Herman's Hermits at the Steel Pier in 1964: A memoir
This entertainment pier looms largest in my memories of what we in South Jersey called "down the shore." Before any of us could drive, my siblings and I relied on a wonderful mother who always got us there from our home in Penns Grove in the wee small hours of the morning so that we could be among the first in line to see The Four Seasons, The Supremes, Herman's Hermits, and other big groups of the day.
Although I attended many a concert on that pier, it was standing against the stage for a Herman's Hermits concert in the Steel Pier's Marine Ballroom in 1964 that I remember most vividly. We wanted to be there first, and Mom made certain we got there first. By the time Herman and his Hermits finally appeared, several thousand teenagers had filled the ballroom. Crushed against the stage in a staggering midsummer heat, many succumbed to the tremendous excitment, heat and humidity by fainting. To the delightful strains of "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter," my sister, Robin, quickly became of them. The only exit for the literally faint of heart was across the stage.
As a burly security guard was carrying Robin right past Herman, one girl yelled, "She just wanted to be up there on stage with them!" Our friend, Jill, yelled back- and could she ever yell- "She did not! She has epilepsy!" That shut the girl up! My mother was standing with our little sister and brother, Sherry and Mark, all the way in the back of the ballroom, but my mother's eyesight was always keen. When she caught sight of her daughter's being carried unconsious across the stage, my mother... well, I'll let Sherry finish the story: "If you think Jill could scream, you forget the sound of your mother's voice in her prime!" It might have been the last time in her life that my mother actually ran. She was backstage at Robin's side before you could shout, "I'm Henry the Eighth, I am!"
Herman's Hermits, captured by an excited 13 year old, with a lousy camera.
The original Four Seasons performing at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City.
The first time I saw The Supremes at the Steel Pier, also in the summer of 1964
Although I attended many a concert on that pier, it was standing against the stage for a Herman's Hermits concert in the Steel Pier's Marine Ballroom in 1964 that I remember most vividly. We wanted to be there first, and Mom made certain we got there first. By the time Herman and his Hermits finally appeared, several thousand teenagers had filled the ballroom. Crushed against the stage in a staggering midsummer heat, many succumbed to the tremendous excitment, heat and humidity by fainting. To the delightful strains of "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter," my sister, Robin, quickly became of them. The only exit for the literally faint of heart was across the stage.
As a burly security guard was carrying Robin right past Herman, one girl yelled, "She just wanted to be up there on stage with them!" Our friend, Jill, yelled back- and could she ever yell- "She did not! She has epilepsy!" That shut the girl up! My mother was standing with our little sister and brother, Sherry and Mark, all the way in the back of the ballroom, but my mother's eyesight was always keen. When she caught sight of her daughter's being carried unconsious across the stage, my mother... well, I'll let Sherry finish the story: "If you think Jill could scream, you forget the sound of your mother's voice in her prime!" It might have been the last time in her life that my mother actually ran. She was backstage at Robin's side before you could shout, "I'm Henry the Eighth, I am!"
Herman's Hermits, captured by an excited 13 year old, with a lousy camera.The original Four Seasons performing at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City.The first time I saw The Supremes at the Steel Pier, also in the summer of 1964
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ReplyDeleteI remember this show... thanks for the memories! Mom had taken us to Atlantic City on a bus trip when I was 9 years old = )
ReplyDeleteHerman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone and Gary Pucket & The Union Gap appearing at the King Center in melbourne florda on March 18, 2022, I was 8 the last time I seen them in A.C. in 64'
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