I recall that Alabama played the Field House sometime during my time at RPI - I was there from 83 until 87 and I think it would have been 1984 maybe?

Also, there was the concert that wasn't - Heart and Kansas. One of the Heart singers had a sore throat so both groups cancelled. :-( This was in 1986/1987 I believe.

From my father, Arthur, who attended RPI in the 70s:

"Here are some additional shows I attended which are not listed:

Jackson Browne and Orleans - September 14, 1976 (my first concert at RPI a week or two after I arrived):
http://cgi.ebay.com/Jackson-Browne-Orleans-1976-Concert-Ticket-Stub/270…

Boston May, 1977 - the night before the Math 2 final (which I flunked). Strangely there is no reference to this show on the internet. I swear I was there.

Emerson Lake and Palmer February 6, 1978 - sat 4th row in front of Keith Emerson, certainly one of the best rock keyboard players ever (Rick Wakeman may be better). Amazing show.

And the one I had 20 tickets for when their plane crashed October, 1977 - Lynyrd Skynyrd. Wish I had keep one of the tickets for the $10-12 I paid.

It is absolutely amazing the quality and quantity of concerts we had in and around the time I was at RPI.

They are also missing at least 2 other big ones in 1987. One was Rush and the other was Jethro Tull who opened their 1987 tour at RPI (I did not go back for either)."

91? Poison
92? Ozzy and Smashing Pumpkins
92-3? Public Enemy, Anthrax, and Primus

I did a Google search for tour histories and found the site http://www.songkick.com/. I went through all the venues listed in Troy, NY and came up with the following additions. Note that there were some other concerts listed, but I tried to concentrate on the significant acts. The obvious way to generate a comprehensive list would be to go through the Poly newspaper archives, which would be laborious (although you might just need to look for the events calendar page, or a page at the beginning of each semester giving the concert schedule).

Cyndi Lauper, November 9, 1984. (Confirmation: http://cyndilaupernews.com/documents/fun_tour_dates.html)

Neil Young and Crazy Horse with Sonic Youth, February 9, 1991.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, November 5, 1991. (Another site listed Smashing Pumpkins on this date. Either a double-bill or a mistake somewhere.)

They Might Be Giants, March 28, 1998 and September 29, 1990.

Jane's Addiction, April 27, 1991.

Van Morrison, April 11, 1970.

Bob Dylan, October 27, 1989. (Confirmation: http://www.bobdylan.com/#/tour/1989-10-27-houston-fieldhouse)

I saw my first concert- Cinderella, Bullet Boys and Winger in 87? I am looking to find the exact year but am having a hard time, that's how I found your site!

I just stumbled across this. I wanted to comment on the 1971 Blood Sweat and Tears Concert. Don McClean opened for BS&T. The next morning everyone on Campus was singing, "Bye, bye, Miss American Pie. .. ."

i saw supertramp at the fieldhouse 4 days after my 19th b-day may 29th 1979. what a show! if i remember correctly it seems to me that it reminded me of a circus.

3/2/99- The Offspring. Opening bands were The Living End and Ozomatli.

I still remember, at the tender age of 9 or 10, mom saying "Wow, you kids are going to get contact high here"... it only took 8 years to figure out what the hell the funny smell, in conjunction with the comment, meant.

Thanks for compiling this list! The 1998 concert by They Might Be Giants was in the RPI Union (in the McNeil Room), and it's likely that the 1990 show was too, although I can't find my ticket from that one.

Just stumbled on this - not sure if these qualify as "big names," but I remember seeing Bob Mould (of Husker Du) in the McNeil room and NRBQ in the West Hall Auditorium. Both were somewhere between 1989 and 1991.

From my dad when I told him about the concerts listed,

Very cool!
(my memory was alittle fogged on the exact dates, but...

2/6/1978
Emerson Lake & Palmer
RPI Field House
5/7/1978
The Grateful Dead
RPI Field House
sold out in hours
11/12/1978
Bruce Springsteen
RPI Field House
rave reviews
5/27/1979
Supertramp
RPI Field House
11/8/1979
Jefferson Starship
RPI Field House
4/26/1980
Frank Zappa
RPI Field House
2nd appearance

I took a look at the file of big name concerts at RPI and I think are still a few missing. I also remember seeing Wang Chung and Jefferson Starship/Airplane. I believe it was in the brief period of time when they were just called "Starship." Glace Slick did perform. I am pretty sure these concerts were at the Field House. I believe Wang Chung was the warm-up band for someone else at the time, so maybe whatever band that was is listed. I was at RPI from 1982-1986, so it would have been during that time period.

A little research on when songs were released leads me to believe Starship/Jefferson Starship played at RPI in 1985 or 1986.

Yes, Starship performed in the Field House on 11/16/85, on a double bill with Night Ranger. I still have the ticket stub from that one.

Melissa & Joe - thanks for filling in this missing information! I've updated the file. I'll see what I can find on the Wang Chung gig.

