For today’s post, you can thank the Monday blues.
We had ‘em, so we googled our second favorite Monday song (the first is by the Mamas and the Papas). We found it on YouTube — a live version of “Manic Monday” by the Bangles, filmed at the Syria Mosque in 1986.
Ah, the Syria Mosque. Thus began another search. We found on the web several live performances at the Mosque — Genesis (1976), the Band (‘70), James Taylor (‘76), Allman Brothers Band (‘71), Edgar Winter Group (‘72). Most are just audio files, but a few contain video of performances in what was once the city’s prime concert venue.
The Syria Mosque was a colorfully regal presence on Bigelow Boulevard, across from Soldiers & Sailors Hall. Most people today may remember the 3,750-seat hall for the rock and roll shows it hosted. But in its 75-year life, the Mosque was home to much more.
Pittsburgh’s chapter of the Shriners celebrated the Mosque’s opening in 1916 with a week of festivities, one of which was captured in a picture published in The Pittsburgh Press on October 29 of that year. The image shows the hall crowded with hundreds of children, many holding American flags and wearing Shriner hats. The caption says “moving pictures and a luncheon” kept the children entertained.
Over the years, the Mosque was home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Opera and the National Negro Opera Company.
Then there was jazz. The list of performers includes:
— Louis Armstrong (three appearances, beginning in 1949)
— Duke Ellington (in ‘54, he shared a bill with Armstrong and Billy Eckstine)
— Count Basie
— Benny Goodman (‘41)
— Miles Davis (‘55)
— Charlie Parker (‘50)
— Art Blakey (on a number of occasions, including a concert in 1955 with the Jazz Messengers)
— George Benson (‘76, ‘77 and ‘86)
We could go on, but you get the point. The Pittsburgh Music History website offers more detail than we can provide here.
Now let’s talk rock:
— Bill Haley and the Comets (in ‘55, with Bo Diddley and the Drifters; tickets ranged in price from $1.75 to $3.75)
— Buddy Holly (four performances ’58, the last in October, four months before his death)
— Bob Dylan (in February ‘66, six months after going electric at Newport; also played in ‘64 and ‘90)
— Bette Midler (forgive us for lumping her with rockers, but she had a great quote in her ‘73 show: “We’re on a tour of the tackiest cities in the world, of which Pittsburgh is without a doubt No. 1”)
— The Who (in ‘69, the year of the rock opera “Tommy,” and ‘90)
— Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (‘74)
— Bruce Springsteen (in ‘75 and ‘76; his manager Jon Landau called the Mosque “one of the finest theaters he has ever played in”)
— Linda Ronstadt (‘75)
— Bob Marley (‘77)
— James Brown (‘76 and ‘86)
— Ramones (‘88)
— R.E.M. (‘85 and ‘86)
— Bon Jovi (‘84)
Can’t forget the comedy:
— Robin Williams (‘86)
— Richard Pryor (At the height of his career, in ‘78)
— George Carlin (‘84)
— Bill Cosby (‘71)
— Jack Benny (‘50 and ‘63)
— Bob Hope (‘50)
Of course, these are just partial lists.
Time was up for the Mosque in 1991. UPMC, then known as Presbyterian University Health System, bought the building for $10 million. What followed was one of the most intense preservation battles in the city’s history. It ended with a handful of protesters, including then City Councilman Jim Ferlo, getting arrested in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the bulldozers from advancing on the Mosque.
Today the site is a surface parking lot.
It’s a shame remember a few good concerts WAR
My memories at the Syria Mosque are warm, fuzzy, intense and forever young
The city is not better for the demise of the Mosque.
I saw Chuck Berry there in the 50’s.
I think Laverne Baker and Fats Domino were in that show but memory may be enlarging the experience.
Does anyone remember the list of performers?
Genesis in 1976. I still have the CD of the full show.
Amazing!!
Concert events
Among the concert events:
February 28, 1920: Enrico Caruso performs just 18 months before his death.
October 5, 1924: John Philip Sousa
Benny Goodman (1938, 1941)
January 28, 1944: Symphony No. 1 by Leonard Bernstein had its premiere at the center.
