Don Canney

A recent trailer regarding an upcoming documentary on the late Whitney Houston put my mind in the way back machine thinking about some live performances staged by legendary artists at Holman Stadium in the summers of the 1990’s. At the time, those in attendance probably never thought they were seeing musical history before their very eyes. Such bands were typically only seen in the biggest of cities. In fact, one of the “dings” our fair city had against it in past ratings for best places to live was indeed it’s lack of arts representation, live or otherwise. That deficiency is currently being addressed with the construction of the new Performing Arts Center.

A quick Google search revealed set lists and ticket information for many of the concerts that took place in July and August of 1991 through 1993 at historic Holman Stadium. And the artists’ names were all instantly recognizable.

Harkening back to Aug. 10, 1991, a young and vibrant young lady with a range that rivaled the best of the best at any big city opera house, brought her “I’m Your Baby Tonight” tour to Holman. A young and innocent Whitney Houston dazzled the Nashua crowd with her angelic voice and incredible set of pipes. Her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner still leaves a huge lump in our throats. She was our baby that night. One can only imagine what could have been.

Santana’s “Milagro” tour “Soul Sacrificed” the Holman crowd on July 22, 1992. Playing hits like Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va from their all-time best selling album Abraxas, those in attendance knew they were witnessing greatness. A Woodstock veteran, Carlos probably needed an addition to his house to store his Grammy and other awards.

July 6, 1991 saw a future winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature grace the Holman stage. None other than Bob Dylan brought his “Never Ending” Tour to the gate city and mesmerized the locals with his legendary hits while advising us that the answer was, “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

Remember the Partridge Family? David Cassidy (Keith Partridge) performed on August 30, 1992. Probably less than legendary, but still quite popular at the time and attempting a career revival.

And who can forget the great Tina Turner? After smartly dumping Ike, Tina embarked on a career that saw her popularity skyrocket. She brought her, “What’s Love?” tour along with her famous short, flashy, sparkled, fringe and shimmy attire to Holman on July 21, 1993. What’s Love Got to Do With It?” Everything! We all loved Tina.

One of my favorite bands, Huey Lewis and the News performed their “Hard at Play” tour on August 10th, 1991. Yes, it was still, Hip to be Square.” Huey is now making a comeback after suffering hearing loss.

One of the greatest American Bands of all time, the Beach Boys, graced the city twice at Holman, on July 30, 1991 and August 30, 1992. “God Only Knows” what we would have done without that surf sound and harmony!

The list of mega stars in Nashua went on and on. Joe Walsh, also of the Eagles, was an established solo artist and brought us all a “Rocky Mountain Way” on Jul 11, 1991. Sweet baby James Taylor proved we all had a friend on August 23, 1991, the brothers Allman (on August 31, 1991 and August 14, 1992) and Doobie (August 11, 1991) also rocked the city. A post Traffic Stevie Winwood came to Nashua on July 29, 1991 and Jon Bon Jovi (pre Bill Belichick) visited on August 4, 1993.

And way back on September 3, 1973, an up and coming band of young bad boys with a raspy voiced lead singer who prompted us to “Dream On” played here. You may have ridden their band sponsored ride at Disney World. Who was it? Aerosmith!

Raise your hands if you attended any of these concerts. If you did, you witnessed some of the greatest acts in rock and roll history. Most of these performers are both Grammy winners and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. To quote the immortal Beaver Cleaver, “Who’d a thunk it?”

Don Canney is a freelance writer and professional voice artist. He was born and raised in downtown Nashua with great interest in Nashua history circa 1950-1970. He now resides in Litchfield.

Newsletter