{"id":541022,"date":"2022-11-10T17:13:31","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T22:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=541022"},"modified":"2023-03-24T11:26:06","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T15:26:06","slug":"rockin-and-rollin-at-the-palestra-541022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/rockin-and-rollin-at-the-palestra-541022\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockin\u2019 and rollin\u2019 at the Palestra"},"content":{"rendered":"

Musical giants from Simon & Garfunkel, Ray Charles, and the Grateful Dead to Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Springsteen have played at Rochester\u2019s iconic gymnasium.<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Since the Louis Alexander Palestra opened in 1930 on the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s River Campus, it has been home to more than 30 All-American student-athletes and one national champion\u2014the 1990\u201391 Yellowjackets men\u2019s basketball team.<\/p>\n

In 2016, it was named one of the top 125 basketball arenas<\/a> in the nation by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame\u2014an impressive accomplishment, considering there are more than 300 Division I men’s programs.<\/p>\n

The Palestra also has hosted famous speakers such as Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell, Maya Angelou, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. George Carlin and the Smothers Brothers performed standup comedy there.<\/p>\n

But the Palestra also has been a concert mecca, with some of the greatest names in modern music history taking its stage. Solo acts like Ray Charles, Judy Collins, and Billy Joel. Duos like Simon & Garfunkel and Hall & Oates. And groups like the Temptations, the Grateful Dead, and the Ramones.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Palestra was just a great concert venue,\u201d says Jeffrey Newcorn \u201973, \u201977M (MD), who reviewed a few shows for the Campus Times<\/em>, the College\u2019s student newspaper, as an undergraduate. \u201cIt was big enough to hold a large show but also intimate. We loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at some of the famous\u2014and those who weren\u2019t yet famous\u2014musical acts who have played at the Palestra.<\/p>\n

(photos provided by University Archives, unless otherwise credited) <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kingston Trio<\/strong><\/h3>\n

October 22, 1959<\/em><\/p>\n

The Kingston Trio helped launch a folk revival in the late 1950s and scored a No. 1 hit in 1958 with \u201cTom Dooley.\u201d On October 22, 1959, the trio of Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds, and Bob Shane played to a sold-out Palestra, their catchy tunes bolstered by a new, $500 sound system paid for by the Social and Traditions Committee that helped eliminate echoes and distortions throughout the building.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"archivalRay Charles<\/strong><\/h3>\n

November 8, 1963<\/em><\/p>\n

This concert, two weeks before the assassination of President Kennedy, was the Social and Traditions Committee\u2019s most expensive to date, costing $5,000 (about $47,000 in today\u2019s dollars), with tickets selling for less than $3. The Palestra was packed, and the committee made a profit of $900. Nicknamed \u201cThe Genius\u201d for combining blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music, Charles remarked to committee cochair Hayward Paul \u201964, that he enjoyed \u201cthe warm, enthusiastic, and controlled\u201d crowd. He would return to the Palestra for another sellout show on November 3, 1966, backed by the female group the Raelets.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"archivalSimon & Garfunkel<\/strong><\/h3>\n

April 5, 1968<\/em><\/p>\n

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel performed before a packed Palestra one day after the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. They opened with \u201cMrs. Robinson\u201d from the hit movie The Graduate<\/em>, which had been released just three months earlier. Other hits followed\u2014”The Sound of Silence,\u201d \u201c<\/em>America,\u201d \u201cFeelin\u2019 Groovy,\u201d and more\u2014and the duo performed two encores. \u201cIf it\u2019s possible to give sitting ovations after each song, then this deed was done,\u201d wrote Campus Times<\/em> reviewer Jan Zuckerman \u201971.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Judy Collins<\/strong><\/h3>\n

