"Not that people don't have conspiracy theories now, but there was people who were making all kinds of stuff up there thinking, 'The album broke bigger than they thought, I think they're probably going to be playing in Philadelphia,'" said Tarkka. Vogler remembers hearing there was a threat from the IRA, while Tarkka remembers it being described as a bomb threat. "I can't use the words I want to use, but I was mad," said Vogler. "I was disappointed."Īt the time, rumours swirled about the reason for the cancellation. He recalls seeing a distraught concert promoter in the background. "Ten-thousand ticket sales just went out the door," said Taylor.Īnnapolis Valley resident Phil Vogler planned to drive to Halifax for the show, but heard the news before departing. Supertramp's 1979 tour was in support of their album, Breakfast in America, which was nominated for three Grammys. "I said, 'Gee, I just came from New Glasgow to work for the show,'" said Taylor, who later spent part of his career in the music business as a lighting designer and director. When he showed up at the arena to report for work, he was told the concert had been cancelled. Paul Taylor of New Glasgow, N.S., was supposed to work at the show as a roadie. Tarkka wasn't the only person disappointed. "We didn't have the internet in those days, so you would just speculate on, 'What's the show going to be like? Oh, I heard rumours that they play this, are they going to play that?'" he said. His dad had bought two tickets and Tarkka was going to attend the show with a friend. Too young to work, Tarkka had spent the summer looking forward to the show, counting down the days until it happened. Their Breakfast in America album had come out just months before and they toured across North America and Europe in support of it. Tracks from that album such as The Logical Song, Goodbye Stranger and Breakfast in America became classic rock staples. Supertramp performs in Winnipeg on July 9, 1979, three weeks before they were to play in Halifax.Īt the time, Supertramp was one of the hottest bands on the planet. The cancellation even managed to attract the attention of The New York Daily News. "This was just devastating," said Tarkka, who was 15 at the time. "You know, my heroes were supposed to be coming." The dial was tuned to Halifax station C100 and it was revealed that rock group Supertramp's sold-out show scheduled for that evening at Halifax Metro Centre was cancelled due to threats against the band. Rick Tarkka was at his home in Lawrencetown, N.S., on the morning of July 31, 1979, when he heard some crushing news on the radio. This is the lineup of the band that was supposed to play in Halifax on July 31, 1979. From left: John Helliwell, Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson, Bob Siebenberg and Dougie Thomson. This is a promotional portrait of the rock band Supertramp, circa 1981.
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