WKRP in Cincinnati (TV Series) In Concert (1980) User Reviews

Tragic event, sensitively handled

[david-lewis-63-700732 · 8/10 · 25 July 2014]

I must strongly disagree with the other reviewers. On the contrary, I think this is one of the BEST episodes WKRP did. Here, WKRP chose, for one episode, to step out of its comfort zone to deal, very sensitively, with a real-life tragedy.

Should they have left the whole thing alone? I don't see how that's possible. Considering this tragedy occurred in the city where the show is set, I don't see how they could have NOT dealt with it.

The structure of the episode is designed to contrast the excitement before the concert with the stunned soul-searching afterwards. If the transition from one to the other is a little abrupt, well, this is only a half-hour show, after all. I don't think there was meant to be any real dramatic tension in the episode-just an examination of how different people respond to a terrible event.

I agree that "lost their lives" was a sensitive, appropriate euphemism for "died". No problem there.

One reviewer states that his "foggy memory" of the episode is not the issue. I would (very respectfully) beg to differ. At one point, he says the episode does not mention that the victims were killed in a crowd stampede. I submit, from when the staff is filling Mr. Carlson in on what happened: ANDY: There was some reserved seating... VENUS: ...but mostly general admission-what they call, "festival seating". JOHNNY: It was you'd call your basic STAMPEDE (my emphasis).

The episode makes no bones about holding the policy of general admission, or festival seating, at fault for the incident. It ends on a hopeful note, with the dialogue between Carlson and Venus about making sure nothing like that ever happens again, Carlson mentioning that there has been talk about setting up a commission to look into what happened. CARLSON: But it's not just talk, Venus. This town's gonna do it. Oh, this is a good town, Venus. We're responsible people here. This leads into the voice over/on screen epilogue explaining what happened in the wake of the tragedy.

In all, I think this episode, a departure from WKRP's norm, was well-written and acted-one of WKRP's prouder moments.

Great Episode

[ravfree8 · 10/10 · 5 December 2014]

The "Lost Their Lives" guy needs to take a chill pill. It's a phrase commonly used in these circumstances. It was a great episode and handled as well as could be expected given that they had 22 minutes.

The actual tragedy took place due to festival seating. In essence they opened the door and people simply flooded in and grabbed the best seat possible. How anyone EVER though this was a good idea is beyond me. This episode did an excellent job of bringing this issue to light and highlighting that Cincinnati banned festival seating within 4 weeks of this tragedy occurring.

WKRP writers did an excellent job covering a very difficult circumstance.

A Necessary Change of Pace

[shanphil · 8/10 · 20 August 2019]

The tragic Who concert took place 3 months before this episode aired. It was a huge event in Cincinnati, where the show takes place. They would've been tone deaf to not address it. The episode lacked laughs, but it was tender and compassionate. The exact tone they needed to hit.

Maybe out of character for this show, but real

[calnrg · 9/10 · 31 January 2019]

I worked in radio during the time frame of WKRP, but in Seattle. We promoted concerts and events and tried to build a community. I can very much imagine how KZAM staff would have responded if there was a tragedy like that was depicted in this episode.

It would have devastated us just as it affected the WKRP staff. This was a brave step outside of the absurd comedy that WKRP represented but it showed the writers and cast have a soul. Almost 40 years later, this is a proud accomplishment.

It Was Difficult...

[drew-96229 · 10/10 · 1 October 2019]

I was 15 years old when this happen. I remember it well. I was 500 miles away in New York in high school. We were all partiers and it felt like we had lost friends that day. The whole high school was bumm'in. It was a very sad day. We were all big fans of WRKP and we were so glad they made this episode. Hats off to Hugh Wilson and the entire crew of WKRP. Well done!

They couldn't ignore it.

[pjc93 · 10/10 · 6 November 2021]

The tragedy struck everyone, but especially young people who went to a lot of concerts at the time. If you weren't born yet, in 1979, you don't understand the gravity of the situation.

The way venues opened back then was dangerous, and we knew that it could have been any of is in that crowd. The show covered it and helped get the rules/laws changed. WKRP was a rock-n-roll station and had promoted the show, giving away tickets. All you people who are upset that it covered a serious topic need to get over your selves. Today, November 6, 2021, we have another stampede in the news. This time inside the venue, and it was festival style, people standing on the floor. People who got excited and started pushing forward. I am sure that a TV show will probably do a ripped-from-the-headlines episode about this incident and the deaths and injuries that occurred last night in Texas.

Even in sit-coms, life is not always funny. "WKRP in Cincinnati" handled it in the way that brought the message to the world how crowd control needed to be changed. Yes, it was not a funny episode. It was not supposed to be funny. People died.

If you want to watch the funniest episode of the whole series, you need to watch the Thanksgiving show. "I swear to God, I thought turkeys could fly." If you don't recognize that quote then you haven't seen that episode.