February 29, 1968<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Judy Collins\u2019s performance at the Palestra came in the aftermath of the Tet Offensive\u2014a major turning point in the Vietnam War in which an increasing share of the American public came to believe it had been misled about the duration and human costs of the war. The folk singer performed about 20 numbers, including an antiwar song called \u201cLa Colombe\u201d, which Collins said was \u201cdedicated to the boy who was to turn 18, like many other boys whose birthdays are coming up soon.\u201d The somber opening lyrics set the tone:<\/p>\n

Why all these bugles crying<\/em>
\nFor squads of young men drilled
\nTo kill and to be killed
\nStood waiting by this train?<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"archivalDionne Warwick<\/strong><\/h3>\n

October 10, 1968<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Although Warwick performed a beautiful rendition of \u201cOne Hand, One Heart\u201d from West Side Story<\/em>, which transitioned into \u201cWhat The World Needs Now Is Love.\u201d Campus Times<\/em> reviewer Ray Singer found her performance \u201cdisappointing.\u201d He wrote that Warwick \u201ctried, but her voice strained and occasionally cracked.\u201d Singer noted that Warwick shone, however, while singing \u201cAlways Something There to Remind Me.\u201d
\n
<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"archivalSmokey Robinson and the Miracles<\/strong><\/h3>\n

November 1, 1968<\/em><\/p>\n

The smooth quartet from Detroit wowed the crowd with hits such as \u201cTracks of My Tears,\u201d \u201cI Second That Emotion,\u201d and \u201cOoo Baby Baby.\u201d But it was their rendition of \u201cThe Look of Love\u201d\u2014the first time they had ever performed the Burt Bacherach number live\u2014that drew the loudest cheers. Three photographers took countless shots of the show for possible use on the group\u2019s next album (alas, Rochester did not make the cut).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"concertBlood, Sweat & Tears<\/strong><\/h3>\n

February 20, 1969<\/em><\/p>\n

The blues-rock band had performed on the popular Ed Sullivan Show<\/em> the week before and had recently released the album Blood, Sweat & Tears<\/em>, with hits such as \u201cYou\u2019ve Made Me So Very Happy\u201d and \u201cSpinning Wheel.\u201d The recording would reach number one on the charts and be named Album of the Year at the 1970 Grammy Awards. Six months later, the band would enjoy headliner status at the legendary Woodstock music festival.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"archival<\/p>\n

Peter, Paul and Mary<\/strong><\/h3>\n

April 11, 1969<\/em><\/p>\n

The legendary folk trio turned in a masterful performance, singing hits such as \u201cIf I Had a Hammer,\u201d \u201cBlowin\u2019 in the Wind,\u201d and \u201cPuff the Magic Dragon.\u201d As Daniel Smirlock \u201972 wrote in the Campus Times<\/em>, \u201cThey put on a show so entertaining and so vital\u2014yet so unlike the majority of concerts today\u2014that it suddenly became 1960 instead of 1969.\u201d<\/p>\n

The concert kicked off what the newspaper called a \u201cmiracle weekend\u201d for students, with a rising comedian performing the following evening at the Auditorium Theater in downtown Rochester. The comedian was Bill Cosby.<\/p>\n

(photo provided by Scott Brande ’72)<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"BBB.B. King<\/strong><\/h3>\n

September 19, 1970<\/em><\/p>\n

More than 3,500 people showed up\u2014perhaps the largest gathering at the Palestra to date\u2014on a hot Saturday evening, and the heat inside forced King to take a 10-minute break. The blues legend dedicated \u201cPlease Accept My Love\u201d to his late friend, Jimi Hendrix, whose untimely death had taken place just the day before. Hendrix, King said, \u201cmade a lot of us very happy while he was alive.\u201d The crowd was still stomping and shaking the floor when the house lights were turned on. \u201cThe gym floor seemed to take abuse equal to 750,000 basketball games,\u201d the Campus Times<\/em> noted.
\n
<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Grateful Dead<\/strong><\/h3>\n

