This is one of a series of posts expanding on my 50 States in 50 Dates blog by documenting the global touring adventures of George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers and the earlier years of their career.
Quick Links:
- Jan. 13, 1979 – Maryland Theatre. Hagerstown, MD.
- Feb. 16, 1979 – University of Maryland Student Union Grand Ballroom. College Park, MD.
Maryland Theatre.
Date: January 13, 1979.
Venue: Maryland Theatre (aka Maryland Theatre on the Square). 21 South Potomac St. Hagerstown, MD. 21740. USA.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/sGvMX661mxtPDqHs5
Venue Exterior:
1977:
Source: Morning Herald. Apr. 5, 1977. Pg. 3.
2017:
2019:
Venue Interior:
Pre-1974:
I am still looking for a photo of the Maryland Theatre’s interior circa 1979 (i.e., after the fire in 1974 and renovation in 1978). Please get in touch if you can point me in the right direction.
Opening Act: Rockett 88 Blues Band.
Source: YouTube.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not (yet) come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the Destroyers’ 1979 show at the Maryland Theatre. Please get in touch if you have a scan or a photo that you can share.
Press & Promotion:
Source: Frederick News. Jan. 6, 1979. Pg. 31.
Source: Frederick News Post. Jan. 10, 1979. Pg. F1.
Source: Frederick News Post. Jan. 10, 1979. Pg. F1.
Ticket Price: $6 advance; $7 at the door.
Ticket Stub:
Attendance: The Maryland Theatre held 1,500 people in 1979. This concert was sold out.
Source: Frederick News Post. Jan. 10, 1979. Pg. F1.
Set List:
- House of Blue Lights.
- One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.
- Ride on Josephine.
- Cocaine Blues.
- It Wasn’t Me.
- The Sky is Crying.
- Madison Blues.
- Who Do You Love?
- Johnny B. Goode.
Before the start of Cocaine Blues, George reads a list of license plate numbers from illegally parked cars outside the theatre that are about to be towed.
Was the Concert Recorded? Yes. This concert was broadcast on the radio.
Concert Photos:
Source: Flickr.com. Click the link for a gallery of photos from this concert.
Source: Facebook.
Concert Reaction: I am still looking for a print review of this show. Please get in touch if you know of one.
Other Notes: None.
Fate of the Venue: The Maryland Theatre continues to operate as a concert venue. The site underwent a major renovation in 2018 to knock down an adjoining building and expand the facility into that space.
Source: https://www.themarylandtheatre.com/history
University of Maryland Student Union Grand Ballroom.
Date: February 16, 1979. The Destroyers played an early and a late show at the U of M on this date.
Venue: University of Maryland Student Union Grand Ballroom. 3972 Campus Dr. College Park, MD. 20742. USA.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/ftYdjCi1UMUot8Am6
Venue Exterior:
1960s:
1979:
Source: Terrapin Yearbook. 1980. Pg. 16.
2019:
Venue Interior:
December 1970:
Source: The Diamondback. Dec. 11, 1970. Pg. 1.
May 1984:
Above: The Slickee Boys perform in the University of Maryland Student Union Grand Ballroom. Source: YouTube.
Opening Act: The Charlottesville Blues Allstars (aka The Allstars; aka The All-Stars).
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not (yet) come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the Destroyers’ 1979 shows at the Grand Ballroom. Please get in touch if you have a scan or a photo that you can share.
Press & Promotion:
Source: The Diamondback. Feb. 1, 1979. Pg. 3.
Ticket Price: $6.50 for students; $7.50 for non-students.
Ticket Stubs:
Attendance: The Destroyers played to “two packed houses of 1,000 apiece” on this night.
Source: The Diamondback. Feb. 21, 1979. Pg. 8.
Set List:
- Who Do You Love?
- It Wasn’t Me
- Delaware Slide
- Madison Blues
- One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
Source: The Diamondback. Feb. 21, 1979. Pg. 8.
Was the Concert Recorded? Unknown. Please get in touch if you have any information.
Concert Photos:
Source: The Diamondback. Feb. 21, 1979. Pg. 8.
Source: The Diamondback. Feb. 21, 1979. Pg. 8.
Concert Reaction:
Larry Williams of the University of Maryland’s Diamondback newspaper recapped the Destroyers’ 1979 performance at the Student Union Grand Ballroom:
“George Thorogood and the Destroyers pump the best rockin’ blues since Chuck Berry duck-walked out of the limelight playing guitar just like a-ringin’ a bell. And Friday night in the Student Union grand ballroom this thumping trio from Delaware had two packed houses of 1,000 apiece bobbing in the kind of ecstasy that can only be generated by what one fan termed ‘music that cooks’.
Head chef and guitarist Thorogood, homespun and unpretentious as a pair of old socks, was the star of the evening. Sporting his ubiquitous black t-shirt and color-coordinated brown guitar, perspiring copiously, [Thorogood] drove the music – and the audience – to furious heights with a combination of blistering solo licks culled from Elmore James and Chuck Berry, and an awesome stage presence. The boy was hot. The music […] was raw, spirited, thundering.
Thorogood strutted like a lord before the waving carpet of heads that filled the Grand Ballroom like a wind-blown wheat field. For his famous Chuck Berry riffs, he paraded across the stage on one bent knee. his other foot tapping out a path before him. During more intense moments, he dipped to almost a crouch, or leaned over the audience on the tips of his toes. His guitar was slung sideways, almost to the floor or behind his head.
Unfortunately, program scheduling compelled the Destroyers to partially abort their first show. Thorogood reportedly told his promoter when informed that it was time to quit, “Sh*t, we’re just getting started.”
Source: The Diamondback. Feb. 21, 1979. Pg. 8.
Other Notes: None.
Fate of the Venue: The University of Maryland Student Union was renamed the Adele H. Stamp Student Union in 1983. The Grand Ballroom continues to host public and school events.
50 States in 50 Dates 