Chandler, Arizona's First Outdoor "Band Concert" (1969)

In 2017, I came across a blurry image and brief encapsulation of an October 1969 concert held in Arrowhead Meadows Park in a microfilm edition of the Chandler Arizonan. This seemingly unlikely event compelled further exploration. Was this just the thrilling tip of the iceberg which would lead to the discovery and documentation of additional local bands or merely a blip in history where the world has simply moved on?  Life did move along and contacting the coordinators mentioned in the preview blurb had been something I wanted to follow up on. After some initial research spurred by all the Seton Catholic yearbooks going online, I was able to connect to all three of the organizers. In turn, I heard first-hand accounts about a much different small town-ish Chandler (population est.12,000) where friendships were initially formed and forged over the side streets, sidewalks and granite-hard soil framing the Hartford subdivision.

 

It appears that the Chandler Arizonan newspaper got the date wrong as Oct. 14 would have been a Tuesday night in 1969. 

Enter the Young

A group of friends, Alvin Koppinger (Seton Catholic, class of ‘67), Michael Walsh (Seton Catholic, class of ‘67) and Jim Yontz (Chandler High, class of ‘68), spearheaded Chandler’s first outdoor rock concert.  If NASA could put a man on the moon just a few months before, an intrepid group of students who were all attending universities and colleges (Arizona State University & Mesa Community College), close to home could enact and realize their vision of an outdoor rock concert. “There wasn’t a lot going on at that time in regards to music in Chandler,” remembers co-coordinator Alvin Koppinger.  “We wanted to make something happen.”  When asked who came up with the notion, Michael Walsh called it, “A group idea and collaborative effort.” 

600 N. Hartford St.
 This 1968 sign has been unfortunately removed in the last few years.
 Photo by Holly Metz of Six Palms Studio.  

Cowboy Haven

Besides being a “cowboy haven” according to Jim Yontz, Chandler was a law & order town back then that had the tendency to be complacent on many fronts. Michael Walsh’s recollections took on a more cinematic quality and said the dusty area and atmosphere were similar to the period piece encapsulated in American Graffiti which reflected George Lucas’ experiences growing up in Modesto in California’s Central Valley. For Alvin, who moved to Chandler from North Dakota in his early teens, Chandler was cosmopolitan in comparison. “I remember it was a big deal to go to the Golden Peacock Chinese restaurant on Arizona Avenue,” mentions Alvin Koppinger. “In North Dakota it was strictly meat and potatoes.” In that (pre-Intel) time, Chandler was a Future Farmers of America town (aka the backbone of a nation), so the local Ford dealer probably sold more tractors than cars...at least more pickups than cars. 

Still Chandler, a redlined town, was far from being a live and let live frontierland in the ‘60s as there were also recollections of observed deep seated intolerance and provincialism which unfortunately and sadly continues to persist and frequently flare up anywhere in America to this day. Alvin mentioned that the circles he ran in did not have any issues: “I played basketball for Seton and sometimes we would play pick-up games on the southside.” “The shared experience and camaraderie brought us together. It was mainly the older generations that were entrenched in their ways.”

Setting the Stage

Way before musical liftoff, there was the planning phase and painstaking approval process to obtain a permit. “One of the biggest challenges was getting the approval and permit to put this on at Arrowhead Park,” recalls co-coordinator Alvin Koppinger. “I had to go up in front of the City Council and the director of Parks & Recreation was absolutely against it.” As with many situations, going through the obstacles was the way forward. However, the resolute organizers did not back down despite the fact that the ultimate outcome hung in balance on the council’s decision. “Alvin did a masterful job of going up in front of the City Council and rebutting their arguments against providing a permit for the event,” conveys Yontz.  “He was so well prepared and even had charts & graphs and a pointer to support our objectives and grandiose ideas.” 

Working within the Parameters At the time, Arrowhead Meadows Park was considered to be somewhat on the outskirts of town and hosting countercultural musical concerts was not exactly a prioritization, let alone even a consideration for the park. The City of Chandler reportedly had built Arrowhead Meadows Park on Erie Street in the early ‘60s to potentially attract a Cactus League Spring Training MLB baseball team like nearby Casa Grande (San Francisco Giants) and Mesa (Chicago Cubs). The Houston Colt 45s (later to become the Astros) were close to coming to Chandler in 1964, but negotiations broke down as the Houstonians declared the infrastructure was not up to par. Parks & Recreation used similar tactics against what they saw as the folly of youth. “They (Parks & Rec) cited the lack of restrooms and parking as their reasons against the event,” continues Yontz. “It was only a few months after Woodstock took place and the City was worried things could quickly spiral out of control in similar fashion.” “Harm to new trees,” “possible abuse of playground equipment” and “parking control” were a few of several concerns expressed by the Park & Recreation director as documented in the City Council minutes from Sept. 25, 1969. In retrospect, damaging new trees would not seem like it would be a high priority for the target audience of hippies, wanna-be hippies and students. The notes further revealed the three young men agreed to meet with the Parks & Recreation Director and the City Manager to “work out details.”  In what seems like a turning point from a movie, their request for permission to use Arrowhead Meadows Park for a free concert open to the public was carried unanimously.  To the city’s credit, it was more than fair to give this consideration, opportunity and responsibility to its young residents. 

