Radford University - Beehive Yearbook (Radford, VA)

Page 12 text:

Radford rocks once again, but this time to the hard-drivin’ southern rock sounds of .38 Special. Low ticket sales didn’t stop students from seeing and hearing a live performance of their favorite hit, Hold on Loosely.” .38 Special’s unique combination of guitars and vocals helped students rock into the night.” 10 Student Life

Page 11 text:

STUDENT LIFE V Student Life Divider 9 Information and Publications

Page 13 text:

Abellera Rockin' into the night Low ticket sales and a dragging economy put a damper on the 1981 spring concert, but that didn’t stop RU students from having a “kickin’ ass,” rowdy time. The show still went on despite a small turnout, complete with foot-stompin’, hard-drivin’ southern rock. The good times began rollin’ with the country rock sounds of the Super Grit Cowboy Band from Raleigh, N.C. Those students from the Virginia Beach area as well as those who frequent such Blacksburg nightspots as Cowboys greeted the band with their rowdiest of cheers to show their appreciation. After a full hour of clapping and cheering from the audience, the mixture of rock and blue grass tunes came to a resounding end. Then, amidst the calm, .38 Special’s fiber-optic sign lit up the stage. The time had come for every- body to cut loose. The rockin’ had truly begun. With Donni Van Zant, brother of the late Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd, taking the lead vocals while Don Barnes and Jeff Carles displayed their talents on lead guitar and rhythm, .38 Special kept the audience rocking with a cut from their fourth album, entitled “Wild Eyed Southern Boys.” Meanwhile, vocalists Carol Bristow and Lu Moss as well as bass guitarist Larry Jungstrom added to the band’s energetic, southern rock sound, leaving the crowd screaming for more. The real treat came when .38 Special performed its big hit, “Hold on Loosely.” At that time this song was number 25 on the Billboard chart as well as the most requested song on Roanoke area radio stations. Last year the band’s cut, entitled “Rocking into the Night” was a popular hit and, thus, gave them national recognition. Those who rocked into the night with .38 Special thought the concert was exciting and worth the money spent on tickets. Who knows? Maybe someday .38 Special will turn out to be one of those performers who appeared on the Radford campus just before they “made it big”, like Billy Joel and Pablo Cruise. As for the future of big rock concerts at Radford, former Student Life President Paul Noland said the construction of the convocation center may help to attract higgler “names,” though ticket sales really depend upon the economic situation. Now' that the Dedmon Center is complete, in spite of the economy, could a date with Pat Benatar or Kim Carnes be in the cards? They may not have camped out to rock on, but those who went had a rowdy time, anyway, listening to the rockin’ sounds of .38 Special which filled the air of Preston Hall. One of the band’s members encourages students to “get up’’, “get down” and “move to the sounds” of .38 Special. .38-Special 11