This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of perhaps ZZ Top's most infamous concert ever: the 1974 Labor Day weekend show at Texas Memorial Stadium at UT-Austin. The poster advertised it as "ZZ Top's First Annual Texas Size Rompin' Stompin' Barn Dance and Bar B.Q.," yet this… pic.twitter.com/2DJhHgIwNE
— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) August 30, 2024
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This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of perhaps ZZ Top's most infamous concert ever: the 1974 Labor Day weekend show at Texas Memorial Stadium at UT-Austin. The poster advertised it as "ZZ Top's First Annual Texas Size Rompin' Stompin' Barn Dance and Bar B.Q.," yet this became no annual event. Instead, it lingers as an infamous footnote in the history of the Longhorns' field, now known as Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, where UT officials were so traumatized in the aftermath that the stadium wouldn't host another concert for more than 20 years.
It was the only home-state appearance of the year for ZZ Top, following their breakout album, "Tres Hombres." Santana, Joe Cocker and Bad Company joined them for the rare event. The show, an ambitious fundraiser sponsored by UT Student Government, became the largest one-day musical event in Texas history to that point.
Despite the oppressive Texas heat -- it was 91 degrees when the show started at 3 p.m. -- the stadium was the place to be, offering the "thrill of smoking grass where Rosie Leaks had once carried a football," as Texas' Cactus yearbook eloquently observed. But the heat didn't stop fans from overrunning the security measures and staff. Soon the crowd swelled in excess of 80,000 people -- "a claustrophobic, overheated cornucopia of thirst, hunger and sunstroke," according to the Cactus.
"It was chaos," said W. Blaine Pennington, a photographer who attended the concert with his sister. "They were completely unprepared for the crowd that came."
Fans climbed any available surface to get a better view, while water and the $2.50 plates of barbecue ran out very quickly.
"You had to prepare yourself that you'd be in for a survivalistic experience, because otherwise you were going to suffer," Pennington said. "The bathrooms were a wreck, the sinks had been broken off the walls. People were trying to get water, but there was a lot of damage."
UT media relations spokesman Bill Little later said, "Our [football] trainer, Spanky Stephens, maintained all the first-aid rooms. Spanky told the story about walking in the first-aid room the next day, and there was a guy sleeping on one of the beds. He rustled him when he opened the door, and the guy said, 'What time does ZZ Top come on?' Spanky said, 'Sorry pal, you've already missed 'em.'"
$3 Sack of Groceries said:
I was in Austin that day too.
But I was 12 days old.
That pic is something. Not even a slightly overweight person in sight. Back when that was the norm.jkag89 said:This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of perhaps ZZ Top's most infamous concert ever: the 1974 Labor Day weekend show at Texas Memorial Stadium at UT-Austin. The poster advertised it as "ZZ Top's First Annual Texas Size Rompin' Stompin' Barn Dance and Bar B.Q.," yet this… pic.twitter.com/2DJhHgIwNE
— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) August 30, 2024
Yep. When I was growing up in the 1970s, we had exactly two kids in my class that were overweight. Nobody would believe that these days.beanbean said:That pic is something. Not even a slightly overweight person in sight. Back when that was the norm.jkag89 said:This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of perhaps ZZ Top's most infamous concert ever: the 1974 Labor Day weekend show at Texas Memorial Stadium at UT-Austin. The poster advertised it as "ZZ Top's First Annual Texas Size Rompin' Stompin' Barn Dance and Bar B.Q.," yet this… pic.twitter.com/2DJhHgIwNE
— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) August 30, 2024
beanbean said:That pic is something. Not even a slightly overweight person in sight. Back when that was the norm.jkag89 said:This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of perhaps ZZ Top's most infamous concert ever: the 1974 Labor Day weekend show at Texas Memorial Stadium at UT-Austin. The poster advertised it as "ZZ Top's First Annual Texas Size Rompin' Stompin' Barn Dance and Bar B.Q.," yet this… pic.twitter.com/2DJhHgIwNE
— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) August 30, 2024
