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Shea Moments

Edgy DC Dec 04 2007 09:16 AM

I had dim memories of this Shea-related death. Snopes.com provides the details. The halftime show provided for a crowd of 45,000 fans attending the Jets-Patriots football game at Shea Stadium on 9 December 1979 was an exhibition staged by the Electronic Eagles of the Radio Control Association of Greater New York. The group's model air show, a popular entertainment previously presented hundreds of times at halftimes and other events, featured radio-controlled airplanes that performed maneuvers around the stadium, engaged in aerial dogfights, and showcased flying model planes crafted in unusual shapes. On this occasion, however, the exhibition did not go off without a hitch. Partway through the show a model plane crashed into the football field — a harbinger of tragedy to come, especially after the crowd began to grow concerned about how closely some of the aircraft were approaching to fans seated in the stands. As one spectator present later expressed his unease to the New York Times: They were sending those things right over the crowds. I had an aisle seat near an exit, and I had it in my mind that if it came near me, I would run. It seemed so stupid, so sick, to send this thing over these people. Shortly before the end of the 15-minute show, Philip Cushman, a Brooklyn auto collision repairman, lost control of the model aircraft he was guiding, a novel plane shaped like a lawnmower with a red reel and silver handle. The plane circled the stadium a few times, then abruptly nose-dived into the stands about five rows behind the Patriots' bench on the third-base side of the stadium. As the lawnmower-shaped craft plummeted into the seats, it struck two spectators, 20-year-old John Bowen of Nashua, New Hampshire, and 25-year-old Kevin Rourke, of Lynn, Massachusetts. Both men suffered serious head injuries from the incident. Kevin Rourke received emergency room treatment for a concussion and was admitted to a hospital for additional observation, while John Bowen, whom one observer at the scene described as looking "like he had been attacked by an ax," underwent emergency surgery that evening. Although Rourke recovered satisfactorily was eventually discharged from the hospital, Bowen died of his injuries four days later. Police and prosecutors began an investigation when it became apparent that Bowen was unlikely to survive his injuries, but Queens district attorney John J. Santucci said authorities "had no reason to believe [the incident] was anything other than an accident," and the matter was judged to be a civil issue rather than a criminal one. A Mets blogger remembers.

soupcan Dec 04 2007 09:34 AM

I have a memory of that although I'm surprised to see it was almost 30 years ago. I would have guessed late '80's early '90's.

Johnny Dickshot Dec 04 2007 09:41 AM

I hate when I'm trying to watch a football game I get hit in the head by a flying lawnmower. Hety give me my identity back. I'm all weirded out

Edgy DC Dec 04 2007 09:53 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 04 2007 09:56 AM

Sticking to baseball-free moments in this, the baseball forum, here is Grand Funk in 1971. I also found some 1971 footage of their opening act, Humble Pie, but there are no crowd shots, so I can't tell if it's at Shea. It's also too grainy to confirm if that's Peter Frampton on guitar, but I think it is. Anybody know the Frampton/Pie chronology? Here's wrestler Andre the Giant vs. boxer Check Wepner 1976. I'm posting this without viewing it all, so I apologize if there is a lot of down time. Part I: Part II:

Edgy DC Dec 04 2007 09:55 AM

Holy crap, a wedgy.

sharpie Dec 04 2007 10:04 AM

Frampton left Humble Pie in '71 so without seeing the clip I couldn't tell. His replacement, Clem Clempson, had white-blonde hair so if the guitarist had that kind of hair it was Clempson, if not it's Frampton. My first concert was seeing Humble Pie in '72 at CW Post. For that I have a soft spot in my heart for them. Opening act was Alexis Koerner.

Edgy DC Dec 04 2007 10:14 AM

Minor spinoff: Guys More Known Than the Band They Broke Off From, but the Band was Kind of Big Too, So You Should Remember They Were in That Band, but You Sometimes Forget Peter Frampton, Humble Pie Jerry Rafferty, Steeler's Wheel Randy Bachman, The Guess Who

soupcan Dec 04 2007 10:25 AM

Peter Frampton, Humble Pie - Know the singer and the band - did not know that the singer was ever with that band. Jerry Rafferty, Steeler's Wheel - See above Randy Bachman, The Guess Who- Know the band not the singer unless he had something to do with BTO.

