Serious memories of the Coliseum. My very 1st concert -Deep Purple w/ ELO as opener, '75. We went as often as we could! LOTS of partying in the parking lot, smuggling in 3.2 beer in our socks or wine in those leather bota bags, being able to smoke in your seats, sharing joints & launching toilet paper rolls from the top seats. We saw lots of great bands! Oh yeah & Pink Floyd music playing in between bands. Some good times! Sad to see the actual demo...
Sad to see it go. Lived close by. Worked there when I was in high school. Was on the event crew so we had back stage access to everything. You can imagine how exciting that was for a high school kid. Had a collection of back stage passes that was quite impressive. Worked with a couple of buddy's from school. Had a blast. Good memories. Emett's Farm finally won that battle. Cows were grazing there once again after it was torn down.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, WWE/WWF & countless music concerts... The very first 'Survivor Series' (1987) debuted at this arena. It's a shame that this arena was torn down.
tthomaselli2 I turned on wwe network, hit the survivor series 97' and seen they were at Richfield Ohio. I said huh? Where the he'll is that? Had to google. Makes me sad when they tear down these old buildings when they are perfectly fine.
The best rock concert I have seen in my 55 years on the planet was at the Richfield Coliseum. It was either 1976 or 1977 and had 4 acts on the bill. The opening act was Cleveland's own Eric Carmen who had just released his first solo LP. He did 45 minutes with just him and his piano. Then came Dave Mason who had just released his single "Only You Know What I Know". The 3rd act was Hall & Oates who had just released "Sara Smile". Then came the headliner, The Beach Boys in all their glory.
I come back to this video often, first for the Skid Row, but as well, to remember this place. I was only there a few times, but the memories remain. Man it pisses me off that the politicians killed this place. It was only about 30 years old, still in good shape. 30 years is nothing for a building.
I have some great memories of that place. Queen, Genesis, Blue Oyster Cult, Aerosmith, and many more concerts. My high school graduation was held there. Watching a couple Cavs games. Taking my kids to the circus. Really good times...except for my first car getting hit in the parking lot 40 days after I bought it when exiting a Rush concert.
Ahhhh....childhood memories of the Cavs and of course, battling December blizzards to get to the game while being serenaded by the eternal voice of Joe Tait on 3WE... Thanks for the video. Lots of great memories, especially now that I don't live in Cleveland any longer...
Watching wwf wrestling there in the early 90's. Going two weeks before an event and getting front row. Meeting the old school wrestlers. Saw Macho Man, Ric Flair, Mr. Perfect, the Rockers, Mountie, Jake the snake, Beverly brothers, bushwhackers, Sherri, demolition, etc. Thanks for this video.
@KensingtonPalace1 I was there with my father! We made the long drive up 271 for 10 miles through freezing rain and blizzard conditions. At one point, our car started sliding off the road. Needless to say, as a young boy I will never forget that night! This is such a sad moment. The MISL and the Force at the Richfield Coliseum was one of the best sports venues I have ever seen in my life. To those who say it would have been too expensive: you never saw the crowds.
You said it, pk33617. I grew up watching the Cavs and the Force there. It's both necessary and said to watch this coliseum be demolished. The Richfield Coliseum holds an incredible amount of my childhood memories and now its gone. It and its memories will live on in our hearts and minds!
I live in Columbus and remember driving there a couple of times. Rush, Dec 17, 1987, and another Rush show about 90'. I thought putting the place out in the country was the best idea ever. Why put an arena downtown with the crowds and congestion? Was torn down before they really thought it out. Was a great place. Great song too. Farewell Richfield Coliseum, you will be missed.
+Kem Hayes When Nick Mileti built the Coliseum in the early 1970's, he anticipated hotels, restaurants, retail, and other development would be built nearby. But the US Government's plans to put a national park in northern Summit County pretty much dashed Mr. Mileti's dream. So all that was built was the Coliseum, with the nearest hotels and restaurants a few miles away in Richfield, Boston Heights, and Peninsula. It was a nice place to see a game or a concert, but it stood out in the middle of nowhere to many people. Now, the land is back to its natural state, and the surrounding towns kept their rural character.
Similar to the Capital Centre, which had one hotel nearby, but thee was nothing else in Landover. Liked the fact it was the DC area's first major arena, but hated the fact that they only way to get there was drive and pay owner Abe Pollin's $6 for parking with no Metro or transit alternative. Lots of people liked it for concerts, but I prefer the Verizon Center downtown where I work 2 blocks away and there's a entrance to the Gallery Place Metrorail station just outside the building. If you want to park theres a few garages open after work that charge 15 dollars or less.
The Coliseum's drawback was its location. If you lived on Cleveland's West Side, as I did, the only way to get to it was down I-71, and then East on Route 303--which snaked around the communities. In winter it was a real challenge. Some some great Cavilers and Baron's games there though.
I seen ~ Judas Preist-6x's, Bon Jovi-4x's, Kiss-3x's, DIO-5x's, Iron Maiden-5x's, Motley Crue-6x's, Ac/Dc-7x's, Ted Nugent-2x's, Dokken, Guns n Roses-2x's, Ozzy-8x's, Qweens Ryche, Ratt-3x's, Deep Purple, Wasp, Tesla, Krokus, Accept, Warrant, Savatoge, Jackel, & ZZ Top-2x's @ the Richfield Coliseum . Had to walk home once, few times dont remember how I got home & one time my friend rode his moped up there. Those where the days . I sneaked into a few of those shows.
