Here’s another Photo Elective shot by Tina Garceau taken in 1981. Her camera was aimed toward the South on Broad Street just a couple of doors from Anderson Hall which is now The Atlantic Building. She was probably in front of The Academy of Music.
At the time, the shot was no big deal — it was right outside of school. So what? Big deal! But now that some three decades have gone by, it’s an interesting little time capsule. Playing at what is now the Merriam Theater but was the Shubert Theatre at the time was the amazing song stylings of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. At the time, I would have scoffed at their act as being antiquated preferring the punk/new wave acts like the ones featured on the flyers pasted to the subway stop in this shot.
Steve and Eydie were in their prime at this time and they doubtlessly put on terrific shows whereas a lot of the punk and new wave bands were arguing over what came next on their set. If I knew then what I knew now, I would have gone, probably repeatedly, to see Steve and Eydie. Hearing, like youth, is wasted on the young.
Note the parking lot in the left hand corner. The concrete bunker known as the Wilma Theater now sits there. I think the city was better off with the parking lot.