Chandler City Council Meeting 9-25-1969 minutes courtesy of Chandler's City Clerk's Office

No Turning Back

With the approval, the organizing trio were able to quickly set things in motion.  “We had flyers made up and we posted them at Mesa Community College and Arizona State University,” recalls Yontz. “We honestly didn’t know how many people were going to attend our event.” While the first and most difficult obstacle was cleared in obtaining a permit, there were further challenges to overcome-some previously mentioned by the Parks & Rec. director. “Getting power out to the stage for the lighting, instruments, sound board and amplification did prove difficult,” explains Koppinger. “As far as seating, we were able to use some of the bleachers in the park.”  When asked about which bands played that night their memories are as fuzzy as the newspaper clippings from that era. Alvin recalled the acts were all local, meaning Chandler and some crossover from Tempe with musicians like Mike Ash who doubled duty on keyboards and operating the sound board. All three mentioned that the talented and versatile Chandler musician Dennis Schroeder (singer in photo, next to the hat wearing Mike Love-looking guitarist) was heavily involved. Alvin added that many of the musicians switched out instruments and played in different configurations that night. Dennis Schroeder (Chandler High, class of ‘67) does look like a pro musician in a ‘66 Sunset Strip/Sky Saxon way and there was a reason for his appearance. “His mother made him those hip clothes,” notes Yontz. “Dennis had the courage to wear them everyday in a place that was not accepting of this look.”  Overall, attendance topped out at about 300 people according to the newspaper caption, which the organizers confirmed as “probably about right.”

Supplanting the Sugar Plant

Agriculture, with a concentration in cotton and citrus, was the major industry of the time.

In 1967, Speckles Sugar Company opened a massive and “modern” processing/refining plant on Riggs Road. The plant which processed the sugar beets grown by area ranchers into sugar and syrups ran 24-hours a day. “At the time, there was great excitement about the opening of Spreckels because of the jobs it would provide for those in the area,” recounts Jim Yontz. “Even some of the Chandler teachers worked there to supplement their income.” However, working conditions proved to be Dickensian, if not downright brutal.  Alvin, Jim and Michael all spent time working at this mostly unregulated and dangerous operation during their summer breaks. These experiences stood in great contrast to their stints working in the bucolic citrus grooves of Habeeb Citrus Growers in Mesa and motoring around on tractors. According to Jim Yontz, Habeeb were renowned for their grapefruits that were grown to be sold in Southern California’s upscale grocery stores.   

Jim and Mike also worked at one of Bashas’ initial supermarkets in a chain which grew exponentially in Arizona during the ‘60s. Incidentally, both Basha and Habeeb were businesses founded by the area’s Lebanese pioneers who settled in the area after initial forays in mining towns like Ray (birthplace of Ianthe McGuinn, former wife of Roger McGuinn of the Byrds) and Sonara (birthplace of Latin Jazz musician Bobby Montez).  These mining towns, located in the adjoining Pinal County, ultimately did not pan out and have long since vanished. Ultimately, profit margins for liquidfied sugar never solidified and the Spreckles Sugar plant closed in 1984. Hopes for a thriving economy in Chandler would have to wait out the fallow period until the transition into technology. 

Circuit-Board Flat High tech arrived in the wide open Southwest when the Rogers Corporation opened their Circuit Systems Division in 1967. Rogers emerged to become the leading manufacturer of circuit boards. In 1980, Intel expanded into Chandler and eventually became the city’s largest employer with an estimated 12,000 employees.  The arrival of Intel marked the ascendancy of technology for Chandler along with further diversifying its population, while enhancing multiculturalism.  These developments would start the physical transformation of Chandler from crop, cattle and sheep fields to server farms, semiconductors, self-driving cars and smooth roads. Today nearly an estimated 270,000 residents call Chandler their home.

The Sky's the Limit

While it may not be monumental in the grand scheme of Arizona music history-especially compared to the Easter 1967 Love-In at Tempe Beach Park, it was meaningful within the local context. Over 50 years later, this event has the distinction of being the first outdoor music concert featuring electrified rock ‘n’ roll in Chandler. It also could be considered a harbinger as the Chandler Jazz festival later took place at Arrowhead during the ‘80s. In 1985, Compadre Stadium, 5 miles to the south of Arrowhead, was built to become the spring training home of the Milwaukee Brewers (1986-1997). This now demolished stadium would subsequently be notable for hosting 1990’s KUKQ Q Fest featuring the Dead Milkmen and KUKQ birthday bash in 1991, headlined by the Feelies. More recently, Chandler’s Veterans Oasis Park and Environmental Education Center has hosted the Sonoran Sunset Music Series of free outdoor concerts. While the names of the bands from 1969 may be completely dissolved from memory, the singular event could stand in and represent those things that have disappeared in the farm fields and parks between the antenna lights of South Mountain and State Route 87.

1974 aerial view of Arrowhead Meadows Park
Photograph courtesy of the Chandler Museum

Castles in the Air Behind and beyond this autumnal moment at the end of the ‘60s was the determined idealism of a group of young Arizonans who brought it to fruition over the swirling undercurrents and tensions of the times. To quote Henry David Thoreau: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; there is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.” They were not only able to place a foundation under the castles; they helped lay the cultural groundwork. Today, they are still in contact and went on to change the world for the better in their professional pursuits. Alvin Koppinger is a retired elementary teacher residing in Colorado who started his teaching career at Chandler Unified School District (CUSD). Jim Yontz is a speech pathologist in Phoenix who operates a bilingual practice with a focus on “speech therapy delivery to developmentally and intellectually disabled children and adults.” Michael Walsh found his calling with a high tech career in Albuquerque, NM. Not only did this inspiring trio make their own paths starting in Chandler, they also initiated change, brought music to the public forefront and forged a lifelong bond along the way.

Acknowledgements: Nate Meyers of the Chandler Museum for the aerial photograph of Arrowhead, Holly Metz of Six Palms Studio for use of her Kwik-Kleen photograph.