Monday, September 26, 2011

Concord Pavilion, 2000 Kirker Pass Rd., Concord, CA

Capacity 12500
The facility was designed by architect Frank Gehry and landscape architect Peter Walker on 122 acres of gently rolling hills off Kirker Pass Road. The Sleep Train Pavilion was formerly known as the Chronicle Pavilion and before that Concord Pavilion. It is used for concerts, local community events (including an annual jazz festival) and local high school graduations.
The Pavilion opened May 16, 1975, with a benefit performance featuring Sarah Vaughan and Henry Mancini. Bill Cosby also performed the first year.
Bing Crosby played his last U.S. concert at the Pavilion in 1975. He died in 1977.
Lawrence Welk's appearance at the Concord Pavilion on June 13, 1982 was billed as his farewell performance.[1]

You could see Bill Graham the concert promoter, landing in his helicopter, on a raised area above the parking lots.
At a Stevie Nicks concert all were all stopped from leaving the parking lot while the police investigated a guy who argued with his family at the concert and went out to Kirker Pass Road, climbed a telephone pole, and hung himself. All the cars were stopped in the lot looking up at this guy hanging there.
This is also the venue that Bill Graham and two other people were leaving in October, 1991 when their helicopter crashed killing all aboard.
The concert had been organized as a benefit for the victims of that year's fire in the Oakland Hills; Graham's production company, Bill Graham Presents (BGP), had been the booking agent for the Concord Pavilion since at least 1985.[2]
It is now run by Live Nation.

Jerry performed here on
10/17/75 Jerry Garcia Band
9/7/81 Jerry Garcia Band
10/31/89 Jerry Garcia Band
8/5/90 Bruce Hornsby and The Range
Jerry came to see Hornsby but did not perform.



1.)^ "Lawrence Welk Takes Last Bow". San Francisco Chronicle. 14 June 1982. http://articles.sfgate.com/2007-06-10/entertainment/17247764_1_falkland-islands-argentines-burt-lancaster. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
2.)^ a b Heredia, Christopher (21 March 2000). "Chronicle To Rename Concord Pavilion". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/03/21/MN70042.DTL. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
3.)^ "Lawrence Welk Takes Last Bow". San Francisco Chronicle. 14 June 1982. http://articles.sfgate.com/2007-06-10/entertainment/17247764_1_falkland-islands-argentines-burt-lancaster. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
4.)^Heredia, Christopher (21 March 2000). "Chronicle To Rename Concord Pavilion". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/03/21/MN70042.DTL. Retrieved 25 July 2010.


2 comments:

  1. minor point: I don't think Garcia played here on 8/5/90 -- he apparently attended Hornsby's concert (see below), but did not perform with him.
    http://hooterollin.blogspot.com/2013/08/jerry-garcia-concert-attendance-1961-90.html

    ReplyDelete