Louis Armstrong (three appearances, beginning in 1949)
Charlie Parker (1950)
January 9, 1953: World Premiere of Villa-Lobos’ Piano Concerto no. 4 with Bernardo Segall and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Heitor Villa-Lobos.
Duke Ellington (in 1954)
Miles Davis (1955)
Art Blakey (several occasions, in 1955 with the Jazz Messengers)
April 28, 1955: Horace Heidt performs at Syria Mosque and MC’s a talent competition, all for charity.
Bill Haley and the Comets with Bo Diddley and the Drifters (1955)
Buddy Holly (four times in 1957-1958)
Sam Cooke
Dionne Warwick and Solomon Burke in 1963.[6]
Bob Dylan in 1966 and again in 1990
The Who in 1969
The Band in 1970 and on September 21, 1976, the concert “Next to Last Waltz”. On Thanksgiving night, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, they played their final concert. It became the Martin Scorsese documentary film The Last Waltz.
The two-year-old Pittsburgh Ballet Theater opened its first season as a professional organization in 1970.
Mickey Newbury in 1971
The Allman Brothers Band in 1971
Matthews Southern Comfort, Deep Purple and Faces July 16, 1971.
Yes on December 16, 1971 on their The Yes Album Tour
Carly Simon in 1972
Pink Floyd in 1971 and 1972
The Kinks September 1, 1972 and April 13, 1974
Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band on October 15, 1972
Jim Croce on February 23, 1973. Croce was scheduled to return to the Syria Mosque on October 27 that year, but he died in a plane crash on September 20.
The New York Dolls on October 18, 1973
The Doobie Brothers on November 15, 1973
David Bowie in 1974
The Carpenters in 1974[7]
ZZ Top in 1974[7]
The Eagles in 1974[7]
Jesse Colin Young in 1974[7]
Genesis in May 3, 1974 (Selling England by the Pound Tour),[7] 1975 (The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Tour) and April 13, 1976 (A Trick of the Tail Tour); a recording of the April 13, 1976 show has since been widely bootlegged.
Frank Zappa on November 6, 1974, on November 17, 1984 and on February 25, 1988 / March 8, 1988
Van Morrison on May 21, 1974
Bruce Springsteen on August 9, 1975.[8]
Stephen Stills on October 25, 1975
George Benson (1976, 1977 and 1986)
James Brown (1976 and 1986)
James Taylor on July 25, 1976
Kansas on October 30, 1976, in a show that was recorded and later broadcast by 102.5 WDVE-FM
Bob Marley (1977)
Beatlemania (musical) in 1981, shortly after the death of John Lennon
June 14, 1982: The inaugural Mellon Jazz Festival (among other venues).
August 4, 1983: Count Basie’s final public concert performance.
Dio in 1983
Dire Straits in 1985.[9]
Tears for Fears on June 15, 1985[10]
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble in 1986.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1986 billed as “The Thunderbirds”.
R.E.M. in 1985 and 1986
The Bangles in a MTV broadcast concert 1986[11]
New Order in 1986
The Cure, Whitesnake and Quiet Riot in 1987
Jimmy Page in 1988
The Ramones in 1988
Jane’s Addiction in 1988
Anthrax, Exodus and Helloween in 1989 (as part of the MTV’s Headbangers Ball Tour)[12][13]
Winger in 1989
Jimmy Buffett on December 7, 1989
Public Enemy, Queen Latifah and Biz Markie on February 1, 1990
My first Concert in 6th grade- left me spellbound- it was Leonard Bernstein and the Pgh Symphony- performing The Nutcracker~ we were wayyy up in the mezzanine- I learned a new word that day- I remember what I was wearing and everything! Must’ve been ‘57, ‘58. Pity they tore it down. Seemed like a Sacred Space.