Not the best episode

[busta_cap · 6/10 · 28 November 2008]

But not as bad as some have made it out to be. The episode can be easily found in three chunks on youtube (just search for "WKRP In Concert").

First of all, though, Johnny wasn't promoting a concert by The Pretenders, he had just finished playing a song by them prior to taking calls for the Who concert ticket giveaway.

Second of all, I think (as the type of comedy show WKRP was and at the time it was on the air) that they did what they could to help draw attention to the long-standing problem with festival seating that this incident threw into sharp relief.

Third, I think "lost their lives" is perfectly appropriate, considering the time period. And in the closing text summation to the incident and Cincinnati's response, the producers use the words "On December 3, 1979, eleven people died outside Riverfront Colosseum". The point is made perfectly clearly what happened.

Yes the episode was kind of cheesy and awkward, but it was a cheesy and awkward era, and they were handling a tragic issue. It was not a great WKRP episode, but it was an important one, I think.

Not very good

[kep315 · 26 October 2008]

I saw this "famous" episode again today on WGN, and was disappointed that it didn't live up to what little I remembered about it (not having seen it since it first aired).

The first part of the show is all right -- Johnny tries to get someone to go with him to the concert and is rejected, by Jennifer, then Bailey, and finally Les; Mr. Carlson wears an herbal mask to get rid of a cold -- if a little forced in the humor department.

The second half begins abruptly, after the concert deaths occur (and yes, I believe they DO mention that the kids were stampeded to death, despite what the other poster says), with no component really tying the sudden tragedy to what came before.

Dramatically flat (the only slight question being whether Mr. Carlson will change the station's format because what happened), the rest of the episode is filled with maudlin dialogue and sentiment, as if not sure about how to present tragedy in the middle of a sitcom.

There's also some sloppy and/or confusing writing. For instance, in the episode's beginning, Johnny is promoting a show by The Pretenders. This is rather incongruous, as it is The Who who play the tragic concert (with all the staff in attendance, not knowing what has happened).

Like the other poster I agree it's not a very good episode. But, unlike him, I don't nitpick by judging it by a single phrase, that the fans, "lost their lives." Over all, it lacks the fun tone of other episodes, and the whole subject should've probably been avoided in the first place.

WKRP = hilarity, this is reality, reality that is not hilarity = "no" to this

[RavenGlamDVDCollector · 5/10 · 2 May 2019]

Aag no, man! You tune in for a laugh, this is the funniest wackiest crew ever assembled, but halfway through, you get walloped by a dose of reality like you're watching the news, man.

Okay, community awareness and all that. Applaud, applaud, applaud. But here, no laughs. Look, everything has a place. But in its proper place. Here, it is just NOT A GOOD EPISODE, one you'd rather skip... unless you wanna wallow in past misfortune.

Escapism, that's what good entertainment is.

I wouldn't call it a waste of talent though. As usual, they were all great. I especially liked the scenes with Bailey.

So what am I bickering about...? Should just have stayed on the right track all the way, would have been ten times better even!

This Is Just Not A Good Episode For Its Intentions

[richard.fuller1 · 4/10 · 6 December 2007]

This episode of WKRP dealt with an actual incident that occurred about this time, in which fans at a Who concert in Cincinnati were trampled when they rushed to enter the theatre, auditorium, whatever.

I believe approximately 11 youths were killed, don't recall number of injuries.

Truly tragic bit was the concert went on and no one inside knew about what had taken place. I think that was how it went down, but my foggy memory is beside the point.

Long live rock and roll and all.

Apparently WKRP (in the episode) promoted the concert and Mr. Carlson, not a rock and roll fan, went and rather enjoyed it. He was in the dark the next day as to what happened.

Now what made this episode so bogus is all I remember of it really.

Andy and whoever else, sitting around looking said, saying the fans 'lost their lives'.

They never said how they died, that they were stampeded to death by crazed behavior at a rock concert.

They never even said they were killed.

They 'lost their lives' like they had misplaced them or something.

"Have you seen my life? Now what did I do with it? You lost yours too?" And why was this done, you may ask? Because to offer up any other kind of explanation would lead to the slightest hint of the band or the concert being responsible, which would be unfair, but to allow such hooliganism at events like this is irresponsible, and on who's part? In essence, trying to decide who is responsible is fruitless. You simply end up with a lot of 'not me, not me, not me'.

So the show took the cowardly way out and said they 'lost their lives' thinking it might be safe, I guess.

All thumbs down on this one. Only reason I didn't give it a total 1 is because it has been so long since I saw it and there might be something good in it, but I can take a safe guess that there wasn't anything worthwhile in exploring what happened.

It was just 'aw, what a shame' and then off they went again.

Not surprisingly, there have been several other events in which fans 'lost their lives' and parents 'lost their children' at concerts and sporting events since then.

And there will probably be plenty more.

'Lost their lives' BAH!