It Was Summer, They Were Rockin’ in Weedsport
Axl Rose performs with Guns N Roses at the Weedsport stage in 1988.
November 3, 2016
Ever since the early 80’s, music has been a huge part of Weedsport’s culture. From the 80s into the early 2000s, there were concerts at a large stage located at the Cayuga Country Speedway every summer featuring some of the biggest musical artists of the time. Some of the bands that played this stage include, but are not limited to: Metallica, Guns N Roses, KISS, Def Leopard, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Tim McGraw, REO Speedwagon, and even a young Beyonce strutted the stage as part of Destiny’s Child. Our late millennial generation can not fathom how huge Weedsport use to be! For some perspective on what the concerts were like, we interviewed three people who went to the concerts in the 80’s and 90’s, and here is the info we got:
Q-What was life like in Weedsport during a concert?
A-Thousands of people ,everybody there for the same reason , to listen to good music and have a good time.
Q–What concerts did you go to and what were they like?
A-I only went to a few concerts, but the most memorable one I went to was Aerosmith in 1984, is was packed and tons of fun.
Q-Do you think we could bring back the concerts? Why or why not?
A-I don’t believe they could ever bring back the concerts due to the stage being gone.
Trent Bigelow
Q- What was life like in Weedsport during a concert?
Q-What concerts did you go to and what were they like?
A- I went to a Aerosmith concert in 1984 and a Metallica concert in 1992. The concerts were super packed but a lot of fun, everybody was having a great time.
Q– Do you think Weedsport could bring them back why or why not?
A– No, because Weedsport no longer has the stage for concerts and the town would not give a permit for concerts that large because of insurance reasons.
Nicole Heath
Q– What were the KROCKathons like?
A– I am no expert on the history of the show, but the three I went to had a fair amount of entertainers with varying levels of notoriety, for lack of a better term.
Q– What was life like in Weedsport during a concert?
A– Everything was a bustle and there were people everywhere. It was nice to see the village full of life.
Q- What concerts did you go to, what were they like?
A-My first concert at the fairgrounds was Boyz II Men with my father in the 4th grade. We sat on top of the announcer’s tower, and out of the craziness next to the stage. It was a much different feel than KROCKathon. The people were different because the music was different. Both were really great experiences and I am glad that I have some diversity in my past.
Q-Do you think we could bring back the concerts? Why or why not?