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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 demolished. The Spectrum is a monument to millions of historical moments and memories to which Philadelphians cling. Listen as Pearl Jam close out their epic 41 song set finale with 'Alive and "Rocking in the Free World" on October 31, 2009. 

Full Show - October 31, 2009:

https://youtu.be/TsXw4ADWSLI?si=42OtH3hqGehsSJGo

David Fricke- Rolling Stone Magazine:

Ode to an Arena 

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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, welcoming tone—he greeted listeners with the signature phrase "Greetings, Citizens!" and cultivated a style that married deep appreciation of rock history, a wide view of newer music, and a genuine affection for his listeners and local music community. He was an old school rock DJ who spun vinyl cuts, took requests and interviewed the bands or artists who rolled in to Philly for a show.

He wasn’t just on the air—he was in the crowd, at shows, supporting local venues and listeners. Chances are, someone in Philly regardless of age has a photo of him taken at a show or on the street. He carried a “West Coast calm meets Philadelphia passion” energy and was beloved for treating his listeners as friends rather than simply an audience. He will be missed!

In honor of Pierre and his love of the Grateful Dead, a fitting performance of “Ramble on Rose” at JFK stadium on July 7, 1989, which is the last show ever at the stadium. I bet thousands of people ran into Pierre this day! 

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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 with the help of Philly and the sold-out crowds, while his concerts in Philly were legendary. The featured song from these 2-night spectacular shows is a fan favorite to this day. The Boss and the E Street Band are in high form energy this night at the peak of their live shows! 

Official Website: 

brucespringsteen.net

Full Spectrum Show:

https://youtu.be/EgCVHSpz_a0?si=n2BeQMbV0ArB-III

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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 beginning in 1969. He created a website to archive his stubs along with show notes for references. This website is still viewed worldwide and I use it for references for my podcast. We delve in to shows, stories and the early concert experience! I hope this brings back many memories of concerts at your local club/rock arena! 

Link to Website:

Dennis Parrish - Concerts at the Spectrum - Electric Factory and more

Performance info with Stevie Wonder w/recording:

http://parrishmag.net/fame.html

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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, "I Can't Explain" set the vibe and mood for a great evening of tunes! Mixing hits and the complex set of songs from the album Quadrophenia, this particular show is captured beautify by King Biscuit! 

Website: 

thewho.com

King Biscuit Flower Hour full show: 

https://youtu.be/Bv6bCr4K7z8?si=kjJMLcAlNkythrXd

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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 catapult his career. The DJ's would play this in heavy rotation, while it caught fire up the East Coast capturing the attention of Clive Davis. Billy Joel would sign with Columbia Records and release the album "Piano Man" the following year and the rest is history. A young performer is captured nicely in an intimate setting! Next, we fast forward to a more mature and confident singer- songwriter and entertainer, with a stellar performance of "Vienna" to a sold-out Spectrum crowd on October 13, 1986. Billy and the band are relaxed and in fine form, with high energy satisfying the Spectrum crowd. Philly and Billy Joel are forever tied to one another, and this makes us proud to help launch his phenomenal career! 

Home | Billy Joel Official Site

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The Concert Room features a twofer from Tom Petty in the early days. Petty and the Heartbreakers rolled in to the Spectrum for their first appearence ever at America's Showplace, on July 9 and 10, 1980. In the midst of the Damn the Torpedoes Tour, the July 9 show was recorded for live FM radio Broadcast, and it showcases Petty and the Band's heartland Rock genre they would hone to a fine art throughout the next couple of decades. Enjoy this performance of "I Need to Know" going right in to "Don't do me Like That" with the fired-up Spectrum crowd! 

https://www.tompetty.com/

Full Show:

https://youtu.be/wDX5TLRiIE0?si=iU_GooHZZH7Qws_t

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The Concert Room features a great performance by one of our favorite bands in the 80's, Dokken! Opening for Aerosmith this night on November 10, 1987, Dokken rocked a packed Spectrum house with a fiery set of all of their hits. Blending great harmonies, melody, top notch musicianship and Don's spectacular tone and vibrato, this performance captures Dokken at their peak. This is the final song of their set for a great night of tunes! 

Dokken Official: dokken.net

Dokken Official Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@dokkenofficial

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YES played the Spectrum a total of 18 times, some dates were multiple night stays such as this tour- part of the summer leg of the tour supporting the album Tormato, YES rolled in to the Spectrum for a 3-night stay - June 20, 21 and 22nd. The concert staging was 'in the round'. The stage was set up in the middle of the Spectrum and rotated slowly while they performed. These shows are legendary! This performance of Roundabout was recorded on the evening of June 21, 1979, to another sold out Spectrum crowd, and the show was filmed and released as a DVD "Yes: Live in Philadelphia 1979", in 1995 on Sanctuary Records Group. The encore of Roundabout closes out a decade of YES shows at the Spectrum that are beloved and full of wonderful memories! 

YES will always be loved in the City of Brotherly Love! 

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The Concert Room dedicates this session to Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away from us on July 22, 2025. Ozzy is celebrated and beloved throughout the World and we thank him for his life and music, and of course the performances. We celebrate Ozzy with a performance of Symptom of the Universe, recorded at the Asbury Park Convention Center on August 5, 1975. Playing to a raucous and sold-out crowd, this concert captures Sabbath at their live peak! Sabbath rolled in to The Spectrum the next night and blasted us with another stellar concert!

Here is a link to the full show in Asbury Park, NJ:

https://youtu.be/6HCE9JwFKkA?si=jqHUlT1ozcRV-jdM