** Special Note: I would like to express my sincere thanks to site visitor and WVU 50-50 concert attendee Brad Stalnaker for going far above and beyond by sharing memories and many items from his personal collection for this blog post. **
50/50 Tour Stop: # 23
Date: November 14, 1981
Venue: West Virginia University. Mountainlair Student Union Ballroom (aka The Lair Ballroom). 1550 University Avenue. Morgantown, WV. 26506.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/KfUgfQJkrU4897Q38
Venue Exterior:
1980:
Source: WVU ‘Monticola’ Yearbook. 1980. Pg. 1.
2015:
Venue Interior:
1980:
Source: West Virginia University ‘Monticola’ Yearbook. 1981. Pg. 64. Photo credit: Unknown.
November 1969:
Muhammad Ali speaks to a packed house of WVU students at the Mountainlair Ballroom.
Source: West Virginia University Library.
Opening Act: There was no opening act for this concert. Brad Stalnaker shares this anecdote about the resulting confusion on the night of the show:
“At about 9:30[pm] my buddy and I decided to go down and listen. When we got to the Lair EVERYBODY was still in the hall. The doors had not opened. We found out that GT thought there WAS an opening act, so [the band] had not arrived yet.”
At the time, Larry Shaughnessy from the the West Virginia University ‘Daily Athenaeum’ student newspaper reported:
“More than a thousand rowdy fans packed the Lair Ballrooms Saturday night to see George Thorogood in concert, but George wasn’t there to see them. Under the impression he was to perform after a warm-up band, Thorogood and the Destroyers were still on their way […] from their Friday night show in Columbus. By the time George arrived and hit the stage, he was an hour and 15 minutes late and fans were angry. At 9:30 the lights dimmed and the crowd roared in anticipation.”
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the WVU 50-50 show to date. Please get in touch if you have a scan that you can share.
Press & Promotion:
Source: WVU ‘Daily Athenaeum’ student newspaper. October 27, 1981. Pg. 2.
Source: WVU ‘Daily Athenaeum’ student newspaper.
Source: Rolling Stone Magazine.
Ticket Price: $5 for students, $7 for non-students.
Ticket Stub:
Attendance: The official attendance for the WVU 50-50 show was 1,000. The WVU ‘Daily Athenaeum’ student newspaper reported that “more than” 1,000 people were in the audience.
Set List:
- Who Do You Love?*
- One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer*
- Move It On Over*
- Bad to the Bone*
- Reelin’ and Rockin’*
* I am not able to confirm the order in which these songs were played, only that they were part of the Destroyers’ set list for this show.
Source: WVU ‘Daily Athenaeum’ student newspaper. November 1981.
Was the Concert Recorded? Unknown. Please get in touch if you have any information.
Concert Photos:
Source: WVU ‘Daily Athenaeum’ student newspaper. November 1981. Photo credit: Dave Rodgers.
Source: Brad Stalnaker’s personal collection.
Source: West Virginia University ‘Monticola’ Yearbook. 1982. Pg. 74. Photo credit: Unknown.
Concert Reaction:
Larry Shaughnessy of the Daily Athenaeum filed a very positive review of the Destroyers’ 50-50 show in West Virginia:
“Not only was [Thorogood’s] voice at its best, but his guitar playing was even better than it is on his records. His style is marked with energy, to say the least. He duck walks, high steps, blesses the front row fans with his guitar and holds the mike out over the audience – while playing.
Those who missed the concert should not be too upset because if the rest of this 50 day tour is as great as it was here, George Thorogood is on his way to a long and successful career of ‘Saturday night jamborees’ in front of much bigger audiences.”
Source: WVU ‘Daily Athenaeum’ student newspaper. November 1981.
The WVU Vice President of Student Affairs received a letter of complaint about the lack of crowd control at the Destroyers’ Mountainlair Ballroom concert:
“Apparently the people in charge of controlling admission to the event simply gave up at some point in the evening and let everyone in… Since there was no seating provided, the Ballroom was simply jammed from wall to wall with people. Rhythmic bouncing or stomping that went along with the music made the floor move enough that it gave serious concern to my son and his date who forced their way out and left early…”
Source: WVU Archives.
Other Notes:
Below is an unused backstage pass from the Mountainlair Ballroom 50-50 concert.
Fate of the Venue: The West Virginia University’s Mountainlair Ballroom was closed as a concert venue in 2009. The Ballroom continues to host other live events.
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