1980s Philly Bands

During the 1980s, I went to a lot of concerts. Of course, you weren’t allowed to bring cameras into the concert. I did manage to get some pictures from small venues and from outdoor concerts.

Of course, the 1980s are a long time ago (even though it still feels like it was only yesterday). My memory and facts may not be as accurate as I would hope. With the help of some scraps of paper that I saved and the hard work of people using the Internet, I have been able to piece together some of my memories from this decade.





Being associated with the student government or student activities board allowed me to get access to many activities. These pictures was probably from fall of 1979 to spring of 1980.










The only thing that I remember is that I was able to watch them play for a few songs before I had to leave. It must have been some kind of event that was organized by the student activities board during the school day.

Quincy (Smash Palace). When they played at Gloucester County College in the spring of 1981, they were known as Quincy. I was even able to have them autograph my copy of their album.

Reesa and the Rooters. This picture is from the spring of 1982. Reesa and the Rooters were playing at Gloucester County College behind the cafeteria of the student center building. Some of the other bands playing that day were The Hens and The A's.

The Hens. This was one of my favorite bands in the early 1980s. We used to see them at places like the Evergreen Lounge in Somerdale, NJ. Here they are performing at Gloucester County College in the spring of 1982.

The A’s. Formed in 1977 or 1978 in Philadelphia, The A’s featured Richard Bush on lead vocals, Rick DiFonzo on guitar, Rocco Notte on keyboards, Terry Bortman on bass, and Michael Snyder on drums. The band’s powerful live show and hooky but aggressive tunes quickly earned them a loyal following in Philly and beyond.

The Ramones. I was able to attend three Ramones concerts during the 1980s. The first one was at Emerald City, which was the former Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, NJ.

The pictures here are from one of two times that I saw the Ramones at Glassboro State College, which is now Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ.

I’m still looking for a few other concert pictures that I took of bands, such as the A’s and Quincy (Smash Palace) at Gloucester County College in Sewell, NJ and of Beru Revue at Cooper River Park in Cherry Hill, NJ.