Eric Clapton 1974
Ticket says 3 PM but there were 2 shows at Ohio State's St John's Arena that day. We got tickets to the late show & went early to stand around the doors and listen to the early show. That worked ok for short periods of time but eventually some dumbass would come up and try rushing or even forcing his way in and the guys working the doors would wind up closing the doors which was really nothing they wanted to do since it was the 4th of July in Ohio and that meant it was hotternhell & muggy as all get out.
I don't remember a lot about the show. It was a long hot day. I bought a Eric Clapton t-shirt that had Clapton's head & Robin Trower's hands & Strat on it. whatever

Patti Smith 1979
Patti Smith at the Columbus Agora. The venue on High Street is now called the Newport Club.
We didn't have tickets to this show & were under the impression it was sold out, but we went anyway. It was weird. the show was general admission, of course, they did have tickets for sale & the goofballs actually let in the people buying tickets at the door before the advance ticket holders went in who had been standing in line for good seats for hours. I had seen Smith at the old Bogart's some time before & she seemed particularly wasted. At this show she was happy, energetic and exuberant.
chicks.....
The most memorable part of this concert was when my friend shouted out, "My generation !" & the band immediately launched into the song. :-)

The Grateful Dead at Columbus Vet's Memorial 1978
I had been to quite a few Grateful Dead concerts by 1978. I was well versed in Dead lore. I had done the acid, smoked the hash...
One of my buds had been in the band's official fan club which offered some really cool benefits. By 1978 I was starting into the punk scene that had simmered for awhile in '76 and had erupted in '77. I had a Grateful Dead uniform with workboots, flannel shirt etc. I took great delight in wearing said uniform to punk shows. It pissed off the punks who were trying to outrage everybody with their dress. Go figure.
This was probably the worst - the most commercial Dead concert I had ever attended. The gypsies who followed the band around were really starting to assume a level of professionalism. The jock fratboys were all fans now. I remember that whenever Garcia or Weir used a profanity - the crowd would erupt in cheers. I was barely in my 20s and I felt like one of the old timers and the lack of real old timers was pointedly evident.
I am pretty sure this was the last Dead show I attended.

Procol Harum & Steeleye Span 1973
While the ticket says Ohio Theater, this show was actually at Mershon Auditorium which is now part of the Wexner Center nowadays on High Street on the OSU campus.
I went with my sister in her weird little red Fiat that nobody in Springfield knew how to work on. We ate Archway date-filled oatmeal cookies on the way.
Procol Harum had a reputation for not showing up (this concert's change of venue was troubling) and they had previously cancelled on me as an opening act for Ten Years After in Dayton. This tour introduced Mick Grabham on lead guitar as they promoted their album, Grand Hotel. I remember the concert was excellent. B.J. Wilson live is an amazing experience, but what really stood out was the performance of Steeleye Span, who I had never heard of. If I had, I still would have been surprised as they had just gone electric with their album, Parcel of Rogues. They were a traditional Brit folk music band with the recent addition of screaming guitars, amplified violins and a thumping bass (but still no drums - well, jazz drums). Maddy Prior's voice just soared. Violinist Peter Knight entertained with stories, acrobatics and sizzling fiddle palying. They were friendly and chatty with the audience, telling bawdy jokes and generally making a modest sized auditorium feel like a neighborhood pub.

Yes
A new feature here at Blogging Isn't Cool is inspired by The Simultaneous Journal project and an old buddy sending me a (huge) scan of all his old concert ticket stubs. Coinciding with Mick Jones talking about his collection of memorabilia, I got to poking around in old dusty boxes of crap and, since I don't have an original thought to my name, decided I would get in on the act.
For the most part, all I have are ticket stubs and a few flyers from the 80s Jockey Club shows. I actually have a couple recordings. I will try to recount stuff as best I can.
March 25 1972, I saw Yes at Columbus, Ohio's Veteran's Memorial Auditorium.
Yes was a British progressive art rock kinda band that had had some success in England but really didn't get anywhere in the US til they released their album, Fragile. They boasted a blend of rock and classical music. Dunno about that. The band featured 2 virtuosos, Steve Howe on guitar and Rick Wakeman on keyboards. The rest of the band weren't slackers by any means, Chris Squire's bass being a hallmark of their sound.
I went with a group of buds and, while they all had tickets, I did not. I went halfway assuming I would be standing around outside for several hours. I did get a ticket & it was great. I sat very close to the stage right in front of Steve Howe !
Vet's Memorial was a nice facility. Smoking was not allowed whereas it was at most arenas where concerts usually took place. Smoking was allowed in the lounge, so going to the bathroom was kinda like going to the restroom at high school - it was like walking into a thick blue cloud.
On the back of the ticket stub I wrote Holy Smoke. That was the opening act. I have absolutely no idea who they were.