November 20, 1970<\/em><\/p>\n

In what possibly is the most memorable concert<\/a> in Palestra history, the Grateful Dead rocked the building with a concert that lasted until 3:30 a.m. and had fans screaming for more. After the second set, it was announced that \u201csome friends from across town\u201d had joined the party. Jefferson Airplane\u2014like the Dead, a San Francisco Bay Area-based band\u2014had been playing two miles away at the Community War Memorial. After their show ended, guitarists Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady learned the Dead were still playing and headed to the Palestra.<\/p>\n

Freelance photographer Peter Corrigan remembers a \u201cbuzz passing through the crowd\u201d after the Dead sang \u201cCasey Jones.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Grateful<\/p>\n

From left, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Jorma Kaukonen, and Bob Weir as members of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane jam in the Palestra in 1970. (vintagerockandrollphotos.com \/ Peter Corrigan)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCasady could be seen behind the Dead\u2019s amplifiers, and when some in the crowd noticed him, (Dead guitarist) Phil Lesh began playing the opening bass line to \u2018White Rabbit,\u2019\u2019\u2019 Corrigan remembers. \u201cJorma came on stage with his guitar, did some tuning, and then they launched into the incredible jam. It was an unforgettable evening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kaukonen and Casady jammed with the Dead for a few songs, including \u201cIt\u2019s All Over Now\u201d and \u201cReelin\u2019 and Rockin,\u201d before an excited crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was incredible,\u201d says Jeffrey Newcorn \u201973, \u201977M (MD), now a psychiatrist in Greenwich, Connecticut, who reviewed the concert for the Campus Times<\/em>. \u201cI was a Dead freak, and there they were, right on campus! It was phenomenal. And then to have members of the Airplane join them? The jam session was fantastic, just an amazing moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

So amazing, in fact, that Rolling Stone<\/em> magazine ranked it the ninth greatest jam<\/a> at a Grateful Dead concert.<\/p>\n

The Dead would return 11 months later, on October 26, 1971. Fans waited three hours outside the Palestra and were treated to a two-and-a-half-hour show<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

REO Speedwagon<\/strong><\/h3>\n

December 1, 1972<\/em><\/p>\n

Blues and rock band Canned Heat was the headliner, but it was a young group from Illinois added to the bill just two days earlier that stole the show. Long before it would become a staple on the Billboard charts with hits like \u201cCan\u2019t Fight This Feeling,\u201d \u201cTime For Me To Fly\u201d and \u201cKeep On Loving You,\u201d REO wowed the Palestra crowd with what Campus Times<\/em> reviewer Michael Dinhofer called \u201cgood old rock and roll.\u201d Dinhofer noted that the band \u201cdid justice to every tune they played simply by being down to earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"archivalDave Mason<\/strong><\/h3>\n

October 6, 1973<\/em><\/p>\n

The former lead singer for Traffic played to a half-empty Palestra. \u201cWhat a waste!\u201d wrote Vincent Frank in the Campus Times<\/em>. \u201cYou passed up a chance to see one of the most underrated rock performers play an evening of some of the greatest music you\u2019d ever want to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank predicted Rochester students would regret the decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cDave Mason won\u2019t have to play to half-filled gyms very much longer,\u201d he wrote. \u201cNot if he keeps delivering such great performances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank was right. Now 76, Mason remains a popular act on tour and in 2004 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Temptations <\/strong><\/h3>\n

March 31, 1974<\/em><\/p>\n

The Temptations came in fresh off their win as Favorite Soul\/R&B Group at the American Music Awards six weeks earlier. Sponsored by the Black Students\u2019 Union, the performance featured the Temptations accompanied by a Motown rhythm section and a nine-piece brass orchestra and included what the Campus Times<\/em> called \u201ca brief but intense set of about 15 of their greatest hits,\u201d including \u201cCan\u2019t Get Next To You,\u201d \u201cGet Ready,\u201d \u201cThe Way You Do The Things You Do,\u201d and \u201cMy Girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"archivalPeter Frampton, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel <\/strong><\/h3>\n

