Ritz Theater

The theatre STILL retains its' original look outside...without the marquee.

The marquee was destroyed during the Blizzard of 1947 and was never restored.

My mother used to take me to the Ritz during the Second World War and we would watch the newsreels of the war, a first run movie and a small variety stage show - usually a comic. I was about four years old at the time.

The Ritz had 2,126 seats, according to the 1931 Film Daily Year Book. It was built and first operated by Sol Brill, who was also responsible for Staten Island's Liberty, New Dorp and St. George Theatres.

for a photo go to oldstatenisland.tripod.com

the website shows a ticket stub from this theatre dated january 1970.i was 11 at the time but was already an avid movie fan, and i don't remember the theatre operating at that time. i would be interested to know exactly when the thetre closed.

at the time of that ticket, the ritz was hosting rock concerts (up to about 73, I think) back in the 70's (when i was just a wee sprite...) they used to have national acts play at the Ritz Theater in Port Richmond. Alice Cooper, Mountain, Black Sabbath, Yes, Capt. Beefheart, MC5, King Crimson, The Kinks, Fleetwood Mac, Deep Purple, ...even Vanilla Fudge! I was too ingnorant of a lot of those bands and only got to see the 1st four on that list....but isn't it amazing? I also remember (vaguely) whenever there was a concert, the streets absolutely packed like Greenwich Village, stores open past midnight, everyone partying...incredible.

ed , i don't doubt that it became a concert venue, but weren't most of these bands/performers at the height of their popularity at that time? why would they book concerts on staten island?......

I thought so too at the time... but this was a period right before these bands played arenas like MSG & Nassau Coliseum. I remember the Yes LP "Fragile" had just been released, and Sabbath's 2nd LP, "Paranoid" was new at the time of their tour stop in SI. Most of these bands also played at the academy of music (AKA: the paladium on 14th st.)in manhattan. The Ritz concerts did not last to due "contract riders" put into place in the early seventies by NYC concert promoters. They insisted that the musicians performing at their place could not book additional shows within a 50 mile radius of the venue nor within a month surrrounding the show. This essentially killed the bookings for national recording acts at the Ritz Theater. During that time it was run by a pair called "The Ungano brothers", whom had previous success with a manhattan club bearing their name. Interestingly, I never seen a movie at the Ritz, only concerts!

Hi, The Ritz was one of 4 Theatres owned by Fabian Theatres Corp. whom I worked for the others were the St. George... Paramount.. and the Staten Island Drive In.

Oh man here is another blast from my past. I also saw YES there and was almost caught up in a riot when Badfinger was playing there and the Pagans MC threatened to destroy the place if they let the late show go on. That is where I met my friend "Jersey Joe" Sciorintino. He owned a piano and organ rental company as well as being the house PA for the Ritz hired by Gus Ungano. Joe has since passed on in 2001 but his piano and organ rental company is still there in Highland park NJ run by his son Russel.

I started in the concert business in my teens in 1971. As far as the 50 mile radius in the riders depended on who was booking the shows. If you look at the logistics Bill Graham had the Fillmore. Howard Stien had the Capitol Theatre in Portchester NY and John Scheer aka Metropolitiain Entertainment had the old Capitol in Pasaic NJ. All within 50 miles of each other. For a short time there was also the shows at the Lowes 46th street in Brooklyn. I recal when I went to see the Dead at the 46th street they had played the Fillmore for 4 days as well as the Capitols in NY and NJ all within 2 weeks of each other. Then again the Dead at that time could sell out any place they played. They also hold the record for the most sold out shows at madison Square garden up until the death of Jerry Garcia.

can anyone attach an exact date to any rock concert that occured at the ritz in staten island?

I saw Yes and Badfinger at the Ritz. Maybe you can go on the bands web sites and see if they have a list of places they played.

I am reading a Dean Martin biography which states that Jerry Lewis did a comedy act here in 1942 when he was 16, and got discovered by an agent, who signed him up the next day.

