Blogger Recalls Jerry Garcia Band at Commack Arena
"Lost Live Dead" documents concert from March 2, 1978.
Photos
Jerry Garcia, of Grateful Dead fame, visited Commack in Marich of 1978 to perform at the Long Island Arena, writes Lost Live Dead.
The blog, which details rare and undocumented live shows of the Grateful Dead (and side projects of band members), describes the Arena as "an old concrete block for the most part."
Though, that didn't matter to Garcia fans, who packed the venue. "The Grateful Dead never happened to have played there, but it was the sort of aging dump that could be relatively cheaply rented for concerts, since a bunch of rowdy hippies could hardly cause any meaningful damage to such a venue," according to the blog.
They also explain the name changes the Arena underwent during its long history.
"The venue had had various names over the years. It had been built as the Long Island Arena, then it was called the Commack Arena, and by 1978 it was called The Suffolk Forum."
Read the full story here.
What are your memories of the Commack Arena? Did you ever see a concert there? Tell us in the comments.
Dennis
8:45 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
I have nothing but great memories of the L.I. ARENA I lived most of my childhood years either playing ice hockey or watching the REAL,THE ORIGINAL LONG ISLAND DUCKS!!!! MAN THOSE WERE SOME GREAT TIMES..........
joe pitaro
6:21 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Wow I never heard that story before!!! The JGB was my first dead show and I was hooked from that moment on!!! RIP Jerry!!!
mona
9:57 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Loved the flea market!!! Pickles,pretzels, italian ices champion sweatshirts,Type 1 silver booth,hair bows and clips for my daughter,baseball and NFL shirts for my sons. My best purchase was a denim jacket with the empire state building painted and studded on the back.memories..............
Paul L.
12:34 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
For a time, the Arena was also called the Island Music Center.