PITTSBURGH — It’s been well-documented that Bob Marley played the final concert of his brilliant career at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh.
It took place at the venue now known as the Benedum on Sept. 23, 1980, a few days after he collapsed while jogging in New York City due to complications from melanoma.
After the column last week about canceled concerts, something extraordinary came to light. A reader sent a link to a story on classicrockers.com about Carly Simon collapsing at the Stanley in October 1981 due to an anxiety attack. It also appears on abcnews.com describing how the “pop queen” responsible for such hits as “You’re So Vain,” “Anticipation” and “Nobody Does It Better” fell ill during the first of two shows there that night.
''I had two choices,'' Simon told The New York Times. ''I could either leave the stage and say I was sick or tell the audience the truth. I decided to tell them I was having an anxiety attack, and they were incredibly supportive. They said, 'Go with it — we'll be with you.' But after two songs, I was still having palpitations. I suggested that I might feel better if someone came on the stage. About 50 people came up, and it was like an encounter group. They rubbed my arms and legs and said, 'We love you,' and I was able to finish the first show. But I collapsed before the second show with 10,000 people waiting.”
There are a few things off with this account of the story, starting with the fact that the Stanley held about 3,400 people and during that 7:30 p.m. show, Simon played between 45 minutes and an hour.
The other thing — and this is extraordinary — is that it did not take place in 1981. This happened on Oct. 4, 1980, less than two weeks after the Bob Marley episode.
I reached out once again to Rich Engler, then of DiCesare-Engler Productions, which did both of these historic events.
“Both shows were sold out,” he says of the Simon night. “During the first show, she was barely passable. She had all the lights dimmed down to where you barely see her, and she kept inviting people on stage so she could be surrounded by people. Pete Hewlett (of Pittsburgh’s Novo Combo) was singing backup.
“She gets through the first show, almost an hour, and leaves the stage. I ran into Pete and he says, ‘I don’t think she’s gonna play another show.’ ”
Engler then finds Simon’s older sister, Lucy, who tells him she’s having a breakdown. “I’ve got 3,500 people outside,” he tells her. “Don’t let them in,” Lucy says.
Engler goes back to check on Simon, attempting to give her a pep talk, telling her how much her fans want to see her.
“When I say, ‘Can we open the doors?’ she lets out a horrible “waaaaaaah” scream/cry, and I knew it was over,” he says.
Security went out to tell people that the show was canceled, but to hold on to their tickets.
“Little did I know they would be collectors’ items,” Engler says.
Simon rarely performed live after that, but did do a brief tour in 1995.
