25 years ago this weekend, the 1983 US Festival

[estranged4life]

The 1983 US Festival left lasting impressions

By JOE ARDENT
The Press-Enterprise

Searing heat. Shivering cold. Traffic nightmares. Pollution. The music and the technology. The US Festival 25 years ago this Memorial Day weekend at Glen Helen Regional Park in Devore was about all of that, and much, much more.

The 1983 festival, which was the more newsworthy followup to the first US Festival eight months earlier, seems to carry a certain magic appeal to it to this day.

It's been called the birthplace of "The Creative Class," where "geek" became cool, and the second Woodstock. Motley Crue's Vince Neil said "new wave died and rock 'n' roll took over" during the festival.

A then-record 670,000 attended the four-day music concert/tech expo, sponsored by Apple Computers co-founder Steve Wozniak. Top bands from the era were there, including Van Halen, A Flock of Seagulls, The Clash, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., INXS, U2, David Bowie and the Scorpions.

Despite the huge turnout, the festival was a financial disaster for Wozniak, who lost a reported $20 million on the event.

It was also a nightmare for some area residents, such as Liz Grogan, 82, who served on the US Festival committee representing Devore-area residents.

"Traffic and pollution, you name it," Grogan said. "It was awful. It was supposed to be a computer festival, but it was a rock festival. The whole thing was rather poorly managed."

For Inland resident Mike Kovalcik, 42, of Yucaipa -- along with other Inland residents and rock musicians -- the festival was memorable for different reasons.

"It was an awesome experience. It was overwhelming and awesome," Kovalcik said. "We still talk, to this day, about how much fun we had at that time."

Klaus Meine, of the Scorpions, who played during the second day of the festival, said in a phone interview from Germany, it was a "milestone" for his band.

"When you think of it, it was one of the first big shows ever," he said. "Ozzy Osbourne was in front of us, Motley (Crue), Judas Priest were in front of us. To be on a bill like this, with all those amazing bands, and then be in a co-headlining position with Van Halen, it was spectacular."

’83 Festival Lineup

Saturday, May 28
Divinyls
INXS
Wall of Voodoo
Oingo Boingo
The English Beat
A Flock of Seagulls
Stray Cats
Men at Work
The Clash

Sunday, May 29
Quiet Riot
Motley Crue
Ozzy Osbourne
Judas Priest
Triumph
The Scorpions
Van Halen

Monday, May 30
Los Lobos (side stage)
Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul
Berlin
Quarterflash
U2
Missing Persons
The Pretenders
Joe Walsh
Stevie Nicks
David Bowie

Saturday, June 4
Riders In The Sky
Thrasher Brothers
Ricky Skaggs
Hank Williams Jr.
Emmylou Harris & The Hot Band
Waylon Jennings
Alabama
Willie Nelson

[estranged4life]

From hot days to cold nights and exhausting walks home, the US Festival marked a memorable time for these Inland residents

Klause Meine, the Scorpions

Meine and his band played on Day 2 of the US Festival. He was asked to share his most memorable moment from the concert, in a phone interview earlier this month from his home in Germany.

“Going to that stage that day, it was one of those moments where you think you better hit it right on the head today. Put on a magic show that people will never forget.

“Going out there, I never forget this because it was an opening, which is really hard to top. Our people had arranged five fighter jets to fly over the stage and over San Bernardino Valley the minute we hit the stage with the first song. That moment, it was like all hell broke loose. There was huge fireworks, and he (the announcer) couldn’t finish his introduction because the fire went off, and on top there were five fighter jets flying over the stage. Then we went out and hit the first song. It gives you chills when you think about it. It was so special, and the timing was amazing.

“One of the best intros of rock history, I would say.”

Penny, 44, and Richard Isles, 48, Riverside

Richard: “We met in the spring of ’83 in college. Went to the US Festival, and we’ve been married for the last 25 years. This thing was something I thought maybe I could impress her with.”

Penny: “We have many fine memories. Our three children look at the pictures sometimes, and they can’t believe we actually saw U2.”

Jeff Vargas, 38, Fontana

“I remember, at the start of the day, we were closer to the front of the stage. I turned around and looked back, and to see people as far as you could see, it was just an amazing sight. In between bands, we took the time to hike up to the top of the hill, then look down at this little, tiny, beautiful blue stage. Then you realize, ‘Man, that was stupid. Now I’m tired and hot.’”

Gareth Richards, 52, Riverside

“It was really hot and really dusty. They had an area you could go to get sprayed with water, and it was really muddy. So you’d get covered with mud. Then the sun would go down and it would be very cold. I know I got sunburned, which made me even colder that night.”

