<p><strong><span>It is The Stanley's 85th Anniversary this year and we want to know your favorite memory of The Stanley is? </span></strong></p><p><span>For our Board Member Tom Starr, </span><span>it was a very memorable Stevie Ray Vaughan concert on January 23rd back in 1986.</span> Stevie Ray Vaughan played a club called Coleman's on the western outskirts of Rome, where the big box stores are now, during his 1983 Texas Flood Tour. His jaw dropping performance on that steamy July night left no doubt his days playing small clubs would soon be over.<br/> <br/>The Stanley was fortunate to host him three years later. (January 23, 1986) By then, he had earned international acclaim but was also struggling with substance abuse problems, which could account for how he ended up accepting a late January date in upstate New York.<br/><br/>I met-up with him the afternoon of the show and instantly had doubts he'd be able to take the stage that night. Remarkably, he did. Even more remarkably, he did another amazing set. Afterwards, my friend Genesee Joe says his assistant met fans in the frigid air outside the then cramped backstage area doors and said "Stevie Ray says his fans shouldn't have to stay out in the cold. Come on in"<br/><br/>I remember thinking he might not be long for this world so when I heard he'd gotten clean, I was optimistic he'd be back because he told us how much he loved the theater and the fans.<br/><br/>Sadly, fate would intervene before he could make it back to Central New York. Stevie Ray lost his life after opting to catch a ride with some of Eric Clapton's crew in a helicopter that crashed after the two had played an amphitheater date in Wisconsin in 1990.<br/><br/>I have a lot of fond recollections about the Stanley - but think back to that day and night almost every time I am there.</p><p> </p><p><span><br/></span></p>
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