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Letters: The bands play on

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Re “Renovated Forum is mostly fabulous,” Jan. 17

Terrific piece by Times staff writer Randy Lewis on the Eagles concert at the renovated Forum, with special appreciation to the depth he provided on the sonic improvements. In the 1970s, I saw almost every major classic rock band either there or at the 3,000-seat Santa Monica Civic. It was always disappointing to go from the acoustically beautiful, intimate Santa Monica Civic to the 17,000-seat, warehouse sound of the Forum.

On a side note, the impending demolition of the iconic Santa Monica Civic is particularly saddening. It was a proving ground for up-and-coming acts of the genre: Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, the Who, Cream, David Bowie, Bob Dylan and the Doors just scratches the surface. And bands knew they needed a good review to make the jump to larger arenas, so fans usually saw the best a performer could offer — for $4.50.

It’s great that the venerable Forum is back — superbly improved — and that someone who truly knows music was there to cover it. Now if the city of Santa Monica would just follow the lead.

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Cy Bolton
Rancho Cucamonga
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