Chrissie Hynde and Friends Benefit Akron

Chrissie Hynde went back to Ohio to find her city a more vibrant place than before. The train station is still gone, but the Akron Civic Theatre stands almost completely renovated. In the grand lobby, you can see the line where grime ends and an exquisite repainting begins.

Inside under the swirling stars and milky way ceiling, Chrissie and Friends performed in a benefit for this illustrious and magnificent theatre. The friends included such notable Akron bands as the Diffi-cult, The Bizarros, Half Cleveland (formed from members of Tin Huey, The Waitresses, and Chi-Pig) as well as The Numbers Band (38 years old and still going strong).

Back in 1974, I had just graduated from Akron U, and was sharing an apartment downtown with another young woman who happened to be a Numbers Band fanatic. It wasn't long before I was hanging out with her at JBs in Kent, watching this very hot band play long sets to packed crowds. I can't remember the girl's name, but I thought about her tonight at the concert and wondered if she were there somewhere, probably like me -- unrecognizable after so many decades.

It was an evening to remember -- all the great music that came out of this town. Some that took wing and flew around the world, while other music stayed here and kept us all coming back to the bars and the clubs every weekend. Also memorable was the sight of Chrissie in her PETA tee shirt, giving the old silver wolf of a mayor a smack on the cheek. (The mayor's concept of casual concert wear was about as far from cool as one could get. At least he didn't wear a tie!)

Also spotted in the crowd and not wearing a suit and tie -- city councilman Marco Summerville. David Giffels, on stage leading The Diffi-Cult, pointed toward a seat in the front and announced "the legendary Jane Scott!" She was the Plain Dealer's rock critic who looked older than the hills way back in the 60s!

Most of the musicians on the stage made their first appearances in the Akron scene during the years I was no longer living here, during the late 70s and early 80s. I first discovered the Bizzaros in a record shop in San Francisco, where I came upon their delightful album. I immediately recognized the rubber factory on the cover and had to buy it. I was amazed that suddenly great music was coming out of my home town. Years later, I finally got that album cover autographed by the extant band members at a Bizarros reunion show at the Lime Spider.

I'd never seen Chrissie perform before, but of course I've heard lots of the Pretenders' music. (I still don't get how and why Rush Limbaugh chose her song to use as his intro music.) During her acoustic set, she seemed very happy to be at home, reminiscing about old times and commercial jingles from the 50s and 60s. I am very glad she has chosen to open a vegetarian restaurant in Akron and I expect to be dining out there quite a bit. Thanks for the restaurant and the show, Chrissie! Everything was great, all the way through the Jerry Lee Lewis finale.

"A, O, way to go Ohio!"

Are you going to the concert at the Civic tonight?

In honor of the big concert tonight, which yours truly will be attending, here is a video clip of a band with some major NEOhio roots:

Save the Akron Civic Theatre

As reported here over two weeks ago, the Akron Civic Theatre is in deep financial trouble. Today's ABJ gives the grim details. The place is expensive to run. It doesn't present acts that attract sell-out crowds. And even if it did, according to the article, it can't make a profit.

So why not tear the whole thing down and put up yet another parking lot? Who needs live entertainment in the 21st century anyway? We can Tivo and order up Netflix from the comfort of our Lazy Boy recliners. And if we tire of those options, there is always YouTube.

Let me be clear about it -- I am very willing to pay taxes to support this theatre. In fact, if the mayor wants my vote on his proposed tax increase, he needs to address what the city is going to do to save this theatre. It is a gorgeous historic venue and the last of the great old entertainment palaces that once adorned downtown Akron in the pre-televsion era. It has been completely upgraded backstage to accommodate touring shows.

One of the major problems with the Civic is heating it. Can the Civic turn Green? Lots of roof space for solar panels available -- or how about one of those new-fangled urban wind turbines? If one can be built in Bath, why not in downtown Akron? I like the idea put forth by Dave Lieberth:

"...the city has considered absorbing the Civic's steam bill from Akron Thermal as a way for the utility to pay down its $6 million debt to the city for unpaid water and sewer bills, rent and franchise fees, he said.

That would go a long way to making the Civic an affordable venue until something Greener can be put in place.

Meanwhile, I suggest making the Civic more available for local groups. Just like the schools are now to be community centers, let the taxpaying citizens of Akron use the Civic for a wider variety of events. We Akronites now must drive considerable distances to see concerts other than the Akron Symphony. When was the last time a major pop music group came to town? Even Cleveland is losing out to southern Ohio in terms of major concert tours. Perhaps the Civic could start looking for up and coming acts and book an evening or a weekend's worth of a particular format, such as indie rock or women's hip hop . We need creative thinking here.

Don't forget that the Civic has one of the few remaining large screens for movie viewing. I think movies have failed at the Civic because they have not been consistent about programming. Make classic movies a regular weekly feature and people will develop the habit of attending. If you only show a silent film with Wurlitzer accompaniment twice a year, chances are much greater that people will miss it. Foreign films, animation festivals, Oscar winning shorts -- these programming ideas work elsewhere and could work here.

The Civic at one time hosted many a great rock concert. I first saw the Kinks there in the early 70s, as well as Todd Rundgren and many more great artists. EJ Thomas gets all the big splashy musicals on tour, so the Civic needs to go in another direction with what it books. I'm hoping that with the split from the University, the Civic might be able to get back on its feet.

The picture above shows the Civic from canal level.