The International Amphitheater
Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: kwilson55 (---.216.157.39.pool.hargray.net)
Date: October 06, 2010 11:59AM

I saw Roy rogers and Dale Evans at one of the stock shows / rodeos. they were pretty old by this time and I was very disappointed because they entered the arena in a jeep instead of on horses. I'm sure Trigger was already gone by this time. I think it was about 1967.

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: daveg (130.36.62.---)
Date: October 06, 2010 06:04PM

Yep Trigger left the building in 1965.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/pet/trigger.html

The Roy Rogers museum closed in December 2009. Happy Trails.....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2010 06:14PM by daveg.

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: Tim (---.dsl.sndg02.pacbell.net)
Date: October 19, 2010 05:42PM

glassgypsy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In addition to all the things previously
> mentioned, YES, there were indoor drag races
> there. Believe it was twice, was in 1963, and Yes,
> I raced there. Was like racing on ice, and the
> ventilation was poor,lots of carbon monoxide. But
> what the heck, it was winter, and some drag racing
> was better than none.Believe that was the only
> year for that. A fun experience for sure!

Fun, yes. Slippery, most assuredly. Check out these pics:

http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/23540821

See anyone you know? I love the shot taken behind the building with the cars lined up for entry. Also love the '62 Pontiac, one of the prettiest cars ever to come out of Detroit.

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: WayOutWardell (63.226.79.---)
Date: October 19, 2010 06:36PM

Tim Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> glassgypsy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > In addition to all the things previously
> > mentioned, YES, there were indoor drag races
> > there. Believe it was twice, was in 1963, and
> Yes,
> > I raced there. Was like racing on ice, and the
> > ventilation was poor,lots of carbon monoxide.
> But
> > what the heck, it was winter, and some drag
> racing
> > was better than none.Believe that was the only
> > year for that. A fun experience for sure!
>
> Fun, yes. Slippery, most assuredly. Check out
> these pics:
>
> http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/2354082
> 1
>
> See anyone you know? I love the shot taken behind
> the building with the cars lined up for entry.
> Also love the '62 Pontiac, one of the prettiest
> cars ever to come out of Detroit.

What an insane idea, I love it! Looks like that Plymouth got sideways trying to make it through the doorway...was that the finish line? That '32 gasser is pretty cool, too. Great find!

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: VBO-Phil (---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: October 27, 2010 12:08AM

I grew up a couple of blocks east of the "Amp" and have quite a few stories about it. My favorite memories were of a lot of concerts for free there. We'd either sneak in through a 2nd story window when the Stock Yards Inn was still there or have a "friendly" Andy Frain pop the door for us. Saw the Stones, Zepplin, Sabbath, Yes, REO, Foghat, just to name a few.

The smell was mostly gone by 1978 when the last of the meat packers were gone. There were a couple of packing houses left until a few years ago. AMPAC processed pork on Pershing near Canal St. Chiapetti's might still be there processing lamb on Pershing and Emerald. I know they were just recently sold.

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: chevyliddle (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: February 14, 2011 07:30AM

I was there for Elvis in about 1958 or 59 and the auto show every year before McCormick Place. I saw the indoor drag races in the early 1960s and custom car shows. I remember it took about 1/2 hour to get used to the smell of the stock yards.

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: chicken man (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: March 26, 2011 02:45AM

Just some memories;
Yes I visited the amphitheater many times..concerts, (sneaking-in was easy with a white hat and shirt like the vendors!), and of course the Stockyard Inn way. That took some nerve. Just dress well, and act like a rich kid.
Car shows, boat shows, sports shows. Wrestling...Little thought was given to political correctness, or air pollution. Midgets thrown from the ring was a common activity at the wrestling matches, Pabst Blue Ribbon was served in a bottle with a cup on top. The broken remains were swept-up later.
I honestly miss the fun. Sure people got drunk, hurt, smoked various things, drove loud fast, smoking cars. Beats the hell out of looking under my bed at night for carcinogenic monsters and expecting to live forever as is now preached.