Sad stuff I tell you, and even sadder reading all your comments storying your experiences there. Really glad I stumbled across this vid. Never forget my first Cavs game with my aunt and uncle.. makes me miss municipal stadium as well!
Ugg soo many memories there, soooo many awesome concerts! loved going there for concerts, I hate driving through Cleveland now to see a concert especially if there is a ball game going on at the same time, my first concert was here way back early seventies, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
i saw Yes at The Coliseum in 1974, The Who in 1975, Paul MCartney & Wings in 1976, Led Zeppelin in 1977, Emerson Lake & Palmer in 1977, 1978, last concert was Emerson Lake & Powell in 1986.
+AirC Images Also saw ELP there in '77 as well as Todd Rundgren's Abandon City Tour, Point Blank and .38 Special. I still remember Todd playing his guitar as he was ascending a giant pyramid, one step at a time. Balls, man. That was a long way down if he would have taken a dive.Great concert venue.
my first concert was 1975 Richfield coliseum sophomore year in high school Boston warmed up for black Sabath we SAT FIRST ROW BEHIND AN OPEN STAGE , TOOK ABOUT A WEEK TO GET ALL MY HEARING BACK , GREAT TIME IN LIFE
Had seen many shows here,Kiss ,Yes,Rush,ac/dc,Tubes,cheap trick.. many more but my fav was seeing the dead invade for Vince's se3cond show..& they did play one more saturday night...
Recognize the stairwell leading to the Loge level, it used to have a fancy chandelier hanging above. Creepy clear shot into the Loge next to the owners box where my dad and I sat half a dozen times. My dad got passes from a friend. 2 rows of seats and a stocked bar. Memories from my childhood are thick with Coliseum great times.
Too many concerts over many years, It was located between Cleveland and Akron, the land has been returned back to the Metro Park and is now just a grassy field. They were talking about making it an outlet mall but in the end it just came down. If I had my way If I had my way In this wicked World If I had my way I would tear this old building down. My first few Dead show were here as well as many others.
I'm impressed. Great piece of film. Someone should have documented the location of 20 years worth of great concerts, the Miracle Of Richfield, etc. If it had been built in downtown Cleveland, it would probably still be in use. Nick Mileti, YOU BLEW IT!
Perfectly fine facility with excellent sight lines. Unlike the arena now in downtown Cleveland. I have many great memories of going to hockey games at The Coliseum.
I loved that place so much. The Force, the Cavs, the Lumberjacks, Tom Petty, Pam Tillis, the circus, monster trucks...I saw so many things there. The only problem with that place was getting in and out of it in your car. It was a nightmare. But other than that it was the greatest place in the world. I still don't know why they tore it down. It still could have hosted concerts and such. There's a need for an indoor soccer team in Cleveland right now. That team could be playing in the Coliseum.
From New Jersey here.... I know I have more than a few bootleg recordings from here. Bands like KISS, AC/DC, Aerosmith, SKID ROW \m/ yeah! Etc, etc. I imagine a lot of the same tours we saw in Jersey came through here as well. Ozzy/ Motley 1984, Scorpions, Bon Jovi and tours likes that. I feel your pain Richfield Coliseum fans.
Your welcome. It was a college project that I gladly accepted.. Nick got it right when he built that place.. It was a great venue. I turned 18 in there at a boston golden earing concert...Thank you for the time to contact me John
The coliseum was an incredible place for concerts. The walkway between the upper and lower decks was were the real party was. The Q sucks can't move around in it , they herd you in and out like cattle. Had some great times there . RIP old friend.
6stringgunslinger I think these rules have more to do with several terror attacks and events like that. Now you can’t even walk around when you please. And the security to get into events is just a pain. Fucking evil assholes ruin it for all of us.
I've attended roughly 20 major indoor sports venues during my lifetime. Number one was this place. The building was open for only 20 years- It should have been around for at least 40 more.
I have great memories of this place, but it drained money out of downtown. Some of you don't remember the old Arena, which hosted sports (Cavs, Barons and more) and Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball which many people consider the first rock n roll concert ever. Got torn down in 1977 when the Coliseum had taken over. That was such a shame. To those wishing it had been reused, it would have been too expensive.
The Coliseum was a classic arena venue starting in the 70's. I saw my first Kiss concert there, Bands loved it as well. Zeppelin played there in 75 and 77, The Who, Springsteen, Bowie, the Stones, all the greats. I grew up going to Disney On Ice there and graduated to AC/DC and Metallica. That was very say watching that, wish I could have gotten a piece of it.
