In Fair Park, Still One Shell of a Venue

By Robert Wilonsky Thu., Apr. 2 2009 at 2:27 PM

Categories: Things We Like

The National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places just started posting its photographic archives on Flickr -- and, thus far, the sole spot in the Texas set is Fair Park, photos of which went up just this morning. And, again I ask: Why are we wasting the best concert venue in town?

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The place is one of those hidden gems that is sorely misued in this town, just like the rest of Fair Park. I would think upcoming "Texas Music Festival"(coming in March 2010) would probably use this facility for smaller acts. Id love to see the Bandshell become our equivelent of the Hollywood Bowl or Greek Theater, with decent acts and shows, not to mention excellent concessions that dont have the words "Fried" or "Dog" in their title.
I was also at that SRV show, John In Wylie. I had successfully blotted out the memory of the wardrobe and dance steps of Duke Jupiter's bass player until your comment.
Are you all nuts?!! Maybe as soon as Love Field alters their flight path to avoid Fair Park the band shell could be usable. Uncomfortable, but usable.
That place even made Tiffany bearable. Of course I could once again bring up Ann-Margret's show there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y8uaIzt-Wk I wasn't around but the Band Shell was the site of the Starlight Operettas: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/MM/xmm1.html which began in 1942 and eventually became the Dallas Summer Musicals (after a bug flew into Nanette Fabray's mouth) However I do remember when the Shakespeare Festival was held in the Band Shell.
We are wasting the best concert venue in town because of that nasty Coca-ColaSmirnoffSuperYellowPages air colled pavillion garbage that silenced the Band Shell contractually I believe. Due to sound or competition or some other nonsense. Now that the venue is at Super Yellow Pages, the next one should be Condom Sense and then maybe it will just fall down.
I saw/heard Costello,Rem and even Flock of Seagulls(girlfriends idea), there. Its my favorite venue for the beauty of the sound, and I only have one ear, that barely works. Best concert ever? Rei Momo, hands down, the drinking, toking, singing and dancing was followed afterwards to a large crowd drumming on the hollow pachyderms outside the Museum, followed by a crowded drunken baptism in the esplanade fountains( wet Tshirts anyone?). The finish?-climbing to the top of the Cotton Bowl and pee-ing over the side. Yee-Haw....... Fast forward a million years, took the kids to the Holiday Symphony at the Shell, it was pretty crowded, they dug it, sounded great, we ate cotton candy.
gman sez... "we had ourselve a good 'ol time in the rain... I know there's a back-story behind the evenings transgressions, but to this day I still don't know why the two bands didn't play." Basically, electricity and water are not a good mix.
Wilonsky -- you need to do a follow-up story on how the City's lease with the operators of Starplex / Smirnoff / YellowPages.com impacts the use of the Band Shell.
Not used? I seem to remember it's used every year for the bird show during the fair. Besides it's the one of the few (from reading these pages) historic buildings left in all Dallas. How can anyone scoff at a paultry 1.3 million. At today's bailout, it's a bargain.
The Fugazi fiasco? The Direct Hit weekend Kelly arranged? What happened? I don't recall. Saw most of the ones mentioned above in high school. Awesome memories. Wish the place was still happening.
It's a little known secret that the Dallas Wind Symphony offices in the backstage area of that very building. If you're looking for Band Shell advocates, you won't find anyone better: www.dws.org.
Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe in 1985!
Ah, the Fugazi fiasco.
Wilonsky -- you should know we can use a venue not owned by a billionaire. Sheesh!
Ah, yes -- David Byrne, <i>Rei Momo</em> tour, Celia Cruz as a special guest. Also: Joe Jackson in the mid-1980s, astounding, even with Paul Young opening. And: Ramones-Blondie-Heads, even without Byrne. Too many others to name.
Saw REM there in 1984 or '85. Saw David Byrne there in 1990. It is, indeed, the best venue in town (with due respect to the Granada).
Watched Duke Jupiter and Stevie Ray Vaughan play there years ago . . . 1985-ish. Great place to see a show.
I was at that Devo show in 2006 also, was a great show indeed! I tried to see Butthole Surfers there in 1992, Firehose played thru the rain, STP wouldn't come out at all, and BS was nowhere to be found. FWIW, we had ourselve a good 'ol time in the rain, getting run off by the DPD, and all... I know there's a back-story behind the evenings transgressions, but to this day I still don't know why the two bands didn't play.
I saw Primus and Helmet there....Helmet rocked my socks off. Primus was Primus.
Amen to that. Saw Devo here in 2006 and it was a phenomenal show with a great atmosphere. The sound wasn't superb, though I've heard that the price for a band to book the shell can be expensive for what they get.
what are you saying? you don't enjoy the annual big bird show?