Carnival of Soul

SPOKANE, Wash. – The “Monsters of Rock” could once again rock Joe Albi Stadium.

Sammy Hagar, front man for Van Halen, was there on that special day in 1988 when rock legends of the time gathered at the Spokane stadium for an epic night of music.

The stadium is now used for high school sports games and will soon be replaced, after voters chose to knock it down and rebuild a new one.

Hagar recently heard about the stadium’s impending demolition and raised the possibility of producing a second Monsters of Rock concert as a celebratory closing event for the venue.

During a stop in Spokane this summer, Hagar mentioned his idea and was met with enthusiastic crowd. Now, a small team of entertainment professionals are working with his management team to make “Monsters of Rock 2020” a reality.

A proposal submitted to Spokane Public Schools, which owns Joe Albi, includes a potential production plan.

According to the proposal, Hagar is working to create a lineup for concert. The venue would be rented by WestCoast Entertainment, which would be fully responsible for the venue and all liabilities, and suggests donating $1 of each ticket sold to SPS.

Organizers have asked that SPS consider alcohol sales during the concert, which will be discussed this at a special board meeting on Wednesday.

The possibility of this has people excited to re-live history. Richard Gordon Terzieff has been working in music for decades, and he actually couldn’t make it to the show in 1988.

He does remember the day after the concert vividly, because he worked at a pizza shop at the time.

“The day after, I remember answering the phone and everybody had the flu,” Terzieff said. “I’m like ‘no you’re not sick, you’re hungover like everybody else. Get down here we need you making pizzas.”

Terzieff said he definitely plans to be there this time around if it happens.

According to Washington Filmworks, a ‘Monsters of Rock’ movie has also been in the works, and it has already been approved for production.

The concert just may have something to do with that.

“You can have moments where aerial shots are going to be perfect for it,” Terzieff said. “I think it’s a wonderful tie in with the community.”

“Spokane surprised the world in 1988 when the original Monsters of Rock tour made a stop when no one, especially young music fans living in the Inland Northwest, expected to see a spectacle that large fronted by the most famous rock bands of the day,” the proposal reads. “The event will be a totally unexpected celebratory send-off of a Spokane landmark tinged with event memories that will last another 32 years.”

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