I agree they could have found a use for it. But it just sat there for over 5 years and it was neglected to the point where renovations would be more costly than just taking it apart. I fear that another truly historic arena known as Maple Leaf Gardens is almost at this point as it has been vacant for nearly 10 years. As for Richfield, they could have turned it into a shopping center like they did to The Forum in Montreal. Or as you said used it for concerts
damn i have so many memories i saw all my first there wwf survivor series in 92, cavs games countless, and the monster trucks (waiting after the show to see them come out the tunnel) circus, disney on ice, i even saw a michael jackson concert there damn i believe they tore it down cuz the price to keep it up n still pay taxes on it would b more than to jus demolish it but it was a good venue n the traffic was bad but good to sleep in the car as a kid after all the fun lol
I got to play on the court a few time.... Anyone know if they tried putting it up for sale after it closed? Was the plan all along to just destroy it after it closed?
I think i spent my entire teenage years here. There seemed to be a concert every month. 1st time here was for Ozzy when Motley Crue opened. Seen so many WWF events there i lost count. Most memorable was when Hulk Hogan wrestled Jesse "the body" Ventura with over 20K people there, it was the loudest i ever heard any crowd for any event ever. Good times!!!
Brother, that was my first concert too! I was there! I will never forget that opening to motley Crue s set" In the Beginning" and then of course " Shout at the Devil". Unforgettable.
It had such a short lifespan of 20 yrs, but of the memories, i remember seeing nance block 11 shots against the knicks in 89, force games, crunch, russian all star hockey team against bowling green, the circus, rod stewart, def leppard, wwf wrestling, disney on ice, countless cavs games, walking to and from the building in that huge parking lot in very cold temps, and than listening to joe tait on the ride back home from cavs games.
Some of my Greatest Concert Memories were there...KISS in 79 was the 1st...The Bon Jovi "Snow Storm Show" in 87, Iron Maiden in 85, Priest in 86...the list goes on, every time I drive down 271 south and pass rt 303 Richfield a little piece of me dies...The Q sucks, but nowhere near as much as that "Shithole" Blossom does, But The Coliseum will live in my heart forever!!!!!
As a kid and my dad telling me about price,Daugherty,nance,ehlo,free Williams Harper seemed like a very fun place to watch the force lumberjacks and cavs
City Leaders had the Coliseum torn down because they didn't like that people were able to attend events out in the Suburb of Richfield and not drive in to Downtown Cleveland and Spend Big Money on Expensive Parking Lots and Expensive Downtown Restaurants - and also give the opportunity to the Cleveland Police to catch people and issue Citations for Speeding, Parking Violations - and maybe some arrests for excessive drinking. It was a big mistake - because some people just don't like to go into the City of Cleveland, including me. The Richfield Coliseum held many Sporting Events, Car Shows, Sport Shows, Collector Shows, and many Concerts. I attended a lot of those including an Elvis Presley Concert. The only good place that Cleveland has left is the I-X Center out near the Airport area. I try to avoid Downtown Cleveland like the Plague.
Last time I was there was Led Zepplin. 5000 people smashed an entire wall of windows, and went in, they were sold fake tickets. Later that night downtown at the Sheraton Hotel, all The gate recepts were stolen from the hotel safe. Jimmy Page said they would never came back to Cleveland.
video quite sad...but the memories are many...shows too numerous to recall... worked as an usher '75-'77...saw a few of the bands sound checking, though McCartney and Wings wouldn't let us...from the Ice Capades and the Circus to Led Zeppelin and the Who, it was always being used...but paid also for many a ticket to the concerts thru the years...last show: Grateful Dead March '94 ..went back a few times- now just a nice meadow...and such a sentimental fool - never threw away my work badge..
If you are a sentimental fool, well, so am I. I was never the wild one, never went anywhere or did much, but when I did, I remember it, and remember it often. I rarely went to concerts or road trips, those things were special. Life is drab and miserable now, but I still think back to the couple of times I went to Richfield. When the 80's was the present, I did not pay it much attention, now, seeing this, makes me wish I had documented everyday. I thought Richfield Coliseum would be around forever. Guess I thought wrong. Just a memory, but it seems a memory can be a greater thing, than it was at the moment it happened.
Such a stupid fucking thing to do to yet another of my youth memories. Fuckin;' 'ell. I remember sdeeing the Destroyer tour & many others with the girl I grew up with & eventually married. S9ome with my brother. I remember when I'd light a joint, toke it up, then pass it on..JESUS H CHRIST, joints & wine bottles came from every motherfriggin' direction! We shared all at that point. T Hat's THE MOST PRECIOUS OF MEMORIES i HAVE FROM THE OLD COLISEUM. Thanks for being human's being, y'all!
I was 10 years old when this closed in 1994. Saw the Ringling Bros., wrestling and many Cavs games. A lot of childhood memories at this place. But in hindsight, I also remember the traffic jams. it definitely was a bad idea to put this arena in the middle of nowhere with just a handful of access roads and no alternate modes of transportation. It's just asking for gridlock. I saw some archive footage from WEWS showing aerial views of the traffic, extending up I-271 for miles!
Just about a month ago, on Google images, I found an old aerial photo of the Coliseum and found the site on Google maps. It was interesting to see what landmarks are still there to compare to the old photo. I think I figured out where it was. you can barely tell there was something there. Saw lots of good shows there back in the day... Genesis, Yes, Aerosmith, Rush...