February to November, 1976<\/em><\/p>\n

There was arguably no greater year for concerts at the Palestra than 1976, when three budding superstars performed within a nine-month period.<\/p>\n

\"screenshot
Read the full story
from the Campus Times,<\/em> 1979<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peter Frampton played before a capacity crowd of 3,000 on February 7, 1976\u2014just one month after Frampton Comes Alive!<\/em> was released. It would be the best-selling album of that year, with hits such as \u201cShow Me The Way,\u201d \u201cBaby I Love Your Way,\u201d and \u201cDo You Feel Like I Do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Frampton strode onstage in a yellow outfit, looking \u201clike a lean Roger Daltrey,\u201d according to the Campus Times <\/em>review, and performed for nearly three hours. \u201cFrampton put on the most electrifying rock performance the Palestra has seen in years,\u201d the Campus Times<\/em> wrote.<\/p>\n

Two months later, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band rocked the arena with another two-and-a-half-hour show on April 17. The bearded Springsteen, whom the student newspaper called \u201ca 26-year-old rock and roll poet from New Jersey,\u201d wore a blue suit and turned in an energetic performance, with songs such as \u201cThunder Road,\u201d \u201cGrowin\u2019 Up,\u201d and \u201cBorn To Run.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBruce Springsteen turned the Palestra into a sweat rock theater Saturday night,\u201d the Campus Times<\/em> wrote.<\/p>\n

The 1976 trifecta was completed on November 7, when a rising star from the Bronx named Billy Joel played before 2,000 fans, a strong crowd but 500 shy of a sellout. The concert cost the UR Concert Committee $12,500, and $5,200 went to Joel and his band. The rest was used to cover production, advertising, and lighting. Tickets were $3.50 for students and $4.50 for the public. Joel played \u201cAngry Young Man,\u201d \u201cPiano Man,\u201d and \u201cNew York State of Mind\u201d among other songs, and he made the crowd laugh with an impression of Jimmy Carter, who had been elected president of the United States just five days earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night at the Palestra, Mr. Joel played and sang with a fury and confidence few performers could match,\u201d Brian Kelly wrote in the Campus Times<\/em>. \u201cAfter his fourth encore, Joel shook as many hands as he could grab and took a deep bow before leaving the court.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"close-upBonnie Raitt <\/strong><\/h3>\n

March 2, 1977<\/em><\/p>\n

Raitt gave Rochester something to talk about with a 15-song concert that included two encores and a preview of what would be her first hit: a cover of \u201cRunaway,\u201d the song made famous by Del Shannon in 1961. The song was included on Raitt\u2019s sixth album, Sweet Forgiveness<\/em>, which was released a month after her Palestra concert.
\n
<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"posterThe Kinks<\/strong><\/h3>\n

December 8, 1977; <\/em>April 28, 1990<\/em><\/p>\n

The English group was one of the most influential bands of the 1960s, and their song \u201cYou Really Got Me\u201d reached number one on the charts in 1964. The band, led by brothers Ray and Dave Davies, played at the Palestra late in 1977 and again for Dandelion Weekend in 1990.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"DarylHall and Oates<\/strong><\/h3>\n

November 8, 1980<\/em><\/p>\n

The popular duo opened their Saturday evening show with a rarity\u2014John Oates on lead vocals\u2014for \u201cHow Does It Feel To Be Back,\u201d which had peaked at number 30 on the Billboard charts earlier that year. Other hits followed, including \u201cRich Girl,\u201d \u201cShe\u2019s Gone,\u201d and \u201cSara Smile.\u201d Campus Times<\/em> reviewer John Swanson found the show \u201csolidly entertaining\u201d but noted that \u201cmany people considered the $7.50 ticket price too high.\u201d
\n
<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

