, perhaps, the best showcase for her and her band, but the crowd carried them along to a great performance.

SSJ August 7, 1978

Again. See above.

The Kinks August 9, 1978

Sleepwalker is one of my favorite Kinks albums. Side One, I’d offer, is nearly perfect, and Side Two is bracketed by two of the best 70s Kinks songs, “Juke Box Music” and “Life Goes On”. So, I made sure to take advantage of this (at the time) relatively rare opportunity to catch the band. (As you may know, they had long been banned from touring the US due to a dustup with the musician’s union.) A couple of years later, they would blow up with the release of One For the Road, and actually play a show just a few miles from our hometown, at the Dick Clark Theater in Tarrytown.

Blondie + Rockpile July 9, 1979

A massive double-bill. Rockpile did a tasty 45-minute set and Blondie came through as the world-class headliners they were on their way to becoming. Just a few miles as the crow flies from CBGB, but, also, a million miles away.

SSJ July 23, 1979

Joan Armatrading July 26, 1979

Went to this show on the strength of Joan’s reputation. Well worth it. She’d become a big favorite of mine throughout the 80s, a welcome and necessary alternative to the endless parade of synth bands and phony punks.

Ramones +Sylvain Sylvain August 6, 1979

The Ramones were always a big favorite in my high school, and that reached epic, also annoying proportions when the movie Rock n’ Roll High School was released in ’79. The boys from Queens were ubiquitous that summer. The movie played for months, as I recall, at the 8^th Street Playhouse, which leaned into showing rock movies (I also saw The Kids are Alright there.) Syl Sylvain was an integral member of the Dolls, of course, but never much of a frontman. His set was a struggle, as I remember.

Talking Heads + B-52s August 16, 1979

Imagine this as a double bill. For $4.50??

The Cars + The Records August 24, 1979

As great as The Cars were, and as amazing as their first couple of albums will always be, this is the show I mention whenever I’m asked about the worst concert I ever attended. The band stood stock-still as they performed the debut album (and little else) note-for-note. It was the same experience as listening to the LP, only extremely hot and insufferably humid.

Joe Jackson August 1 1980

A few years later, when I worked at 51^st and Madison, I literally bumped into him on the street 3-4 times, always on a Friday afternoon. A tall man with almost translucent skin, he was easily recognized. My theory was his manager worked somewhere close by, or maybe he had a rehearsal space in the neighborhood. He always seemed very annoyed, which was very on brand.

Ramones + Holly and the Italians August 11, 1980

Trust me, Holly and the Italians were a big deal back then. The rising tide of New Wave lifted their boat enough to make the song “Tell That Girl to Shut Up” a minor hit.

The Pretenders August 30, 1980

This was peak Pretenders, before the tragic deaths of James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon. A band that had it all and knew how to use it.

Santana July 8, 1981

I’ve seen some version of Santana every decade since, I’d bet.

Gary US Bonds July 10, 1981

I have to admit, I went to see Gary because he was, at the time, Springsteen-adjacent. A great show, nonetheless, but no sign of The Boss.

Squeeze August 3, 1981

A show at which I did the terribly uncool thing of wearing the band shirt to the gig. Seeing the name on my shirt, an overly friendly man offered his services.

Go-Gos + The Specials August 13, 1981

Much I as enjoy the Go Gos, I was there primarily to see The Specials.

Elvis Costello and the Attractions August 20, 1982

I had seen the band earlier that summer at the once-great, now-gone Cape Cod Coliseum, where I also saw The Clash.

There were other shows, I’m sure, but I couldn’t track down a database that listed them all to jog my memory. Thanks to musiccitymike.net and setlist.fm for helping me remember most of them.