Vintage Arcade
Patio Gardens at Lagoon Utah, musical nirvana
Lagoon: Patio Gardens
There’s a park near the city, yeah all the kids dig the Lagoon now…….”
Brian Wilson/Mike Love
When you think about big time rock concerts out west, the venues that jump to mind are mostly the big arena’s and rock festivals in San Francisco, Los Angeles and other large cities along the coast. The same is true for the mid-west and eastern states. It’s not really that unexpected, It’s like Willie Sutton said “because that’s where the money is”. What is surprising however, is that during the 1960′s and early 70′s, conservative, homespun Utah was a Mecca for big time rock & roll & psychedelic shows. As you might expect, Salt Lake City had its share of big name bands, mostly playing the Terrace Ballroom, which was built in the 1930′s as the Coconut Grove (advertised as the biggest Ballroom in America), renamed the Rainbow Rendezvous in the 1940′s, and finally becoming the Terrace Ballroom sometime in the 1950′s. Until construction of the Salt Palace in 1969, the Terrace Ballroom remained Salt Lakes biggest concert venue. The student Union at the “U” also hosted the occasional rock concert, but these shows mostly got out the college crowd. During the 1960′s, I used to go downtown to the Terrace, mostly for the Saturday night “Battle of the Bands”. But for me, there was only one place to see the big rock & roll shows, it had to be the Patio Gardens at Lagoon.
As odd as it might seem, in the 1960′s, the capitol of rock & roll in Utah was a small town by the name of Farmington. That a sleepy little town of under 2500 people would be host to the biggest names in rock & roll owes it to two factors. First, the Salt Lake area was just one hard day’s drive from the west coast, so bands could get in and out for a quick show, and it was also right on highway 80, about half way, if the band was headed to Chicago. Secondly, Farmington had Lagoon, the states only real amusement park, and a perfect venue for a rock show. And, take my word for it, there was nothing more fun than going out to Lagoon for a concert. It had it all, you could see the biggest rock acts in the world, eat, take a spin on the rollercoaster, and if you were lucky, make out with your date in the spook house. If you ever attended a rock show at the Patio Gardens, you were forever spoiled for stadium rock & roll. There were no nosebleeds at the Garden. You could measure the distance to the stage in feet, not yards, and the worst seat rivaled the best at any arena or stadium. There was no crush of humanity, but the crowds were large enough to create an electric atmosphere, while still retaining an intimacy with the band. Tables & chairs afforded a more comfortable seating arrangement than stadium benches or seats, and you could buy a quart of soda /mixer to compliment that brown bag you had. It gave substance to the term “cool”.
And they all came; Blue Cheer, The Beau Brummels, Donovan, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Herman’s Hermits, Jan and Dean, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Pete Seeger, Peter and Gordon, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Animals, The Association, The Beach Boys, The Dave Clark Five, The Doors, The Electric Prunes, The Mamas & The Papas, The Mothers of Invention , The Rolling Stones and dozens of other top Rock & Roll and psychedelic acts played the Patio Gardens during the 60′s and early 70′s. It was musical nirvana.
The allure of the Salt Palace eventually became more than the Patio Gardens could compete with, and eventually the building was converted into a skating rink, and later into its present use as the Lagoon arcade. The Gardens is now just a memory, like much of our youth, lost but not forgotten.
The first band I ever saw at the Patio Gardens was the Beach Boys. In all, they played at Lagoon 7 times from 1963-70. As for their song regaling Lagoon, the grooviest kids, and the cutest girls in the Western states, “Salt Lake City”, appeared on their Summer Days, and Summer Nights album. And although it never saw general release as a 45 rpm single, it had limited release in 1965 as a promo item for distribution in Salt Lake City Stores. It’s rare to find a nice copy these days.
About the Author
Dennis Barker is publisher of the New Century Collector, a monthly Utah based collector’s newspaper, which features collecting news, along with antiques advertising and articles related to the field. Distributed throughout Utah and parts of Idaho, the publication can be picked up free from most antiques shops within their distribution area. The current issue, along with past issues can be read at our website www.newcenturycollector.com
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