On Stage at Hammons Student Center
- Michael Price
- 4 days ago
- 18 min read
Springfield music fans have been fortunate to enjoy concerts at a variety of great venues. Few have been as memorable as Hammons Student Center. Built as a student recreation center on the campus of Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University), the arena has hosted commencement ceremonies, buzzer-beating basketball games, presidential visits, and concerts since 1976.
In the early 1970s, SMS’s Student Government Association proposed the construction of a new basketball arena with facilities for swimming and other sports. Construction started on January 21, 1975, and as the building neared completion, Springfield businessman John Q. Hammons pledged $1 million toward its maintenance. A grateful Board of Regents accepted the first installment of $25,000 on July 31, 1976. University president Duane Meyer called Hammons’ donation “unprecedented both in the size of the offering and in the character of the gift.” Recognizing the impact of Hammons’ gift, the Board of Regents named the arena in his honor—the first time an SMS campus building had been named for somebody who was not faculty or a staff member, as detailed in Donald D. Landon's Daring to Excel: The First 100 Years of Southwest Missouri State University. Hammons Student Center opened on September 17, 1976 with a performance by the legendary comedian Bob Hope and country music star Barbara Mandrell.
Since that inaugural show, Hammons Center has hosted artists from across the musical spectrum. Here is a look back at some of the most memorable performances in the arena.
Elvis Presley
Springfield audiences witnessed two very different versions of Elvis Presley. His first concert in the Queen City, held at Shrine Mosque in May 1956, came early in his career and was not widely covered by local media outlets. That was not the case for his sold out appearance at Hammons Center on June 17, 1977. Now a true music legend, Elvis was returning to the stage with years of hits and amid rumors about his health.
Eager fans began lining up for tickets 62 hours before they went on sale—“because he’s Elvis,” one woman said. All 9,085 tickets sold in just over five hours. Students at SMS were less enthusiastic about the King’s imminent arrival. The campus newspaper, The Southwest Standard, noted that while the concert was a major event for the university, relatively few students would be in attendance. The $15 tickets were not affordable for many students, especially when they had to stand in line for days to get them. While expressing support for the Elvis concert, The Standard’s editors encouraged university officials to book acts that would have greater appeal for the student body.
Scalpers drove the price of tickets up from $15, peaking at around $150 shortly after the concert sold out. In the days leading up to the big event, prices had dropped to around $50. Tickets were even used as promotional items. Alan Ness Motors on North Glenstone sold four cars by bundling two concert tickets with the purchase of a vehicle. Four lucky fans also won tickets in a drawing at the Dairy Queen on St. Louis Street.
On the big night, Elvis was late. His private plane did not land at the Municipal Airport on Division Street until just after 9:30 p.m., thirty minutes before his scheduled performance. The capacity crowd at Hammons Center was getting restless, but when Elvis walked on stage at nearly 10:30 p.m., “the thousands of flash cameras gave the appearance of a gigantic strobe light.”
In his review of the concert for the Saturday News and Leader, Bil Tatum wrote that while Elvis could still captivate an audience with his stage presence, it was no longer necessary. The crowd provided the energy now and served “it up to the King of Rock’n’Roll on a silver platter at the lifting of a diamond studded pinky.” Tatum praised Elvis’ vocals, noting that it was easy to forget amid his intense management and commercial appeal that Elvis could still sing. Like any great artist, Elvis brought listeners of all ages to Hammons Center that night—including screaming women aged 15-45, who rushed the stage and threw roses at his feet. Elvis told the crowd not to believe what they had heard about him; he was healthy, and while it was obvious that his voice was still in good shape, Tatum reported that the crowd was ready “for him in any condition this side of mute.”
Unsurprisingly, students at The Southwest Standard had a different perspective on the concert. Associate Editor Scott Sharp wrote the paper’s official review. Despite criticism of Elvis’ singing and appearance, Sharp conceded that the King had retained “at least some of his glory.” Recalling the flowers that were strewn on the stage, Sharp mused that while they “were anything but a perfect bouquet, they were still roses. But both the roses and Elvis had seen their better days.”
