A Sweet Old Musical Memory / myLot

Gate at “The Swamp” on the University of Florida campus where I waited for a good seat to see the Eagles in 1980. Photo taken by and the property of FourWalls.

United States

February 6, 2022 9:45pm CST

While in Gainesville, Florida, I took a trip down memory lane. More precisely, I took a trip down Gale Lemerand Drive! On January 27, 1980 I parked myself outside of gate #4 with a few thousand others to wait for the doors to open for a concert. The concert in question was the Eagles, with Jimmy Buffett “opening.” “Opening” is a misnomer. Most opening acts get to do 30-45 minutes of music and head off. Buffett did an entire two-hour set! (He also came back onstage with the Eagles for the encore to help with “The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks” and “Take It Easy.”) Age has its privileges. I like to tell the people paying $750 for ONE Eagles ticket today (actually, to see a band that’s more or less “Don Henley and Friends,” given that Henley is the only original member in the band) that my ticket to that double-headlining show was a whopping ten bucks. An old memory indeed. And a sweet one. The song from The Long Run that Buffett helped out with at the concert (for the record, he was also on the album version):

The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks (2013 Remaster)

www.youtube.com

Provided to YouTube by Rhino/ElektraThe Greeks Don't Want No Freaks (2013 Remaster) · EaglesLegacy? 1979 Elektra/Asylum RecordsMixing Engineer: Bill Szymczy...

12 people like this

10 responses

vikingswest

@Vikingswest1 (6305)

• United States

7 Feb 22

Holy crap. Are concert tickets THAT much now? That 1980 show would have been a fun one to see. I went to the Who that year. It was 12 bucks to get in. I don't even remember the opener. I seriously doubt I could ever spend that kind of money on a show.

2 people like this

Four Walls

@FourWalls (63248)

• United States

7 Feb 22

The big headliners are expensive, but I usually saw people like Dale Watson and Robbie Fulks for $20 or so.

2 people like this

vikingswest

@Vikingswest1 (6305)

• United States

7 Feb 22

@FourWalls That's reasonable. I remember my daughter paying a hundred bucks a seat for Pearl Jam. I suppose Pearl Jam was good but I prefer Raspberry Preserves.

2 people like this

Four Walls

@FourWalls (63248)

• United States

7 Feb 22

@Vikingswest1 —

And Prince liked Raspberry Beret!

2 people like this

Show more comments

LindaOH

@LindaOHio (161144)

• United States

7 Feb 22

My fondest concert memory will always be seeing the Beatles. After that would be Robert Palmer.

2 people like this

Judy Story

@jstory07 (134833)

• Roseburg, Oregon

7 Feb 22

Enjoy the concert.

2 people like this

Greg

@xander6464 (41051)

• Wapello, Iowa

7 Feb 22

...for the record, he was also on the album version): -------------I see what you did there. Just for fun, I checked the inflation calculator to see what 10 1980 dollars are worth now, to see if concert-goers are being gouged. The results are depressing. Unless you're in the music business and have a band that was really big 50 years ago. Inflation Calculator If in 1980 (enter year) I purchased an item for $ 10.00 then in 2021 (enter year) that same item would cost: $33.84 Cumulative rate of inflation: 238.4%

1 person likes this

Four Walls

@FourWalls (63248)

• United States

7 Feb 22

I guess it’s because Henley gets mad if Phil Collins makes more money in a nanosecond that has the ticket prices more than I ever paid for a monthly mortgage payment on my house……

1 person likes this

Four Walls

@FourWalls (63248)

• United States

7 Feb 22

@xander6464 — that’s what started it. Babs Streisand had retired from concerts, then she saw people like Jim Bailey getting rich and famous impersonating her, so she had that New Year’s Eve concert charging $500 a ticket. And, of course, the Eagles weren’t going to let her cheat them again (she beat them out for a Grammy in 1977), so THEY started charging out the wazoo. You think how stinking rich Elton John was in the 70s, with six-dollar tickets, albums, and t-shirts!

1 person likes this

Greg

@xander6464 (41051)

• Wapello, Iowa

7 Feb 22

@FourWalls Ego-Economics is ruining concerts.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (328703)

• Rockingham, Australia

7 Feb 22

Prices are certainly a lot more expensive now.

2 people like this

Novi

@Novianping (47)

•

7 Feb 22

in my country currently not allowed to hold concerts. Seeing your writing, I miss the time before there was a pandemic, I like to watch concerts

2 people like this

RasmaSandra

@RasmaSandra (74883)

• Daytona Beach, Florida

9 Feb 22

Nice you got to go down memory land

1 person likes this

Jeff Moffitt

@moffittjc (119118)

• Gainesville, Florida

7 Feb 22

Ahhhh....Gate #4! So many memories of that gate, entering to see things like football games, Gator Growl, and of course...concerts! Right before the pandemic started, I was fortunate enough to see Garth Brooks play at Florida Field. Prior to that, it was The Rolling Stones many years ago! Sure wish I could have seen the Eagles and Buffet play there. Of course, I was a little too young when they came through! But I did get to see Buffett twice in concert next door at the O'Connell Center.

1 person likes this

Four Walls

@FourWalls (63248)

• United States

8 Feb 22

I would have babysat you if you’d come to the show.

1 person likes this

Four Walls

@FourWalls (63248)

• United States

8 Feb 22

@moffittjc — true. I was in the Navy at the time.