This day in history: Fearing repeat of rock fest riot, Spokane County leader reject concerts from ZZ Top and others. 3 survived fiery crash

Fearing repeat of a rock-fest riot, Spokane County leaders rejected concerts from ZZ Top and other bands at the Spokane Indians ballpark, turning the decision into a major flashpoint in local entertainment planning. The account looks back to 1976, when county commissioners said “no way” to a request for three rock concerts, citing backlash after the Nor’wester ’76 rock festival across the state line. One commissioner predicted that rock fans could “burn that thing down” as easily as an earlier incident in Idaho. Spokane Indians president and general manager William Cutler reacted angrily, saying he would “see a lawyer” and arguing the financially strapped team needed revenue and had already secured dates from ZZ Top and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Commissioners added that a 1975 ballpark event had been essentially a “beer bust,” and neighbors protested noise, warning that cutting music early would have led to trouble. The same “this day in history” item also recounts a 1926 near Parkwater crash where pilot Nick Mamer and two passengers survived a fiery wreck after a new plane caught high-tension wires.