To be 14 in 1970 and work as an usherette in the best rock venue (Civic Arena was the other) was a dream job! I saw every great rock artist or band there was that suited that venue and the acoustics were brilliant. I worked there all my high school years with my best friends so we had out black skirts and white shirt and flashlights, seat people up until the intermission so we would stand in our isles for the first act which could be just as brilliant as the next one coming on! Then we went to the office and got paid which was $10. (and you get endless coffee and cigs for that money back then!) Then we would change into our very groovy jeans and t shirts, sweaters, platform shoes or whatever was the fashion back then and get a front row seat if they were empty!! Any empty seat was ours for the taking!! I love music because I was so there witnessing it all and I am so grateful for that! I also got in to see someone I knew who was performing there in 1985 by going in the stage door…it was so cool that I could just walk in! I really miss those heady days or rock n roll and so much creative talent! Thank God it is still played everywhere, 50 years later!
Jammed with Tom Brown backpack around ’82.
I was fortunate enough to attend several events there.
August 1987 – The Cure
Life-changing experience!!!!!
I’m sure the surface lot parking is better for the fabric of Pittsburgh’s cultural district than the S.M.
You forgot the BeeGees and Peter, Paul, and Mary.
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You can thank UPMC for ripping down that great theatre. And thank the City of Pittsburgh for letting it happen. And you can thank UPMC for placing their obnoxious letters on top the US STEEL building. I own a piece of the facade bc we sifted through the rubble for a token. Americans. Tear it down !!!!! Put up a parking lot !!!! Disgusting.
I saw Yul Brynner there, around 1980, in “The King and I”.
My sister & I saw Billy Joel at the Syria Mosque around 1974. There were only about 250 people in attendance . This was before he got big.
Living in Homestead, we could easily get a bus or streetcar to the Syria Mosque for countless performances. A good friend of mine was going to Chatham College and had to attend a Symphony performance. She asked me to go with her. We sat in the balcony, and I promptly fell asleep (sorry!). What thrilled me the most were the performances of The Messiah by the PSO and Mendelssohn Choir with my husband.
Saw the ’88 Ramones show there…it was actually held in a multi-purpose room instead of the main venue. As I recall, the ceiling was very low in the room and a 6’6″ Joey on a 2′ riser didn’t leave much headroom.
Makes me sick,thank-god some people tried in vain to stop it.all others enjoy the great talent that has passed thru,out in the parking lot.
The beach Boys played there several times. We saw tehm in ’70 or 71. Some cuts on the Live Album released in 1973 were recorded there. And the cover photo was taken at the Mosque.
Wow, I didn’t realize how historic that place was, thanks for the memories. I too saw the Symphony there on school field trips. I recall so vividly Bette Midler walking onto the stage in 1976 and asking, “Where are we, Bagdad?”
I was there too! “It’s like a Ramada Inn – in Beirut! “
George Benson introduced a young Whitney Houston as his opening act Summer 1985. She was amazing! I was there to see George Benson but left a huge fan of the soon to be superstar.
Saw a lot of shows already listed here, but one excellent show was Jefferson Starship in “75” . Also The King & I in the early 80’s.
Vanilla Ice and Riff in 91 I believe was the last concert there
For the Genesis concert we borrowed outrageous costumes from the IUP theatre department. Those poor old ladies withe flashlights couldn’t figure what was happening
I cannot remember the Dates, but I think I saw Carole King perform there, as well as, Joni Mitchell with Tom Scott’s L.A Express. After this concert, my wife and I went to Sonny Daye’s Stage Door to meet friends, and who should walk in but Tom Scott and his crew. They jammed with Spider Rondinelli and Eric Kloss till closing. A night to remember, always!
What a Grand old building, with so much history and great memories. I remember it in my childhood!
My husband was hired as principal trumpet in the PSO. I spent many hours at concerts and have many recordings Also was in the chorus of Boris Goudanov with George London saw Toscanini with Birgit Nielsen
In ‘78 or ‘79, Tony Randall and Jack Klugman did a tour of the play The Odd Couple at the Syria Mosque. The that was the only time I was there & I was way up in the nosebleed seats.
Wonderful memories during Med school of walking from the Ruskin Apartments in Sunday’s to take in Pgh Symphony concerts with William Steinberg conducting in the early 1970s. Great, intimate venue