Some Ritz concert dates for somoman...

Date Band(s)
2/13/1970 Mountain
10/31/1970 MC5/Stooges
1/25/1971 Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
7/3/1971 Mountain
8/14/1971 Black Sabbath/Sweathog
11/26/1971 Allman Brothers
11/27/1971 The Kinks/Yes
12/6/1971 Humble Pie/King Crimson
2/14/1972 King Crimson
2/25/1972 Yes/Sweathog
3/17/1972 Badfinger
3/28/1972 Deep Purple
3/29/1972 Deep Purple
6/24/1972 Badfinger
7/29/1972 Uriah Heep
8/15/1972 The Doors
10/xx/1971 Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band
4/xx/1972 Alice Cooper

well this site was certainly a pleasant walk down memory lane. Thanks.. I used to live within walking distance to the Ritz so I was usually there every weekend and probably saw most of those bands.

A Deep Purple bootleg album was recorded at the Ritz, which the album cover calls the Riz.

I grew up on Staten Island, and saw movies at the Ritz as a kid, then rock concerts as a teenager.
I have unused tickets from these shows:
Black Sabbath, Aug 21, 1971, original price $5.75
Edgar Winter's White Trash, Oct 23, 1971, original price $3.75!
I've scanned them, but don't see a way to post them here.

My husband Rocky started the Music Column for the SI Advance, and interviewed alot of them...then Chuck Schmidt took it over.

This is the photo from the site mentioned by Garth on 9/14/04. LM also tipped me off from his post on the Lyric page:
http://oldstatenisland.tripod.com/theate8.jpg

You don't mind if I finish with the link, do you? There were other photos that I wanted to post.

I added the Victory, which was number one. I figured you wanted to add the other dozen or so. All yours.

Gee thanks. When someone is in the process of posting links, you don't jump in and post the same links that person is currently working on. Its called being courteous. You don't see me "borrowing" the links that your currently using, do you?

I didn't know you were working on it, obviously, or I wouldn't have done it. It won't happen again.

Hey guys, a little kindness please. Here we are... chasing our fondest memories and sure enough it's become a pissing match. Thank you both for your generous efforts to supply us with more cinema treasures.

Those who know the Ritz, and more speciically the demographics of Staten Island, understand why the major rock bands of the early 70s played there. First, at 2000+ seats, it was smaller than the Fillmore East but not by much. More importantly, Staten Island had a very passionate crowd of extremely hard rockers who were fiercely independant of the Manhattan scene. And that crowd was large enough to easily fill the Ritz with 2000 fresh new faces, ready to buy LPs, tee shirts, and soda from the refreshment stands. And no, these folks did not attend New York City concerts.

Today there are thousand and thousands of Staten Islanders who travel to their jobs in NYC daily for work, people who otherwise have nothing else to do with Manhattan.

I own Gemini Lighting Tv productions formally Gemini Light Shows. I did Lighting and light shows for the Ritz during all the concerts. I was also head tech and usually stage manager as well. I had equipment behind screen onstage as well as in projection booth where I controlled all the lighting and effects. In the 45 years I worked and toured with bands the Ritz was my favorite. Any photos of the concerts would be appreciated.
Richard Borders GeminiTV@aol.com

old ritz program discovered, see my blog at:
http://stagnantisland.blogspot.com/

I saw some concerts at the Ritz. Two that I remember, mainly because I saved the ticket stubs by taping them on my albums (although the albums are long gone now) were:
Allman Brothers Band (the 11/26/71 show posted by BillFitz)
Savoy brown, Fleetwood Mac & Long John Baldry

Ah yes. I vividly I remember the Badfinger show. They were supposed to play 2 shows in one night. The first show went off fine but the second show was canceled because the Pagan Motorcycle group threatend to start a riot for some reason. So the show did not go on.

