Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
COLUMN: The five Murphy Center concerts I wish I went to
10/23/2022 6:33:00 PM | General
The Glass House was THE premier midstate concert venue in its first 20 years
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — One of the highlights of Middle Tennessee football's open week for me was the Murphy Center 50th Anniversary celebration on the track of the Glass House on Tuesday morning this past week. Not only did folks get an up-close look at the new auto-tinting SageGlass that now lines all of the Murphy Center's walls, but it was a tremendous celebration of so much amazing history MTSU, and Rutherford County, has had in the Murphy Center.
With the polls our department has put out for the All-Murphy Center teams as well (be on the lookout for the All-Time Lady Raiders and All-Time Lady Raider Opponents polls later this week!), there's so much still to highlight on the hardwood this winter.
But, the one aspect I've enjoyed learning about the most since plans for the 50th anniversary got under way this summer was the long list of recording artists that made their way to the Murphy Center in the 70s, 80s and 90s, back when the Glass House was the largest indoor facility capable of hosting such events in the middle Tennessee area.
And with football off this week, and basketball games starting this week as well, I thought I'd take the one weekend without a game to break down for the next few months to look back at some of the artists I wish I had gotten the chance to see on the Murphy Center court.
There's perhaps no science to this, other than my own personal preferences in music, but I would love to hear what concerts you might've attended at the Murphy Center, or which ones you wished you could've had the chance. The Rutherford County Historical Society put together a pretty exhaustive list of the concerts the Glass House hosted on the building's 40th anniversary, which you can find here.
No. 5 – Alan Jackson (two times, most recently October 10, 1994)
I reserved the fifth place slot for a country music legend despite not being a huge country music fan, as the list wouldn't feel right without one given the acts from Nashville that have played here, including Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers and Alabama, among many others.
But I've long had a love for Alan Jackson's work, which combines classic country music storytelling with more traditional country music vibes and excellent vocal work (read: a bass voice like me can actually sing along!). The Murphy Center also got a chance to see him when many of his biggest hits that have endured until today were just being released, including "Don't Rock the Jukebox", "Midnight in Montgomery" and, my personal favorite "Chattahoochee".
The "peak" era of an artist does play a little bit of a role in some of these selections, admittedly, but I think seeing Jackson before he became the Country Music Legend status he maintains to this day would be well worth the trip to the Glass House.
No. 4 – Jimmy Buffett (one time, April 14, 1979)
Ironically a future collaborator with Jackson on "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere", Buffett is one of my personal favorite artists across all genres. Had I been in college in the 1980s, rather than the 2010s, there's a good chance I would be a "Parrothead" that would go to multiple Buffett concerts a year.
Whether you call it island music, boat music or just soft rock, his storytelling as a songwriter again stands out, along with his excellent Coral Reefer Band. The Glass House saw him relatively early in his career, but shortly after some of his biggest albums, including "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" (which featured his breakthrough hit "Margaritaville"), "A1A" (which features my personal favorite Buffett song "Tin Cup Chalice") and "Living and Dying in ¾ Time".
There's a tremendous catalogue on "one-shot" artists that only visited the Murphy Center for one concert, including Boston, Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, Boyz II Men, and the Pointer Sisters. But if I had to pick just one to see, I'd take Mr. Buffett every time.
No. 3 – Elvis (five times, most recently May 7, 1975)
According to former MTSU Director of Student Programing Harold Smith, who booked the vast majority of Murphy Center's concerts, Elvis is perhaps more responsible than any other artist in the first few years of the Murphy Center's existence for putting MTSU on the map as a place where musicians and their promoters could trust their concerts to be run well, and of course to get a return of their investment.
The Glass House might've seen the King at the end of his career, but the crowds still came in the thousands. It wasn't until Garth Brooks passed the 40,000 mark in tickets sold in 1994 that the King was knocked off as the top-selling Murphy Center concert artist.
For me, a chance to see Elvis in concert would be more for the spectacle of his fandom firsthand than the music itself, as charming as his tunes remain to this day. No Murphy Center concert tour would be complete without his presence.
