The Biggest Party In History, 1989

    

 

                     

 

 

 

 

For about 10 months in 1989, people in Texas were inundated with TV commercials from Miller Lite beer.  Featuring the actor Randy Quaid, the commercials unfolded as he made plans to throw a party – the “Biggest Party In History.”  OK … it didn’t sound too promising at first but by mid-summer 1989, it sounded awesome.  “I’ll get back to you later with more details,” Quaid said on the commercials.  And I sure as hell wanted to go.

This was a publicity stunt to help Miller Lite grab sales from Budweiser in Texas, Miller’s biggest-volume state.  So they planned a party for Labor Day weekend – in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Midland/Odessa and McAllen  … but the biggest shows were to be in Houston, on a Saturday, then the next night in Dallas.  The Astrodome hosted a wild bash that included beach volleyball, professional wrestling (The Ultimate Warrior vs. Andre the Giant), a “side stage” and a monster concert featuring the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, and the Who.  The identical lineup played the next night in Big D.

The Who had “reunited” in 1989 for a 25th anniversary tour and played their entire rock opera “Tommy” on some dates, and I was hoping they’d do the same thing in Houston.  Tickets were only $25, and my wife was going out of town, so I planned to buy one as soon as I could shake loose a few bucks.  But I lucked out and won a contest on KLOL radio, the package included a hat, a t-shirt (with all the proper logos) and a VIP pass to everything.

(Digression No. 1: Sometimes when I look back, I ask myself, “What, you couldn’t put together 25 bucks for a concert?”  You kiddies may well ask the same thing – think of it as trying to gather about 100 bucks in change today.  This will happen to you too as you get older.  It’s natural.)

So, day of the party, it’s about 400 degrees outside (the paper later said they recorded the temp on the asphalt at 115).  Most of it was a free festival and it featured live shots by the T-Birds and Stevie Ray as well as sets from LeVert, the O’Jays, Asleep at the Wheel, Jerry Jeff Walker, Joe Ely and many others.  Something for everyone.   There were some acts indoors but most played on outdoor stages.  I caught some of the wrestling card and a set from Jerry Jeff Walker, then they opened the Dome doors.  Ah, air conditioning – it was two hours before show time but hey, it’s hot on the asphalt.

Anyway, Stevie Ray rocked – it was the last time I saw him (he died the next year in a helicopter crash) and the Fabulous Thunderbirds seemed a little lost in the cavernous Astrodome.  Then, finally, the Who came onstage.  Roger Daltrey still had his signature moves, and Entwistle wore a coat made of the Union Jack.  When Pete Townshend hit the first notes of “Pinball Wizard” I got chills – I’d listened to that song since I was a kid.  They didn’t do the entire “Tommy.”  They played a standard Who set – kicking it off with “Substitute” – but the encore featured a couple of interesting choices: “Hey Joe,” dedicated to Jimi Hendrix, and Creedence’s “Born On The Bayou,” which Daltrey said was the only thing he remembered anyone playing at Woodstock.

(Digression No. 2: When the Who kicks into “Baba O’Riley” in concert, you will likely find yourself thinking you are hearing the World’s Greatest Rock Band performing the World’s Greatest Rock Song.  “Baba O’Riley” is simply one of the best rock songs ever written.  When the Who finished that song on their 2006 tour, Pete Townshend said “It doesn’t get any better than that.”  And he may very well be right.)

Great show, a great day, a painful sunburn from the hours I spent out in the parking lot.  And thanks to the internet, here’s the ending to this tale: About 450,000 people attended all of the shows across Texas, 120,000 of them in Houston.  Miller spent about $15 million on the party, which included 10 months’ worth of TV and print ads.  But I guess it was worth it – Lite’s sales in Texas rose 6.5 percent during the first ten months of 1989, vs. a 9.4 percent decline in 1987, before its TV ads for the parties began. Budweiser sales fell 6 percent during the 10-month period in 1989.

And that’s our little story for today, kiddies.  We leave you with the Who, recorded live from Dallas on Sept. 3, 1989 (hey, it was on the radio): “Hey Joe” and “Born On The Bayou.”

MP3: “Hey Joe” (live) by the Who

MP3: “Born On The Bayou” (live) by the Who

Stevie Ray Vaughan photo by Art Meripol.  Check out his great photo blog here.