Does anyone know if Gus Ungano is still alive?

I have a yahoo site for those of you who remember or went to concerts at The NY Academy of Music or when it was (UGH) The Palladium

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NY_Academy_of_Music

some of my memories of the ritz might not be exact, for several reasons. one thing i do remember clearly though is my first concert there as it was my first concert experience. it was a show with mountain as the headliner and rhinoceros before them and maybe a local act opening. that i am not sure about.i really went to see rhinoceros. i loved their song appriot brandy. my friend who was more experienceda concert goertold me i would love mountain. mountain climbing was not yet released and i did not get to hear leslie west before the show, which actually was best i think. after rhinoceros i turned to my friend owen and said "how can they top that"? well, as they stated to clear the crowded stage of all the equipment and started to to expose the three sets of double stacked sunn amps on both sides of the stage (i only learned a few years ago the the sunns were pa amps and speakers that had pre-amps built in that really helped with the extreme volume sound of mountain at that time. they stumbled into them because they could not afford marshalls) i stared to think it was getting possible for mountain to be something i would like. then the tech people (roadies) started sticking drum heads that had a kick that i could only relate to the sound of a nitro funny car at englishtown i knew i was in for some thing special. i had also only smoked pot twice before and hadn't really gotten high before and that night we had some pot, didn't know how to roll it , so we ate it earlier. the pot was kicking in as they came on stage and then they let it rip. i am not sure what song they statrted withbut we jumed out of our seats and i think i nearly over the balcony's edge. the song was probably "blood of the sun". in all my subsequent mountain shows 99%opened with either "blood of the sun" or "never in my life" and that was on the yet to be released climbing album and would be likely worked in later. well i was hooked that night to them. i am not the most dedicated of concert goer, but do know what i like and don't. i can't read or play music but can tell a off night from a great one and how i feel about guitarist's is " that leslie west is the best and then there is eric clapton and then all the rest". this is just my opinion. in the "all of the rest" is many great players and i know everyone has their own way of looking at tings. well, for now that's it miketars

My brother was an usher at the RITZ for rock bands and I have here the original posters promoting the bands. The dates conflict with those posted by others, so I'll post only the bands as they appear on the posters in order of their appearance that year.
Mountain
Richie Havens and the James Cotton Blues Band
Chambers Brothers
Jefferson Airplane Jammins as Hot Tuna
The Hollies
Canned Heat
Pig Iron
Show times 8:30pm and 11:30pm
Ticket Prices $4.00, $5.00, $6,00

I remember seeing Three Dog Night at the RITZ. Have photos of that performance, somewhere.

x

Hey Farmersdtr

I'm thrilled to see some more in depth information on the Ritz. It is one of the most under-documented venues in the history of the NY music scene. Perhaps its location on Staten Island contributed to its obscurity. The Unganos were no stranger to the business, and yet very few know that it was the Unganos who operated the Ritz. I was fortunate enough to see the Allman Brothers play there. In an amazing coincidence the band entered the front of the theater along with the rest of the crowd, and there they were right in front of my buddies and me. At age 16 it left quite an impression.

In any case can I impose on you to quote the actual dates of the concerts as they appear on the posters.

Thanks

I knew Gus Ungano and they ran a gas station down the street form the Ritz. They hired someone to book the bands but took the credit for them I am not sure if the brothers had any more shows after the problem with the Pagans when Badfinger played there. Oh man what a night that was. That was a night I will not forget. Hundreds of people were scared shitless including the police.

Somoman,
According to the poster: All information taken directly from poster:

Mountain - April 11th
Richie Havens and the James Cotton Blues Band - April 17th
Chambers Brothers - April 24th

Tuesday May 5th
Jefferson Airplane
Jamming as Hot Tuna

Sunday May 10th
The Hollies - First & Only Time in N.Y. One show 8:30pm

Saturday May 23rd
Canned Heat
Pig Iron

Will post story about Grace Slick in a second. Have to check spelling of YK name first!

