When Led Zeppelin played, I know they destroyed at least one room. I remember thinking, ‘My God, we’re having some kind of satanic séance here.’”. He was a joy to photograph.”. Cleveland Arena was an arena in Cleveland, Ohio.It was built and privately financed by local businessman Albert C. Sutphin during the height of the Great Depression in 1937 as a playing site for Sutphin's AHL team, the Cleveland Barons.The arena was at 3717 Euclid Avenue, and seated 10 000+ in the stands and 12,500+ for events such as boxing where floor seating was available. From United States +C $20.74 shipping estimate. You can listen to audio version of this story via our CLE Rocks pocast. But Led Zeppelin’s live shows quickly cemented the band’s status as something special. But the remains of a parking lot and section of Route 303 are enough to bring back vivid memories. He was confronted by a security guard. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. I can drive past there and you can almost kind of see in your mind’s eye where it was. “He also had a restaurant that had magnificent food. That led to Grant, Bonham, tour manager Richard Cole and John Bindon, a London gangster hired to help with the band’s security, being arrested for assaulting the security guard, who had to be rushed to the hospital. The Coliseum, which opened in 1974, replaced the ancient Cleveland Arena. All rights reserved (About Us). You gotta listen to this.’ And he put on ‘Led Zeppelin I’ and ‘Dazed and Confused’ came on. “If they’re to help fill the void created by the demise of Cream, Led Zeppelin will have to find a producer and editor and some material worthy of their collective attention,” Mendelsohn wrote. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. With its centralized location, luxurious suites, wide concourses and comfy blue seats with cupholders, the new arena was decidedly more fan-friendly than its predecessor, the Richfield Coliseum. Center Brad Daugherty and head coach Lenny Wilkins led the Cavs to the team's best seasons in the pre-LeBron era. Plant returned to England and the 1977 tour came to an abrupt end. In April 1977, Led Zeppelin arrived in Northeast Ohio for a two-night stand at Richfield Coliseum, a place that had become an epicenter for live music. Cavaliers owner Nick Mileti wasn't able to secure an NHL franchise, but the Coliseum was built as the new home for Cleveland's NBA franchise and the Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association. The land is now part of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The 1981 NBA All-Star Game was held at the Coliseum. The C… Richfield Coliseum is a stadium in Richfield Township, Ohio, U.S.A.. View a detailed profile of the structure 218127 including further data and descriptions in the Emporis database. But not everyone was a fan. Rumor has it Bonham used to record his concerts so he could listen to them later and make adjustments. The bootleg is a soundboard recording of that first night, striking in its sound quality and the most sought after concert recording in the band’s history. Perhaps you were even there when Muhammad Ali knocked out Chuck Wepner in 1975, or that time the Cavaliers shocked the Washington Bullets in the Miracle of Richfield game in 1976, or maybe when Michael Jordan hoisted the "The Shot" over the outstretched arms of Craig Ehlo in 1989. It opened in 1974 as a replacement for the Cleveland Arena, and had a seating capacity of 20,273 for basketball. I photographed him on the first night, and was so thunderstruck by his performance that I came back the second night without my camera just to listen and watch. Chris Harkness (80) of the Cleveland Thunderbolts intercepts a first quarter pass as Arizona Rattlers reciever Cedric Tillman reaches back for the ball, during Arena Football action at the Richfield Coliseum, Saturday, June 4, 1994. (Photo: Janet Macoska), Whether April 27, 1977, was Led Zeppelin’s greatest show from a performance standpoint is something diehard fans have debated for decades. “We were probably in the first 10 people to try to get in the doors. His idea would become Richfield Coliseum, which opened in 1974. Cavs point guard Mark Price is fouled on his way to the basket during a game against the Indiana Pacers in 1990. English: The Coliseum at Richfield was an indoor arena