I seem to remember the group Boston playing there
in the late seventies

A few I remember in the mid-70's (71 through 76...played either what was then "The Armory" or the "RPI Fiiedhouse".

> "The Carpenters" in the Armory
> "Chicago" in The Armory
> "Richie Havens" at the fieldhouse (way before the name change)
> America in The Armory

.......and I'm sure a few more.

Bob Mould was Fall 1990, Black Sheets of Rain tour. So, so, so, so loud and awesome

NRBQ and Buckwheat Zydeco was in the McNeil room in spring 1989, I think during GM week or right before finals.

Camper vanBeethoven was West Hall in Fall 1988.

Stryper & Hurricane - Nov. 1988
Attica, Testament & Slayer - early '90s (local band Attica filled in for Sepultura)
Marilyn Manson & L7 - mid '90s

All at the field house

Seals and Crofts - Spring 1974 at the RPI Field House. My first date with my wife

Zappa Concert: Stockholm 1973. The performance dates to a 1973 or 74 performance on a Swedish TV show called Oopoppa. There are videos of this performance floating about. Evidently there were 2 sets accomplished - one maybe for the "official" show, and a second videotaped set that was perhaps broadcast separately. ....http://frankzapppa.blogspot.com/2013/12/concert-stockholm-1973.html

I attended the Stryper/Hurricane concert at RPI but thought that it was earlier than 1988. I'm thinking like 86. I can't find any info on it and have been looking for a long time. It was the first concert I ever attended so one would think I would remember the date. Oh well. Anyhow it was a great a great concert, loud heavy metal music, lights, pyrotechnics and bibles, drumsticks, and guitar picks flying.

An old thread, I know, but I saw the Dead at the Fieldhouse in May '78, Springsteen in December '78, and Supertramp in May '79...

CORRECTION... It was actually 1987.

After some extensive searching I am now 100% sure of this.

My ticket stub has the date cut off. but it says "7:30PM TUE"
I kept searching for "Stryper Hurricane RPI", but came up short.
I then found Timothy Gaines' list of old tours and found this:
"200. 03-10-87, Poly Institute, Troy, NY."
Then looking up March 10th, 1987, and it is in fact a Tuesday.. BINGO!
That's where I was on that day as a 15 year old Stryper fan. :)

I met Carl Palmer a couple years ago - he remembered that night..."snow was blowing into the dressing room" at the fieldhouse. I lived close enough to walk home!

Looking for anything from the 11/06/1976 Zappa show, like a poster, ad or ticket stub. My first date with my wife-to-be. :). Thanks!

many thanks for the list! brings back a flood of memories. I saw the Grateful Dead, ELP and Frank Zappa at RPI in the mid to late 70's. always a great time there. the only downside was the night of ELP was a nasty upstate NY snow storm.
really liked growing up in that area. seemed that all the colleges (RPI, Russel Sage, Albany State, Sienna and Union) would try to out do the other for bands. don't know if they do that so much anymore.

Wow - Thanks!

I remember working the show backstage (c 90-01), but I don't remember the 4th act. It was a Tesla/Great White double-bill, with Badlands (Jake E. Lee, guitarist).

Neil young and the international harvester band late eighties and Supertramp in the same one period

A couple more to add: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Beck played a show from their joint tour in Fall of '89 (I forget the exact date). I think it was SRV's last tour. Also, NRBQ played the McNeil Room at least a couple of times in the late 70s/early 80s. And then there were the Blotto shows... :)

I have half a ticket stub from Dick Clark's American Bandstand Tour, which visited the Fieldhouse in 1989 and featured The Guess Who, The Association, The Drifters and The Spinners. All I can tell is from the half-stub is that it took place on a Friday, likely during a month starting with M. Would love to suss out the actual date.

Also - Robert Plant and Jimmy Page (separate tours) c. 1989. I think Michael Schenker opened for Page. (i worked t-shirt security at the time and led Jimmy to the stage)

I remember my first Field House show as being Mahavishnu Orchestra with Frampton's Camel. Anybody else got any idea about this one?

Rolling Stones beer and blanket show (no seats, just the floor of Field House) 1964 or 1965. Carry in a blanket and all the beer you want! Stones walked off stage twice, once when someone threw a beer can onstage, and once when someone yelled a slur which also is the name of a bundle of sticks. Both times they were talked into returning. They were touring the Northeast US at about that time.

Shows I attended @ RPI FIELDHOUSE were: Paul Mauriat Orchestra - Don McLean - The Doors - Emerson,Lake & Palmer - Bruce Springsteen - Bette Midler w/musical director/pianist Barry Manilow - Stevie Wonder - Blood,Sweat & Tears Night Ranger - Bo Diddley - Jefferson Starship - Richie Havens
@ TROY ARMORY/RPI : Jimi Hendrix Experience w/Soft Machine - Chicago (2 nights) - The Beach Boys (original members) w/ New Colony Six & ? -
@ McNeill Room : Maynard Ferguson - Orleans ? - others? (sorry)

I could SWEAR I saw Heart in 1977. Anyone else remember ? Maybe it wasn't at the field house ?