Re: Jefferson Airplane jamming as Hot Tuna. Grace Slick didn't show up. 5 people were in the audience, most of them ushers...Hot Tuna didn't want to stay. Jorma Kaukonen began shouting for "lights", meaning, turn the lights on and end the night... so the ushers flashed their flashlights. I wonder if GeminiTV remembers that night.

Farmersdtr

Thanks yet again for the list of dates and bands. I'm a ticket stub collector.( My primary collection is Fillmore East stubs). But I also put together a small collection of of stubs from every major rock venue in New York City from the year 1971, the final year of the Fillmore East).

I acquired a pair of ticket stubs from the Ritz on Ebay about 8 years ago. I had never seen a stub before or since. Unfortunately, the stubs are hand stamped with the dates, and when the ushers tore them, the stubs were left with only the month intact. Since almost every show at the Ritz occured in 1971, I assume these to be 1971. Is there any chance your brother (being a former usher) has any stubs, or any recollection of what the stubs looked like? I'd like to get his opinion on what I have. I'm happy to send scans to him and/or you. As I said in an earlier posting there is little information on the venue, and even less surviving memorabilia. The posters are precious evidence of that short but fabulous window of time. Maybe the stubs are too.

Somoman,
He has tickets and stubs. When I see him I'll ask him for them.
I have a few here at my house.
WOODSTOCK MUSIC and ART FAIR
SUNDAY
AUGUST 17, 1969
10:00am
$7.00 Good For One Admission Only
no refunds globe ticket company

also same for Saturdfay.
Tickets not torn, due to the masses...............

Although this doesn't compare to a woodstock ticket....But it falls within your time frame and NYC Venues.
Almost... entirely intact.
ROSELAND
JOHN SCHER PRESENTS
THE KINKS
FRI. DEC 30 1983
$15.00 GEN ADM

You would not believe what is written on the back of the WOODSTOCK ticket! Never read it until today.

Farmersdtr

LETS HEAR IT....WHAT"S ON THE BACK OF THE TICKET

No refunds for any reason including lost or stolen tickets.
The management reserves the right without notice to make changes or substitutions in the program. Commercial still photographs, motion picture film and sound recording rights with respect to Woodstock Music and Art Fair are expressly reserved. Any commercial use of photographs, film and/or sound recordings without the espress written consent of the management is strictly prohibited. No alcoholic beverages or pets permitted on the premesis. Positively no refunds weather permitting.
The acceptance or use of this ticket shall release the management and all others, having any connection with the program or premesis, from any liability for injury, damages or loss to person or property, including motor vehicles, and authorizes the management to reproduce or otherwise record and use the holder's name, likeness, voice and actions for all purposes.
This ticket is a revocable license and any violation of the foregoing will be a cause for refusal of admission or removal from the premises.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They obviously had no idea what they were in for when they printed these tickets. The tickets were not torn becasue there was no crowd control for a half million people.

Does that mean we weren't allowed to take pictures. Oh well!!!!!

Did you know that Martin Scorsese was one of the cameramen shooting the movie? He's in the closing credits

It is something to think that a festival like Woodstock could never happen again, not in todays world. And yes the promoters had no idea what was coming because that festival had been going on for a few years with maybe a few thousand people showing up over the 3 days. But in 1969, it was like all the planets aligned and we all know the result from the great movie that was to follow. What I wouldn't give to see it on the big screen again in 35MM stereo.

Movie your right. Something like Woodstock will never happen again but the promoters did antisapate a crowd of up to about 150,000 people. What they werent expecting was the other 350,000 or more people that showed up. Considering there was no such thing as the internet and Ticketron was not even in the picture at that point ticket sales were done through a series of outlet stores. Also it was a general admision so that meant where you wound up is where you wound up. However some of the unknown bands cought a big break up there and some of them eventualy had a chance to play at the Ritz. I had to toss that in here to get this back on topic.

