Question about 1978 Northeast Ice Storm

Message

traininvain · #1 Post by **traininvain** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:20 pm

I'm not sure if my fellow Northeasterners remember or not...

I was looking into the Ice Storm of '78, a few websites say that it occured over January 13-14 (Friday-Saturday), I seem to remember it starting raining sometime in the afternoon and then sometime before midnight started to turn to freezing rain and sleet. I was at a concert that night, but looking into it I can only find one site that mentions the concert. The Rush official site says that the concert (they opened for BOC) was on the 12th, which was a Thursday. I'm a little surprised that my parents would let me go to a concert on a school night when I was only 16.

Just wondering if anyone remembers how and when the storm developed.

T_Bone0806 · #2 Post by **T_Bone0806** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:36 pm

Let's see. I was in college then, in Western New York, south of Rochester.

Don't remember.

I..uhhh...don't remember a lot from those daze..er...days.

Kazoo65 · #3 Post by **Kazoo65** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:28 pm

We didn't get an ice storm in 1978-we had a blizzard. It started on January 26th (my dad's birthday). We were going out for dinner, but it was snowing so hard we couldn't see the road-so we stayed home.

We wound up with 26 inches of the stuff. The whole city was basically shut down for an entire week. School was closed, many businesses were also closed, the mail didn't come, and the only vehicles on the road were the snow plows and salt trucks.

The snow went over our roof-we've got photos of Dad shoveling the snow off the roof-while he
is standing on it!

I never want to see another storm like that-it's hard to believe it's almost 30 years.

wintergreen48 · #4 Post by **wintergreen48** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:40 pm

Wow, this is weird. I just received the alumni magazine from the university where I attended law school, and they have a '30 years ago' photo in the back, showing a student standing on her car which is buried in the snow from that '78 storm. I had never heard of that storm before (it came the winter after I graduated from law school, and I had already moved away), and now hear about, for the first time, thirty years after the fact, twice in the same day. Alas, the caption just mentions that it was in January 1978, so I can't give you more information than you already have.

But this is one weird coincidence. Twice. In one day.

Bob Juch · #5 Post by **Bob Juch** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:45 pm

When you need to know something, Google!

I'm not sure which one you want.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blizzard_of_'78

mrkelley23 · #6 Post by **mrkelley23** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:09 pm

Helps, though, if you google what the questioner was actually asking about...

Not blizzard, of which there were plenty that winter, but ice storm:

http://www.northshorewx.com/19780113.asp

mrkelley23 · #7 Post by **mrkelley23** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:18 pm

I found one site which lists several of the tour dates for "Drive 'Til You Die":

http://geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Amphit ... ktour.html

Where exactly did you see them? This one says they were in New HAven CT on the 14th, and in Chicago on the 8th, but doesn't list any dates in between.

mrkelley23 · #8 Post by **mrkelley23** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:35 pm

According to BOC's website, they played the Nassau Coliseum both the 12th AND 13th:

http://www.blueoystercult.com/Road-main.html

Bob Juch · #9 Post by **Bob Juch** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:42 pm

mrkelley23 wrote:According to BOC's website, they played the Nassau Coliseum both the 12th AND 13th:

http://www.blueoystercult.com/Road-main.html

I live a mile north. Wish I had been here then.

traininvain · #10 Post by **traininvain** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:27 pm

mrkelley23 wrote:According to BOC's website, they played the Nassau Coliseum both the 12th AND 13th:

http://www.blueoystercult.com/Road-main.html

Thanks, I had looked at BOC's website, but I guess I wasn't looking in the correct area. I think that it was on the 13th at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Rush's website must be missing the date. I am positive that Rush opened for them, mainly because I had never heard of them until that night.

It was one Hell of a night, besides a great show by BOC, which included an amazing laser show, the guys in the row ahead of us decided that it would a great idea to burn strips of magnesium (where's your eye protection?!). No one at the show had any idea what was going on in the real world, so when the concert let out we were all greeted to an icy, slushy mess outside and no power throughout much of Long Island. I remember a guy came back into the Coliseum and was miffed that his joint was soaking wet and he couldn't get it lit. About 2 cars and 2 hours later we made it home, half the electricity was out in my house, and the half that was out lit the oil burner.

Less than a week after the ice storm there was a snow storm, and then about 3-weeks later there was a blizzard...global warming doesn't sound so bad.

mrkelley23 · #11 Post by **mrkelley23** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:38 pm

I didn't go see them, although that was my senior year in high school, and I considered myself a big Rush fan (Standard Friday night line: "And now, ladies and gentlemen, The Professor on the drum kit.") All of the shows I saw listed would've been at least 2.5 hours away, so it would've been hard for me.