Suspecting that the late start was deliberate, Sharp said it demonstrated Elvis’ showmanship, his delay building up the anticipation of an already frenzied crowd. “If anything was proven at all last Friday, it was that no matter how fat, how pitiful, how tired Elvis Presley may look, he can still generate that certain kind of excitement that only someone this side of a God can muster.”
Sharp felt that Elvis had clearly lost the voice of his prime, citing Elvis’ use of back-up singers to hit the higher and lower registers. “Elvis chortled his way through such standards as ‘Love Me Tender,’... ‘Houn’ Dog,’ and a dozen others. And the crowd loved it. And it was rather touching. And at the same time pitiful. To see this aging prince standing center-stage, microphone in hand, singing a tender love ballad with a sagging voice, and trying to appear sexy with an even more sagging and protruding belly, was both funny and sad at the same time. But, what the heck. It was Elvis.”
Waylon Jennings
Country music’s outlaw movement came to Hammons Center with a performance by Waylon Jennings on December 8, 1977. Jennings arrived in Springfield at the height of his popularity. Jennings’ album Ol’ Waylon, featuring the hit single “Luckenbach, Texas,” had spent thirteen weeks at the top of the country charts that year and was the first platinum-selling album by a solo country music artist.
Waylon’s wife, Jessi Colter, opened the show and received a warm reception from the 5,100 spectators. Writing for the Springfield Leader and Press, Gale Baldwin praised Jennings’ broad appeal across musical and generational lines: “There were no age limits on the enthusiasm. Middle-aged men and women in conventional dress stood next to young long-haired, cowboy-hat-wearing girls and boys clapping along to the driving rhythms of Waylon’s songs. A large part of the crowd seemed to identify with Jennings’ image, showing up in cowboy hats of all shapes and size, boots and fringed jackets and sheepskin coats. Throughout the group ran the feeling that for at least one night, a lot of daytime workers became vicarious nighttime outlaws.”
John Denver
John Denver called his November 13, 1978 concert at Hammons Center an “Ozark Mountain High.” It was also a historic performance, with 9,466 listeners in attendance—the largest crowd to see a concert at Hammons Center. Well known for his love of the outdoors, Denver told the audience: “The thing I really regret on these tours is that when I come to a beautiful place like the Ozarks, I want to get in the middle of them and walk around. But I’ll come back sometime when I’m not working. I’ll see you in the woods someplace.”
Fans loved Denver for his country and folk music, but in 1978 he was experimenting with a rock sound. Announcing that he would release a self-titled album in January, Denver promised it would feature his new musical interest. “Yes, the kid has gone rock ‘n’ roll,” he told the crowd at Hammons Center. “I can’t believe it. I want to play the electric guitar. And I want to play it fast and I want to play it loud. Now if I could only learn to play it.”
Eric Clapton and Muddy Waters
Unlike many rock concerts, the Eric Clapton concert on April 4, 1979 started on time. This surprise meant that almost a quarter of the 5,000 fans were still heading to their seats when the opening act, Muddy Waters, started the show. Although few in the crowd knew many of Muddy Waters’ songs, “they had no problems relating to Waters’ stunning guitar work” according to Mark Marymont in his review of the concert for the Springfield Daily News.
That lucky audience witnessed one of the best musical performances in the storied history of Hammons Center, with both artists displaying remarkable guitar skills. “No special effects were needed for Clapton or Waters,” Marymont wrote. “The sound was loud but not overpowering, and more importantly it wasn’t over modulated; a problem at a lot of rock concerts. The power of the musicianship didn’t require gimmicks. Music was why the crowd was there and that was what they got.”
Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers used his popular square stage in a performance at Hammons Center on July 20, 1979. The unique arrangement gave fans a good view of him no matter where they sat, and a few lucky concertgoers caught the tambourines Rogers threw into the crowd as he walked to each side. When concertgoers crowded the stage and reached out to touch the star, Rogers told them: “I don’t shake hands anymore. I lost four rings when I used to shake hands and all anybody used to see of me was the back of my head.” Extra security eventually arrived to disperse the crowd.
