So it’s really true-the Spectrum is getting torn down next year. Vet’s Stadium was torn down a few years back:

Not that I went to either place that much, but they are/were such landmarks of Philadelphia, anything new doesn’t really hold any memories for me-yet. And they won’t be the same kind of memories. I saw the Phillies play at the Vet for the first time-it was so awesome to see the grandeur of the place when you climb the stairs and take a gander at the playing field for the first time.

At the Spectrum, I saw the Flyers ice hockey team play, went to concerts-John Denver, Dan Fogelberg, Linda Ronstadt, Heart, Jackson Browne and went to a few Disney on Ice shows with a little Sean. Good memories. I’ll never hear John or Dan again and I doubt I’ll see the other performers again.

The fight scenes for ‘Rocky’ were suppose to be at the Spectrum, but were actually filmed in LA. There was a Rocky statue outside the Spectrum for a few years before it was moved to near the Phila. Art museum.

Posted: Tuesday, 15 July 2008 10:16AM

Spectrum Will Be Torn Down For A Mall

by KYW’s Mike DeNardo and Greg Orlandini

The Spectrum, for decades the South Philadelphia home to the Sixers and Flyers and the site of hundreds of memorable concerts and other events, will close next spring and be demolished.

Arena owner Comcast-Spectacor has plans to replace it with a complex of retail space, bars, restaurants, and a hotel (see related story). The 42-year-old arena, slated to shut down next spring, had been used for Flyers and 76ers games until the adjacent Wachovia Center was built and opened in 1996. It was the site of the Flyers’ Stanley Cup championship victories in 1974 and 1975, site of the Flyers’ victory over the Russian team in 1976, and the Sixers’ home when they won the NBA championship in 1983.

The Spectrum, built in 1967, is currently home to the Phantoms, Philadelphia’s minor league hockey team; the Soul, an Arena Football League team; and the Kixx, an indoor soccer team.

Over the years, some of the most notable music performers included Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, the Jackson Five, the Grateful Dead, and Kiss. (A web site called “Remember the Spectrum” has been set up by the building’s owners.)

PS-Brian and Sean are going to a Phillies game next weekend at the new Citizen’s Bank place-that should be awesome! It cost a bunch to go too!