For 50 years, Upper Darby’s Tower Theater has been a premier concert hall.
As concert halls go, this former movie theater only seats 3,500, but it’s hosted a legend of performers.
The Rollings Stones, U2, Radiohead, Bob Marley, Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson, The Smiths, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Oasis, Steely Dan, Eddie Murphy and so many more.
David Bowie and Paul Simon both recorded live shows here, thanks to the Tower’s reputation for great acoustics.
It opened in 1928, owned by John H. McClatchy who created the Philadelphia region’s first suburban commercial hub, 69th Street, as he transformed existing farmland.
By the time McClatchy died in 1960, he had developed $1 billion in real estate.
The theater had an organ and elegant marble stairs. It screened films, vaudeville acts, and stage shows.
But it suffered in the postwar era and was in deep financial trouble until it was saved by rock promoter Rick Green and his company, Midnight Sun Concerts.
He branded it as a concert hall. Dave Mason was the first to perform there, with Buzzy Linhart as his opener.
Mason was backed up by a trio of unknown singers known as the Pointer Sisters, who had yet to cut their first album.
Read more about the Tower Theater’s conversion at Billy Penn.
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on DELCO Today in June 2023.