Two points to all of you lamenting the Coliseum: 1. The Cavs never won a championship while playing there. For all the great times there they're overshadowed by Jordan's shot in '89 and game 6 of the '92 ECF. 2. The Cavs are Cleveland and should have NEVER moved 30 miles out of the city. Part of Cleveland's curse went away when they tore this building down. It only took 17 more years for it to be completely eradicated. The Q is superior in every aspect, and I had 20 game season ticket packages there.
The rationale for building it there was that it was "within an hour's drive of 5 million people". But the joke became, "It was an hour's drive for EVERY ONE of them". For an NBA franchise to succeed back then it needed some "walk up" crowd. You couldn't depend on everyone making plans to go to games. You need some people that spontaneously decide to attend.
They really should have never have taken that down. It could have easily been used for something else. I went to a monster truck show there when i was a few years old. I have the letter C from the C section entrance. I even ended up going to the place when i was in 7th and 8th grade which 03-05 for environment stuff. I tried picturing the building still there but it's been soo long now i couldnt remember where it even was in the lot.
I graduated from High School there, seen many many concerts, piece of my heart was taken from me when they tore it down, I could write a book with all the experiences I had going to concerts there! BTW: Gund Arena sucks ass!
I can tell you I will dread the Day Progressive Field reaches its fate. So many memories will be gone and we’ll go through this experience all over again. Hopefully I die before it happens. I could care less about the Gund.
I never cared for the Coliseum myself. It was out, literally, in the middle of NOWHERE, took forever to get to the place, and i had, to this day, my most painful live sports experiences in that place with "The Shot"! Was not sad to see that place meet the wrecking ball, but did have some good memories in there.
It was economically obsolete. It was too far out of the city and traffic was always an issue. I just dont know why it had to sit there for 5 years before they finally took it down
Richfield Coliseum was such a STUPID location for a Major Arena. Maybe the worst in the country then (and you wonder why we blame the Management for our Pro Teams Championship Drought). Couldnt they have found somewhere on I-77 or down the road on Route 8? It was almost IMPOSSIBLE to get to the Coliseum coming from the East or West
buckeyesfan maybe the only successful suburban sports venue is the palace of auburn hills. I can't think of another arena or stadium that has been outside of the central part of the city.
I saw Van Halen 1984 there and got thrown on the back door for tossing a handful of change at David Lee I had second row. What a shame they never rebuilt another Collesium stadium and now it's driving out to Cleveland or perhaps Blossom Music Center.
Serious memories of the Coliseum. My very 1st concert -Deep Purple w/ ELO as opener, '75. We went as often as we could! LOTS of partying in the parking lot, smuggling in 3.2 beer in our socks or wine in those leather bota bags, being able to smoke in your seats, sharing joints & launching toilet paper rolls from the top seats. We saw lots of great bands! Oh yeah & Pink Floyd music playing in between bands. Some good times! Sad to see the actual demo...
Sad to see it go. Lived close by. Worked there when I was in high school. Was on the event crew so we had back stage access to everything. You can imagine how exciting that was for a high school kid. Had a collection of back stage passes that was quite impressive. Worked with a couple of buddy's from school. Had a blast. Good memories. Emett's Farm finally won that battle. Cows were grazing there once again after it was torn down.
anyone else think that the outside of the building looked more like an outside of a mall than an arena?
I always thought it kina looked like a prison from the outside. LOL
brings back memories i remember when concerts were 7.50 with 3 bands lol you know i'm old....so sad remember going to the flats and partying.....
The Cleveland Cavaliers, WWE/WWF & countless music concerts... The very first 'Survivor Series' (1987) debuted at this arena.
It's a shame that this arena was torn down.
tthomaselli2 I turned on wwe network, hit the survivor series 97' and seen they were at Richfield Ohio. I said huh? Where the he'll is that? Had to google. Makes me sad when they tear down these old buildings when they are perfectly fine.
The best rock concert I have seen in my 55 years on the planet was at the Richfield Coliseum. It was either 1976 or 1977 and had 4 acts on the bill. The opening act was Cleveland's own Eric Carmen who had just released his first solo LP. He did 45 minutes with just him and his piano. Then came Dave Mason who had just released his single "Only You Know What I Know". The 3rd act was Hall & Oates who had just released "Sara Smile". Then came the headliner, The Beach Boys in all their glory.
I come back to this video often, first for the Skid Row, but as well, to remember this place. I was only there a few times, but the memories remain. Man it pisses me off that the politicians killed this place. It was only about 30 years old, still in good shape. 30 years is nothing for a building.
So many memories at the PALACE ON THE PRAIRIE!!!
I have some great memories of that place.
Queen, Genesis, Blue Oyster Cult, Aerosmith, and many more concerts.
My high school graduation was held there.
Watching a couple Cavs games.
Taking my kids to the circus.
Really good times...except for my first car getting hit in the parking lot 40 days after I bought it when exiting a Rush concert.
Jacob Lescallette None of them.
Ahhhh....childhood memories of the Cavs and of course, battling December blizzards to get to the game while being serenaded by the eternal voice of Joe Tait on 3WE...
Thanks for the video. Lots of great memories, especially now that I don't live in Cleveland any longer...
Watching wwf wrestling there in the early 90's. Going two weeks before an event and getting front row. Meeting the old school wrestlers. Saw Macho Man, Ric Flair, Mr. Perfect, the Rockers, Mountie, Jake the snake, Beverly brothers, bushwhackers, Sherri, demolition, etc. Thanks for this video.
