Is it the old JFK stadium in this video???

[sd496]

Supposedly the band Journey played a stadium concert in Philadelphia on the night of June 4, 1983 which was recorded on video by NFL Films. I have provided the URL to a video clip that was supposed to have been shot at that show and if you fast forward to the final 20 seconds of the clip there is an aerial shot panning around the stadium from overhead. The video is poor quality, grainy, and dark but good enough that you can make out the external features of the football stadium and it's outer facade including the area immediately surrounding the stadium and a city skyline in the background.

The June 4, 1983 concert was supposed to have taken place at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. I have seen photos of JFK Stadium and it had a very distinctive external facade with arches and it also did not appear to have a separate elevated upper seating deck as does the stadium shown in the video. So I am having trouble believing that the stadium shown in this video is JFK because it looks to me so much different from the pictures I have seen of JFK.

Can anyone confirm the name and location of the football stadium in this video? Was it JFK stadium in Philly or somewhere else?

Here's the video clip (fast forward to last 20 seconds):

Video

[Polar Cub]

That is NOT, I repeat, NOT JFK Stadium.
JFK was in a horseshoe shape, with arches. Also, you would have seen The Spectrum, and Veterans Stadium lined up, north of JFK.
From my photo, you will clearly see it's not JFK.

This photo is facing north -

[PhilaCap]

no that's citizen's bank park

[sd496]

no that's citizen's bank park

The video was shot in 1983, so it could not have been Citizens Bank Park because that stadium did not even open till April 2004.

I think NFL Films tried to pull a fast one when they produced the video.... they apparently didn't actually have any footage of the concert at JFK so they just spliced in some footage they shot at some OTHER stadium and pass it off as JFK in Philly as if nobody would notice. To prove my point... I have included the URL to another video clip from the same NFL Films production.... and you will see the opening shots show the same fictitious football stadium with the narrator claiming it to be in Philadelphia. The narrator is John Facenda, the legendary "voice" of NFL films. Who did they think they would fool?

Click here to see video claiming to be shot in Philly

[Bob_Head]

Who did they think they would fool?

I suspect they didn't think anyone would care. It's not like if they shot Harlan County USA on a Hollywood back lot, Roger and Me in the Hamptons or Titicut Follies at the Greenbrier (though I've been told Triumph of the Will is all CGI, and none of that really happened). They were probably thinking it was a concert video by a crappy band, and no one would take it seriously enough to care. Really.

BTW, the stadium in the aerial shot is the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

[loveisnoise]

This is a pretty interesting find. They filmed for 3 days in Philadelphia, as Journey played sold out shows at JFK. It is rather ridiculous that they used footage from another stadium.

I suspect they didn't think anyone would care. It's not like if they shot Harlan County USA on a Hollywood back lot, Roger and Me in the Hamptons or Titicut Follies at the Greenbrier (though I've been told Triumph of the Will is all CGI, and none of that really happened). They were probably thinking it was a concert video by a crappy band, and no one would take it seriously enough to care. Really.

BTW, the stadium in the aerial shot is the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

[sd496]

BTW, the stadium in the aerial shot is the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Thanks Bob Head for identifying the stadium as the Cotton Bowl. I was looking down the list of tour dates for the 1983 Journey Frontiers tour and the stadium in the video was clearly not any one of the venues on that tour so I was wondering where the heck it was. Now it is clear that they simply re-purposed aerial footage from the 1982 Escape tour, during which they played the Cotton Bowl on June 12, 1982. However the stage footage of the band playing "Send Her My Love" must have been shot during the 1983 Frontiers tour because that song was not even released until 1983 and so wouldn't have been on the set list for the 1982 Escape tour.

Loveisnoise, I agree it is a bit ridiculous they used footage showing the Cotton Bowl and voicing over it saying it was in "Philadelphia". The Frontiers tour was far more elaborate and utilized far more cameras (being shot by NFL Films) and I can't understand why they wouldn't have had real footage of the JFK stadium to edit into the production.

So.... NFL Films did some nifty splicing.... and yes someone did notice. Shame on you Steve Sabol.

[Beer is good]

Stones at JFK

Stones in Philly, 1981 - YouTube

I was right in the middle on the field, if you look real close you can see me.

[PGG]

the last concert ever held at JFK

[Polar Cub]

the last concert ever held at JFK

"Knockin on heavens door" was the final song played in that stadium before demolition.

[Eastcoast]

Live Aid baby!

It was like 400 degrees on the field at JFK.

Rob Halford, of Judas Priest was dressed in head to toe leather, I like to think that he burned that outfit after the show. Once it dried out.