Fats Domino, Concert Posters, and Kennewick History

Jul 19, 2010 Kennewick Life

Oh, I wish I knew more about Kennewick’s history. Here’s why:

I was in Cleveland for a few days last month. That’s where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is (one of my favorite places ever). As I was arriving in Cleveland and walking through the airport to get my suitcase, there was a display of rock concert posters on the wall. And this one caught my eye:

(click for larger version)

That’s a reproduction on the airport wall. I know that because, when I visited the Rock Hall a few days into my visit, I saw the original inside. And yes, it was very cool to see “Kennewick” mentioned by name in such an important place for music history. The poster dates back to 1959. According to this web site, he played down in Klamath Falls the night before, and in Portland two nights before the Kennewick show. But this web site has a concert poster showing that he performed in Vancouver, BC, the night before the Kennewick concert.

All of this really tickled my curiosity. I never knew that the legendary Fats Domino performed in Kennewick, and I never heard of a place called the Tri-City Center. I’ve been doing some searching online, and there’s nothing about the Tri-City Center to be found anywhere.

The only other thing I found online about this poster/concert is this web site where, even though they list the year incorrectly as 1955, you can buy a print of the poster for only $5. (I’ve never heard of that web site and have no idea how trustworthy it is; this is not an endorsement/recommendation.)

UPDATE: Joe from VintageConcertPosters.com sent us this link to another Fats Domino poster, which shows that he played the same Tri-City Center venue on June 29, 1962. Thx Joe.

Do you know anything about the Tri-City Center? Do you know someone who was around back then and who would know? I’d love to hear about this place — where was it? What is it now? Comments are open.

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