@KensingtonPalace1 I was there with my father! We made the long drive up 271 for 10 miles through freezing rain and blizzard conditions. At one point, our car started sliding off the road. Needless to say, as a young boy I will never forget that night! This is such a sad moment. The MISL and the Force at the Richfield Coliseum was one of the best sports venues I have ever seen in my life. To those who say it would have been too expensive: you never saw the crowds.
You said it, pk33617. I grew up watching the Cavs and the Force there. It's both necessary and said to watch this coliseum be demolished. The Richfield Coliseum holds an incredible amount of my childhood memories and now its gone. It and its memories will live on in our hearts and minds!
I live in Columbus and remember driving there a couple of times. Rush, Dec 17, 1987, and another Rush show about 90'. I thought putting the place out in the country was the best idea ever. Why put an arena downtown with the crowds and congestion? Was torn down before they really thought it out. Was a great place. Great song too. Farewell Richfield Coliseum, you will be missed.
+Kem Hayes When Nick Mileti built the Coliseum in the early 1970's, he anticipated hotels, restaurants, retail, and other development would be built nearby. But the US Government's plans to put a national park in northern Summit County pretty much dashed Mr. Mileti's dream. So all that was built was the Coliseum, with the nearest hotels and restaurants a few miles away in Richfield, Boston Heights, and Peninsula. It was a nice place to see a game or a concert, but it stood out in the middle of nowhere to many people. Now, the land is back to its natural state, and the surrounding towns kept their rural character.
Similar to the Capital Centre, which had one hotel nearby, but thee was nothing else in Landover. Liked the fact it was the DC area's first major arena, but hated the fact that they only way to get there was drive and pay owner Abe Pollin's $6 for parking with no Metro or transit alternative. Lots of people liked it for concerts, but I prefer the Verizon Center downtown where I work 2 blocks away and there's a entrance to the Gallery Place Metrorail station just outside the building. If you want to park theres a few garages open after work that charge 15 dollars or less.
I miss Rush :/
I saw most of the greatest rock bands of the 70s very special place in my ❤️🎸🎷
The Coliseum's drawback was its location. If you lived on Cleveland's West Side, as I did, the only way to get to it was down I-71, and then East on Route 303--which snaked around the communities. In winter it was a real challenge. Some some great Cavilers and Baron's games there though.
I seen ~ Judas Preist-6x's, Bon Jovi-4x's, Kiss-3x's, DIO-5x's, Iron Maiden-5x's, Motley Crue-6x's, Ac/Dc-7x's, Ted Nugent-2x's, Dokken, Guns n Roses-2x's, Ozzy-8x's, Qweens Ryche, Ratt-3x's, Deep Purple, Wasp, Tesla, Krokus, Accept, Warrant, Savatoge, Jackel, & ZZ Top-2x's @ the Richfield Coliseum . Had to walk home once, few times dont remember how I got home & one time my friend rode his moped up there. Those where the days . I sneaked into a few of those shows.
chuckoldschool1 no metallica???
So many great, great memories there. Most remembered, many forgot.
saw my first rush concert there. thanks brought back alot of good memories
Sad stuff I tell you, and even sadder reading all your comments storying your experiences there. Really glad I stumbled across this vid. Never forget my first Cavs game with my aunt and uncle.. makes me miss municipal stadium as well!
Glad to see this video still up...great memories...Force Games...Cavs Games...I loved the drive out there...was part of the experience for me!!
Ugg soo many memories there, soooo many awesome concerts! loved going there for concerts, I hate driving through Cleveland now to see a concert especially if there is a ball game going on at the same time, my first concert was here way back early seventies, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
i saw Yes at The Coliseum in 1974, The Who in 1975, Paul MCartney & Wings in 1976, Led Zeppelin in 1977, Emerson Lake & Palmer in 1977, 1978, last concert was Emerson Lake & Powell in 1986.
+AirC Images Also saw ELP there in '77 as well as Todd Rundgren's Abandon City Tour, Point Blank and .38 Special. I still remember Todd playing his guitar as he was ascending a giant pyramid, one step at a time. Balls, man. That was a long way down if he would have taken a dive.Great concert venue.
my first concert was 1975 Richfield coliseum sophomore year in high school Boston warmed up for black Sabath we SAT FIRST ROW BEHIND AN OPEN STAGE , TOOK ABOUT A WEEK TO GET ALL MY HEARING BACK , GREAT TIME IN LIFE
I'm from Indiana, never been there, but this is sad.
Had seen many shows here,Kiss ,Yes,Rush,ac/dc,Tubes,cheap trick.. many more but my fav was seeing the dead invade for Vince's se3cond show..& they did play one more saturday night...
Recognize the stairwell leading to the Loge level, it used to have a fancy chandelier hanging above. Creepy clear shot into the Loge next to the owners box where my dad and I sat half a dozen times. My dad got passes from a friend. 2 rows of seats and a stocked bar.
Memories from my childhood are thick with Coliseum great times.
Too many concerts over many years, It was located between Cleveland and Akron, the land has been returned back to the Metro Park and is now just a grassy field. They were talking about making it an outlet mall but in the end it just came down.
