Concert and sports venues come and go, but how many American cities can lay claim to hosting events at an auditorium built from two surplus World War II airplane hangars?
It takes a born-and-raised Peorian to truly appreciate the unique experience of an evening at Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse on the campus of Bradley University. As a kid, a night out at the Fieldhouse for a Bradley Braves basketball game was a big deal. I loved the raised hardwood floor (three feet high) and the way the auditorium would darken at tip-off. It was even more of a thrill to return to the Fieldhouse as a college radio sports broadcaster to call the play-by-play of the Braves taking on my Salukis from Southern Illinois University (I even got to interview Coach Dick Versace and shook hands with the legendary sportscaster Dave Snell!).
Until the Civic Center opened in 1982, the Fieldhouse was the go-to venue for touring acts to play Peoria. With a capacity around 7800, not every major band came to town, but I recall plenty of memorable concerts at that funky old double hangar.
Concert poster for Jethro Tull’s show at Robinson Memorial Fieldhouse. Source: Pinterest
So it was that I found myself at Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse on March 18, 1977 for my second concert: Jethro Tull.
Albums like Thick As A Brick, Aqualung, Minstrel In The Gallery and Warchild had made me a Tull fanatic. In those prehistoric days before cable and MTV, my only outlet to see live rock ‘n roll was on shows like Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert or the Midnight Special. One night I stayed up late because one of those shows had advertised a live appearance by Jethro Tull. I waited impatiently until finally they came on…in a taped segment from a concert. It lasted all of two minutes and I went to bed feeling cheated.
But with the release of their album Songs From The Wood, Tull embarked on a major US tour that, mirabile dictu, brought them to the Fieldhouse in Peoria.
I do not recall the opening act, or even if there was one on the bill. And it would have mattered not one bit. I was there for Jethro Tull. Ian Anderson. Martin Barre on guitar. My hero Barriemore Barlow on drums. “Cross-Eyed Mary.” “Living In the Past.” “Locomotive Breath.” I was vibrating with excitement.
My first concert experience was outdoors, so I had yet to experience the wonderful rush of adrenaline when the houselights went out and the band took the stage. But, leave it to Jethro Tull. Instead of the thunderous intro I had expected, Ian Anderson strolled out by himself, dressed as a proper English gentleman in suit and vest with a red bowler, and strummed the opening chords to “Wond’ring Aloud.” Ian greeted the crowd and introduced the next number, “Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of The New Day).” As the song began, the rest of the band took the stage one by one. Once fully assembled, Tull launched into a lengthy medley from Thick As A Brick, and for this 17-year-old fan, it was absolutely the coolest thing I had ever seen.
A ticket stub from when Jethro Tull played in Peoria. Source: Bradley Magazine
I was still in my infancy as a concert-goer and thus wondered why I could not hear some of the instruments especially well, or what caused a high-pitched shriek from the speakers from time to time. But it didn’t matter. My favorite band was on stage and absolutely killing it. I was in heaven.
I did learn one important lesson that night. Never leave the auditorium until the houselights come back on.
Jethro Tull had just finished their second encore (“Back Door Angels,” a selection from Warchild that completely floored me) in such a flamboyant fashion that my friend Kevin and I were sure meant the end of the show. Still, I stayed in my seat, reluctant to leave. The auditorium was dark. Tull had yet to favor us with “Locomotive Breath,” my favorite song. “They’re not gonna play it, come on,” Kevin said heading toward the exit. I followed, feeling disappointed for the first time all night.
Jethro Tull plays a classically strung guitar and sings. Location unknown. Photo by Joe Sia, 1977. Source: Wolfgang's
We walked through the Fieldhouse’s foyer and were actually outside the door when we heard the sound of a train whistle. The crowed roared. “Locomotive Breath!” We raced to the door. It was locked! We ran to another entrance and a security guard sternly told us no admittance was allowed once we left the building. Desperate, we ran down the length of the Fieldhouse when we spotted a door swinging shut. “This way!” I yelled and we caught the door before it could close and lock us out. I was sure the same security guard would bust us again. Apparently, fortune favors the young and clueless as well as the brave, for we made it back to our seats just as the signature “bah da da bum bum BUM,” pealed across the auditorium.
What a finale it was. “Locomotive Breath” merged into an instrumental piece (“Dambuster’s March,” as we would learn from the live Tull album that came out the following year) and then segued back into the end of “Back Door Angels,” the previous encore. The music stopped and Ian Anderson said something like, “That was fun, let’s do it again.” Then the houselights came up. The show was over.
Whew! My head was spinning. My ears rang that night and the next day. The Songs From The Wood album would not leave my turntable for weeks. I was about to get very well acquainted with the Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse over the next several years.
*SETLIST
Wond’ring Aloud
Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of The New Day)
Jack-In-The-Green
Thick As A Brick
Songs From The Wood
Conundrum (instrumental including drum solo)
A New Day Yesterday (including flute solo, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Living In The Past”)
Velvet Green
Hunting Girl
Too Old To Rock ‘n Roll, Too Young To Die
Beethoven Symphony #9
Minstrel In The Gallery
Cross-Eyed Mary
Aqualung
Encore #1
Wind-Up
Encore #2
Back Door Angels
Wind-Up (reprise)
Encore #3
Locomotive Breath
Dambuster’s March
Back Door Angels (reprise)
*no setlist exists for the 3/18/77 show in Peoria; this setlist was from a later show in March on the same tour and is therefore representative