Syndrome
During 1970 and 1971, The Coliseum occasionally saw duty as "The Syndrome", a general-admission venue for rock music concerts. Dick Gasson of 22nd Century Productions opened the Syndrome when his plans to reopen the Kinetic Playground did not materialize. The inaugural concert was staged on Friday, October 16, 1970, featuring Humble Pie, Brethren, Chase, and the headline act, Grand Funk Railroad. Other bands that played The Syndrome included The Grateful Dead, Steppenwolf, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Traffic, Ten Years After, Fleetwood Mac, Mountain, Alice Cooper, Siegel-Schwall Band, Mott The Hoople, and Savoy Brown.
On March 8, 1971, riots erupted at both The Chicago Coliseum and Chicago Amphitheater amongst fans attempting to watch a live, closed-circuit television broadcast of the Muhammad Ali – Joe Frazier fight being staged at Madison Square Garden in New York. When Coliseum projection equipment broke down, management asked an audience of 7,000 to leave just before the fight began. A group of youths, angered by the announcement began tearing up ticket counters near the door and throwing them through the front windows. Others, who had paid $10 a head to see the fight, began hurtling chairs and bottles from the balcony onto the main floor. An estimated 80 police were rushed to the Coliseum to restore order.
As a result of the damage, all scheduled concerts were cancelled with the exception of March 12, 1971, featuring James Taylor and Carole King.
On March 13, 1971, the city shut the building due to fire code violations, and it fell into disuse until it was finally demolished in 1982. Part of the Libby facade was given to the Chicago History Museum. The site is now occupied by the Soka Gakkai USA Culture Center. Coliseum Park, located across Wabash Avenue on the site of the former Haven School at 14th Place and Wabash Avenue, commemorates this historic structure.
1970
October 16, 1970 Grand Funk Railroad, Humble Pie, Brethren, Chase November 6, 1970 Traffic, Siegel-Schwall Band, Mott The Hoople, Conquerer Worm November 13, 1970 Small Faces with Rod Stewart, Elvin Bishop, Haystack Balboa, Soup November 20, 1970 Ten Years After, Mylon, Skid Row, Quatermass November 27, 1970 Alice Cooper, Stooges (cancelled) November 27, 1970 Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage December 12, 1970 Mountain, Mylon, May Blitz
1971
January 23, 1971 Free, Siegel-Schwall Band, Hammer February 19, 1971 Rod Stewart & The Small Faces (cancelled), Savoy Brown, Grease Band February 20, 1971 Mountain, Fleetwood Mac, Ned March 5, 1971 Steppenwolf March 12, 1971 James Taylor & Carole King, Jo Mama March 13, 1971 Syndrome is closed March 19, 1971 Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage (cancelled) March 20, 1971 Black Sabbath, J. Geils Band, Dreams (cancelled) March 26, 1971 Johnny Winter, Allman Brothers (cancelled) April 2, 1971 Jethro Tull, Brethren, McKendree Spring (cancelled – moved to Opera House) April 9, 1971 James Gang, Spencer Davis & Peter Jameson (cancelled – moved to Opera House 4/10/71) April 23, 1971 Moody Blues, Trapeze (cancelled) May 1-2, 1971 Grand Funk Railroad (cancelled – moved to International Amphitheater) May 28, 1971 Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention (cancelled – moved to Auditorium)