I do remember that it was about this time that some acts started to blur the line between "opening act" and "Main act." BOC toured with Black Sabbath, and they were co-headliners. I think Alice toured with Ozzy, too. So maybe Rush and BOC were considered co-headliners. They were both very popular already, at least to us in the hinterlands. "Fly By Night" and "Working Man" were as much a part of our weekends as Kessler's ($5.00 a fifth) and Salem's menthols were. I blanch at the mere thought.

I don't doubt that Rush played first that night, but I doubt if it was a traditional opening act type deal.

traininvain · #12 Post by **traininvain** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:57 pm

mrkelley23 wrote:I didn't go see them, although that was my senior year in high school, and I considered myself a big Rush fan (Standard Friday night line: "And now, ladies and gentlemen, The Professor on the drum kit.") All of the shows I saw listed would've been at least 2.5 hours away, so it would've been hard for me.

I do remember that it was about this time that some acts started to blur the line between "opening act" and "Main act." BOC toured with Black Sabbath, and they were co-headliners. I think Alice toured with Ozzy, too. So maybe Rush and BOC were considered co-headliners. They were both very popular already, at least to us in the hinterlands. "Fly By Night" and "Working Man" were as much a part of our weekends as Kessler's ($5.00 a fifth) and Salem's menthols were. I blanch at the mere thought.

I don't doubt that Rush played first that night, but I doubt if it was a traditional opening act type deal.

That was my junior year, if you haven't already seen it, you (and this means everyone) should check out the DVD of the TV show Freaks and Geeks. Although it takes place a couple of years later (80-81), it really hits the nail on the head as far as high school back then, much in the same way that The Wonder Years did for the late 60's, early 70's. And one of the main characters is a BIG Neal Peart fan.

mrkelley23 · #13 Post by **mrkelley23** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:22 pm

Spousal unit thoroughly approves of your avatar and sig, BTW.

ToLiveIsToFly · #14 Post by **ToLiveIsToFly** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 1:05 am

I realize you're asking about the ice storm, but I want to reminisce about the blizzard.

I was in NJ and I actually remember 2 blizzards. There was a one in January that shut everything down for a week. I was 9 and missing a whole week of school was awesome. Then there was another one a few weeks later. I think there was even more snow during the second one, but maybe it was more expected or maybe the first one had gotten everyone better at the "holy crap blizzard" routine, but we dug out of the second one much more quickly. I think we only missed a couple days of school.

Here's a picture of our house with the 2nd blizzard snow:

Judging by the silhouettes in the window, it must have been February.

#15 Post by **littlebeast13** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:57 am

traininvain wrote:
mrkelley23 wrote:According to BOC's website, they played the Nassau Coliseum both the 12th AND 13th:

http://www.blueoystercult.com/Road-main.html
Thanks, I had looked at BOC's website, but I guess I wasn't looking in the correct area. I think that it was on the 13th at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

How can someone not remember something that happened on a Friday the 13th!?!?!?

OK, maybe only I can wonder about that....

lb13

mrkelley23 · #16 Post by **mrkelley23** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 7:46 am

ToLiveIsToFly wrote:I realize you're asking about the ice storm, but I want to reminisce about the blizzard.

snip

Judging by the silhouettes in the window, it must have been February.

And if that doesn't define people of a certain age, I don't know what does. Along with parachutes in gym class, silhouettes in February seems to be a shared memory among much of my generation, no matter where they grew up.

Funny

Jeemie · #17 Post by **Jeemie** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 8:33 am

mrkelley23 wrote:
ToLiveIsToFly wrote:I realize you're asking about the ice storm, but I want to reminisce about the blizzard.

snip

Judging by the silhouettes in the window, it must have been February.
And if that doesn't define people of a certain age, I don't know what does. Along with parachutes in gym class, silhouettes in February seems to be a shared memory among much of my generation, no matter where they grew up.

Funny

OMG- I was thinking the same thing.

We're probably the last generation to actually remember celebrating Washington's Birthday and Lincoln's Birthday separately on their actual days.

Bob Juch · #18 Post by **Bob Juch** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 12:39 pm

littlebeast13 wrote:
traininvain wrote:
mrkelley23 wrote:According to BOC's website, they played the Nassau Coliseum both the 12th AND 13th:

http://www.blueoystercult.com/Road-main.html
Thanks, I had looked at BOC's website, but I guess I wasn't looking in the correct area. I think that it was on the 13th at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

How can someone not remember something that happened on a Friday the 13th!?!?!?

OK, maybe only I can wonder about that....

lb13

Well there's one Friday the 13th I won't forget, but I have the video.