~ ~ ~  #3  TOPPI'S SPORTS ARENA, PHILLY  ~ ~ ~

 Friday, September 19, 1969

My sister in Philadelphia grudgingly agreed to obtain me tickets for this show at a place called Toppi's Sports Arena.  However, she refused to buy me only one ticket and insisted on a pair, to ensure that I didn't drive to that section of Philadelphia alone.  This 7,000 capacity sports venue meant going into a rougher area of Philly.  The tickets were deep red in color, and showed a $6.50 price.  

Our seats were pretty close to the stage but on the side, up off the floor.  I remember that as soon as the band hit the stage, we were up and over the barrier between our section and the floor to get in front of the stage.  Joanie and I managed to be just a few bodies back from the edge, packed like sardines and jostling for position.  I was positioned just left of center toward Ray's side of the stage. 

This was the closest I had been yet, and I enjoyed that show tremendously.   In hindsight I realized that this was the most dis-spirited of all the shows I was to see.

Jim's physical look had changed dramatically for this post-Miami show.  No leather pants:  his pants were light colored pin-stripes.  He also behaved differently than at the Asbury Park show, just 12-1/2 months earlier, more subdued, like his heart wasn't really in it.    However, at that time the thrill of being so very close to the stage outweighed any consideration of the band's mood that night, six months after the Miami incident.  I didn't have a good understanding of the impact that Miami had on the band.

The Doors On The Road book indicates that there were two shows that night.  I don't remember this, but it must be true.  I do remember getting home very, very  late so I assume we were at the late show. That section of my ticket stub was torn off so I'll never know for certain. 

The early  show's set list is:   Back Door Man  <>  Break On Through  <>  When The Music's Over  <>  The Soft Parade  <>  Light My Fire      To my knowledge, there is no record of the late show's set list.

note:   Many thanks to Greg Shaw's "The Doors On The Road" book, used as the source for the set list

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