Elvis: Let me be there, live in Murfreesboro 1974
No. 2 – John Denver (two times, most recently April 7, 1978)
John Denver has a claim as perhaps the best songwriter on this list, with timeless classics "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "Rocky Mountain High" that remain radio staples in the 21st Century (provided your dial is often tuned to variety stations like mine). He's a personal favorite of my own as well.
But Denver gets this high a perch on the list for one reason only: he still holds the all-time record for attendance, when he got 12,366 folks to attend his 1978 concert in the Glass House. Smith mentioned that was possible due to Denver only needing a small square placed at center court as his stage, allowing the venue to be filled with a plethora of floor seating in addition to the crowds in the stadium seats and bleachers.
Thanks to modern fire marshal codes, it's unlikely that record will ever be beaten. Which is why John Denver rates so highly on my list.
No. 1 – Billy Joel (two times, most recently March 15, 1987)
The No. 1 spot had a plethora of contenders. Do I go with Journey, who according to Smith, sold on their April 14, 1983 show, then booked a second show on April 15, 1983 on what was supposed to be a travel day and sold that one out as well? Or maybe a stand-up act, like Bob Hope, the first "concert" at Murphy Center, or Eddie Murphy?
But at the end of the day, I followed my heart to my personal favorite artist of all-time, "The Piano Man" himself, who's 1977 album "The Stranger" is likely my pick if you asked me to pick my favorite (non-compilation) album of all time. Joel is still selling out shows to this day, most notably at Madison Square Garden. But I think either of his two shows at the Glass House would be a memory worth cherishing.
And according to a ticket stub saved in the MTSU photo archives, and published in this summer's MTSU magazine, tickets were just $15 for his 1984 concert, $14 if you were an MTSU student! How, on earth, could you beat that back in the day?
Addendum: Some fun links I found researching this weekend
Elvis at the Murphy Center: Elvis: Let me be there, live in Murfreesboro 1974
The Charlie Daniels Band at the Murphy Center for Volunteer Jam II: The Charlie Daniels Band - Whiskey (Live) - Volunteer Jam II
The Judds Farewell Concert, from the Murphy Center: The Judds - Farewell Concert (1991)
Thanks to Tennesseeconcerts.com for the links!
With the polls our department has put out for the All-Murphy Center teams as well (be on the lookout for the All-Time Lady Raiders and All-Time Lady Raider Opponents polls later this week!), there's so much still to highlight on the hardwood this winter.
But, the one aspect I've enjoyed learning about the most since plans for the 50th anniversary got under way this summer was the long list of recording artists that made their way to the Murphy Center in the 70s, 80s and 90s, back when the Glass House was the largest indoor facility capable of hosting such events in the middle Tennessee area.
And with football off this week, and basketball games starting this week as well, I thought I'd take the one weekend without a game to break down for the next few months to look back at some of the artists I wish I had gotten the chance to see on the Murphy Center court.
There's perhaps no science to this, other than my own personal preferences in music, but I would love to hear what concerts you might've attended at the Murphy Center, or which ones you wished you could've had the chance. The Rutherford County Historical Society put together a pretty exhaustive list of the concerts the Glass House hosted on the building's 40th anniversary, which you can find here.
No. 5 – Alan Jackson (two times, most recently October 10, 1994)
I reserved the fifth place slot for a country music legend despite not being a huge country music fan, as the list wouldn't feel right without one given the acts from Nashville that have played here, including Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers and Alabama, among many others.
But I've long had a love for Alan Jackson's work, which combines classic country music storytelling with more traditional country music vibes and excellent vocal work (read: a bass voice like me can actually sing along!). The Murphy Center also got a chance to see him when many of his biggest hits that have endured until today were just being released, including "Don't Rock the Jukebox", "Midnight in Montgomery" and, my personal favorite "Chattahoochee".
The "peak" era of an artist does play a little bit of a role in some of these selections, admittedly, but I think seeing Jackson before he became the Country Music Legend status he maintains to this day would be well worth the trip to the Glass House.
