I can't tell you how many games where we bought tickets further up, then moved down. it happened a lot. Not at capacity, but still...
I was at that. Behind the stage, but pretty low/close. Still in the set up phase a 'roadie' checked out the lead singer's mike setup - I recognized him as Roger Daltrey. Never was a huge Who fan, but to this day impressed he did his own work.
I have a puck signed by those three. Caught it at a game in the coliseum though. Still have it, but not as cool as one would think. Not enough space for the sigs to be legible.
Catching it is pretty cool by itself, but getting it signed by all three. That's tremendous. C'mon. Cam Connor signed one of his sticks and gave it to me too. But, that puck....
I'm surprised how much I have enjoyed this. Thanks Plowman. Here, I'll add a modern day story. I went to the Moses Malone funeral there. I clearly did not understand the event and showed up in Rocket gear. Shorts, flip flops and some kind of Rocket tee shirt, I'm sure from the Malone era. Still in the parking lot I see a really well dressed black on black outfit get out of the car in front of me and think, hmmm! His lady passenger gets out in a formal dress. I feel uneasy, but did drive in from Austin so charging ahead. As I get into the building it is obvious I am out of place. I ask an usher if I should just leave and she says 'of course not,everybody is welcome'. Then she opens the curtain to the seating area for me and I blurt out "Oh my god, its official. I am the worst dressed person here"! I would like to say that everybody treated me well in spite of my attire, but the truth is I was so embarrassed I didn't make eye contact with anybody. Barkley spoke well. Family friend guy before him babbled on and on about himself mostly. CB looked to the side of the stage then opened with "remember the three B's...Be Brief Brother!" Also, please note my avatar. Piece of the Summit floor signed by Dream and Clyde.
I have many memories which I'll always be grateful for. I saw Akeem Abdul Olajuwon's very 1st game as a Houston Rocket (or at least 1st home game). It was preseason against the Nets. It was quite dramatic and a sign of things to come with Dream. We had iirc a 1 point lead in the final seconds, Nets had the ball and Akeem leaped out and blocked an 18-20 ft. jumper by pf/c Mike Gminski right before the buzzer to seal the win! He would do much, much more of that in the years that followed! I saw either game 2 or 3 of the finals with the Magic, then came back down to Richmond after the game 4 sweep to celebrate with the thousands of other ecstatic Rocket fans! I even go back enough to remember as a boy going to see the game where Moses (Malone) set the NBA record for offensive rebounds in a game (21 of 32 total iirc). Can't remember who they played though. Not to mention countless times hoping the "chicken man" would come through and get us to 135 points!
Got to watch a Rocket game from box seats down near court side; my buddy worked for Coke and got their seats they gave to employees. Forget the exact year it was whenever Manute Bol was on the Bullets. He was very tall. Several great concerts at the summit: Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Joni Mitchell, and Dylan. Got to see Gordie and the Howe boys from the nosebleeds in my only live hockey game ever.
I remember after the games going to the door by the parking lot where the players came out after the games. Jim Petersen and Rodney McCray took pics with my son when he was 6 months old once. Ralph Sampson was actually very nice. Akeem......not so much. Purvis Short, Allen Leavell, John Lucas and Robert Reid were people I remember being cool to me as well. Same with Bill Worrell. I remember Eric Dickerson sitting a row behind me once. Dude had 4 gorgeous women on both sides of him. I turned around and looked in both directions and said well done, sir. Dickerson smiled and laughed. We even had fun in the top row of the Summit banging on the metal walls when the games got exciting. I remember chanting for Craig Ehlo to be put in to the game.
I consider myself fortunate to have been able to attend games at both Hofheinz Pavilion and The Summit. My three favorite memories of games at the Summit: The Rainbow bread promotion where you got an additional free ticket if you had a Rainbow bread wrapper. The kazoo band that would play during game timeouts. The Houston Grand Opera singer who sang the national anthem before Rockets' games.
