St. John's Hollow
Tiffin, Ohio
1978 - 1980

Article & All Photos By Stephen J. Hartzell

The original t-shirt design, 1978

St. John's Hollow opened in 1978 on land owned by Albert J. Allman near St. John's Bridge, just across the river from the former site of the mid 1800's mill of Henry St. John on County Road 6 that gave the area it's name. At the time I lived about 1 country block from the site.

The concert area was constructed on a hillside on a 30 degree grade, and provided a natural amphitheater effect with dynamic acoustics. The first concert at the site was a Bluegrass Festival held in the parking lot on June 18, 1978, which was attended by about 250 people.

The first real test of the site came on August 5, 1978, with Pablo Cruise & Journey scheduled to appear. At that time, on the strength of the highly successfull "Infinity" album, Journey was one of the top concert bands in the country. Many of the residents were very concerned about this event, as the still fresh memory of the ill fated Boogie Hill concerts, east of Tiffin, had left a bad taste in their mouths. A  Fleetwood Mac show scheduled for the same day in Cleveland was canceled, so the attendance at the St. John's Hollow show ballooned to an estimated crowd of over 50,000 people.

Even with the huge crowd, the event went off smoothly. It proved to be a very well organized event with plenty of parking.

The site was in use for several more years before it was finally abandoned.

The success of St. Johns Hollow echoed similar successes across the country. Concert attendance was at it's peak in the late '70's, and promoters generally found that they could schedule a big show on any day of the week. Fans were obsessed with their music, and concert promoters were ready and eager to feed that obsession.

The Journey/Pablo Cruise show was definitely St. John's Hollow's shining moment. Organizers were able to prove every doubter wrong, including nearby neighbors and law enforcement. This show really put St. John's Hollow on the map in the eyes of concert-goers throughout a large area. All in attendance, including the writer, witnessed an outstanding, very memorable show that day.

The pictures below offer a stark comparison between the site as it appeared in 1979 and as it appeared in August of 2008. It was with great difficulty that I navigated the thick, thorny undergrowth and trees to take the 2008 photos.

As I navigated the site, many great memories of a younger, more carefree day came flooding back. Like the memories themselves, the site revealed only remnants of what once was at this place. Nevertheless, I was happy to revisit this old friend after the passage of so many years. I could almost hear Steve Perry's remarkable voice echoe across the hill...


Here I stand so patiently
For your lights to shine on me
For your song inside of me
This we bring to you

In the shadow of love
Time goes by leaving me helpless
Just to reach and try
To live my life
These are my reasons, so
Here we stand so patiently
For your song inside of me
For your lights to shine on me
This we bring to you

("Patiently",  from the album "Infinity" by Journey, 1978)


Some ticket stubs from St. John's Hollow shows


An original concert poster, 1978


A view of the crowd on the hill at the Beach Boys show, July 8, 1979


The same view in 2008, 29 years later


A view of the St. John's Hollow stage at the Beach Boys show, July 8, 1979.
This stage consisted of a concrete slab, with wooden platforms to each side to hold the speaker cabinets. The roof consisted of a structural aluminum framework with a tarp cover, which was suspended overtop of the stage by cables. After each event the roof was lowered and stored on the concrete slab intact.


The Beach Boys at St. John's Hollow, July 8, 1979



The legendary Brian Wilson on piano at St. John's Hollow, July 8, 1979


August, 2008, the roof framework lies silently upon the stage where it was lowered for the last time a generation ago.


A view out of the front of the stage. The hill, from which 50,000 fans roared their approval in 1978, is now completely hidden from this view by the trees.


The corner of the stage left speaker platform.


A privacy fence surrounded the concert area to discourage free onlookers. This is a section of that fence as it appeared in 2008.


The entrance to St. John's Hollow off of county road 6 in 2008. The path to the left leads to the concert amphitheater. The cornfield straight ahead was large enough to park the cars of over 50,000 fans, and was the site of the small bluegrass show of 1978.


Friends share a laugh & some great music at St. John's Hollow, July 8, 1979.
This was the golden age of Rock's most creative era. It was a time when a generation of young people shared an unprecidented love affair with their music.


WANTED
I am looking for vintage photos & video clips of Tiffin concert venues & bands of the '60's & '70's including Boogie Hill, St. John's Hollow, St. Francis and the Club 224. If you know of any such photos, please contact me.