The Time i95 Gave a Local Man A Lifetime of Memories
Exactly thirty years ago, the Rolling Stones embarked on what they said would be their farewell tour. The "Steel Wheels" tour officially kicked off August 31st 1989 in Philadelphia, PA.
In honor of the supposed "farewell" tour, i95 would give a pair of tickets away to one listener. To qualify for the contest, you had to be caller No. 9, weeks in advance of the announcement of the grand prize winner.
At the time of the contest, Rob Dundon of Fairfield, CT was able to get through to the station and qualify. To choose a winner, the morning show would pull one name from the pile of qualifiers out of a hat, live on the air. They pulled the name Rob Dundon, and now i95 was going to fly him and a friend on a private plane from Sikorsky Airport to Philadelphia. Rob was single, 22 years old and chose to take his buddy Carl (pictured above in black).
The two young men attended the opening show at "The Vet" in Philly, along with 55,000 other people and they sat in the 30th row. The "Steel Wheels" tour would go down as one of the most successful tours of the era and a critical darling. Rob and I have traded text messages the last few days and here is what he remembers about the experience:
"Grew up in Fairfield when I won the tickets. Funny thing, the contest was to be the ninth caller for a few weeks of gathering names and the winner was pulled from a hat. I had a new job and I was a few weeks in when I heard my name called on the radio. I could not call in because I was stuck in traffic on I-95 and there were no cell phones at the time.
They must have called my home because I remember them saying he's on his way to work. Since I was new to the job, the boss gave me grief about taking time off to go to the show. He said he would not let me go unless I took him but he was screwing around with me.
The concert was great, we were in the 30th row on the floor, dead center. Two people came up to us and said, "you are in our seats" and we were sick to our stomachs. We thought the radio station had played an elaborate prank on us. Upon further review, the couple had made a mistake and realized that their tickets were for the following night. Somehow they got in no problem, I wonder if they went back again the next day?
There was a power outage in the stadium just a few songs in. We later joked with Ethan that Mick (Jagger) forgot to tell Charlie (Watts) to stop playing when the power went out. Charlie looked like the Energizer Bunny. The show was on a Thursday and we visited Ethan on the air the next day for a recap. I remember telling Ethan that Charlie plays a bit awkward and does not look too coordinated. It was an amazing show and I remember it like it was yesterday. The entire experience was very cool."
Here's Rob with Jeff Blumin our Promotions Director at the time. Jeff looks a lot like a guy who drove to Bridgeport to take a photo, only to have to drive back to the radio station for a full days work.
Rob was in construction and design in those days. Today he lives in Monroe, CT and is in the healthcare field. He's active in raising awareness for the Alzheimer's Association. He'll be raising money ahead of the upcoming Alzheimer's Walk in Norwalk, CT on October 13 in honor of his mother Cathy Dundon. Please donate to this wonderful cause if you are able to.
Thank you Rob for sharing your story and for the work you are doing with the Alzheimer's Association.
Does Rob still have his ticket? He sure does.
Fun Fact 2: The Full title of the tour was: "Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour"
Fun Fact 3: Thirty years ago The Rolling Stones said "Steel Wheels" would be their last tour, they tour to this day. They will be at State Farm in Glendale, AZ this coming Monday (August 26 2019). They will wrap their summer dates with a show at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL on August 31.
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