My screen name is not real, anyone who remembers the name will smile. I contributed to the real Chicken Mans gin fund many times on the Halsted street bus.

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: Brule Laker (---.c3-0.mart-ubr1.chi-mart.il.cable.rcn.com)
Date: May 08, 2011 01:19AM

I saw a CPS basketball tournament in the late '50s (still stunk from the Stockyards) and the last International Livestock Show in Chicago in 1973.

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: jak378 (---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: December 28, 2011 02:03PM

Back in the 60''s I landed a small aircraft, Cessna 150, in the back parking lot of the Amphitheatre. It was for display during a sportsman's show of some kind. I also took off in it about 8 or 10 days later.

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: Richard Stachowski (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: December 28, 2011 11:10PM

[b]Just north of it was The Stockyard Inn. You picked your own steak to be cooked and fresh from the Yards.[/b]

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: momcool23 (---.nc.res.rr.com)
Date: January 01, 2012 07:04PM

The circus always played there. Had season tickets to the Chicago Cougars of the NHA. Saw Bobby Hull skate there. Also saw Gordie Howe with his sons skate there. The Cougars played the Hartford Whalers -- the Whalers are now the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL. Go Skinner!!

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: susabel60 (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 15, 2012 11:26PM

We went to Roller Derby a few times there with my family. I also saw David Bowie around 1976. I bought a pair of Frye boots in a store they had either in the place or right next door. Wish I still had those boots today I could probably sell them on ebay for a lot of money.

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: jak378 (---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 16, 2012 02:33AM

I remember going to the roller derby at the Coliseum, but not at the Amphitheatre. Did that come later perhaps?

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: ski50 (---.dhcp.jcsn.tn.charter.com)
Date: January 27, 2012 03:15PM

They had indoor drag races ,also indoor USAC midget races.We sat in the balcony once but you needed to cover your face with a cloth to breath.They also hosted The auto shows before McCormick place!

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: chitownlioness (---.hlrn.qwest.net)
Date: March 04, 2012 12:18AM

wow the CTA buses still being called the green monster. LOL

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: celticjunker1 (---.hsd1.in.comcast.net)
Date: March 25, 2012 08:38AM

The "Amp" was a big part of our young lives. We saw rodeos, circuses, auto shows, but our favorite were the Drill Shows which were Daring Feats by Chicago Firemen going up ladders that seemed to go into the sky and lots of other exciting stuff. There were always real cowboys at the Amp too.

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: Mornac (---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: March 26, 2012 12:33AM

Circa 1971 I went to the Ampitheater on an altar boy outing to see the livestock show/rodeo. I remember that it was sponsored by Jewel and a Jewel eighteen wheeler pulled into the arena with an open trailer in tow featuring "The Jewel Country Singers" (whatever happened to them?). Mayor Daley and a bunch of old cigar chompers were there to annoy everyone with some pointless blather and the headline feature was the guy who played Festus on "Gunsmoke" doing a stand up routine in character. I don't think he got more than a chuckle or two for the half hour he was up there.

Later in the seventies I saw Alice Cooper there (the "Detox Tour") and Alvin Lee ("Ten Years Later").

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: celticjunker1 (---.hsd1.in.comcast.net)
Date: March 26, 2012 12:02PM

Now that you mention it I do remember seeing the Daleys there an awful lot. It was no big deal back then. My mother and father had their wedding reception dinner at The Stockyard Inn. It was a WW2 wedding, they were small. I bought boots from that western shop that was right inside the Amp. Was the name Morris's. I can't remember for sure. It was in the seventies or eighties probably during the Urban Cowboy craze. Oddly enough we didn't live near the Amp at all. We lived in Washington Heights but my mom took advantage of every entertainment the city offered.

Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: kathyrose (---.banglalionwimax.com)
Date: April 08, 2012 03:32PM

very intersting!

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Re: The International Amphitheater
Posted by: dmr37 (63.139.146.---)
Date: April 27, 2015 12:55PM

I saw The Who in 1980 and REO and Rush in 1981 at the Amp.

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