Stein later explained the mix-up to the Beacon Journal: “You understand, man, that the promoter kept telling our agent about Blossom Center in Northampton Township. “Which is kind of appropriate, huh?” Pera said. The band played a 90-minute set, and, yes, it included “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” They had to be extremely tired themselves after what they had gone through.” After apologizing for being four hours late, lead singer and organist Mark Stein, bassist Tim Bogert, lead guitarist Vince Martell and drummer Carmine Appice rocked the house. Vanilla Fudge had arrived.Ībout 12:30 a.m., the band took the stage to loud applause. Vanilla Fudge had landed at Paton Airport in Kent. Eventually, so many people left that they just let us come into the pavilion.” “I don’t exactly remember what we were doing all that time because it was a long time to wait,” Pera said. Some fans did leave - maybe 1,000 or more - but most stayed. “That was in the era of peace, love and whatever,” Zeh said. Throughout the night, the crowd kept calm. The audience roared as the winning entry flew 25 rows onto the stage. Syroid likened it to “a Santa Watch for hippies.”įans entertained themselves with a paper airplane contest, tearing pages out of Blossom programs to fold into gliders. “Everybody would cheer and carry on and go back to what they were doing,” Zeh said. Every so often, an emcee would assure the crowd that Vanilla Fudge was on the way. She described the Vanilla Fudge show as “a mini Woodstock,” although it preceded the New York festival by a month. “I think we got paid three bucks a night, but you got to see everything,” she said. “All they kept saying was ‘The Fudge will be here soon.’ So we just kind of waited it out,” Pera said.Ĭarol Zeh, 69, of New Franklin, was a Blossom usher that evening. The opening group seemed to be stretching its act. Pera sat on the lawn with his teenage band, the Tantrums. They had half of their equipment because the other half was with Vanilla Fudge, but they did get up there and play.” “The warm-up band, I can’t remember who they were,” said musician Mick Pera, 69, of Fairlawn, who was in the crowd that night. “Some people even started little bonfires as the evening drew on.”Ī Cleveland disc jockey introduced an opening act that hadn't been advertised but it could have been Illusion, Underground Sunshine, Supa Heat or Rhinoceros, all of which played dates that summer with Vanilla Fudge. “They’re bringing in their own beer, their own wine, their own food, their own pot - a number of them,” Syroid said. They found seats in the pavilion or set up blankets on the lawn. Meanwhile, more than 5,000 fans had filtered into Blossom after navigating two-lane Steels Corners Road and parking in grass lots at the sprawling complex. Unfortunately, Vanilla Fudge landed in North Hampton, a Clark County village near Springfield and Dayton. The band had performed in Montreal and chartered a private plane for the Ohio concert. Its other singles, perhaps ironically, included “Take Me for a Little While” and “Where Is My Mind.” Vanilla Fudge, which hailed from Long Island, New York, was best known for its Supremes cover “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” a Top 10 hit. Northampton Township in suburban Akron wasn’t easy to find on the map.” “For one, touring performers had to learn where exactly this new venue was located. “There were learning curves during those early days,” recalled Ron Syroid, 73, of Akron, Blossom’s original director of ushering. at the amphitheater in its second season in Northampton Township, now part of Cuyahoga Falls. Pavilion seats cost $2.50 and lawn tickets were $2 for adults or $1 for kids. The 1969 concert was scheduled for 8:30 p.m. The Blossom crowd waited patiently as the psychedelic group backtracked nearly 200 miles to reach a gig that has become part of rock ’n’ roll legend. The rock band Vanilla Fudge kept its fans hanging on 50 years ago when it flew to the wrong Ohio town for a concert. A funny thing happened on the way to Blossom Music Center.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |