4/6/1978 Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Pure Prairie League, SIU Arena, Carbondale, IL


 43 years ago today...

April 6, 1978 - Carbondale, IL

Regional favorite Ozark Mountain Daredevils performed in concert for an enthusiastic student crowd at SIU Arena.
I was a college freshman and this was a favorite band of mine at the time. The debut quilt album with "If You Wanna Get To Heaven," "Chicken Train" and "Standing On the Rock" was a car 8-track staple. Later, "Jackie Blue" was a radio smash.
The opener was Pure Prairie League, a co-headliner in our minds, included in the show promotion but not listed on the ticket. PPL then was post-Craig Fuller, the voice of "Amie," as lead vocalist but pre-Vince Gill, "Let Me Love You Tonight," pop/rock era.
OMD/PPL double-bill attracted several pals from University of Illinois to make the four+ hour drive south to my campus. My roommates also were in, so it meant camping out for tickets, literally, outside the Arena ticket window. We took shifts, but I think I spent the better part of two nights in a sleeping bag on a sidewalk. Camping out for days for concert tickets was pretty common then, a numbered wrist band methodology adding some order to the scene.
With the mix of Illini and Salukis, it was a pretty wild night. The show was fantastic. The partying excessive. The boys were the best. Upon recovery the next day, I joined the Illini crowd on their return trip to Champaign. That night we saw Heartsfield play the Dance Marathon fund raiser in Huff Gym. Fun music memory of great carefree college days.


Photo credit to Daily Egypitan

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