Photos: Looking Back at Philly's Spectrum

Philadelphia's Spectrum — one of rock's most hallowed arenas — is being demolished today. The arena opened in 1967 and hosted nearly every major rock act of the past 43 years. (See a complete list here.) The final event was an epic, nearly four-hour long Pearl Jam concert on October 31, 2009.

Rolling Stone's David Fricke grew up in Philadelphia and saw countless shows there in the 1970s. Click to see a photo gallery and read about his favorite Spectrum memories.

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Song Stories

“Too Close”

Next | 1998

Next was formed in Minneapolis when the uncle of Terry "T-Low" and Raphael "Tweety" Brown, who was a gospel choir director, introduced the brothers to Robert Lavelle "R.L." Huggar. Sounds of Blackness singer Ann Nesby groomed the R&B group before handing them over to Naughty by Nature's KayGee, who wrote and produced "Too Close." The idea for the song was sparked "from a conversation we had with several girls at a nightclub," explained T-Low. "It's talking about the club scene, with guys getting out of hand and the female telling him to back up, asking, 'What are you doing?'" 

More Song Stories entries »

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