Blimp Time-Hop

Touring in support of his second album Soul to Soul, SRV came to Portland on November 15, 1985. The Fabulous Thunderbirds opened the show featuring Stevie Ray’s big brother Jimmie on guitar.

On November 13,1990, AC/DC brought The Razors Edge Tour to Blimpville. My wife Sherry and I were newlyweds and made sure we included this show as part of our honeymoon.

39 years ago, the Audio-Visions tour came to Portland, Maine. This second appearance by Kansas at the Civic Center was also their second sold-out show here on November 9, 1980.

On November 6, 1970, took the show out of the rehearsal space and on the road for their inaugural appearance at Nipmuc Regional High School in Mendon, Massachusetts. Nipmuc will forever be in the history books as the coolest high school in America. Freakin’ Aerosmith played there, man! BTW, tickets were like $1.25 in advance $2.50 at the door…crazy right?

When most teeenagers were starting their first jobs at fast food joints, Rick got a dream gig that would turn out to be a lifelong career in a band that very deservingly ended up in The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He has been in Def Leppard since 1978 when he joined the band on his 15th birthday.

It's the 32nd Anniversary of the Permanent Vacation tour live at the Civic Center for the first time. Aerosmith showed Maine lots of love during their sober comeback with a couple nights in Portland on October 27 and 28 1987.

29 years ago today, KISS brought their Hot in the Shade tour to the Cumberland County Civic Center. This was the 5th time they rocked Portland, Maine and the last appearance here with late drummer, Eric Carr.

32 years ago, Def Leppard brought their World Tour to Portland. It was a 360° white-hot show filled with Pyromania and Hysteria hits and wicked killer lasers on an in-the-round stage.

The band also previewed Limelight and Tom Sawyer for Portland that night a whole 4 months before the release of Moving Pictures

41 years ago today, the Electric Light Orchestra landed their sonic spaceship in Blimpville for a sold-out show at the Civic Center. This was their only appearance in Portland, Maine, ever.

39 years ago today, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band came to Portland and rocked a capacity crowd at the Civic Center. Against the Wind had been out since February of that year and remains Seger’s only Number 1 album ever.

Legend has it that Bruce Springsteen's first show in Maine was at a little college in Houlton in 1973. This was 2 years before he became a superstar with Born to Run. We love that he really went the distance and played the 'County'.

Happy Birthday to the guy who wrote the music for the song, Hotel California. Don Felder was born in Gainesville, Florida on September 21, 1947.

The tempo was pepped up and they started the second set with that night. You can listen to the Portland recording here.

33 years ago today, it was another sell-out show for AC/DC at the Civic Center. This was their second ever appearance in Portland.

It was 35 years ago today, that Neil, Geddy, and Alex rocked the Civic Center on the Grace Under Pressure tour, September 14, 1984.