The "Rolarena"

zip55 · Post by **zip55** » Fri 09 Sep, 2011 4:14 am

Cosmo Kramer wrote: zip55 wrote: Cosmo Kramer wrote: Chrism wrote: drapesy wrote: I've been meaning to get a pic of the old Rolarena for ages - and here it is at last. I almost lived in there for about 4 years, I also went to The Bowie gig there. It was my first 'big' concert. Yes, I went to that gig too. Bowie actually played two sets one after the other with a half hour break between them for audiences to get in and out. I went to the second one, he finished the first set by playing Drive in Saturday [ my favorite ] everybody could hear while waiting to go in for set two. Sadly in the second set he didn't play DIS and finished with the B side of that track Turn Turn Turn ? or Round Round Round ? or something like that. The Rollarena concert was a replacement for the original gig at the Uni (or Poly?), cancelled because the stage wasn't big enough. I don't recall that, I think the ticket had Rollarena on it. It just seems a bit odd that the stage at the uni wasn't big enough when just about everyother band played there at that time. Bowie and the Spiders numbered four so why they needed a bigger stage than anybody else is difficult to grasp. It was deffo a replacement gig cos I queued for the tickets for the original & had to get a refund cos they weren't transferrable. Don't know the exact reason he changed venues but that was the rumour at the time. I refused to queue again for the Rollarena tickets & didn't see him in the end (cue: cuts nose off to spite face).

Cosmo Kramer · Post by **Cosmo Kramer** » Fri 09 Sep, 2011 10:04 am

Can't actually remember who I went with or how or where I purchased the tickets. I only had the ticket for the Rollarena, I'm sure if I had to chase up a replacement ticket I would have remembered. I know my cousin went to the first set I saw him coming out while waiting to go in. So maybe he passed on a ticket.From the same era, I remember going to see Mott the Hoople at Leeds Town Hall around 73 with Queen as the support. I was sat a couple of rows from the front at the section behind the stage. All for £1-50p

zip55 · Post by **zip55** » Fri 09 Sep, 2011 11:12 pm

Cosmo Kramer wrote: Can't actually remember who I went with or how or where I purchased the tickets. I only had the ticket for the Rollarena, I'm sure if I had to chase up a replacement ticket I would have remembered. I know my cousin went to the first set I saw him coming out while waiting to go in. So maybe he passed on a ticket.From the same era, I remember going to see Mott the Hoople at Leeds Town Hall around 73 with Queen as the support. I was sat a couple of rows from the front at the section behind the stage. All for £1-50p Yeh Cosmo, don't get me started on the ticket prices ... I saw the Stones at the Empire Pool Wembley in '73 supported by Billy Preston and Kracker for just $1.55.

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Sat 10 Sep, 2011 1:44 pm

Cosmo Kramer wrote: Can't actually remember who I went with or how or where I purchased the tickets. I only had the ticket for the Rollarena, I'm sure if I had to chase up a replacement ticket I would have remembered. I know my cousin went to the first set I saw him coming out while waiting to go in. So maybe he passed on a ticket.From the same era, I remember going to see Mott the Hoople at Leeds Town Hall around 73 with Queen as the support. I was sat a couple of rows from the front at the section behind the stage. All for £1-50p According to a website I've just looked at, that £1.50 works out at about £15.00 in todays money. Still not bad to see Queen AND Mott The Hoople. I was at that gig too BTW.

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Sat 10 Sep, 2011 1:47 pm

IIRC weren't the Bowie at Rollarena tickets a bit like a beer mat? Creamy in colour and wasn't the price about £1.00 ish? My noggin really is running out of remembering juice.

Cosmo Kramer · Post by **Cosmo Kramer** » Sat 10 Sep, 2011 4:43 pm

Chrism wrote: IIRC weren't the Bowie at Rollarena tickets a bit like a beer mat? Creamy in colour and wasn't the price about £1.00 ish? My noggin really is running out of remembering juice. To be honest £1 -50p was a ball part figure. I went to a lot of concerts during that period [ Town Hall, Queens Hall, Uni ] can't remember the exact ticket price, I'm guessing at £1-50p which was the top of the range with many gigs starting around £1.Not sure about the reference to £1-50 being £15 in todays terms. I was on around £20 -£25 per week and seemed to be able to go to a gig every weekend or to nightclub.

zip55 · Post by **zip55** » Sun 11 Sep, 2011 1:29 am

What about the penny concerts that Charisma Records did in 1970-71? Audience,Van Der Graaf Generator, Genesis etc ... all for 1p?

Cosmo Kramer · Post by **Cosmo Kramer** » Sun 11 Sep, 2011 3:58 pm

zip55 wrote: What about the penny concerts that Charisma Records did in 1970-71? Audience,Van Der Graaf Generator, Genesis etc ... all for 1p? Rings a bell. I do remember buying an Island compliation double L.P. for the retail price of £1 99p [ Bumpers I think it was called ]

zip55 · Post by **zip55** » Sun 11 Sep, 2011 11:39 pm

Cosmo Kramer wrote: zip55 wrote: What about the penny concerts that Charisma Records did in 1970-71? Audience,Van Der Graaf Generator, Genesis etc ... all for 1p? Rings a bell. I do remember buying an Island compliation double L.P. for the retail price of £1 99p [ Bumpers I think it was called ] Yeh, being a skint student in 1971 i usually bought the samplers. I had El Pea (Island), Harvest Bag (Harvest), Handle with Care (Probe) and All Good Clean Fun (United Artists). These samplers introduced me to a lot of bands (some good and some not so good).

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Mon 12 Sep, 2011 2:14 pm

Various – Bumpershttp://www.discogs.com/Various-Bumpers/release/720521Various - El Peahttp://www.discogs.com/Various-El-Pea/release/703652Various – The Harvest Baghttp://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Harvest-Bag ... 747Various – Handle With Carehttp://www.discogs.com/Various-Handle-With-Car ... 745Various – All Good Clean Funhttp://www.discogs.com/Various-All-Good-Clean- ... 737540Look like good compilations, not gonna retire on the profits if you still have them to sell though.