Johnny Dickshot Dec 04 2007 10:31 AM

="soupcan"]Peter Frampton, Humble Pie - Know the singer and the band - did not know that the singer was ever with that band. Jerry Rafferty, Steeler's Wheel - See above Randy Bachman, The Guess Who- Know the band not the singer unless he had something to do with BTO. Frampton wasn';t the singer of Humble Pie, just the geetarist. Steve Marriott was the singer.

sharpie Dec 04 2007 10:34 AM

Peter Frampton wasn't the singer for Humble Pie. The singer was Steve Marriott who was formerly with the Small Faces which became the Faces after Rod Stewart replaced him (Marriott was quite short so the Small part no longer worked). Rod Stewart and Faces should maybe be added to that list, also Rod Stewart and the Jeff Beck Group.

Edgy DC Dec 04 2007 10:40 AM

="soupcan"]Peter Frampton, Humble Pie - Know the singer and the band - did not know that the singer was ever with that band. Jerry Rafferty, Steeler's Wheel - See above Randy Bachman, The Guess Who- Know the band not the singer unless he had something to do with BTO. That's why I'm here. How about the stoned Grand Funking teenagers dangling their bellbottoms off the dugout?

Johnny Dickshot Dec 04 2007 10:42 AM

Dead Quiet Riot Guy (where is that thread? Oh yeah, it's dead) cited Marriott as his inspiration. Unfortunately, he had to die of an overdose and not a raging house fire.

Edgy DC Dec 04 2007 10:49 AM

The Who, in 1982, closing for the Clash:

Vic Sage Dec 04 2007 10:56 AM

i was at that concert. Before the Clash came on, the first opening act was David Johansen. I was sitting in the upper deck in Right Field. The sound was like mush, and we were so far away that we barely noticed that there was a concert going on. I hate stadium shows, but they are 10x better now than they were then, thanks to improvements in a-v technology.

Gwreck Dec 04 2007 11:44 AM

One of the biggest Shea highlights from the otherwise miserable 2003 season was that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band ended their 02-03 world tour with 3 nights at Shea. I had been following the tour for quite a while and each of the shows at Shea were among the best that I had seen. That this tour was ending was in some ways sad, because it wasn't clear when (or if? -- they were getting older) we'd see the E Street Band again. When they had reunited several years earlier for their previous tour (in fairness, a mostly nostalgia-fest), it was lots of fun, but that they could go out with a brand new album of relevant rock music was the true payoff of the reunion. He had already played 10 nights at Giants Stadium in the summer, so another 3 in the NY area seemed somewhat excessive (the seats were pretty much filled, though). By the end of the tour, however, Springsteen had opened up the setlist to include songs even from the deepest reaches of his catalog which was a treat for those who had seen more than one or two shows by that point. Highlights from the shows (and there were many) included Springsteen revisiting "American Skin (41 Shots)," the song that brought him so much controversy from the dimwitted NYC Police when he played it at the Garden in 2000; some highly politicized moments (including using "Souls of the Departed," "Roulette" and "Code of Silence" to open each show) a magnificent "New York City Serenade" on the second night; "Into the Fire," dedicated to a Long Island firefighter who missed the show by a week, having been killed in the line of duty -- his wife had gotten him the seats for his birthday; Al Leiter joining on some badly-played tambourine for "Rosalita;" and a surprise appearance by Bob Dylan on the final night, joining Springsteen on stage for "Highway 61 Revisited." I had never been to Shea before for a non-baseball event, so it was strange to see the scoreboard hidden behind the stage, completely turned off. Bringing up all of the baseball lights for "Born to Run" was pretty damn cool, even if you'd seen the song in concert 30 times before. Entrance to the field seats was through the bullpens, which provided that fun reliever-perspective of entering the field.

Fman99 Dec 04 2007 01:16 PM

Rolling Stones' "Steel Wheels" tour. October 26, 1989. We had 10th row isle seats (the only time I've ever been down on the field at Shea). Living Colour opened. We had a rockin' good time. I was 16 years old.

sharpie Dec 04 2007 01:19 PM

I was at the first of those Springsteen shows. Also was in the Oakland Coliseum version of the Who/Clash show.

