The old Hollywood Sportatorium arena? (Miami, Hialeah: school, live, beach)

[Oldschooler81]

Hollywood Sportatorium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I mentioned this in my other thread about Pembroke, but thought it deserved its own. Just wondered if anybody has any videos, news footage or stories of it during the late 70s/early-mid 80s?

For nostalgic/retro geeks like me (which you can be any age for... just depends on the person) one reason things like this are SO fascinating to me is that its part of a world there's almost no trace of anymore, so there's some real mystery to it. I only just found out this place even existed.

I relate to it even more partially because I grew up visiting my family in this area. I also love classic rock and 80s music, so the whole atmosphere is familiar and comfortable to me. I'm a big fan of Billy Joel, Van Halen, Springsteen and so many of the singers/bands who played there back in the day. Its funny in retrospect, because I'm sure the traffic backups were annoying at the time, and people being rowdy or smoking weed at the shows might've ticked people off. It was just day to day life back in the actual 80s, but since its now relics of a totally disappeared era, that's what makes it so interesting.

Think about it. With modern tech and social networking, not only are people like "mini celebrities" in the last few years, but so are places! You can see how an area looks on Google Street View as if you're really there, or see reviews on Yelp or look up facts on Wiki. You can shoot videos and post it to YouTube and in better quality than you could with a bulky VHS camcorder back then. Anything in 2012 is so easy to access, so the world feels smaller and more connected. Whereas the 80s and even 90s, shoot even the first half of the 2000s feels more mysterious since not everything was documented (especially day to day stuff) without a total mass media.

All that's around to prove the Sportatorium even existed are some grainy b+w aerials, or lower quality film photos. The whole area built up and was developed so much and the roads were widened and the population boomed, so the "world" of, say 1985 Broward County is just a footnote of history and nothing's like that at all in the area now! So hearing anybody's stories or finding old footage of it is really cool and special to me. That's all there is left of that time in a sense.

P.S. It looks SO small from the old aerial images I've seen! lol.

[exmbdude]

Originally Posted by Oldschooler81

Hollywood Sportatorium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I mentioned this in my other thread about Pembroke, but thought it deserved its own. Just wondered if anybody has any videos, news footage or stories of it during the late 70s/early-mid 80s?

For nostalgic/retro geeks like me (which you can be any age for... just depends on the person) one reason things like this are SO fascinating to me is that its part of a world there's almost no trace of anymore, so there's some real mystery to it. I only just found out this place even existed.

I relate to it even more partially because I grew up visiting my family in this area. I also love classic rock and 80s music, so the whole atmosphere is familiar and comfortable to me. I'm a big fan of Billy Joel, Van Halen, Springsteen and so many of the singers/bands who played there back in the day. Its funny in retrospect, because I'm sure the traffic backups were annoying at the time, and people being rowdy or smoking weed at the shows might've ticked people off. It was just day to day life back in the actual 80s, but since its now relics of a totally disappeared era, that's what makes it so interesting.

Think about it. With modern tech and social networking, not only are people like "mini celebrities" in the last few years, but so are places! You can see how an area looks on Google Street View as if you're really there, or see reviews on Yelp or look up facts on Wiki. You can shoot videos and post it to YouTube and in better quality than you could with a bulky VHS camcorder back then. Anything in 2012 is so easy to access, so the world feels smaller and more connected. Whereas the 80s and even 90s, shoot even the first half of the 2000s feels more mysterious since not everything was documented (especially day to day stuff) without a total mass media.

All that's around to prove the Sportatorium even existed are some grainy b+w aerials, or lower quality film photos. The whole area built up and was developed so much and the roads were widened and the population boomed, so the "world" of, say 1985 Broward County is just a footnote of history and nothing's like that at all in the area now! So hearing anybody's stories or finding old footage of it is really cool and special to me. That's all there is left of that time in a sense.

P.S. It looks SO small from the old aerial images I've seen! lol.

There are several facebook groups for the Sporto and there is also an "I grew up in South Florida in the 60s, 70s and 80s" facebook group which has hundreds of photos from the Sportatorium. Youtube also has footage of it being torn down and if you use the word in your search there are several shows which were filmed there (Yes, Blue Oyster Cult, etc)

[Bette]

Wow, loved Blue Oyster Cult. Actually, one of my friends was the brother and sister-in-law of the lead singer, so cool! Also agree with the OP - huge Billy Joel/Springsteen fan - great memories. It seemed so far then.

(Now, you've got Don't Fear The Reaper going through my head LOL)

[exmbdude]

Originally Posted by Bette

Wow, loved Blue Oyster Cult. Actually, one of my friends was the brother and sister-in-law of the lead singer, so cool! Also agree with the OP - huge Billy Joel/Springsteen fan - great memories. It seemed so far then.

(Now, you've got Don't Fear The Reaper going through my head LOL)

Yes, before MTV became the worldwide phenomenon that it did, they filmed BOC's 1981 show at the Sporthole and broadcast that (some of it is on Youtube) At the time, "Burnin' for you" was a big radio hit.

[JimboUSMC17]

Pretty cool! I live only 5 minutes away and never knew this existed along with the race track. Wow!! Now every time I pass by i will think about what was once there.

Very interesting stuff!

[MrClose]

Saw one of my first ever concerts there.

If memory serves, it was around 1968 and it was The Beach Boys (ALL of them)!

I 'think' that Bobby Goldsboro was the intro/warm up talent!?

Went to lots of races there with family and friends.

REALLY, REALLY noisy on those nights and traffic was really bad!

[lauralei2]

There is a FB page "I grew up in Florida in the 60's, 70's & 80's" and today there was an interior picture of the old Sportatorium. Great memories. Back in the day Hollywood Blvd extended all the way to US 27. And when i-75 was being built, it looked like a giant white elephant that no one would ever travel on, since it was so far out west, and there was nothing there. Nothing except the Sporto.

[MrClose]

Originally Posted by lauralei2

There is a FB page "I grew up in Florida in the 60's, 70's & 80's" and today there was an interior picture of the old Sportatorium. Great memories. Back in the day Hollywood Blvd extended all the way to US 27. And when i-75 was being built, it looked like a giant white elephant that no one would ever travel on, since it was so far out west, and there was nothing there. Nothing except the Sporto.

I was born and raised in Lauderdale.(1952)
Were you also born there?

[lauralei2]

Born in Miami, raised in Hialeah. (1962)

[MrClose]

Originally Posted by lauralei2

Born in Miami, raised in Hialeah. (1962)

I KNOW that you've seen some huge changes then!