Any memories or stories of Olympia Stadium?

[emu steve]

Emu Steve, we should talk! How did you get that name? It intrigues me because the 'emu' is a large, flightless bird in Australia... here's a recent photo I took of an emu, deep in the Australian Outback...

I'm a photographer in Sydney, Australia. I'm visiting Detroit for five weeks [[July 14 - August 19) to shoot photos, shoot videos, conduct interviews and to cover whatever news stories I can find at street-level.

My visit to Detroit coincides with the 313 birthday of your city. The week-long celebrations are being held from 19-25 July. I'll be there. [[You can't miss me - I'll be the only guy in Michigan with an Australian accent.)

I'll be posting a few questions about photography in 'The D' before I arrive. All comments are welcome. Thanks.

Attachment 23745

I hope no one thinks that photograph is of me.

[Pontiac6000]

My very first concert was the Jackson 5 sometime in the early '70s. I had Michael [[in those days, re: Lookin' Through the Windows album to a tee), the hair, outfits, etc.Attachment 23749

[Pontiac6000]

I saw the J5 there around 1973. I owned Michael's look [[pre Off the Wall)Attachment 23751

[Blueidone]

At about 12 or 13, which would be about 1961/62, my father took me to a hockey game at Olympia. He had great tickets. We were near the corner and could clearly see the goalie through two periods. His name escapes me right now. He got it in the mouth with a puck and spent the rest of the game spitting blood onto the ice in front of the goal! I was cold most of the time, but I remember having a great time!

I also attended a concert there...had to be in the late 70's or early 80's, I think. The concert was for the World Hunger charity that Harry Chapin started. Performers included Harry Chapin, John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot and James Taylor. It was performed on a moving round stage so you got to see each performer no matter where you sat. I was in heaven!! All my favorite singer/songwriters were there. I will never forget it!

Hope you have a grand time in Detroit, night-timer! I don't know if she still reads DetroitYes! or not, but a lady named LodgeDodger is a tour guide in the City. If you are on Facebook, I can connect you with her there for sure, if you are interested in such things.

[EastsideAl]

what's a hoon?

I had to look this up. Apparently, it's essentially an Australian term for a hot rodder or otherwise disruptive or anti-social driver. With the State Police activity over there now, there certainly isn't much 'hoon' driving happening on BI anymore! In fact, driving much more than 20 MPH could get you a ticket these days.

[DetroitPlanner]

I also attended a concert there...had to be in the late 70's or early 80's, I think. The concert was for the World Hunger charity that Harry Chapin started. Performers included Harry Chapin, John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot and James Taylor. It was performed on a moving round stage so you got to see each performer no matter where you sat. I was in heaven!! All my favorite singer/songwriters were there. I will never forget it!

I read an article several years back that either Harry Chapin or James Taylor would go out of their way to play free for charities when they could fit it into their schedule. Class act, not too many folks out there that would do that sort of stuff.

It was most likely late 70's. Nearly everything switched to the Joe immediately following the 1980 Republican Convention. That is about six months in 1980 that the concert may have happened.

[Beech Cricker]

It was most likely late 70's. Nearly everything switched to the Joe immediately following the 1980 Republican Convention. That is about six months in 1980 that the concert may have happened.

From what I have gathered there were no events at Olympia following the final Red Wings' NHL game there on 12/15/79. The one exception was the "Last Hurrah", an exhibition game between the then current Red Wings and the Red Wings old-timers team, in February 1980.

[Beech Cricker]

I consulted the Michigan concert database site. They indicate that the "Four Together World Hunger Concert" was held at Olympia on 10/15/77. They list the final concert at Olympia as 10/24/79 when Jethro Tull performed.

[DetroitPlanner]

I consulted the Michigan concert database site. They indicate that the "Four Together World Hunger Concert" was held at Olympia on 10/15/77. They list the final concert at Olympia as 10/24/79 when Jethro Tull performed.

Wow that is quite a resource!

