The crowd’s cars created a major traffic jam on Ohio 4 as many concert-goers parked on the road’s shoulder and walked as far as two miles to get to the show.
It was a picnic crowd, with many of the fans spreading blankets on the ground and treating it as a social event. Concert promoter Ross Todd called it the most peaceful rock crowd he had seen that summer.
Not their first show in Dayton
Aerosmith was on a prolific run of putting out albums and touring the country.
The band had released four albums in two years, and each one became more successful than the last. By the time of the Eastwood Park concert, Aerosmith had all four of their albums in Billboard’s Top 200 list.
Just a little over a year before the Eastwood Park concert, Aerosmith played to a sold out Palace Theater (capacity 1,500) in Dayton.
Then, in early 1976, the band exploded. They quickly went to having a small but hardcore following to selling over 2.4 million albums. They could now sell out larger arenas. When they retuned to Dayton, they next played at the University of Dayton arena in May 1976.
A 1976 Journal-Herald article described 24-year-old lead singer “Steve” Tyler (who later preferred “Steven”) by saying, “Steve is a cross between Carly Simon and Mick Jagger with his gigantic mouth, thin body, and crazy gyrations.”
The other bands on the bill
Celina native Rick Derringer was on the bill for that concert. Derringer is known for his hit single “Hang on Sloopy” that he recorded with his brother, Randy, in their band called “The McCoys.” Another big hit for Derringer was “Rock ‘N’ Roll Hootchiecoo.”
Derringer had hopes for attending the Dayton Art Institute and becoming a commercial artist before the song unexpectedly rocketed to the top of the charts in 1965.
Ted Nugent had three multi-platinum albums in the mid-1970s and was known for his energetic stage performances.
Henry Gross was known as being an original member of Sha Na Na, the ‘50s nostalgia group.
Virtuoso rock guitarist Rory Gallagher was a member of a critically acclaimed group called Taste.
Police actions
Two people were arrested after selling $700 worth of counterfeit tickets at the concert. In all, the Montgomery County Grand Jury indicted four men and one woman on three counts of forgery in connection with that counterfeit scheme.
Four people were arrested for intoxication.
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