But also long gone are the days of going to a show and seeing 2-3 top bands on the same stage for under $5 especialy in 2000-4000 seat theatres. The Ritz was a good example of that. It also gave the residents of Staten Island a place they could call their own and not have to pay to get off the island. Staten Island has always been sort of isolated from the rest of the city. The Ritz at the time was the Fillmore East of Staten island. That was up until the Pagans MC nearly cause a riot out side the Ritz at a Badfinger concert.

I remember how the crowds swelled out to the streets. It was a sight. Across the street was the bank and the"goldrush" jeans company, next door was the shoe repair store and on the other side, Garbers and Perry's Luncheonette. I remember the Goldrush being open and the "head shop" down toward the train tracks, with the smell of incense burning. Stechmans was open for us too.
Way before the rock bands.... 25 cents got me to the Ritz on the R114 from Bulls Head, and into the theater for a show or 2 on a Saturday morning (early 60's)

I was a dedicated concert goer from 1969 to 1978. Having worked for Cash Box magazine (a worthy competitor to Billboard in the mid to late 60s), I went to concerts at least 3 times a week. The record companies gave out tickets generously to people like me, as they were always fishing for editorial favor, or better position on the top 100 charts. Besides, the tickets had a face value of $5-10 dollars back then, and the record labels gladly reimbursed the promoters for those freebies. Sadly, like everything else done in excess, going to concerts so often can make you lose your taste for the live experience. And don't be fooled by the Bill Graham approach of "3 acts for $5". In the days of the Fillmore East, those 3 bands would introduce styles and sounds that would ultimately shape the music we grew to love. But by 1976 we were being force fed crap by bands like Wet Willie or J.F.Murphy & Salt. Recycled pop version of their ground breaking counterparts.

I stopped attending concerts in 1978 having had more than my fill of music. Passion, innocence and the love of music , the founding qualities of rock and roll were long gone, replaced by a record label "corporate sensibility". Gone were the days of LPs, soon to be know as "product". Record store chains and retailers, who once bought albums from their local "one stop" distributors soon became slaves to the regional corporate "pipeline", often force fed retail garbage that was imposed on them if they expected to get their Frampton Comes Alive order filled.

Punk came along to "save the day",having injected the scene with a genuine angst ridden urgency. But those of us who grew up in the 60s couldn't help but see that the punkers were "working too hard" at it, as if they were trying to convince themselves along with every other person they could intimidate. It smelled like a marketing scheme covertly disguised as a grass roots uprising, and financed by the major record labels. And of course it wasn't a scheme when it first laid its roots, but punk became the property of clothing retailers just a little too soon, and a little too blatantly. The record labels spoon fed us The Knack, an innocuous, run of the mill group of wannabes,who were signed to Capitol Records after a protracted bidding war that could only be compared to the Yankees signing of Carl Pavano (who accepted a four year contract worth $39.95 million with the New York Yankees before falling off the map). The Knack, just punk enough to attract the loyalists who were looking for an icon, just pop enough to become a #1 album. I was on my knees, begging for mercy with the release of that album. If the Knack was the future of music than Lord Strike Me Deaf.

In 2002 or 2003, my buddies convinced me to see the Allman Brothers Band again. I had last seen them in 1971 at Carnegie Hall, a few short weeks after Duane died. Living in New York City I had the good fortune of choosing from a run of 12 ABB shows at the Beacon that year. At worst, I owed the band a thanks for the wealth of options. Thursday nights werre always my favorite night of the week, and so getting tickets for a Thursday was a breeze. I also began shopping on Craigslist for tickets under $100 each. When a band plays 12 consecutive nights, you're gonna get some get choice seats for under $60. All the disdain, the greediness and the jacked up ticket prices were put aside for that night.

