12 Best Versatile Sewing Machine

Best Versatile Sewing Machine in 2023

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Remembering the Rock and Roll Machine

Some memories last a lifetime. Watching the heavy metal band "Triumph" perform in the summer of 1979 is one of those memories.

I remember the event like it was yesterday. In fact, it was the summer of my senior year of high school - circa 1979. I was still living in my birthplace of San Antonio, Texas and Heavy Metal music was king. When a heavy metal group toured the nation they were sure to make a stop in San Antonio. So when I learned that the Canadian rock group - "Triumph" was coming into town I was ecstatic. My sister and her fiancé were also ecstatic since they both shared the same love for heavy metal music as I did.

Back in the day there was no such thing as "on-line" ticket ordering. What the heavy metal enthusiast had to do, in order to secure a good seat, was to wait patiently in line until the box office opened up on the first day of ticket sales. It was not uncommon for a fan to spend the night waiting in line until the box office opened its window for ticket sales.

My sister's fiancé and I decided that we would spend the night waiting in line in front of the San Antonio Hemisfair Arena box office. It was our hope that this sacrifice would result in getting prime seats for this event. To play it safe we decided to arrive at the Hemisfair Arena at 7:00 pm and camp out the entire night until the box office opened the following morning at 9:00 am. My sister carefully packed some snacks and beverages for us and off we went to begin our overnight camping trip. To our surprise, we were the third ones in line. We knew we were certainly going to get great floor seats. We listened to Triumph cassette tapes throughout the night and played cards to pass the time. The box office opened up promptly at 9:00 am and we purchased three floor seats on the second row. The cost per ticket was a whopping $8. The sacrifice of trying to sleep on the concrete pavement was well worth it.

Triumph (aka: The Rock and Roll Machine), rolled into town at the end of summer. The band was special to me and was one of my favorites during my high school years (along with Rush, AC/DC, Judas Priest, and The Scorpions). I was mesmerized by the lead guitarist, Rik Emmett, who was nicknamed "The Rocket" because of his amazing hand speed on the electric guitar. The band was gritty and hard charging and I fancied myself as having those qualities as well.

The Hemisfair Arena was the place to be for a heavy metal concert. Sadly, it was torn down in 1995 soon after the Alamodome was constructed. I sat through many concerts in that venue and I vividly recall the great acoustics. It would often take me a couple of hours to regain full use of my hearing after attending concerts at that venue. The performance put on by Triumph was no exception. What made it memorable was that I witnessed it from the second row. The light show was spectacular (what is a heavy metal show without flashing lights and explosions.) The music was loud and raucous - just the way I liked it. And I felt alive. It was show that I would never forget.

My youngest son, who recently turned 13 years of age, has become a fan of heavy metal music and is fast becoming an accomplished electric guitarist. Recently I found him going through my collection of heavy metal albums. I find that some things are hard to part with (such as my heavy metal albums). He came across my old Triumph albums and asked me about the band. As I told him about Triumph, I found myself again in the Hemisfair Arena rocking out to the sounds of The Rock and Roll Machine. Some memories are meant to last forever.