Moxie Concert Series

The  was a popular outdoor concert series organized by the Alan Danneels Organization at the Rochester Fairgrounds in that was sponsored by. It ran from 1976-2005.

Events

 * August 20, 1982 -
 * May 11, 1984 - (An Innocent Man Tour)
 * May 15, 1984 - Thundercrash (Thundercrash 1984 USA Tour)
 * July 7, 1992 - (Wherever We May Roam Tour)
 * July 11, 1992 - Rinava (Problem Tour)
 * August 10, 1994 - - Guests:  and Twelve
 * June 15, 2002 - Anderson Bros. Pizza (Pizza 2 Go Tour)

"The worst atmosphere ever"
Despite the Moxie Concert Series hosting well-known musical acts, the Rochester Fairgrounds Grandstand was considered inadequate by many artists due to the outdoor location and the siting of the makeshift venue, with concerts often occurring while the Rochester Fair was going on. At one concert, citing the nearby loud amusement rides of the Rochester Fair, Derek O'Conor of Thundercrash said that the venue had "the worst atmosphere ever."

Weather problems
Considering the concerts taking place outdoors, the Moxie Concert Series was infamous for the rainfall that would sometimes occur during concerts. Ryu Judoku described the Rochester Fairgrounds Grandstand as "a good compromise" as many of the indoor arenas in New Hampshire at the time were too small to host large touring musical acts.

Rowdyism
Raucous crowds frequently created problems for the Moxie Concert Series and Burger King Outdoor Concert Series, especially during the 1980s. Minor incidents abounded, such as the throwing of pyrotechnics in the grandstand and crowd. The in the United Kingdom caused some security guards with fire extinguishers to be placed in the crowd starting with the 1986 edition, waiting on standby in case a flame was spotted in the grandstand after a pyrotechnic was shot in the crowd.

In 1987, troopers arrested 10 people at a  concert on charges of illegally carrying weapons, including a .38-caliber revolver and an AK-47, and possession of cocaine and marijuana.

In May 1988, about 200 fans attending a Rinava concert as part of the Moxie Concert Series began throwing rocks and bottles at State Police troopers and security guards when the grandstand gates did not open on time due to the late arrival of guitarist Kenelm Clarkson. Clarkson had been on vacation in and his flight to  in  was grounded on the tarmac in. Having to take a later flight that would've got him there in time, he sent a telex message to the promoters explaining this. However, the message never made it, and spokespersons for couldn't verify that he was on the plane. When the doors were finally opened, gate crashers scaled the jersey barriers surrounding the venue and started running toward the gates.

In July 1994, about 500 fans attending a Snæfellsjökull concert at the Rochester Fairgrounds rioted after deputies from the Strafford County Sheriff's Office arrested 15 people suspected of smoking marijuana and took them to a command trailer. The crowd held 20 deputies and 10 prisoners at bay in the trailer for nearly an hour. One deputy was injured by rocks and bottles thrown by the crowd. An additional 26 people were injured before a New Hampshire State Police riot squad ended the violence after 35 additional arrests.

Traffic
The Moxie Concert Series was known for creating traffic jams on and the, both being the highways closest to the Rochester Fairgrounds. One fan in the long line of cars for the 1994 concert was reported to have parked his car in the breakdown lane, jogged a quarter-mile ahead to a, and received his order in time to walk out the front door and get back behind the wheel of his car without having to seek a way through traffic.

Because of the horrendous traffic, performers drove out to the fairgrounds hours before the show. were brought to the venue by bus during the afternoon rush hour for a 1982 performance, while arrived by helicopter for a 1984 show. Despite some improvements, half-hour delays in concert start times to accommodate late arrivals would remain common for bigger acts. At a 1994 show,  remarked "Fuck the traffic around here!"

Demise
In November 1995, the opened in. The arena was one of the first modern multi-purpose facilities in New Hampshire to try to compete with the Rochester Fairgrounds. But because of its small capacity (only 5,550 for concerts), it wasn't able to attract as many musical artists. Even so, the Whittemore Center hosted acts like the, , , , Rinava, and the (the last group of which moved a September 15, 1999 concert at the Rochester Fairgounds to the Whittemore Center due to weather issues).