The posters hang side by side on the conference room wall, telling a story of longevity.
The first, faded and worn: “Nov. 13, 1965 ? Direct from England, The Rolling Stones, Only U.S. Tour this Year.” Ticket prices: $1.75 to $4.50.
The second, crisp and colorful: “Feb. 1, 2006 ? The Rolling Stones, A Bigger Bang Tour.” Ticket prices: $62 to $162, “Gold Circle” seats cost $402.
Consider also, “1964, The Tribute” ? a Beatles knockoff band ? played the 1st Mariner Arena last year at $25 a ticket. The originals in 1964 commanded a top price of $3.75.
Two wildly different eras. But the sameBaltimore arena hosting the same timeless rock band.
For all the criticisms of the city?s 1st Mariner Arena (originally the Baltimore Civic Center and previously the Baltimore Arena), there?s no arguing the aging facility has played host to some of history?s most influential rockers, speakers and athletes ? and for almost a half-century.
The Stones. MLK. Wilt the Stilt. The Fab Four. Frank. “Sugar” Ray. The King.
The list goes on and on. In its 46th year of operation, the arena continues to book the big names, ignoring the calls for developers to bring its replacement ? a new, state-of-the-art venue ? to Baltimore.
In the same conference room, tucked beneath the north-end seating at 1st Mariner, framed glossy photos of U2?s Bono, Hilary Duff and The Rolling Stones? Mick Jagger hang not far from the two Stones posters.
Christel Watts, the arena?s marketing manager, looked over the old and new photos and said, “We like to say, ?1st Mariner Arena: Still making history.? ”
Beatlemania and a glorious past
The 11,000-seat Baltimore Civic Center opened in 1962, costing $14 million to construct, according to newspaper reports. The facility?s first event was a Baltimore Clippers American Hockey League game.
The Civic Center brought to Baltimore big-time sporting events, family shows and concerts, including the biggest act in the world at the time ? The Beatles.
Brooks Nobel, a Baltimore native, was 11 when Beatlemania swept though North America in 1964. John, Paul, George and Ringo were on their first American tour and played two shows at the Civic Center ? one at 2:30 p.m. and one at 8 p.m. ? on Sunday, Sept. 13, 1964. Tickets were $2, $3 and $3.75. Nobel saw both shows and still has the ticket stubs.
“It was the epitome of excitement,” Nobel said. “The whole place just went crazy. Everyone wason their feet. I could hardly hear the performance ? that?s how loud it was.”
Nobel saw the show with her older sister, Bunny, and the two even stayed at the Holiday Inn near the arena, where The Beatles spent the night. The sisters saw the Fab Four leave the hotel and get into their limousine.
With a little help from hotel security, Nobel and her sister slipped into The Beatles? hotel room, grabbing some priceless Beatles paraphernalia ? leftover toast and a fork covered with egg.
About 15 years later, Nobel?s mother actually trashed the Beatles? hotel leftovers. Today, Nobel wishes she hadn?t ? “Imagine on eBay what that would go for now,” she said.
Nobel still thinks of the arena “as the Civic Center.” She still remembers seeing her other favorite acts ? The Dave Clark Five and The Beach Boys.
“It was exciting because it was a big place, and the architecture at the time was quite contemporary,” Nobel said. “I have very fond memories and would be sad to see it go.”
Michael Maltese, a 59-year-old Baltimore native, was at the same Beatles show and remembered the concert being “very loud, because there were lots of screaming girls.” The arena was a big part of Maltese?s life ? he photographed some of the most popular musicians who played the arena in the late ?60s and early ?70s, such as The Doors, Rod Stewart and Neil Young.
“Every month, there was something big ? a big rock concert,” Maltese said. “It was a great place locally for people in Baltimore to see a lot of entertaining acts. All of a sudden, all of these events the city had been missing came in to play.”
Those events included performances by The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, The Supremes, Bill Cosby and Johnny Carson. NBA greats Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain played there, and Sugar Ray Leonard?s first pro fight was there. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke there.