R.E.M.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

April 13, 1983<\/em><\/p>\n

The alternative rock band scored chart hits with \u201cLosing My Religion,\u201d \u201cEverybody Hurts,\u201d and \u201cIt\u2019s the End of the World As We Know It.\u201d But in 1983, they were just a three-year-old group struggling for success.<\/p>\n

R.E.M. opened for The English Beat, which fused Latin, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock, as part of Dandelion Weekend. The Campus Times<\/em> review was not kind: \u201cTheir biggest handicap seemed to be a lead singer (Michael Stipe) who was hard to understand in the first place and pseudo-esoteric lyrics such as \u2018Gardening At Night\u2019 in the second.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"archival10,000 Maniacs, Violent Femmes, The Fleshtones<\/strong><\/h3>\n

February 16, 1985<\/em><\/p>\n

It was a New Wave invasion as three bands entertained a crowd of nearly 1,900. The Fleshtones were the biggest \u201ccrowd pleasers\u201d according to Campus Times<\/em> reviewer Chris Bourne, who correctly predicted that the obscure opening act\u201410,000 Maniacs\u2014had the brightest future. \u201c(Lead singer) Natalie Merchant has great style on stage and is altogether pleasant to watch,\u201d Bourne wrote. Four albums by 10,000 Maniacs would reach the top 50 in the US, and their 1989 hit \u201cThese Are Days\u201d reached number one on the billboard charts.<\/p>\n

The Ramones<\/strong><\/h3>\n

April 12, 1986<\/em><\/p>\n

The New York City-based punk rock band put on a loud, spirited concert for nearly 2,000 fans. Many engaged in \u201cslam dancing,\u201d jumping in the air and running hard into other fans. The tone was set by opening act The Mosquitos, who emerged from \u201cmanhole covers\u201d on the Palestra floor. \u201cCreatures of every color, shape, and size crawled out,\u201d according to the Campus Times<\/em>. \u201cSome had mohawks, others had chains, some had hair held up in the air through mysterious devices.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"archivalThe Bangles<\/strong><\/h3>\n

March 31, 1989<\/em><\/p>\n

The all-female band, with hits like \u201cManic Monday\u201d and \u201cWalk Like an Egyptian,\u201d performed before a crowd that included hundreds of screaming teenagers. \u201cThanks for the nice spring evening, Rochester!\u201d lead guitarist Vicki Peterson shouted out on a chilly evening. \u201cWe\u2019re not really used to this since we\u2019re from Southern California, but we\u2019ll try our best to heat things up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next day, April 1, \u201cEternal Flame\u201d became the number one pop song in the US. Six months later, the Bangles broke up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Not just the Palestra<\/h3>\n

While the Palestra has hosted the majority of concerts at the URochester, other famous acts have appeared at different University venues.<\/p>\n

Perhaps none was more memorable than March 16, 1968, when the legendary Jim Morrison and the Doors<\/strong> performed at Eastman Theatre, with tickets starting at $2.25. The opening act was rising star Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys<\/strong>, who one year before had taken the song \u201cDifferent Drum\u201d to number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Footage from the Doors performance appears briefly in Bob Neuwirth\u2019s unreleased promotional film Not To Touch the Earth<\/em><\/a>, and a photograph from the concert later was used for an Acoustic amplifiers advertisement print ad.<\/p>\n

On April 21, 1969, just six days after appearing at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Janis Joplin<\/strong> performed at Eastman\u201418 months before her untimely death at age 27. Steppenwolf<\/strong> (1969), James Taylor<\/strong> (1970), and country music legend Johnny Cash<\/strong> (1993) also performed at Eastman.<\/p>\n

Strong Auditorium has hosted its share of concerts, including blues legend Muddy Waters<\/strong> (1967), longtime E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren<\/strong> (1976), and folk-rock singer\/songwriter Ani DiFranco<\/strong> (1994).<\/p>\n