A representative from United Artists was present at the concert, taking photos for Rogers’ next album, Kenny. Rogers warned, “if anyone of you are here with someone you’re not supposed to be with you better leave now, you might be in one of those pictures.”
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar was advertised as the “First Lady of Rock in the 80s” for her show at Hammons Center on November 11, 1982. If such an award existed, Benatar demonstrated why she deserved it through her 16 song set. A near-capacity crowd filled the arena that night, and promoters met the strong demand for tickets by selling seats behind the stage. Benatar performed her standard hits, “Heartbreaker,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” and “Treat Me Right,” along with several tracks from her fourth studio album, Get Nervous. Writing for the Springfield Daily News, Mark Marymont noted that “unlike a lot of other rock performers, Ms. Benatar has a voice, and she knows how to use it. She has had opera training, and it shows. Her powerful voice never gave out.”
Ozzy Osbourne and Hank Williams Jr.
Hammons Center hosted two of its more unique concerts on March 11 and March 12, 1983, when Ozzy Osbourne and Hank Williams Jr. took the stage.
The Osbourne concert almost didn’t happen. University officials canceled the show on February 1 amid fears the rocker would harm animals on stage—an understandable concern given that Osbourne had infamously bitten a bat that was thrown on stage during a January 1982 performance in Des Moines, Iowa. Additionally, rumors were swirling about Osbourne’s antics at a recent concert in St. Louis, although reporters who attended the St. Louis show insisted that Osbourne did not have any animals on stage. “It was a conscientious decision to cancel the show,” Dean of Students Tom Wyrick said. “There were no protests, we just didn’t want to be associated with the show, that’s the bottom line.”
Two weeks later, attorneys for the university advised rescheduling the concert with a strict performance agreement in place. Osbourne was barred from having any animals on stage, and all promotional material had to be approved by the university before its release.
Despite the controversy, the concert was uneventful and drew no protesters. Writing for The Springfield News-Leader, Mark Marymont reported that “Ozzy didn’t speak of the devil. He didn’t eat anything. He didn’t blow up anything. He didn’t even kick a Smurf.” Instead, he entertained 3,500 attendees with a “basic hard rock show.” Referring to his infamous reputation, Osbourne told the crowd that “he isn’t a devil worshiper or a monster. He only wants to bring a good time and rock ‘n’ roll to his fans.” As Marymont wrote, you either like Osbourne’s music or you don’t. “The crowd at Hammons liked it, and Ozzy and his group do it better than most.”
The following night, Hank Williams Jr. took the stage and performed for a crowd of over 6,000. While hardly comparable to the scandal surrounding Ozzy Osbourne, Williams’ decision to start performing his own southern-rock-inspired brand of modern country music alienated listeners who wanted to relive memories of his iconic father. By 1983, Williams had nevertheless become one of the biggest stars in country music, having recently released a new album, Strong Stuff, and starred in the NBC biopic Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story.
Tina Turner
Tina Turner entertained over 6,800 concertgoers at Hammons Center on October 24, 1985. Turner had returned to the top of the charts after divorcing her husband Ike a decade earlier. While those were often lean years, she persevered and remained one of the biggest stars in pop music. Turner’s concert attracted a diverse crowd, with The Springfield Leader & Press' Mark Marymont reporting that “there were little kids in the audience as well as some senior citizens. Most of them were well-dressed, in everything from ties and blazers to punk chic to blue jeans.”
Unexpectedly, the concert turned into another battleground of the endless rivalry between Pepsi and Coke. Turner’s tour was sponsored by Pepsi, whose signs covered Hammons Center—except at the concession stands, due to the university’s exclusive contract to sell only Coke products. Pepsi was only available backstage to the tour members.
