"Bruce Springsteen was probably the greatest for many reasons. The first time I
saw him perform was in the mid-'70s at a show that DiCesare-Engler did at
Kutztown State University. I remember running to the phone to call Rich Engler.
I told him, "I just saw the greatest rock 'n' roll act of all time. We've got to
get the guy to Pittsburgh. This guys's gonna be huge!"
We played him everywhere from the Stanley to the stadium, but you could
depend on a Civic Arena sell-out from the Boss every time. You also knew that
the crowd was going to behave. Pittsburgh loved Bruce Springsteen. We even gave
Mayor Richard Caliguiri tickets for the Born in the USA tour. Bruce would sell
out so fast, and I would get so many ticket requests, that I would have to
change my home answering machine to start off, "If you're calling about
Springsteen tickets ..."
He did not let his fame go to his head. He was always a pleasure to deal
with. When he played his first show for us at the Syria Mosque, he wanted
something to eat late at night. So Rich took him to a nice restaurant. Bruce
wore jeans and a T-shirt and he ordered corn on the cob and apple pie.
That's Bruce Springsteen."
- Pat DiCesare
DiCesare-Engler brought Bruce Springsteen to Pittsburgh on August 9, 1975 at the Syria Mosque
On August 13th, a few days after the Pittsburgh show, Springsteen started a five night, ten show set at the Bottom Line Club in New York where he was broadcast on WNEW-FM. This is now known as one of 50 Moments That Changed Rock and Roll according to Rolling Stone Magazine. That October he was on the cover of Newsweek and Time Magazine in the same week.
On August 11, 1985 Springsteen played to a crowd of almost 65,000 people at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium. It was a record crowd for a concert in Pittsburgh that stood for over 25 years..
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