Douglass Dining Hall isn\u2019t known as a concert venue, but about 200 \u201cPhishheads\u201d were treated to a show by Phish <\/strong>on April 20, 1991. The Vermont-based band was one of the first musical acts to use file-sharing on the Internet to grow its fan base, and Rolling Stone<\/em> magazine called them the \u201cmost important band of the \u201890s.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Goo Goo Dolls<\/strong><\/h3>\n

October 7, 1995<\/em><\/p>\n

The alternative band from Buffalo came to the Palestra one month after the release of their single \u201cName.\u201d That song would reach number 1 on the Billboard charts and remains one of their biggest hits. The album A Boy Named Goo<\/em> was released seven months earlier and was certified double platinum (two million copies sold) by year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Beck<\/strong><\/h3>\n

March 29, 1997<\/em><\/p>\n

Beck David Hansen\u2014known simply as \u201cBeck\u201d\u2014was the headliner for a triple act concert that began with Atari Teenage Riot, who took the stage at 8 p.m. \u201cand did not stop swearing or screaming for a half hour,\u201d Campus Times<\/em> reviewer Otis Hart \u201997 wrote.<\/p>\n

They were followed by The Cardigans, who had appeared on Late Night with David Letterman<\/em> the night before. They played their hugely popular song \u201cLovefood \u201c(love me, love me, say that you\u2019ll love me<\/em>). At 10 p.m., Beck took the stage, just a month after winning a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance. \u201cBeck was amazing,\u201d says Anne-Marie Algier \u201916W (EdD), associate dean of students at the College. \u201cHe walked through the crowd in a hooded sweatshirt when Atari Teenage Riot played, and no one knew he was there. When he returned backstage, he said, \u2018These people deserve a great show, and I am going to give them all I\u2019ve got!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Hart wrote: \u201cBeck put on what might have been the best concert UR has ever held.\u201d Algier agrees. \u201cThat was the best sounding show in that space,\u201d she says. \u201cBeck brought his own soundboard, and it was top of the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lifehouse, Michelle Branch, The Calling<\/strong><\/h3>\n

September 23, 2001<\/em><\/p>\n

A trio of rising acts played the Palestra just 12 days after the 9\/11 terrorist attacks. Lifehouse had a big hit with \u201cHanging By A Moment,\u201d which peaked at number two on the Billboard Top 100 that June. Branch\u2019s \u201cEverywhere\u201d was climbing the charts and would peak at 12 on Billboard\u2019s Top 100 that November. The video from the song won the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards \u201cViewer\u2019s Choice Award.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Janelle <\/strong>Mon\u00e1e<\/strong><\/h3>\n

October 1, 2011<\/em><\/p>\n

The multi-talented singer, songwriter, science fiction author, and actress came to the Palestra just a year after winning an MTV Video Music Award. She would go on to earn eight Grammy Award nominations and win the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award in 2015.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Read more<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\"radio\u201cWRUR is on the air…\u201d<\/strong><\/a>
\nThe radio station that began on a small corner of the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s River Campus, in the basement of Burton Hall, is now 70 years old.<\/span><\/div>\n
\"historical Wilson Commons remains a centerpiece of campus life<\/strong><\/a>
\nFor decades, the I.M. Pei\u2013designed building has been a place to study, eat, dance, play billiards or violin, put out a newspaper, and even stage a student protest or two.<\/span><\/div>\n
\"archivalWas that a US president on the Quad?<\/strong><\/a>
\nHow many presidents of the United States have visited the University? We asked the University archivist.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Musical giants from Simon & Garfunkel, Ray Charles, and the Grateful Dead to Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Springsteen have played at Rochester\u2019s iconic gymnasium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":672,"featured_media":541042,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[42,29502],"class_list":["post-541022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","tag-alumni","tag-featured-post-side"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRockin\u2019 and rollin\u2019 at the Palestra<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Musical giants from Simon & Garfunkel, Ray Charles, and the Grateful Dead to Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Springsteen have played at Rochester\u2019s iconic gymnasium.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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