If I had my way
If I had my way
In this wicked World
If I had my way
I would tear this old building down.
My first few Dead show were here as well as many others.
I'm impressed. Great piece of film. Someone should have documented the location of 20 years worth of great concerts, the Miracle Of Richfield, etc. If it had been built in downtown Cleveland, it would probably still be in use. Nick Mileti, YOU BLEW IT!
Perfectly fine facility with excellent sight lines. Unlike the arena now in downtown Cleveland. I have many great memories of going to hockey games at The Coliseum.
Did you see any Cleveland Barons NHL games during their brief 2 year existence in the 1970's?
I loved that place so much. The Force, the Cavs, the Lumberjacks, Tom Petty, Pam Tillis, the circus, monster trucks...I saw so many things there. The only problem with that place was getting in and out of it in your car. It was a nightmare. But other than that it was the greatest place in the world. I still don't know why they tore it down. It still could have hosted concerts and such. There's a need for an indoor soccer team in Cleveland right now. That team could be playing in the Coliseum.
From New Jersey here.... I know I have more than a few bootleg recordings from here. Bands like KISS, AC/DC, Aerosmith, SKID ROW \m/ yeah! Etc, etc. I imagine a lot of the same tours we saw in Jersey came through here as well. Ozzy/ Motley 1984, Scorpions, Bon Jovi and tours likes that. I feel your pain Richfield Coliseum fans.
Pretty sure that kid in the video is me. I remember getting pieces of the Coliseum and still have them to this day.
Your welcome. It was a college project that I gladly accepted.. Nick got it right when he built that place.. It was a great venue. I turned 18 in there at a boston golden earing concert...Thank you for the time to contact me John
my 1st concert ever was there kiss in 79 then 100s of concerts then i graduated from brunswick and thats where our grad ceremony was in 83. still sad
The coliseum was an incredible place for concerts. The walkway between the upper and lower decks was were the real party was. The Q sucks can't move around in it , they herd you in and out like cattle. Had some great times there . RIP old friend.
6stringgunslinger I think these rules have more to do with several terror attacks and events like that. Now you can’t even walk around when you please. And the security to get into events is just a pain. Fucking evil assholes ruin it for all of us.
I've attended roughly 20 major indoor sports venues during my lifetime. Number one was this place. The building was open for only 20 years- It should have been around for at least 40 more.
I have great memories of this place, but it drained money out of downtown. Some of you don't remember the old Arena, which hosted sports (Cavs, Barons and more) and Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball which many people consider the first rock n roll concert ever. Got torn down in 1977 when the Coliseum had taken over. That was such a shame. To those wishing it had been reused, it would have been too expensive.
The Coliseum was a classic arena venue starting in the 70's. I saw my first Kiss concert there, Bands loved it as well. Zeppelin played there in 75 and 77, The Who, Springsteen, Bowie, the Stones, all the greats. I grew up going to Disney On Ice there and graduated to AC/DC and Metallica. That was very say watching that, wish I could have gotten a piece of it.
So many memories there,it makes you want to cry...
All my aunts and my mom worked there. It was just down the street from my house. :((
I remember seeing the Cavs and Tractor pulling and monster trucks in the 80's and I also can't forget WWF Survior Series 1988. Good times good times.
I agree they could have found a use for it. But it just sat there for over 5 years and it was neglected to the point where renovations would be more costly than just taking it apart. I fear that another truly historic arena known as Maple Leaf Gardens is almost at this point as it has been vacant for nearly 10 years. As for Richfield, they could have turned it into a shopping center like they did to The Forum in Montreal. Or as you said used it for concerts
Saw Led Zepplin there!! Wow what a concert!!!! glad I got to see em before John Bonham died!!!
Song: Skid Row - Wasted Time. Great choice for the video.
perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!
damn i have so many memories i saw all my first there wwf survivor series in 92, cavs games countless, and the monster trucks (waiting after the show to see them come out the tunnel) circus, disney on ice, i even saw a michael jackson concert there damn i believe they tore it down cuz the price to keep it up n still pay taxes on it would b more than to jus demolish it but it was a good venue n the traffic was bad but good to sleep in the car as a kid after all the fun lol
Ali vs. Chuck Wepner 1975. Inspired Sly to script the Rocky movies.
I found out about this place through a bootleg of Yes in 78. I found out they played here throughout the 70s. Seemed like an awesome place.
***** I'm very jealous haha
It was. The arena was nice, but the Coliseum would have almost certainly been outdated by now.
Mike Murphy Since posting my original comment I have done some research and you're definitely right on that point lol
I got to play on the court a few time....
Anyone know if they tried putting it up for sale after it closed? Was the plan all along to just destroy it after it closed?
Been there for allot of concerts, Led Zeppelin, stones, rush, aerosmith, black sabbath, blue oyster cult, many many more. Oh and cavs games,
I think i spent my entire teenage years here. There seemed to be a concert every month. 1st time here was for Ozzy when Motley Crue opened. Seen so many WWF events there i lost count. Most memorable was when Hulk Hogan wrestled Jesse "the body" Ventura with over 20K people there, it was the loudest i ever heard any crowd for any event ever. Good times!!!
