It’s difficult to explain to young people how things were at one time.
You often get the indifferent reply, “That was before my time,” followed immediately by a yawn.
To a column I wrote several years back regarding how we recycled everything back in the 50s, some young Turk responded, “Fill in the blank: ‘When I was your age…’”
Usually, that kind of come-back simply means that the original statement was the truth, and there’s just no sensible way to argue the contrary. Hence, they fire at will, loaded heavily with sarcasm, but no rationale.
So my interest was aroused when Mark Scholz at the 5100 Motel in Wildwood recently called to tell me about one of his guests.
Apparently the gentleman acquired some ‘antique’ or keepsake tickets on eBay from back in the 1970s.
The tickets were from the old Wildwood Convention Hall, 4500 Boardwalk. They came with a schedule of upcoming acts that were booked from July through September of that year.
Here is just a sample of the acts scheduled for that summer:
• Original cast of Jesus Christ Superstar
• Black Sabbath
• Steppenwolf
• Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
• Jay and the Americans
• Elton John
• Procol Harum
• Bobbie Sherman
• Fifth Dimension
• Neil Diamond
• The Bee Gees
Maybe some of these headliners are unknown to today’s youth, but just about everybody who has ever listened to a tune has heard of Elton John, The Fifth Dimension, Neil Diamond, and the Bee Gees.
Wildwood was once a hub of top-notch entertainment. Some celebrities (Dom Irrera, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Fabian) never forget their roots, and return for bookings almost yearly.
Others (Jane Seymour, Peter Max, Bill Dana) discover Cape May County later in their career and realize what a gem of a place it is.
So the big time booking venue may have moved north with the advent of legalized gambling, but the gem is still here—and some say it only gets better in the fall.
To find out how true that may be, you’ll just have to visit us during the next several months.
You won’t be disappointed.
You’ll find the same ambiance that was here in 1971, but don’t expect 1971 prices.
Ticket prices during that 1971 summer season were $5-$6; no ticket was higher.
Today, that wouldn’t pay for Elton John’s lens cleaner.
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