I had heard about this boy wonder Derek Trucks, and I had heard about this rock and roll "torch bearer" Warren Haynes. But I never expected that the ABB would find two musicians that could bring back the fire, I mean BRING BACK THE FIRE that so drew me to the band the first time around. I saw Duane Allman play with the band on 5 seperate occasions. I loved Duane, but with all due respect, Derek Trucks was a better guitar player, and he was humble, passionate, sincere, and the real article in a world or grunge posers. And Derek always paid homage to the musicians who inlfluenced him, the musicians on whose shoulders he stood.

More recently I had the good fortune of seeing Zappa plays Zappa at the very intimate Blender Theater in New York City, Maybe, just maybe it seats 500. And then I saw Warren Haynes and Govt Mule play at the Angel Orensanz theater, an acoustic, and a laid back electric show. Maybe, just maybe the Orensanz Theater ( a preserved and converted Jewish temple) sat 250 people. Was there a movement back to intimate venues again, spearheaded by the very same arena bands who got rich filling stadiums. Hmmmmm, I was beginning to see a little light here, a movement, a newfound respect for individuals like who put down their hard earned cash to listen to 2 short hours of musical entertainment. Small venues eh... a place where a band could really connect with their audience,. And was it true what I had heard on the radio? The entire Zappa band had agreed to stick around after the show and sign autographs until the very last person in the audience got his or hers? It was true. I have my Dweezil signed laminated necklace. And on the backside, a secret code that would allow me to download a free copy of the show we had just heard. Wow, integrity had returned to the music scene. My vote counted. They respected me.

Which brings me back to Woodstock. Do I think a Woodstock can ever happen again? Innocense is fleeting, and once the Genie gets out of the bottle there's no putting it back. Do I think music will ever be the mouth piece of a political movement again, the soundtrack to a countercultural revolution. NOT IN MY LIFETIME. And will tickets ever come back to affordable? Hmmm maybe...if this recession keep up it just might.

Music will never be again what it was in the 60s. And that's sad, but progress is progress. BUT remember on any given night a band can sneak up on you, come around the bend slow and easy, then blow you away with a musical crescendo so dynamic that it can make the hair on your back stand up. Yes there are still magic moments. And these magic moments remind us that we humans can still move still the world forward, one tiny step at a time.

I have found all the Fillmore East Billboard! As you know, there is no year posted on the Billboards (they were actually 5x7 postcards that were mailed to my house), and leaflets that were of lighter paper that were circulated. Same motif that went into the newspapers advertising same. I also have the Fillmore 1/2 stubs, but could make out most artists. I'll post the RITZ dates and the FE dates when I can. It might not be this week.

Farmersdtr

Wow that is quite a find. The 5x7 cards are fabulous momentos to that golden era, 1968-1971. Some of them are worth lots of money,(but most of us music purists have no interest in selling them. They range in value from $20 - $200. Since I have the entire schedule of the Fillmore East through all 3 years of its existance, it is quite easy to identify the year of the billboard cards. Treat them well as they are wonderful and precious items.

Ticket stubs values are much more dependent on who the acts were. Again, give me dates and I'll tell you all 3 bands who performed that evening. I love stubs beccause I find that the 1 1/2" torn squares really bring back the memorable moments of the evening. And best of all, they take up almost no space, very important when you live in manhattan.


But most important, let me know how i can get feedback on the ritz stubs i have.

Abbreviations:
SB = Singer Bowl
CPSR = Central Park Skating Rink
F = Fillmore
FH = Forest Hills
P = Pavillion
U = Ungano's
MSG - Madison Square Garden
1969
7/3 - Jeff Beck - Jethro Tull F
7/4 and 7/5 - Iron Butterfly - F
7/9 - Blood, Sweat & Tears - CPSR
7/11 and 7/12 - John Mayall - F
7/12 - Byrds - CPSR
7/12 - Blind Faith - MSG
7/13 - Vanilla Fudge, Jeff Beck, T.Y.A, - SB
7/14 - Jeff Beck CPSR
7/16 - T.Y.A., Spencer Davis - CPSR
7/18 - Creedence Clearwater Terry Reid AUM - F
7/19 - Janis Joplin, Richie Havens - FH
7/21 - Led Zep, BB King - CPSR
7/22 - Muddy Waters - U
7/23 - Joni Mitchell, Tim Harden - CPSR
7/25 - Three Dog Night - P
7/26 - Fleetwood Mac - P
7/28 - 7/31 - Terry Reid - U