Edgy DC Dec 04 2007 01:32 PM

Not a Shea moment.

sharpie Dec 04 2007 01:36 PM

Yeah, I know, but the Springsteen one was and was the first time I'd been on the Shea field.

themetfairy Dec 04 2007 01:40 PM

The Run to Home Plate 5K is a great Shea moment. The first three miles of the run are pretty boring, but it's worth it for that last 1/10th of a mile inside the ballpark. During one of those events, prior to the run, a couple of us snuck into the visitor's bullpen and took some pictures there - a memory within a memory :)

sharpie Dec 04 2007 01:42 PM

That reminds me, I had been on the Shea field before that for a couple of DynaMets dashes with Lenny. Randy Niemann gave him a high-five.

OlerudOwned Dec 04 2007 01:43 PM

All I know is that I enjoyed the Death From Above 1979 reference in the blog post's title.

soupcan Dec 04 2007 01:51 PM

Fman99 wrote: Rolling Stones' "Steel Wheels" tour. October 26, 1989. We had 10th row isle seats (the only time I've ever been down on the field at Shea). Living Colour opened. We had a rockin' good time. I was 16 years old. Not sure of the exact date - but I was there for one of those also. I remember three things - The enourmous inflatable women on either side of the stage that were inflated for 'Honky Tonk Women'. A very drunk woman dancing in front of my friend and me at the beer line singing to us - "You make a dead man cummmmmm....!" I took it as a compliment. The crush to get on the 7 train was like I had never seen it before or since. At least 30 minutes just to get from street level to the platform.

themetfairy Dec 04 2007 01:56 PM

I remember freezing my butt off at Shea during December Jets games when I was a kid. With Namath injured, on the sidelines, wearing a white mink coat (Namath had the white mink. If I had the white mink, presumably I wouldn't have been freezing so badly).

Edgy DC Dec 05 2007 10:07 AM

Building Shea, circa 1963: Shea shot shilently from the air, circa 1964:

John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 05 2007 10:14 AM

Lotta foul territory.

smg58 Dec 05 2007 10:27 AM

Fman99 wrote: Rolling Stones' "Steel Wheels" tour. October 26, 1989. We had 10th row isle seats (the only time I've ever been down on the field at Shea). Living Colour opened. We had a rockin' good time. I was 16 years old. I was 19, and up in the mezzanine. You should have seen the protruding floor of the upper deck shake in rhythm to "Satisfaction." Being directly under it, it was a tad unnerving...

John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 05 2007 10:31 AM

My band played Shea Stadium in 1983. It was my high school marching band at a Jets game but whatever. We rocked.

Edgy DC Dec 05 2007 10:59 AM

OK, Hall of Fame here: Bands that played Shea 1965: Beatles, King Curtis Band, Cannibal and the Headhunters, Brenda Holloway, The Young Rascals, and Sounds Incorporated 1965 in Fiction: The Rutles (at Big Che) 1966: Beatles (don't know the support act or acts) 1970: Festival for Peace Concert: Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Jimi Jendrix (unconfirmed), Johnny Winter, Poco, Paul Simon, The James Gang 1971: Grand Funk Railroad, Humble Pie 1982: Simon and Garfunkle (No support acts, I think) 1983: The Police, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, REM 1983: The Who, The Clash, David Johansen 1989: The Rolling Stones, Living Color, An African Drum Band I Can't Remember 2003: Springsteen, Support Act?Fill in t Fill in the blanks.

Willets Point Dec 05 2007 11:31 AM

Black 47, numerous appearances.

Edgy DC Dec 05 2007 11:38 AM

I was going to do the concerts affiliated with games also, but I'm trying to isolate the non-baseball shows first.

Gwreck Dec 05 2007 11:41 AM

Springsteen had no support act. Elton John/Eric Clapton was the act immediately preceding Springsteen, August 21 and 22, 1992. --- My HS marching band also played at Shea, my senior year -- although 'twas a Mets game. Seems to me it was after Domencetti had retired, though.

Fman99 Dec 05 2007 01:28 PM

="Edgy DC"]OK, Hall of Fame here: Bands that played Shea 1965: Beatles, King Curtis Band, Cannibal and the Headhunters, Brenda Holloway, The Young Rascals, and Sounds Incorporated 1965 in Fiction: The Rutles (at Big Che) 1966: Beatles (don't know the support act or acts) 1970: Festival for Peace Concert: Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Jimi Jendrix (unconfirmed), Johnny Winter, Poco, Paul Simon, The James Gang 1971: Grand Funk Railroad, Humble Pie 1982: Simon and Garfunkle (No support acts, I think) 1983: The Police, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, REM 1983: The Who, The Clash, David Johansen 1989: The Rolling Stones, Living Color, An African Drum Band I Can't Remember 2003: Springsteen, Support Act?Fill in t Fill in the blanks. Jimi Hendrix did not play at the Festival for Peace concert at Shea in 1970. He did play the NY Pop Festival at Randall's Island though, on 17 July of that year. http://www.nii.net/~obie/jimi_hendrix_live.htm#1970

Edgy DC Dec 05 2007 01:42 PM

Two reasons that rumor may persist: 1) He showed but didn't play. 2) Too many peeps think he sings backup on "Piece of My Heart."

