[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."