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A wave of people rushed the doors at the 109th Field Artillery Armory just as the rock band Blue Oyster Cult took the stage on Sept. 25, 1980.
				What happened next was a riot involving an estimated crowd of 500 to 1,500, mostly older teenagers into their 20s.
				Eight people were injured and 41 arrested, including the band&rsquo;s tour manager Steven L. Schenck.
				&ldquo;The riot was touched off about 8:30 p.m. when 10 unarmed security guards tried to stop a wave of angry fans who charged the east gate of the armory as the concert by the Blue Oyster Cult rock group was beginning,&rdquo; reported the Times Leader Sept. 26, 1980.
				Fire hoses from the Wilkes-Barre and Edwardsville fire departments eventually dispersed the unruly rioters.
				&ldquo;Kingston, Wilkes-Barre and Edwardsville police were called at 8:30 p.m. to assist the private security guards at the armory. Before the disturbance was brought under control there were scores of police at the scene, including 18 from the state police Wyoming Barracks and from five area communities,&rdquo; the newspaper reported.
				The armory held an estimated 6,000 fans but only 2,500 ticket buyers were let inside, angering other concert-goers who purchased tickets at $8.50 stranded outside.
				Security guards told the Times Leader a crowd began to loiter in the parking lot without making any attempts to purchase tickets at the door. At the same time, those who purchased tickets were not permitted inside.
				&ldquo;The first attempt at crashing the gate occurred between 8:15 and 8:30 p.m. after the crowd tore down a snow fence about 20 feet away from the east entrance of the armory facing Kirby Park,&rdquo; the Times Leader reported.
				Security guards were able to repulse the first wave just as two Wilkes-Barre police cruisers turned into the parking lot.
				&ldquo;It was when the crowd started coming over the fence the second time that all hell broke loose,&rdquo; the newspaper reported.
				Bricks and bottles were thrown and a WDAU Channel 22 newscar parked on Market Street was flipped onto its side.
				Multiple police officers used force to stop the rushing crowd with canines. Then tear gas.
				As the crowd continued to be unruly, Edwardsville and Wilkes-Barre fire departments were called to use their water hoses to disperse the rioters.
				With the large crowd, it became difficult to determine who were bystanders and who were involved in the melee.
				When rioters were hit with a large blast of water, they ran through a crowd of onlookers who were then targeted by the water noses.
				John Swim, Wilkes-Barre police chief in 1980, said water cannons were instrumental in dispersing the riot.
				&ldquo;The fire hoses saved the day. A lot of people left the area after the water was turned on. However, I had reports that about 50 people lingered on and there was still some rock and bottle throwing. Later, we did use some tear gas,&rdquo; Swim was quoted in the newspaper.
				As the riot escalated outside, Blue Oyster Cult played on.
				After the concert, those inside told the Times Leader they were unaware a melee was happening outside.
				Swim said the concert ended at 10:15 p.m. and the crowd inside the armory exited without trouble.
				Schenck, the band&rsquo;s tour manager, was cited with disorderly conduct when he charged at then Wilkes-Barre police Lt. Joseph Coyne, who later became city police chief, and the late city police officer John Tlucek.
				Coyne and Tlucek were informed by the armory&rsquo;s superintendent Schenck was acting unruly when he was asked to have the band play more songs as police outside were dispersing the crowd. When the officers waved to Schenck off a side-stage after the concert, he was accused of charging at the officers and smashing a bottle.
				Schenck pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to 30 days probation, the Times Leader reported April 16, 1981.
				There was no trouble when Ted Nugent played at the armory July 7, 1981, the first concert held at the facility since the riot.
				Five years after the riot, Blue Oyster Cult under their other name, Soft White Underbelly, returned to the area July 11, 1985, to play a concert at The Station Complex in Wilkes-Barre.

Look Back: Riot breaks out at 1980 rock concert