ok, the FE playbills have real dates inside.
Accordingly on 2/26, 1970 it was advertised that:
TYA (Ten Years After)
Zephyr
John Hammond
Joshua Light Show was to perform
Same line up on 2/27 - 2/28 but with Doug Kershaw in place of John Hammond

Mountain - April 11th
Richie Havens and the James Cotton Blues Band - April 17th
Chambers Brothers - April 24th

Tuesday May 5th
Jefferson Airplane
Jamming as Hot Tuna

Sunday May 10th
The Hollies - First & Only Time in N.Y. One show 8:30pm

Saturday May 23rd
Canned Heat
Pig Iron

Above dates are all RITZ

OK, I have one FE completely intact
12/26/68 Thursday EVE at 8:00
MC - 5 Free Concert

OK, I found one from the RITZ. This is alot of work.....
JAN'RY 31 1970 Upper Balcony $3.50
Section C Row I Seat 22

OK, one mor from the RITZ - Deep Red color
RITZ THEATER
255 Richmond Avenue
Staten Island
JAN'RY 30, 1970
Friday at 7:30
Front Orchestra

FE tickets:
5/10/68, 11/11/68, 9/27/68,12/26/68, 12/31/68
9/13/69, 10/4/69, 11/28/69, 12/31/69
2/28/70, 3/19/70, 4/28/70

OK The Jimi Hendrix Experience Friday Eve. Aug. 23, 1968
The Singer Bowl Flushing Meadow

Didn't Jimi also play the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium? He opened for the Monkeys.

Wow.... That's some combination. Let me keep diging, and see what I have for Forest Hills.

x

Yes, it is widely known that Hendrix opened for the Monkees. I believe he toured with them for 2-3 weeks leading up to the Forest Hills show. The Forest Hills was his last. Hendrix and the Monkees came to a collective decision that the crowd was not a Hendrix crowd and that it was unproductive for him to continue. In fact the crowds generaly booed Hendrix on that tour as the teenage girls chanted for the Monkees.

It is unclear whether or not he actually played that night in Forest Hills. I beleive he may have actually played an abbreviated set. The Monkees often refer to their relationship with Hendrix in interviews. They acknowledge him as the greatest guitarist they'd ever seen.

It was very popular for new and aggresive acts to tour with teeny bopper bands, ala Hendrix and the Monkees. The Who opened for Hermans Hermits in the summer of 1967. The Doors opened for Linda onstadt and the Stone Ponys in 1967.

farmersdtr

i'd like to swap .jpg images with you if you are willing and able to scan or take camera images of some of the items you mentioned. any chance you can get in touch with me at my home email?

I'd like to send you images of the ritz ticket stubs that I have and get your feedback. i'll also send you some images of my stub collections.

I'm at somo1@aol.com

Thanks

Honestly, I enjoyed listening to the Monkees and watching their show too. All 4 had talent individually, and as a group. JH was a legend and an awesome guitarist, but... I could see how it would end up as you explained above.

