TCNJ

5 FALL 2023 Pure Prairie League performed at Kendall in '78. At the end of "Amie," there was a disco ball lighting up the room. So cool. SUSAN GIERA WHELAN '78 I was a member of the small student committee that brought the bands to the school. Some bands I can vividly recall on campus were Argent, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Seals and Crofts, and Tom Rush — all at Packer Hall. Seals and Crofts also performed in the cafeteria. The Rathskeller hosted Bonnie Raitt and Leon Thomas. They each performed two shows per evening, and the student charge was 25 cents per show. KEVIN CLEMENTE '76 The Duprees changed into their "band clothes" in my husband's dorm room. TONIA SCELFO '68 One of my favorite experiences was missed in your playlist: Billy Joel was on campus again in 1996. He played his hits but also gave the commentary behind each. With a smaller crowd, it was almost like a private show. It was one to remember. Thank you for your continued efforts to keep each generation's time at TSC/TCNJ close to heart. Each issue makes me feel 20 years old again! STACEY WARD CULLENY '98 I searched, without success, the years 1973 and 1974 of "The Playlist" hoping to confirm a crazy memory I have from my time at the college. I wandered into the campus pub and had a front row seat to a solo performance by Van Morrison. I don't think he was more than 10 feet from me. Each time I tell someone this story they respond with a wry smile so that I've come to doubt it myself. Does anyone else recall this show, or is this just a wishful night dream turned into a false memory by a devoted fan? MICHAEL PETRICCIONE '74 Hey, alumni! Can anyone help this guy out, or is it really all in his head? ILLUSTRATION AGATA NOWICKA THE BOSS'S BOSS I am the person directly responsible for bringing Bruce Springsteen to campus and I thought I'd share how this perfor- mance came to be. Hiring him and the E Street Band to play at the college is among my greatest accomplishments. I was part of WTSR, and was respon- sible for reviewing and recommending albums for the on-air staff to play. Among those was Greetings from Asbury Park. I put the album on the turntable and immediately fell in love with it. I encouraged every DJ to play it. Soon, I was following Bruce to any place I could see him play. And I knew one thing: I wanted him to play at The College of New Jersey, my college. I joined the College Union Board, the student organization responsible for booking all the concerts. The decision of who to book for the most part was handled by the chairman of the commit- tee, Brian McEvoy '73. He didn't always listen, but if you were persistent and the band you wanted was in the neighbor- hood he might book them. I finally got Brian to listen to me after we successfully had Billy Joel open for the Byrds. Opening acts were always difficult; you don't want to spend much and you want the music to fit. I think our total budget per show was $5,000, with $1,000 for the opening act. It was close to the end of the year and I was still petitioning hard for Springsteen. Finally Brian agreed: Springsteen as an opener for Brian Auger and the Oblivion Express. Bruce opened with a four-song folk set, then brought the band out and played for another hour. And he played at least two encores, after which most people got up and left. They had seen the future of rock and roll. Prior to the show, I had a drink of Jack Daniels with Bruce in the green room. The band's saxophonist, Clarence Clemons, and I went down to the WTSR studio where he called a few friends to come to the show. It was a great night and a wonderful memory. SEYMOUR MONDSHEIN '74

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