Big 10: Your most unforgettable State Farm Center concerts | Arts & Entertainment

With this week’s news about an REO Speedwagon reunion coming in June to State Farm Center, we asked local concert-goers: What’s the most unforgettable show you ever took in at the building formerly known as the Assembly Hall?

“As an engineering student in 1981, I was in my ‘second junior year’ and struggling with difficult aerospace engineering classes, and had parked my drum kit to focus on flight structures and orbital mechanics classes.

“I did, however, make time to catch many of the Assembly Hall concerts, always signing up for the ticket lottery and almost always sitting in the top end of Row C.

“When one of my favorite artists was announced — Frank Zappa — I trudged to the lottery to again subject myself to futility. This time however, I drew number 1 — with no zeros behind it. I attended with my classmate and roommate, Jeff Berton, and two other friends — or dates; we can’t remember.

“We sat in the front row to see the maestro and some of the best musicians on the planet, along with a clothesline strung across the stage where women’s undergarments were draped by Frank, using his baton as they landed on stage.

“Fast-forward — it’s a cassette thing — about 10 years later and my family was buying a house near Carle Park in Urbana. I knew the house had recently been owned by Adrian Belew, who happened to be Zappa’s lead guitarist.

“The seller said that when they bought the house from Adrian a couple years prior, he said Frank stayed with them when they played in Champaign and slept on the couch in the living room.

“That kinda sealed the deal.”

“I grew up going to concerts at the Assembly Hall, now State Farm Center. I recall so many great ones like Earth, Wind, & Fire, The Police, Garbage, Aerosmith, Foo Fighters and tons more. There are so many memorable ones.

“I’d have to say that for me, one that stands out was when Lisa Loeb opened for another band — Matchbox 20? — in the early 2000s, and I went solely to see Loeb. She played an amazing solo set and then announced that she would be signing merch in the lobby afterwards.

“She was a huge influence in my own songwriting and I’d been a superfan since her first record. My friend and I waited at the end of the line and were then able to meet and talk to her for a good long while.

“That’s the only time I ever saw an artist in the lobby there, signing CDs. I had no idea I’d be able to meet her, so it was a thrill.

“Oh, and one more: In my hard rock days as a youth, I was at the 1982 Ozzy Osbourne show when he came out, sang, ‘Over the mountain …’ then passed out.

“The band continued to play the song, medics took him off the stage and then it was announced that they were done. It was epic.”

“The most memorable was the Elvis concert in 1976, the year before he died. He wasn’t very mobile at that stage of his career, but his voice was still golden. I attended with the Detamore family and I was 12 years old at the time. I made the mistake of trying to retrieve one of the silk handkerchiefs and got mobbed by 100 women also trying to get it.

“Great concert and great memory.”

“My husband, Greg, and I have been to several concerts at the Assembly Hall, aka State Farm Center, and are especially interested in going to the upcoming REO reunion.

“Our most memorable experience is when we saw Phil Collins in the mid ’90s. We had aisle seats in the B section. As the concert began, we were surprised when Phil walked down from the top of the hall, right past us.

“I reached out and gently touched him on the shoulder as he passed.

“As he took the stage, we were both in awe of his percussion setup and talent as we both have played drums.

“What a thrill it was to hear one of the best drum riffs of all time from ‘In the Air Tonight’ in person.”

“I love all kinds of music. I try to attend just about all of the concerts at State Farm Center. I’ve got lots of great memories seeing Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss, Garth Brooks, Old Dominion, Tom Petty and others.

“Foo Fighters was an amazing show and turned me from a skeptic to a fan, but the most memorable show for me by far was seeing Kendrick Lamar in 2013, just after he was first starting to get some serious national attention.

“It was a last-second decision to go to the show, and I was new in town and couldn’t find anyone to go with me. I went by myself and had such a terrific experience connecting with the music.

“I remain a big fan. His album ‘Good Kid, m.A.A.d City’ still gets regular listens.”

“My very first concert that I attended at the Assembly Hall/State Farm back in the day was The Brothers Johnson‘s Stomp Tour.

“Me and my best friend had tickets in nosebleed C-section with binoculars and we could see two open seats in the front row.

“We made our way down to those seats and ended up catching their towels that they tossed to us.”

“Many years ago, my wife correctly answered a question about German culture on a local radio program and won tickets. As a German native, the answer came easily to her.

“These tickets were for two bands we had never heard of at the time: Fitz and the Tantrums, headlining, and Capital Cities, opening.

“In our late 30s, we walked right into the general admission section, packed with a huge number of students right in front of the stage. We waited patiently, surrounded by intoxicated and hormonally charged youngsters, unsure of what to expect since we weren’t familiar with either band.

“The awkward wait was totally worth it. Capital Cities, the opening act, was on fire from their first song to their last. Shortly after their great conclusion, Fitz and the Tantrums took the stage and played as if they were possessed. They were absolutely top-notch musicians on every level.

“The ultimate point is that sometimes you just need to trust that good things will happen in strange crowds.”

“In 2009, my twin brother and I had just turned 18 and our older brother, a university senior, bought us tickets to witness one of the most iconic country groups of all time — The Oak Ridge Boys.”

“My brother showed us a great time, third-row seats at the Country Christmas spectacular. I do recall we were heckled by some gals seated behind us, not only in disbelief that we were fans of the group, but mainly due to our seats being closer to the stage.”

“I’ve been fortunate to see many great shows at the Assembly Hall, including the Stones, The Police and Foo Fighters.

“My most memorable concert was Tom Petty‘s ‘Long After Dark’ show on March 8, 1983.

“Nick Lowe and his Noise To Go opened. I was, and am, a huge fan of Nick’s, and he was great.

“When the Heartbreakers came on, we were blown away. I was in B-section with Della Perrone and some friends, and it was such a thrill.”

“Hands down, it was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 2017. Great set list, great show and it turned out to be Tom’s last tour — he died a few months later.

“I’m glad Champaign-Urbana got to say goodbye to him.”