Don Hutchinson, a 62-year-old Baltimore native who is the interim president and chief executive officer of the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, watched several Baltimore Bullets and Clippers games from the arena stands as a young adult.
“The Clippers were a minor league hockey team, and I remembered that watching them made me realize that I didn?t like hockey too much,” Hutchinson said, laughing. “It was a decent place to watch basketball, though.”
Hutchinson, however, said he wouldn?t miss the arena if it?s soon replaced. When the venue was renovated in 1986 and renamed the Baltimore Arena as a centerpiece of the Inner Harbor development, Hutchinson said the city?s money “wasn?t well spent.”
“The arena always had poor sight lines and sound,” Hutchinson said. “I don?t know if it will have a tremendous legacy in Baltimore.”
Rolling into the future
Framed performance photos of Jagger, Mary J. Blige, Brad Paisley and Martina McBride hang on the wall of Frank Remesch?s 1st Mariner office.
“It shows how diverse we are ? you have a little bit of everything,” said Remesch, the arena?s general manager in charge of booking arena events.
When the subject of a new arena in Baltimore comes up, Remesch points to his wall calendar for the month of March. The arena is scheduled to host 30 events in 31 days, from family shows to sporting events to concerts.
“Last year was the most profitable in the arena?s history, and we?ll probably double it this year,” Remesch said. “There?s a lot of talk about a new building. If you put on the right event, people will come see it.”
The Rolling Stones helped build the arena?s credibility in the 1960s with three shows. They did the same in 2006, bringing their world tour to 1st Mariner.
“When we got The Rolling Stones, that was the start for us,” Remesch said. “We?ve found our niche. We?ve proven we can sell, and we?ve proven we can deliver.”
That “niche” has helped 1st Mariner reinvent itself, said Jamie Curtis, the arena?s marketing director. Fewer acts these days can fill 20,000-seat venues and are looking to play smaller arenas. 1st Mariner event capacities range from 11,000 to 14,000 people.
“We?re still getting the big shows ? Hannah Montana [aka Miley Cyrus, who played 1st Mariner in January] is a perfect example,” Curtis said. “Talk of a new arena is frustrating, because we continue to bring in the biggest shows. We support a new arena 100 percent, but we also support this arena.”
In the last several years, Elton John, Dylan, Britney Spears, U2, Cher, Usher, Jay-Z and the Eagles have all played 1st Mariner. Remesch is confident he can continue to book those high-level acts, just as the arena did 40 years ago.
“Yeah, it?s an older building,” Remesch said, “but the prettiest arena is one with no empty seats.”
It happened at the 1st Mariner Arena
» Sugar Ray Leonard?s second pro fight ? May 14, 1977 ? ended in a not-even-close six-round decision over Willie “Fireball” Rodriquez.
» Oscar Robertson led the East to a 123-112 victory over the West in the 1969 NBA All-Star Game. Robertson played for a team that no longer exists ? the Cincinnati Royals.
» In 1968, The Beach Boys performed. Meditation guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi spoke between sets and was laughed off the stage ? rose petals and all ? after only 10 minutes.
» Elvis Presley shook the venue twice ? 1971 and 1977; so did The Beatles ? 2:30 and 8 p.m. Sept. 13, 1964.
» Radio star Johnny Dark?s Beatles introduction was never heard; the screams were too loud.
» The Soviet Union?s gold-medal-winning basketball team played the college all-stars in a rematch of their controversial 1972 Olympic final. Alexander Belov and the Reds won again.
» Hans Mortier had three shots at rasslin? champ Bruno Sammartino in the summer of 1963 and ? no surprise ? lost all three times.
» The Who opened for Herman?s Hermits in 1967. That?s not a misprint.
» It hasn?t been all rock ?n? roll ? legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti filled the place in 1986.
» The Rolling Stones, who played for two hours at the 2006 show, lasted only 20 minutes in 1965. A fan rushed the stage, the curtain came down, and the police told everyone to go home. In 1966, The McCoys ? “Hang On Sloopy” ? opened for Mick and the boys.
» Britney Spears, Bob Dylan, Elton John and the Miss USA Pageant. A lot of memories for a lot of folks.
