Last Call at the Spectrum

In January 2008, the Wachovia Center announced it would be demolishing the Philadelphia Spectrum after 43 years. In the intervening year, the folks at Wachovia, recognizing what this venue has meant to the Delaware Valley, have arranged a series of concerts and sports events to send off the City’s beloved Spectrum in style. That series of special events is drawing to a close this week, and I had the privilege of attending one of the more uniquely Philadelphia-flavored events last evening: Last Call at the Philadelphia Spectrum featured a concert headlined by Philadelphia pop legends Darryl Hall and John Oates, who were joined on the stage by the Hooters and Todd Rundgren. With the event hosted by John DeBella and Pierre Robert, the radio deejays who defined the Philadelphia music scene in that era, it was like stepping back in time to the late seventies and eighties: arguably the heyday of the Spectrum.

Having nineteen years pass since the last time I had stepped into the Spectrum (for an Eric Clapton Concert), I had forgotten that, for all its capacity of some 20,000 seats, it really was an intimate space to enjoy a concert. The event opened with the Hooters, a band I had seen often in the smaller club venues back in the eighties. The Hooters were, and still are, a great party band, and their trademark sound featuring the mandolin and the “hooter” gives all of their songs a signature stamp. They had the crowd on their feet, and it was obvious from their enthusiasm, and the fact that the crowd sang along to all of their songs, that this was audience of local music faithful.

Todd Rundgren took the stage next, and to my mind, concert promoters would have done better to schedule him first. Rundgren’s heyday was the early seventies and his music, especially his playlist for the evening, falls decidedly in the more “psychedelic” camp; a genre not quite as appreciated by the crowd who had come to see Hall and Oates. Though they played “I Saw the Light” and “Open my Eyes”, Rundgren mostly stuck to deep album cuts instead of the crowd pleasing “Hello, It’s Me” and “Bang on the Drum”, a decision with which the always opinionated Philly crowd made their displeasure known.

Hall and Oates opened their set with a spirited version of “Maneater”, showing off a professional and talented band in the best possible light. Unlike with Rundgren, the Hall and Oates hit list is so deep, there was no danger of coming across a song that wasn’t immediately and intimately familiar to every member of the audience. The standout number was “She’s Gone”, a song that defined the duo and earned them the moniker that stuck with them throughout their long career: “blue-eyed Philly soul.” It was also a song which, Darryl Hall related, had not been performed live since the year of its release. That was followed up by a satisfying version of “Sarah Smile” that evolved into a rocking showcase for solos by the lead guitarist and saxophonist.

After their first set, the Hall and Oates and their band came back on stage and were joined by Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman of the Hooters (on bass saxophone and “hooter”, respectively) and Philly boys Charlie and Richie Ingui of Soul Survivor for a rousing rendition of “Expressway to Your Heart”. The audience, in a true moment of Philadelphia cynicism regarding our own Schuykill Expressway, was particularly spirited in singing along with the chorus of “It’s too crowded! It’s much too crowded!” Todd Rundgren then joined the rest of the ensemble for a set of seventies era Philly Soul classics highlighted by “Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time” and “Back Stabbers” and closing with an encore performance of “Disco Inferno” that left the crowd on its feet.

A uniquely Philadelphia send off for a venue that holds a special place in the hearts of Philadelphians. Goodbye Spectrum. Thanks for the memories.