Music was not the only thing on the minds of concertgoers that night. Many attendees could be found huddled around radios in the lobby, anxiously listening to Game 5 of the World Series between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals. The devoted baseball fans hoped the game would end before Turner took the stage, although one woman said she would stay in the lobby to hear her beloved Cardinals. As it turned out, they had another chance to catch the World Series—a Royals victory forced the series back to Kansas City, where the Royals won their first World Series.
Alabama
Alabama, one of the most popular groups in country music history, have played in Springfield several times. Their first appearance came on a sweltering afternoon at the Ozark Empire Fair in 1981. Just a year earlier, they had been playing in bars around Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but a string of hits like “Why Lady Why?,” “Feels So Right,” and “Tennessee River” sold two gold albums and launched them into superstardom.
Alabama concerts have been surprisingly controversial. News-Leader entertainment reporter Ron Sylvester published a scathing review of their March 23, 1991 performance at Hammons Center, writing that the country music super group was overshadowed by their opening acts, Mark Chesnutt and Ricky Van Shelton. Sylvester wrote that when Alabama took the stage to play for the cheering crowd of 6,000, “the light-show and fog machine served as a pleasant distraction from an otherwise mediocre musical performance.” He further complained that while Alabama had dominated the country charts for the last decade with catchy hits like “Tennessee River,” “The Closer You Get,” and “If You’re Gonna Play In Texas,” their sound had not improved, and their musical ability could not match that of other groups like the Desert Rose Band. “Slick production, which at times made the Vegas-style shows in Branson seem tame, contrasted sharply with the down-home tone of the songs,” he wrote. “It’s like playing a barn dance in a disco.”
Predictably, The News-Leader received a firestorm of angry letters, with many readers declaring that Sylvester did not know what he was talking about. One reader called the review “the most awful bunch of lies I’ve ever read,” speculating that Sylvester was “apparently not a country music fan.” Another community member advised The News-Leader, “if you are going to send people to these concerts, the people you send need to understand the music they are writing on and criticizing,” arguing that the paper owed Springfield and Alabama an apology in case the review discouraged the band from returning.
The outcry was so great that Lou Ziegler, editor of The News-Leader, jumped into the fray. Ziegler reminded readers that Sylvester’s article was clearly a review of the performance, and as such, was a matter of opinion. Still, it was clear that most of the audience had enjoyed Alabama’s concert, and Ziegler wondered how appropriate it was for a writer to be so critical of such a popular event. Responding to the backlash, Sylvester stated that “as a critic” he had attended the concert “for a whole different reason than an average fan,” and came away convinced he had seen better country music performances.
The News-Leader even received angry letters when they did not review an Alabama concert. Alabama, with opening acts Clint Black and Lorrie Morgan, played at Hammons Center on April 1, 1990. One reader was bitterly disappointed to find that a review of the concert did not appear in the paper. Calling the paper, she learned that they did not have an entertainment reporter scheduled to work on Sunday night, and thus were unable to cover the event. She concluded her letter: “Wake up, News-Leader, Springfield deserves better.”
KISS
About 6,000 people witnessed one of the greatest spectacles in the history of Hammons Center when KISS rocked the arena on September 24, 1990. Due to the size of the set, projected to be the largest ever assembled in the arena, only about 5,500 tickets were offered for sale—about 3,000 fewer than what most acts could accommodate. Fans looked on as seven semi tractor trailers rolled into Springfield transporting all of the band’s gear, valued at $1.8 million. Small tractors were needed to haul 48,000 pounds of equipment to the staging area. The highlight of the show was going to be a 30-foot-tall and 24-foot-wide sphinx that talked, spat fire, and shot laser lights.
Work began at 8 a.m. and lasted until 6:30 p.m., just as the doors opened. “We need a bigger shoe horn,” said Hammons Center stage manager Dick Magruder. “These things come together, but sometimes it seems like superhuman feats.” In addition to the band’s 50 roadies, 25 SMS students spent 600 working hours putting it all together.