Brother, that was my first concert too! I was there! I will never forget that opening to motley Crue s set" In the Beginning" and then of course " Shout at the Devil". Unforgettable.
The 7th Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival was held there on July 1, 1984. I remember that well.
Man if this place could talk , what kickass memories . so I gotta ask WHY this song playing during the video ???
It had such a short lifespan of 20 yrs, but of the memories, i remember seeing nance block 11 shots against the knicks in 89, force games, crunch, russian all star hockey team against bowling green, the circus, rod stewart, def leppard, wwf wrestling, disney on ice, countless cavs games, walking to and from the building in that huge parking lot in very cold temps, and than listening to joe tait on the ride back home from cavs games.
Some of my Greatest Concert Memories were there...KISS in 79 was the 1st...The Bon Jovi "Snow Storm Show" in 87, Iron Maiden in 85, Priest in 86...the list goes on, every time I drive down 271 south and pass rt 303 Richfield a little piece of me dies...The Q sucks, but nowhere near as much as that "Shithole" Blossom does, But The Coliseum will live in my heart forever!!!!!
As a kid and my dad telling me about price,Daugherty,nance,ehlo,free Williams Harper seemed like a very fun place to watch the force lumberjacks and cavs
Loved that place saw many great games and show there including Prince.
City Leaders had the Coliseum torn down because they didn't like that people were able to attend events out in the Suburb of Richfield and not drive in to Downtown Cleveland and Spend Big Money on Expensive Parking Lots and Expensive Downtown Restaurants - and also give the opportunity to the Cleveland Police to catch people and issue Citations for Speeding, Parking Violations - and maybe some arrests for excessive drinking. It was a big mistake - because some people just don't like to go into the City of Cleveland, including me. The Richfield Coliseum held many Sporting Events, Car Shows, Sport Shows, Collector Shows, and many Concerts. I attended a lot of those including an Elvis Presley Concert. The only good place that Cleveland has left is the I-X Center out near the Airport area. I try to avoid Downtown Cleveland like the Plague.
44357514 That sounds like what they want to do with the palace.
Ok, but at the same time, it didn't make sense to have a Cleveland team all the way out there when the Browns and Indians played IN the city!!!!
JELKK Yeah the Palace isn’t even 40 years old
Pink Floyd played here in the late 80s. Awesome show!
1988. 3 nights. It was a Friday, Saturday, and a Sunday show. The Momentary Lapse of Reason tour.
Sorry that your merories are so bad. I dearly loved the place and May God bless Nicky M's soul!
Last time I was there was Led Zepplin. 5000 people smashed an entire wall of windows, and went in, they were sold fake tickets. Later that night downtown at the Sheraton Hotel, all The gate recepts were stolen from the hotel safe. Jimmy Page said they would never came back to Cleveland.
I Can't Drive 55 tour...We were there.
We had to leave the concert early due to a blizzard. We lost our car in the parking lot.
Those were the days!
video quite sad...but the memories are many...shows too numerous to recall... worked as an usher '75-'77...saw a few of the bands sound checking, though McCartney and Wings wouldn't let us...from the Ice Capades and the Circus to Led Zeppelin and the Who, it was always being used...but paid also for many a ticket to the concerts thru the years...last show: Grateful Dead March '94 ..went back a few times- now just a nice meadow...and such a sentimental fool - never threw away my work badge..
If you are a sentimental fool, well, so am I. I was never the wild one, never went anywhere or did much, but when I did, I remember it, and remember it often. I rarely went to concerts or road trips, those things were special. Life is drab and miserable now, but I still think back to the couple of times I went to Richfield. When the 80's was the present, I did not pay it much attention, now, seeing this, makes me wish I had documented everyday. I thought Richfield Coliseum would be around forever. Guess I thought wrong. Just a memory, but it seems a memory can be a greater thing, than it was at the moment it happened.
T Something I was at that Grateful Dead show as well....good times!
@Grapes428 Yep. Exit 12 off of I-271 at 303. I pass that exit regularly and to see and empty field there is kind of sad.
great vid thank you - sad ending
glad i got to go there as a kid.
Grateful Dead 1992. Wasn't there a snowstorm? Was second night cancelled?
Such a stupid fucking thing to do to yet another of my youth memories. Fuckin;' 'ell. I remember sdeeing the Destroyer tour & many others with the girl I grew up with & eventually married. S9ome with my brother. I remember when I'd light a joint, toke it up, then pass it on..JESUS H CHRIST, joints & wine bottles came from every motherfriggin' direction! We shared all at that point. T Hat's THE MOST PRECIOUS OF MEMORIES i HAVE FROM THE OLD COLISEUM. Thanks for being human's being, y'all!
i saw KISS in 1976 there...... my first concert what a JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great video, but the music is rather distorted. I does suck getting old. Saw at least 50 concerts there.
I was 10 years old when this closed in 1994. Saw the Ringling Bros., wrestling and many Cavs games. A lot of childhood memories at this place.
But in hindsight, I also remember the traffic jams. it definitely was a bad idea to put this arena in the middle of nowhere with just a handful of access roads and no alternate modes of transportation. It's just asking for gridlock. I saw some archive footage from WEWS showing aerial views of the traffic, extending up I-271 for miles!