located between Cleveland and Akron. Bonham’s drum solos hit even harder. Led Zepplin guitarist Jimmy Page onstage at the Richfield Coliseum in 1977. Opening as Gund Arena in the fall of 1994, the venue was a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of a revitalized downtown. Hotel bills went well above the $10,000 mark. Sex with “women” whose ages would make your jaw hit the floor. Robert had it all,” says Macoska. However, the sound quality of night one, which was released in 1980, remains unmatched. “Led Zeppelin II” debuted at No. He had the stance, the look and the sound. Now it’s a 327-acre restored grassland and wildflower meadow. The Coliseum had a full-court practice facility upstairs from the main floor. The Coliseum at Richfield (also known as Richfield Coliseum) was an arena located in Richfield Township in Summit County, Ohio, roughly halfway between Cleveland and Akron. "The Palace on the Prairie" I was LUCKY as the arena had just closed in 1994. It remains an iconic artifact both for its sound quality and as a snapshot of a massive rock and roll band approaching its demise. Nick Mileti proudly describes the finer point of the $25,000 mockup of his Midwest Coliseum. The new arena seated 20,273 for basketball and 18,544 for hockey, and was one of the first indoor arenas to contain luxury boxes. So for three hours, he was working it.”, Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant makes a gesture with an inflatable blimp passed up to the stage at Richfield Coliseum. CLEVELAND, Ohio – Sex, drugs and rock & roll don’t begin to describe Led Zeppelin’s 1977 North American tour. Update your shipping location 7 S 0 P O N S O A R P A 7 E E D-1-1 U J-1 0 F J-1-1. The second night of Led Zeppelin’s Richfield Coliseum run would also feature a fan recording that would circulate among collectors under the title “The Destroyer.” Some say the band put on a better show the second time around. Circus animals get a police escort as they march west on Ohio 303 headed for the Richfield Coliseum. But finally, we got in and, to this day, it’s the greatest show I’ve ever seen.”. Richfield Coliseum would remain vacant until 1999 when it was torn down. “Me and three buddies of mine went to see them in Cincinnati a week before ‘Destroyer,’” Bland recalls. or Best Offer. It was sort of a log jam. Free helped revive the franchise, even leading them to the playoffs in 1985. Location ; Jun 23, 1994 Pantera : Richfield Coliseum: Richfield, OH: Sep 10, 1993 Grateful Dead : Richfield Coliseum: Richfield, OH: Sep 09, 1993 Grateful Dead : ... 30 users have been to Richfield Coliseum including: Keo21 Duveydoo Grassy [email protected] Stormcsr Pyro John Watkins Bobnoxious23 Gman123a Tami Bailey Zimtrim Marc Jachim Stasia Kay The sight lines weren’t great. It isn’t like that now.”, Bruce Springsteen plays to the crowd in the front row at the Richfield Coliseum. 1974 Closed. Turned back south and stopped at the first rest stop, and scored 2 tickets for Sunday night's show. Good times, indeed. Cleveland photographer Janet Macoska shot Led Zeppelin’s first concert at Richfield in 1977. Warm up gigs for Delicate Sound of Thunder video, eventually filmed in Long Island, NY. Page even chose one of Macoska’s photos of him wearing sunglasses for the back cover of his autobiography. The Richfield Coliseum opened 1974 until 1994. Driving past the site of the Richfield Coliseum today, there is no evidence the arena ever existed. Even the mistakes – Page’s fingers getting stuck in his guitar strings on ‘Sick Again’ or him coming in too early on “Kashmir” – are fun to hear. “Springsteen in particular often would come through Cleveland before he would hit big places like New York because he could try out things on audiences here and the audiences would eat it up without judgment,” says Chakerian. But the band never toured in full. Yeah- drove all the way up from Indy to the Richfield exit off 271 before we were told the show was canceled. Macoska’s photos of Plant are particularly striking. When I went to the coliseum, there was a security guard in back. There were also the memories. Richfield Coliseum became an epicenter of live music in the Midwest. Grateful Dead fans are photographed outside  the Richfield Coliseum before a concert in 1993. Photographed in 1987, 1994, 1995 and 2003 using