[Dumpling]

My uncle was an usher at Olympia for a number of years. He had an odd shaped
nose unlike anyone else's in the family; when I asked about it I was told he got it
from breaking up a fight.
One time he procured choice seats for my Dad and myself right behind the Michigan
Tech hockey team bench. My Dad had attended Michigan Tech for a couple of years
in the early fifties. Who they played that time, I don't remember.
Another time all the aunties and cousins and children gathered together for a gala
outing to see the Ice Capades. These were the ice dancers in sequined suits of
their day. I think Peggy Fleming skated with them but I could be wrong again!

[Blueidone]

I consulted the Michigan concert database site. They indicate that the "Four Together World Hunger Concert" was held at Olympia on 10/15/77. They list the final concert at Olympia as 10/24/79 when Jethro Tull performed.

Thanks, Beech Cricker! That was the concert!

[rb336]

The Four Together benefit for World Hunger Year - James Taylor, John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot and Harry Chapin sharing Denver's "in the round" stage. just them and, I think, Red Shea, Lightfoot's guitarist

[EastsideAl]

I consulted the Michigan concert database site. They indicate that the "Four Together World Hunger Concert" was held at Olympia on 10/15/77. They list the final concert at Olympia as 10/24/79 when Jethro Tull performed.

Wow, that is a pretty cool resource. And it links into a giant database of concerts at all kinds of venues everywhere. I just wasted an hour of my life confirming my memories of concerts past, and I'll probably spend a few hours more.

So, the Earth Wind and Fire concert I went to was not the last concert at Olympia after all. I must've gone back up to East Lansing by the time of the Tull concert, because I normally would have seen them too.

The arena was in pretty rough shape and clearly not being maintained much by that time.

[night-timer]

I had to look this up. Apparently, it's essentially an Australian term for a hot rodder or otherwise disruptive or anti-social driver. With the State Police activity over there now, there certainly isn't much 'hoon' driving happening on BI anymore! In fact, driving much more than 20 MPH could get you a ticket these days.

That's right - a hoon is a young male whose life focuses entirely around his car. Hoons display loud bad-taste, spin donuts in their car or get into illegal drag-racing. None of them have girlfriends.

I didn't know the word hoon was uniquely Australian; in the late 1980s I heard an American [[or maybe Canadian) woman use the word - in the Scottish Highlands, no less.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice. Olympia looks like it would've been a behemoth of a building. Working there probably sucked, as I noticed [[on Google Images) a total lack of windows.

[carolcb]

One of my friends had tickets to see the Wings [[her mom worked at Burroughs) and we went. I also went to one game with my dad in the late 60's.
My best Olympia story was when I bought some tickets to see Elton John in 1974 when I was at Eastern and I didn't have any way to get to the show [[these were scalped and I purchased two days before event). I stood up in my classes and asked if anyone was going. We rode down with a girl whose boyfriend drove - in his jacked up Dodge - he gave us a tour of the old neighbor hood and everything. We had a great time....and not a fear really of riding with people we really didn't know.

[Dan Wesson]

We always were up in the private glass enclosed boxes for the red wing games.

[DetroitPlanner]

We always were up in the private glass enclosed boxes for the red wing games.

Ahh a Fancy Lad!

Remember the escalator? My dad would claim it was the longest in the world. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...tinct-nowadays

I believed him until I rode the one in DC by the zoo. My knuckles were white on that one, long and steep! It didn't help that folks used to it were blowing by me as I stood there gripping onto the side.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic..._Columbia.html

[Bigb23]

I went to many events there, but remember getting tickets for Led Zepplin in [[1974?). Wrif announced sales that morning, and thousands of people showed up at Olympia. The crowd surged and the lobby glass started breaking. Then as now, I was 6'4" and 215# the crush was so bad, that I could lift
both feet off the ground and still move with the crowd. Tons of cops and doughnuts showed up to disperse the fans, but I still made my way through the broken glass and got my four tickets. [[Box seats).