The Fillmore East used International Ticket Co. The RITZ used Globe Ticket Company
I found Central Park and Schaefer Music Fest tickets too.
Will continue searching for the RITZ photos and tickets beyond what's been already posted.
More RITZ stuff though includes:
During WWII - no I'm not that old. Admission to a movie included the show, a news reel (aka propaganda) and a piece of dinnerware (aka depression glass. Young women would collect for "the war effort" outside the RITZ, often in ethnic clothes of the allied country of ther forefathers, whose sons were now US GI's

Going back to the 3/11/09 comment, remember that Bruce Springsteen opened for Anne Murray once, and the audience didn't want him to leave the stage. That was the last time he was an opening act.

x

Although this site focuses exclusively on theaters, let me offer up my opinion on what I feel was the best venue in New York. The Wollman Rink at Central Park, aka the Budweiser Music Festival, then the Schaefer Music Festival and then the Dr. Pepper Music Festival. When the weather was right, and the band was up, it just didn't get better. The Byrds in 1971 races to mind. By that time the band featured Clarence White on guitar and Skip Battin on bass. The Byrds were always feel good, and when Roger played his 12 string, the crowd would light up. Oh yeah $2.00 tickets didnt hurt the experience

There was another good summer venue in NYC as well. Galic Park in the Bronx. How ever their were to many neighborhood complaints such as noise and crowds that put an end to that. Where as the Wollman Rink was a bit more regulation restrictive was also a great place to see a show. The downfal was when the city claimed that the main surface for the rink had some major cracks and was in need of repair and the city was getting screwed over by contractors asking way to much and to much time. Donald Trump stepped in and took it over and came in under budget and under time. When the rink was completed i remember the city making excuses as why they were no longer interested in using it as a concert venue. One was that they were afraid that all the weitght from the people sitting on the rink floor would cause major damage and crack the concrete and pipes. The city also claimed that it was costing to much in OT for the extra police detail primarily used during and after the show. To much crap as far as i was concerned and it forced the event to move to another location. It was never the same and eventually ended. BTW it was Reingold Beer not Budweiser

Here is a copy and paste from Wiki

The Rink has been used as the venue for several summer concerts. The first annual summer music festival at there was sponsored by Rheingold beer company and opened on July 1, 1966. The Rheingold Central Park Music Festival also took place during the summer of 1967.[1] The first annual Schaefer Music Festival opened on June 27, 1968 and ran each summer through 1976.[1] The first annual Dr. Pepper Music Festival opened on July 6, 1977 and ran annually through the summer of 1980 (the 15th, and last annual music festival held at the Wollman Rink).[1]

My apologies, you are correct. It was indeed the Rheingold Music Festival before it was the Schaefer festival.

Oh how I wish CT had an optional spell checker. After reading my last posting just now I nearly crapped.
I was on the Uriah Heep web site yesterday and noticed that they had played the Ritz in 1971 but did not list it as the Ritz.

http://www.uriah-heep.com/newa/giglists.php

(First) US Tour
Mar 26 - Fillmore East, New York City, NY
Mar 27 - Fillmore East, New York City, NY
Mar 30 - Ungano's Club, New York City, NY
Mar 31 - Ungano's Club, New York City, NY

OK guys, now I'm searching the archives here for: The Rheingold Central Park Music Festival.
Found amongst the collection. RITZ photos of Three Dog Night, and Woodstock photos... never before published.

ok, ok, I have it. The 3 x 5 trifold schedule 1967 The Rheingold Central Park Music FestivalEither you have it, or you don't Rheingold Extra Dry Lager Beer
Cover. All tickets... $1.00 All concerts are listed June-July - August. Also found one ticket stub Torn in half. Could they have torn any better?
All that's visible is The Rheingold Central Park Music Festival - Wollman Skating Rink # 00117

The year given for this photo is 1971.

Re: Somoman's posting on March 3rd:
I visited with my brother this past week (RITZ usher), and he was able to answer the question about the RITZ tickets that you had, and hopefully this solves the mystery as to why some were printed (like the Fillmore East and some of the RITZ tickets; and why some were stamped, as the example you posted.

Regarding the tickets that are stamped:
"The day was stamped because they didn't know if the band would be playing or not. It all depended on how many seats were sold. They had to cover the cost of the band".