I don't know if it's a Warner tune, but I'd suggest the Pretenders song "My City Was Gone."
Just about a month ago, on Google images, I found an old aerial photo of the Coliseum and found the site on Google maps. It was interesting to see what landmarks are still there to compare to the old photo. I think I figured out where it was. you can barely tell there was something there. Saw lots of good shows there back in the day... Genesis, Yes, Aerosmith, Rush...
twinsmm1 Did you see Michael Jackson,KISS,Journey,and Queen as well there
That is just too sad. I know how you guys feel. I feel the same way about our Spectrum in Philly.
The Palace of Auburn Hills also was gone too soon. Inside architecture was very much like the Coliseum.
Grew up in n east Ohio. Saw G n R, ACDC, Motley Crue, and RATT there in late 80s/early 90s.
Live in Florida now. Great fuckin memories fa sho!!
reminds me of those old monster truck commercials for the Coliseum..." we turned the Coliseum into a giant MUD PIT"
Sooo many memories!!! Saw my first 5 concerts there. Next thing you know, they'll kill Blossom too.
The 1st concert I ever sw there was KISS in '79 and the last was Queensryche in '91 and hundreds in between that!
What was the name of this song?
Ryan Stricker Wasted Time by Skid Row
Y’all nerds need to stop hating on this video and this is a very good presentation
Two points to all of you lamenting the Coliseum:
1. The Cavs never won a championship while playing there. For all the great times there they're overshadowed by Jordan's shot in '89 and game 6 of the '92 ECF.
2. The Cavs are Cleveland and should have NEVER moved 30 miles out of the city.
Part of Cleveland's curse went away when they tore this building down. It only took 17 more years for it to be completely eradicated. The Q is superior in every aspect, and I had 20 game season ticket packages there.
So what!! The Coliseum was fine, it was Jordan that kicked our ass!! Look at the arena the Bulls played in for there first 3 rings!!
The rationale for building it there was that it was "within an hour's drive of 5 million people". But the joke became, "It was an hour's drive for EVERY ONE of them". For an NBA franchise to succeed back then it needed some "walk up" crowd. You couldn't depend on everyone making plans to go to games. You need some people that spontaneously decide to attend.
it was on 303 off of I-271 up the hill from the Cuyahoga Valley.
i pass bye here every day and its very sad to see this place not there i dont rember much when it was bad really sad
They really should have never have taken that down. It could have easily been used for something else. I went to a monster truck show there when i was a few years old. I have the letter C from the C section entrance. I even ended up going to the place when i was in 7th and 8th grade which 03-05 for environment stuff. I tried picturing the building still there but it's been soo long now i couldnt remember where it even was in the lot.
I graduated from High School there, seen many many concerts, piece of my heart was taken from me when they tore it down, I could write a book with all the experiences I had going to concerts there! BTW: Gund Arena sucks ass!
I can tell you I will dread the Day Progressive Field reaches its fate. So many memories will be gone and we’ll go through this experience all over again. Hopefully I die before it happens. I could care less about the Gund.
Why did they tear it down? Couldnt they have used it for high school games or something?
Brandon Didion It was a bit big for High school.
Probably wouldn't have gotten built if they knew it would be closed in 20 years.
MY FAVORITE CONCERT THERE..LED ZEPPELIN 1977.
THE MUSIC SELECTION MADE THIS DAMN NEAR UNBEARABLE TO WATCH..UGH..
I never cared for the Coliseum myself. It was out, literally, in the middle of NOWHERE, took forever to get to the place, and i had, to this day, my most painful live sports experiences in that place with "The Shot"! Was not sad to see that place meet the wrecking ball, but did have some good memories in there.
Miracle of Richfield series still blots out 'the shot' I was there too brother!
RIP ALOT OF GREAT TIMES....
It was economically obsolete. It was too far out of the city and traffic was always an issue. I just dont know why it had to sit there for 5 years before they finally took it down
Home of survivor series 87. 88 & 92
Richfield Coliseum was such a STUPID location for a Major Arena. Maybe the worst in the country then (and you wonder why we blame the Management for our Pro Teams Championship Drought). Couldnt they have found somewhere on I-77 or down the road on Route 8? It was almost IMPOSSIBLE to get to the Coliseum coming from the East or West
buckeyesfan maybe the only successful suburban sports venue is the palace of auburn hills. I can't think of another arena or stadium that has been outside of the central part of the city.
At the time, urban sprawl was a desire. Today, however, mass transit is seen as a must as all arenas today tend to be transit-oriented development.
@@scootscootriot1020 MetLife Stadium?
I saw Van Halen 1984 there and got thrown on the back door for tossing a handful of change at David Lee I had second row. What a shame they never rebuilt another Collesium stadium and now it's driving out to Cleveland or perhaps Blossom Music Center.
Waaaay too fucking sad. Lot's of good memories there. Demise of western civilization.
Ughhh it hurts to watch this video. I miss the Coliseum and the Force.
It's kinda like watching an old friend die...Sad!!!
wow saw hundreds of concerts there last was motley crue and whitesnake went all 3 nights
RIP Old friend
I saw wrestling and Cavs games there..wow