In writing about a ton of articles about concerts in the Dayton area through the decades, one thing stands out: some of the best shows went down at the legendary (and departed) Hara Arena.
Hara Arena was the spot for rock, pop, and rap music tours in its heyday. Whenever I write a piece about a show that happened at Hara, I get more than a few emails telling me how special it were. There were and are other venues in the Miami Valley that hosted events, but they don’t seem to have elicited the same feelings of magic that Hara did. The accounts I get from readers who went to Hara are almost always exciting and at the least, interesting.
Check out this Hara story about a Prince concert in 1980 from Dan Dixon who attend the show when he was a senior at Yellow Springs High School:
The most noteworthy thing was how the opener, Prince, outshined the headliner. At that time [Rick James] was “all that”, and Prince had had like one hit ("I Wanna Be Your Lover"). We bought tickets to see RJ but got impressed by Prince. Rick James had a stage stunt with some props that went wrong and kind of messed up the show for a bit.
Hara had some amazing moments that happened in those walls. My request to you, Miami Valley, is… please give me your Hara Arena memories. Tell me about your favorite concerts or events. Tell me about your favorite moments. Tell me about the wonder of Hara Arena. Talk to me here: grgsmmsjr@gmail.com. I’ll post your answers in a follow up article.
I can’t wait to read your stories.