As expected, the concert was a full blown assault on the senses, starting with the band’s laser-lit entrance through the sphinx. “The thumping rhythms and simple song hooks KISS is noted for rang through loud and clear during the concert,” wrote Ron Sylvester for The News-Leader. “The feeling came in the form of vibrating rhythms that shook chest cavities… The dazzling visuals at times even proved more interesting than the band, as KISS showed some rough edges on the audio side. Visually, the show more than made up for it, and that’s probably the part those attending will remember most.”
Garth Brooks and Martina McBride
Few events at Hammons Center generated as much hype as the Garth Brooks concert on September 17, 1992. When the box office opened on August 22, an estimated 11,000 people tried to buy tickets, of which only around 9,000 were available. The sheer number of fans overwhelmed the unpopular lottery system which had been created to sell the tickets. Despite concert organizers’ insistence that a line could not be formed before 5 a.m., thousands of devotees stormed past a police line at 3 a.m. “It was like a stampede, and the best you could do was just try to slow them down,” Springfield police officer Bill Dowdy said. “They all crowded into the corner by the door and a few of them were pressed up against the door and couldn’t breathe. After that first wave we got them all untangled, and it was actually pretty orderly.” Around 3,000 people completely encircled the building while another 8,000 waited inside to hear their number called. Some waited up to 12 hours for the chance to buy a ticket.
Facing a screaming crowd eager for Garth Brooks, newcomer Martina McBride, who had been selling t-shirts for Brooks just a year earlier, was tasked with opening the show. Ron Sylvester wrote that she did her job well: “McBride succeeded in winning the crowd that was indifferent through most of her set but brought her back for an encore.” Jill Lansdown, writing for The Southwest Standard, reported: “With true spunk, McBride proved just how hard she had worked and how far she had come from last year.” Lansdown conjectured that between her “above-average voice combined with her exuberant performance… Martina McBride might just have out-entertained the Male Vocalist of the Year.”
Brooks was one of the first country artists to incorporate rock inspired sets into his concerts, a technique he utilized when he entered the arena through a hole in the stage and began the much anticipated concert with his hit single “Rodeo.” Fans in Springfield got a special treat as Brooks made his first public performance of a gospel song, “We Shall Be Free.” Although full of religious overtones, Lansdown reported that “with its solid tune and upbeat background vocals, the song was neither traditional gospel nor country.” The audience cheered wildly, and Brooks told the crowd their response meant it would likely be included on his next album, The Chase.
Brooks continued to demonstrate his range as he played radio-friendly hits while addressing serious social issues in songs such as “The Thunder Rolls” or a cover of the Georgia Satellites’ “Keep Your Hands To Yourself.” As Ron Sylvester observed, “Garth Brooks’ performance is like watching a singer with a split personality. One moment he matches all the hype surrounding his superstardom---calculated commercialism packaged for easy digestion for the masses. Then comes the other side of Brooks, transcending the fan idolatry and coming close to musical genius.” The crowd roared with delight at both versions of the country superstar.
One lucky fan walked away with the souvenir of a lifetime. Nine-year-old Lindsey Hackler had worked her way to the stage hoping to give a rose to Brooks. She started crying when Brooks took the rose and said, “Stay right here. I have something for you.” He returned and presented her with his guitar. Lindsey said she knew all the words to Brooks’ songs—“now I just have to get singing and guitar lessons.” Ironically, fifteen years earlier Lindsey’s mother Beatrice left a concert at Hammons Center with a scarf worn by Elvis. “Something about this kind of thing must run in the family,” she said.
To explore more images from area concerts, visit the library’s new digital collection On Stage: Music in the Ozarks.
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Acknowledgement
The photographs of Bob Hope, Barbara Mandrell, and John Denver performing at Hammons Student Center are courtesy of Special Collections and Archives of Missouri State University Libraries.
Resources
Baldwin, Gale. “Waylon Wonderful to Excited Fans.” Springfield Leader and Press, 9 Dec. 1977, p. 22.
Chesser, Tom. “Rogers’ Concert an Ace in the Hole.” Springfield News and Leader, 21 July 1979, p. 2B.
