For many of us, the weekend didn’t officially begin until Kid Leo said it did. The popular radio DJ at WMMS (100.7 FM) played Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” just before 6 p.m. Friday afternoon. When the song ended, the weekend started.
We blasted the song on the car radio while driving home from work or while prepping for a night out with friends. A console stereo in the living room or a transistor radio propped on a bathroom counter — the music sounded perfect regardless of how we got it.
The radio station that brought us the weekend also brought one of the most coveted — and recorded — performances in Cleveland history. Springsteen and the E Street Band performed at the Agora Theatre and Ballroom in August 1978.
Just over a year ago, Springsteen released an official recording of the Agora performance. It sounded just fine on a cassette player back in 1978.
THE SNOW NEVER STOPPED
How did you spend the Blizzard of ‘78? Digging out a buried car? Enjoying days off from college classes? Or were you stuck on an interstate or at work, watching the snow pile deeper and deeper that last week of January?
The blizzard crippled northeast Ohio with more than two feet of snow. Stranded motorists hiked to nearby churches or homes to wait out the storm.
When it was over, deep drifts turned the landscape into an eerie flatness. If you were old enough to remember the Blizzard of ‘78, you’ll never forget it.
THE MIRACLE OF RICHFIELD – THE AFTERMATH
Today it’s a grassland for bird lovers, but the open field on state Route 303 just off Interstate 271 was at one time home to the Richfield Coliseum and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team made the playoffs during the 1975-76 season and became “The Miracle of Richfield.”
By the 1977-78 season, the miracle faded. Fans today are hoping that the Cavs, headed by LeBron James, can bring a long-awaited championship to the region – this time from Quicken Loans Arena downtown.
