Several key events from July of 1980, continuing my 30-years-ago reminiscenses: • Sometime around the middle of the month, I saw the Doobie Brothers in concert, with my old Mizzou roommate Bob. This was at the Checkerdome, like the earlier Who concert was, and again we had floor seats. From what I remember, it...
No Lines For The Men’s Restroom
About halfway through Lilith Fair last night, my brother Phil and I were estimating the male-to-female ratio of the crowd. I guessed 20:80; he figured it was 10:90. He may have been closer to the right number than I was. There are advantages for the males in a ratio like that—people-watching is more fun,...
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair, the all-women music festival founded in the late 1990s by Sarah McLachlan, returned to St. Louis last night. And just like the first two times it came to town, my brother Phil and I–both big Sarah fans–were in attendance. In 1997 and 1998 (the festival also toured in 1999, but didn’t come...
Return of the Air Show
After a five-year absence, Fair St. Louis brought back one of its most popular features this year: the air show over the Mississippi River. The show, which this year was held three times over the holiday weekend, features a variety of military and private aircraft, doing some pretty amazing tricks in front of the...
Rescue At Sea
It was actually refreshing to read this story today, about the rescue of Abby Sunderland: …The countries involved in the rescue effort have brushed off questions about the cost of the rescue and have no plans to seek recompense. Rescues at sea are a no-cost agreement under international conventions regarding maritime search and rescue...
More Mud To Move
Several weeks ago, I posted this picture of workers cleaning mud off of the cobblestones on the St. Louis riverfront. The mud had been left there when the Mississippi River rose above flood stage, and then fell back out. I said then that their job was worthy of the television show “Dirty Jobs.” But...
April 28, 1980: The Who At The Checkerdome
Note: This is the third of a three-part “mini-series” of posts. The first two parts are here and here, but if you’d like you can start right in with this one. The St. Louis Who concert announcement may have been the worst-kept secret in the world. By the time they actually went public, in...
Why Should I Care If I Have To Cut My Hair?
“I’ve got to move with the fashions, or be outcast…” The story of our WHO weekend in 1980 continues. Episode 1 is here. After our adventure in Columbia, Geoff and I rode the bus back to St. Louis on Monday, arriving mid-afternoon at the downtown bus station. I showed him around a bit; I...
A One-Way Drive In 1980
Preface: Maybe I have a strong internal calendar. I seem to remember a lot of key dates in my life ; I remember way more birthdays than I have a right to; and if I hear it’s the anniversary of something or other, it always seems to be more interesting to me than to...
A New Way To Look At St. Louis, Ctd.
Here are a couple more pictures I liked from my walk across the river the other day. (As always, click on the thumbnail for a larger view.) First, as you see above, a panorama of the St. Louis Skyline from across the river. The overlook at Malcolm W. Martin Park is a little back...