film. Chicago Tribune file photo by Ed Wagner Jr. Michael Jordan reacts after hitting the game winning basket over Cleveland's Craig Ehlo in Game 5 of the NBA playoffs May 7, 1989. Built for the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team, the Coliseum also hosted concerts and other memorable events. The venue solidified Cleveland as one of the great rock and roll cities in North America. Plain Dealer Historical Photograph Collection. But none were more anticipated than Led Zeppelin’s North American run. Opening as Gund Arena in the fall of 1994, the venue was a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of a revitalized downtown. The former Coliseum site is large enough to attract … Public Auditorium, the biggest music venue in downtown Cleveland at the time, couldn’t fit more than 10,000 people. “That was one special time,” Gorman says. 2923 Streetsboro Road, Richfield, OH Opened. The Coliseum at Richfield (also known as Richfield Coliseum) was an arena located in Richfield Township in Summit County, Ohio, roughly halfway between Cleveland and Akron. The band’s self-titled debut album arrived in January 1969. “When you take the picture off the wall, you can see that outline of where it was. Basketball: 20,273 Ice Hockey: 18,544 Nick Mileti presents a model of a sports coliseum to the National Hockey League's Board of Governors in 1972. Richfield Coliseum would close its doors in 1994 after the Cleveland Cavaliers moved to a new sports complex in downtown Cleveland. Your brain makes that space, the ether and the ozone around it fill in where it was.”. Music venues like The Agora, Music Hall and Allen Theatre were hosting rock’s greatest up-and-coming acts, such as Bruce Springsteen, Black Sabbath, Patti Smith and David Bowie, who played his first U.S. show in Cleveland on Sept. 22, 1972. Cleveland Clothing Co. sells a T-shirt remembering the Coliseum for $28. He would just stand there and allow the women to admire him. Did you know before the Coliseum was demolished, the Cavs' floor was bought by a small school in Virginia? The primary coordinates for Richfield Coliseum (historical) places it within the OH 44286 ZIP Code delivery area.. Maps, Driving Directions & Local Area Information It would be two years before Led Zeppelin would perform live again. The Richfield show would be Led Zeppelin’s final performance in Northeast Ohio in the band’s original form. The band would leave with a bill totaling well over $10,000. Though, the drummer’s involvement was never confirmed. Just two years removed from a car accident, the iconic frontman stood tall with his shirt open, showcasing a stage presence unmatched in rock history save for the likes of Roger Daltrey or Freddie Mercury. Richfield Coliseum in 1999, just before it was turned over to the National Parks. Macoska remembers taking her place at the front of the stage, stationed just below Plant and Page to photograph the entire three-hour gig. (Photo: Janet Macoska). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. “From a historical standpoint, that was Led Zeppelin peak experience, peak live powers,” says Cleveland music historian and author Peter Chakerian. Associated Press/Plain Dealer Historical Photograph Collection. But everyone agrees it is one of Led Zeppelin’s most iconic concerts thanks to “Destroyer.”. It was the perfect location for what would become Led Zeppelin’s final tour after Bonham died that September. One of the doors started to open up and some dude was trapped between the door and the handrail. “He was a majestic lion. I was lifted off the ground, being pushed so hard, I couldn’t draw a breath. Richfield Coliseum was located in the far southern suburbs, too far from both Cleveland or Akron to draw fans consistently. Several high profile rock and roll tours took place in 1977. Thank you to those kind heads who scored us the tix. But it was a bit of a right place, right time kind of thing that speaks to that time period. “It was the epic center of everything and I think that’s what Nick Mileti wanted when he opened the building,” says Chakerian. Cavaliers guard Dick Snyder hits the game-winner against the Washington Bullets during Game 7 of the Miracle in Richfield season in 1976. Plant’s voice magically echoes off its own sound delay. 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