Following the sunset season for the concrete cathedral in Orchard Park, WIVB takes a weekly look back at nearly 50 concerts played in the stadium’s 53 years.
Aug. 2-8
Aug. 7, 1976: Elton John made his Orchard Park debut in the rain in 1976, the summer following the release of his “Rock of the Westies” record. Boz Scaggs and John Miles played support for the show, billed as part 10 of “Superfest at the Stadium.” Dale Anderson of the “Buffalo News” recalled John commending the Rich Stadium crowd for braving the weather.
John opened his set with “Grow Some Funk of Your Own” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” playing “Rocket Man,” “Bennie and the Jets,” and “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” early in the set. He covered The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” before breaking into the back half of his set, which included “Someone Saved my Life Tonight,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” He was joined by fellow Brit and collaborator Kiki Dee for “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and Dee’s “I’ve Got the Music in Me.” He closed the set with his cover of The Who’s “Pinball Wizard,” and his own, “Your Song.”
Boz Scaggs, then touring his “Silk Degrees” record, performed a 10-song set, opening with his hit “Lowdown,” performing “You Make It So Hard (To Say No),” “Georgia,” “Jump Street” and “Lido Shuffle.” In total, Scaggs played six of the 10 songs off the new album, per setlist records. According to Anderson, John Miles came on 45 minutes ahead of schedule due to weather, and Anderson only caught the final song of the set, a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven.”…