{"id":4283,"date":"2012-10-05T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-05T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/help-with-title\/"},"modified":"2012-10-05T07:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-10-05T07:00:00","slug":"help-with-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/help-with-title","title":{"rendered":"Live At the Arena: Top 5 Albums Recorded At the Historic Venue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"arena\"<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the Long Beach Arena celebrated its 50th anniversary<\/a>. The 13,500 capacity venue first opened its doors in 1962 and has through the years solidified its place as an iconic regional venue for all types of events. <\/p>\n

Beyond hosting sports\u2014in addition to the short-lived Ice Dogs hockey team, it was also home to the 1984 Olympic Volleyball competition\u2014and its well-known 1992 ocean mural by artist Wyland which wraps around its outer facade, the Arena is home to a rich musical history which boasts an array of some of the most well-respected and known live albums of all time.<\/p>\n

In honor of that legacy, the Long Beach Post <\/em>has put together a list of the top five (okay, it’s technically six) live albums that were recorded at the Long Beach Arena. We know, of course, the list is arguable. After all, Eric Clapton’s 1974 Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies<\/em> doesn’t make the cut nor does Avenged Sevenfold’s 2008 recording Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough<\/em>. And okay, Electric Light Orchestra’s epic 1974 The Night the Light Went On (in Long Beach)<\/em> is also not on there. <\/p>\n

But the albums below stand out above the rest, either for catching some of the best bands in the world at their prime or just representing the recording’s Long Beach roots. The multitude of live albums and DVDs that have been recorded at the Arena over the years only prove the venue’s truly incredible musical history and show Long Beach’s importance in cultivating a Southern California music scene whose heart beats at the Arena.<\/p>\n

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5. Deep Purple, Turn Around \/ King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in Concert<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Deep Purple recorded not just one but two live albums at the Arena. Turn Around<\/em> was recorded during their July, 1971 appearance while King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in Concert<\/em> was recorded on February 27, 1976. The latter\u2014which also included a handful of tracks recorded in Springfield, Illinois earlier that year\u2014was later re-released in 2009 with an altered title paying homage to its recording locale: Live at Long Beach 1976<\/em>.<\/p>\n