No. 4 – Jimmy Buffett (one time, April 14, 1979)
Ironically a future collaborator with Jackson on "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere", Buffett is one of my personal favorite artists across all genres. Had I been in college in the 1980s, rather than the 2010s, there's a good chance I would be a "Parrothead" that would go to multiple Buffett concerts a year.
Whether you call it island music, boat music or just soft rock, his storytelling as a songwriter again stands out, along with his excellent Coral Reefer Band. The Glass House saw him relatively early in his career, but shortly after some of his biggest albums, including "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" (which featured his breakthrough hit "Margaritaville"), "A1A" (which features my personal favorite Buffett song "Tin Cup Chalice") and "Living and Dying in ¾ Time".
There's a tremendous catalogue on "one-shot" artists that only visited the Murphy Center for one concert, including Boston, Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, Boyz II Men, and the Pointer Sisters. But if I had to pick just one to see, I'd take Mr. Buffett every time.
No. 3 – Elvis (five times, most recently May 7, 1975)
According to former MTSU Director of Student Programing Harold Smith, who booked the vast majority of Murphy Center's concerts, Elvis is perhaps more responsible than any other artist in the first few years of the Murphy Center's existence for putting MTSU on the map as a place where musicians and their promoters could trust their concerts to be run well, and of course to get a return of their investment.
The Glass House might've seen the King at the end of his career, but the crowds still came in the thousands. It wasn't until Garth Brooks passed the 40,000 mark in tickets sold in 1994 that the King was knocked off as the top-selling Murphy Center concert artist.
For me, a chance to see Elvis in concert would be more for the spectacle of his fandom firsthand than the music itself, as charming as his tunes remain to this day. No Murphy Center concert tour would be complete without his presence.
Elvis: Let me be there, live in Murfreesboro 1974
No. 2 – John Denver (two times, most recently April 7, 1978)
John Denver has a claim as perhaps the best songwriter on this list, with timeless classics "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "Rocky Mountain High" that remain radio staples in the 21st Century (provided your dial is often tuned to variety stations like mine). He's a personal favorite of my own as well.
But Denver gets this high a perch on the list for one reason only: he still holds the all-time record for attendance, when he got 12,366 folks to attend his 1978 concert in the Glass House. Smith mentioned that was possible due to Denver only needing a small square placed at center court as his stage, allowing the venue to be filled with a plethora of floor seating in addition to the crowds in the stadium seats and bleachers.
Thanks to modern fire marshal codes, it's unlikely that record will ever be beaten. Which is why John Denver rates so highly on my list.
No. 1 – Billy Joel (two times, most recently March 15, 1987)
The No. 1 spot had a plethora of contenders. Do I go with Journey, who according to Smith, sold on their April 14, 1983 show, then booked a second show on April 15, 1983 on what was supposed to be a travel day and sold that one out as well? Or maybe a stand-up act, like Bob Hope, the first "concert" at Murphy Center, or Eddie Murphy?
But at the end of the day, I followed my heart to my personal favorite artist of all-time, "The Piano Man" himself, who's 1977 album "The Stranger" is likely my pick if you asked me to pick my favorite (non-compilation) album of all time. Joel is still selling out shows to this day, most notably at Madison Square Garden. But I think either of his two shows at the Glass House would be a memory worth cherishing.
And according to a ticket stub saved in the MTSU photo archives, and published in this summer's MTSU magazine, tickets were just $15 for his 1984 concert, $14 if you were an MTSU student! How, on earth, could you beat that back in the day?
Addendum: Some fun links I found researching this weekend
Elvis at the Murphy Center: Elvis: Let me be there, live in Murfreesboro 1974
The Charlie Daniels Band at the Murphy Center for Volunteer Jam II: The Charlie Daniels Band - Whiskey (Live) - Volunteer Jam II
The Judds Farewell Concert, from the Murphy Center: The Judds - Farewell Concert (1991)
Thanks to Tennesseeconcerts.com for the links!
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