[Pickford-Bentler]

Ahh a Fancy Lad!

Remember the escalator? My dad would claim it was the longest in the world. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...tinct-nowadays

I believed him until I rode the one in DC by the zoo. My knuckles were white on that one, long and steep! It didn't help that folks used to it were blowing by me as I stood there gripping onto the side.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic..._Columbia.html

Try the Wheaton Metro stop. I pride myself on being in shape, but walking all the way up that one will set your legs o fire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheaton_[[Washington_Metro)

Sometimes, instead of taking the bus to Glenmont, I drive to the mall, park for free, and use this stop to go to Va.

[Detroitnerd]

I was very young, but I might have seen some stuff there. Perhaps a Peter Pan on Ice show, a rodeo, or a circus performance. Can anybody rule those out?

[9606 Prest]

In the mid 1960s there were only 6 teams in the NHL and to watch the Red Wings at Olympia Stadium was very reasonable, standing room tickets were $2 in the balcony and $3 in the lower arena. Not a bad price for a high school student with limited funds. In the 1964-65 season, the Wings finished first in the NHL and had Howe, Lindsay, Ullman, Delvecchio, Pronovost, Bergman & Crozier in goal. Every Sunday night was a home game while most Saturdays they played on the road. The best games were against Toronto or Montreal when a large number of fans from Canada came to Olympia! In May 1966 Montreal beat the Wings in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals in overtime at Olympia Stadium. Henri Richard of Montreal slid into the net with the puck for the winning goal. The Wings protested that Richard had pushed the puck in with his hand but the goal stood. For his brilliant play in goal during the playoffs, Roger Crozier won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Playoffs. My friend & I stood in the balcony for that tough loss, I don't remember what we paid for those tickets but I still remember that game from so many years ago!

[rb336]

of course, there is this:

[Downriviera]

In the mid 1960s there were only 6 teams in the NHL and to watch the Red Wings at Olympia Stadium was very reasonable, standing room tickets were $2 in the balcony and $3 in the lower arena. Not a bad price for a high school student with limited funds. In the 1964-65 season, the Wings finished first in the NHL and had Howe, Lindsay, Ullman, Delvecchio, Pronovost, Bergman & Crozier in goal. Every Sunday night was a home game while most Saturdays they played on the road. The best games were against Toronto or Montreal when a large number of fans from Canada came to Olympia! In May 1966 Montreal beat the Wings in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals in overtime at Olympia Stadium. Henri Richard of Montreal slid into the net with the puck for the winning goal. The Wings protested that Richard had pushed the puck in with his hand but the goal stood. For his brilliant play in goal during the playoffs, Roger Crozier won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Playoffs. My friend & I stood in the balcony for that tough loss, I don't remember what we paid for those tickets but I still remember that game from so many years ago!

I was at that game too. I was about 9 years old and remember it vividly. Went with my parents and had great seats. I remember they tinted the ice blue for better color tv broadcasts. It was very clear to everyone in the building that Richard pushed the puck in with his hand. Frank Udvari was the ref and he disliked the Wings. I've hated the Montreal Canadians since that day. As we were leaving we saw a guy in the parking lot with a ladder leaned up against the building. He saw me and came down and motioned for my dad to let me climb up. At the top of the ladder I could see through a vent into the Montreal locker room. Watched them spraying champagne and drinking from the cup. This enraged me even more and I am bitter even now.

[Plains_Thunder]

As a fan of old ballparks and arenas, I stumbled across this website quite a few years ago. The author has numerous pictures of Olympia and Tiger Stadiums. Many of the pictures of Olympia Stadium are from the final days and include its demolition. It certainly is sad to see it in that state. I have included direct links to the Olympia pages.

Olympia 1: http://ballparks.phanfare.com/2667176
Olympia 2: http://ballparks.phanfare.com/5507650

[EastsideAl]

of course, there is this:

The Monkees show was, alas, cancelled.