Kid Carsey Dec 05 2007 04:49 PM

I was at the DJ, Clash, Who show too and watched most of it from on top of the Mets dugout. I think I've posted a few stories about that show on various forms of our hangouts over the years so I won't repeat them.

SteveJRogers Dec 09 2007 07:22 PM

There is a book out on Shea's history, leafed through it at my local Borders. Great photos and a nice brisk read on it and the area's history. [url=http://www.amazon.com/Shea-Stadium-NY-Images-Baseball/dp/0738554561/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197252934&sr=8-1]Shea Stadium, Images of Baseball by Jason D. Antos.[/url] Antos is a member of the Queens Historical Society and had a book about Whitestone come out last year.

Edgy DC Dec 09 2007 10:46 PM

I'm no Torre-hater, but that seems like a funny choice for a cover illustration. I like putting Bill Shea on the cover, though.

G-Fafif Dec 10 2007 09:04 AM

Antos book contains compelling pictures, tortured text, fun factual errors (Seaver won 25 games in 1967; Gooden was traded to the Mets in 1984) but a lot of heart and presumably accurate history about the Valley of Ashes and how it grew up to become an almost-now-defunct ballpark. Once went to a baseball card show at Shea, held inside the Gate A/B entrance in 1978. Bought that year's Topps Seaver for presumably no more than a buck, first card (I guess) in which he was a Red. The irony only just hit me.

Benjamin Grimm Dec 10 2007 09:24 AM

If the baseball stuff is inaccurate, why are you presuming that the neighborhood history is accurate? When I see a book containing obvious mistakes about the stuff I know, it calls into question the accuracy of the parts I don't already know about. I become suspicious of the entire work.

SteveJRogers Dec 10 2007 09:57 AM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: If the baseball stuff is inaccurate, why are you presuming that the neighborhood history is accurate? When I see a book containing obvious mistakes about the stuff I know, it calls into question the accuracy of the parts I don't already know about. I become suspicious of the entire work. Ditto. Same questions pop up when dealing with Ken Burns' documentaries (just using Burns as an example) when little facts are wrong about stuff that certain people know tons about, why should other things be considered certified. You can't say "Oh his baseball documentary was full of small mistakes, but his jazz or Civil War documentary was flawless" based soley on the fact that you know baseball history well, but not so much about the Civil War or the history of jazz music. Sloppy research is sloppy research and should call the entire piece into question (okay stop staring!).

Edgy DC Dec 10 2007 10:37 AM

I'm not staring Steve. It's not like the first time you've fudged facts to suit your agenda. And then cried out that the credibility of your position shouldn't be damaged by the facts supporting it not being viable.

G-Fafif Dec 10 2007 10:44 AM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: If the baseball stuff is inaccurate, why are you presuming that the neighborhood history is accurate? Excellent question. Probably because most of the neighborhood is highly detailed and reasonably attributed and because the author's bailiwick is Queens history as opposed to baseball (and, to be fair, if he is misstating something happening at the intersection of Main Street and Northern Blvd. as happening in 1937 instead of 1936, I wouldn't know or notice or, my regard for accuracy notwithstanding, be bothered by it much). The Mets stuff isn't exactly shoehorned in there, but he seems less comfortable talking about it. I would normally warn you off a book that misstates a dozen or more Met facts (Mike Piazza being traded by the Dodgers to the Mets is just sloppy but "the team's main supporters are the residents of the two communities bordering the stadium, Flushing and Corona" is almost charming in its lunacy) but the pictures make everything worth the price of admission.

themetfairy Jan 16 2008 06:48 AM

Ringo Starr reminisces about Shea [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5y956PV8no]here[/url], around the 2:30 mark - ]In the USA, when we played Shea We were Number 1, and it was fun