Clark, Christopher. “Fair Trade for Brooks’ Fan.” Springfield News-Leader, 19 Sept. 1992, p. 1A.
“Elvis Fans May Set Hammons Record.” Springfield Leader and Press, 16 June 1977, p. 20.
“Father Would’ve Been Proud.” The Southwest Standard, 18 Mar. 1983, p. 9.
“From 8 to ’80s, Changes Mark Williams Career.” The Springfield Leader & Press, 10 Mar. 1983, p. 12D.
Landon, Donald D. Daring to Excel: The First 100 Years of Southwest Missouri State University. Southwest Missouri State University, 2004.
Lansdown, Jill. “Garth!” The Southwest Standard, 25 Sept. 1992, p. 8.
Maniaci, Kathy. “Denver’s SMS Concert Means an Ozarks High.” Springfield Daily News, 14 Nov. 1978, pp. 3A-4A.
Maples, Pam. “SMS Re-Books Osbourne — without Beasts.” The Springfield Daily News, 17 Feb. 1983, pp. 1A-2A.
Marymont, Mark. “Ageless Tina Turns on Fans at Hammons.” The Springfield Leader & Press, 25 Oct. 1985, pp. 1A-2A.
———. “Benator Makes Case for Crown with Concert.” Springfield Daily News, 12 Nov. 1982, p. 2B.
———. “Ozzy Rocks Hammons, but Ado Was for Nothing.” The Springfield News-Leader, 12 Mar. 1983, pp. 1B-2B.
———. “Rumors Spur SMS to Cancel Rock Concert.” The Springfield Leader & Press, 1 Feb. 1983, pp. 1A-2A.
———. “Waters, Clapton Play Blues, Rock for Hammons Audience.” Springfield Daily News, 5 Apr. 1979, p. 2B.
Nelson, Ken. “Bob’s Barbs Have 9000 Hope-Lessly Enthralled.” Saturday News and Leader, 18 Sept. 1976, pp. 1–2.
“Presley and the Fabulous Hammons Center Ripoff.” The Southwest Standard, 17 June 1977, p. 2.
“Presley Tickets Gone in 5 Hours.” Sunday News and Leader, 8 May 1977, p. A20.
Price, Mary Sue. “Alabama Gears Show to Crowd.” The Springfield Leader & Press, 4 Aug. 1981, p. 4B.
Sharp, Scott. “A Chubby Legend Named Elvis.” The Southwest Standard, 24 June 1977, p. 2.
Spinden, Paul. “Hammons Gives SMS Million Dollar Present.” Sunday News and Leader, 1 Aug. 1976, pp. 1–2.
Sylvester, Ron. “Hooked on Brooks.” Springfield News-Leader, 23 Aug. 1992, pp. 1A; 8A.
———. “Alabama Bad Follow to Outstanding Opening Acts.” The News-Leader, 24 Mar. 1991, p. 1B.
———. “Concert to Be Biggest Ever at Hammons.” The News-Leader, 17 Aug. 1990, pp. 1A; 10A.
———. “Crew Needs Early Start to Set up Huge Show.” The News-Leader, 25 Sept. 1990, p. 1A.
———. “Hot, Cold Brooks Still Fires up Concert Crowd.” Springfield News-Leader, 18 Sept. 1992, p. 5A.
———. “KISS Better Seen than Heard in Stormy Concert.” The News-Leader, 25 Sept. 1990, p. 1D.
Tatum, Bil. “Elvis Doesn’t Need That IT Anymore.” Saturday News and Leader, 18 June 1977, pp. 9; 18.
“Top 10 Hammons Student Center Events.” Springfield News-Leader, 11 Feb. 2006, p. 5A.
"Your Letters." The News-Leader, 31 Mar. 1991, p. 5B.
"Your Letters." The News-Leader, 9 Apr. 1990, p. 4A.
Ziegler, Lou. “Alabama Fans Chide Critic for Panning Show.” The News-Leader, 31 Mar. 1991, p. 4B.