Rick King, 43, Corona

“It was so crazily hot, and they were dousing the front of everybody with water. So I’m now soaking wet with only a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. So when the Scorpions came on, it was freezing cold. It went from the hottest day to the coldest day.”

Steve Mead, 45, San Bernardino

“I have a VHS tape of the show. It was on OnTV, and I recorded it. I do watch it. It definitely brings back a lot of the power and excitement of the event. So I have a pretty good recollection of how it went.”

Bill Holscher, 43, Murrieta

“They opened up the gates around 8 o’clock, and I remember this mad rush to get to the stage, and we were about five feet away from the stage. We laid our blankets out, we had our bags of food. We had our drinks. Within an hour, we were just slammed. All our food was gone. The blankets were gone. It was just crazy.”

Adam Perlstein, 40, Riverside

“It was the first concert I ever went to. I collect concert programs and ticket stubs from all the concerts I go to, and the one ticket stub I’m missing, unfortunately, is the US Festival. I’ll keep searching for it.”

Carole Engelking, 60, Riverside

“When I was told that a couple was coming in from LA, and they would be coming in on a helicopter, I was to go and greet this couple. So I go out there in the golf cart. When they landed, I didn’t know who they were. I had to ask. I was almost embarrassed. I said, ‘And you are?’ And Ozzy Osbourne’s like, ‘Well, I’m Ozzy Osbourne.’ I was thinking he was a businessman and (Sharon Osbourne) was a businesswoman.”

Kathleen Rigsby, 60, Cottonwood

“People were just pulling on people, trying to throw them off the bus. The cars were going. Everybody was running over everybody. People’s feet were getting broken. … I told (my husband, Richard), ‘I want to go home.’ He said, ‘I’m not throwing anybody off this bus.’ So we hit the railroad tracks, and we walked home. We lived about 461/2 miles south of the concert.”

Elizabeth Ceballos, 40, Colton

“My dad was supposed to pick me up that night and (I) couldn’t find him, so I finally went to sleep in my bikini in the dirt and I was freezing. At 8 o’clock in the morning, I see my dad’s headlights and he comes up, and I’m scared to death. The other guy laying there in the dirt … hands my dad a beer and my dad just started laughing.”

Mike Kovalcik, 42, Yucaipa

“One of my friends got an orange vest on and redirected the traffic throughout the campsite, just running amuck the whole night. It was an awesome experience. We still talk, to this day, about how much fun we had at that time.”

Henry Ruiz, 53, San Bernardino

"All the women in the various modes of dress, and the music of course. I’ve never had more fun in my life since."

[BTFLCHLD]

clear version of GDW/msnicks



OTR/msnicks

[David]

Lighting this gig of Stevie's was a pain in the butt, I hear . . .

[petep9000]

Wow, Divinyls opened. Didn't know that, they were pretty good and other than that one big single they had (in '90? 'I Touch Myself') here in the US, they probably should have been alot bigger. That was a great album, I still listen to it. Best track, a tune called 'If Love Was A Gun'.

I remember seeing them I guess in '83 or so on some late night rock/variety show on network TV and Christina took out a lipstick and smeared it all over her cheeks. Makeup dark and careless, indeed.

[JWS]

Found this link for DVD's of the concerts.

http://www.rockshowvideos.com/

[David]

Originally Posted by petep9000

Wow, Divinyls opened. Didn't know that, they were pretty good and other than that one big single they had (in '90? 'I Touch Myself') here in the US, they probably should have been alot bigger. That was a great album, I still listen to it. Best track, a tune called 'If Love Was A Gun'.

Remember the band Romeo Void? What are some other bands of the time that have disappeared? Wall of Voodoo? Flock of Seagulls?

[petep9000]

Originally Posted by David

Remember the band Romeo Void? What are some other bands of the time that have disappeared? Wall of Voodoo? Flock of Seagulls?

Romeo Void played at 'Hofstra University', about a 10 minute drive from where I lived growing up. The story goes, that they started their set and some rowdy students (who already knew what the lead singer looked like) pelted the band with 'Twinkies'. People are cruel, they really are.

[MacMan]

Originally Posted by David

Remember the band Romeo Void?

I loved all that new wave crap!.... Haircut 100, Bow Wow Wow. There's a couple that come to mind.

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by petep9000

Romeo Void played at 'Hofstra University', about a 10 minute drive from where I lived growing up. The story goes, that they started their set and some rowdy students (who already knew what the lead singer looked like) pelted the band with 'Twinkies'. People are cruel, they really are.

A girl in trouble is a temporary thing.