Kuar: Museum Explores Barton Coliseum’s Rock & Roll Past

Michael Hibblen with our content partner, KUAR-FM 89 News, reports on a new museum that will open at this year’s Arkansas State Fair. The museum will focus on Little Rock’s Barton Coliseum, which was the main arena for concerts and performances in its heyday.

From Hibblen’s report:

For decades, Little Rock’s Barton Coliseum was THE place for big name concerts in the area.

In time for this year’s Arkansas State Fair, a small museum is being opened in the coliseum looking at many of the legendary performances that were put on there.

The museum features photos, concert posters, ticket stubs, records and contracts for 31 artists, including Elvis Pressley and many other rock legends.

Many bands, like Rush, Styx and others from 1970s and ‘80s played repeatedly at Barton Coliseum during each tour.

Part of the museum focuses on Lynyrd Skynyrd, which was scheduled to play there in October 1977, but two days before the show a plane crash killed several members of the band.

The display features a contract for the show, with a notation added that it had to be cancelled because of the crash.

Today Barton Coliseum no longer hosts concerts, with most large shows in Little Rock held at the more modern Verizon Arena.  Barton is mostly used for rodeos and other type events.

You can listen to his full report at this link. For those old enough to remember, it is a definite stroll down memory lane.