Memorial Coliseum

February 9, 1978

By the fall of 1977, an itinerate stand-up comedian from Waco, Texas named Steve Martin was in full gear. He’d worked at Disneyland, written comedy for the Smothers Brothers, and performed as a solo act at Knott’s Berry Farm. Martin was full of talent living in Southern California and looking for his big break. By the time he appeared in Tuscaloosa, the comic had finally hit his stride, performing on NBC’s edgy new late-night weekender, “Saturday Night Live,” and getting good press wherever he turned. The opening act for the highly anticipated UA show was singer-songwriter John Sebastian, a co-founding member of the 1960s legendary folk rock band the Lovin’ Spoonful. He’d also played a solo set at the Woodstock music festival in 1969 as John B. Sebastian and was featured in filmmaker Michael Wadleigh’s award-winning documentary along with acts like The Who, Joan Baez, Ten Years After, and Crosby, Still & Nash. His song, “Welcome Back,” was the theme of a sitcom on ABC called “Welcome Back Kotter,” starring veteran actor Gabe Kaplan and a young actor named John Travolta. Sebastian’s catchy tune was released as a single and got him on the tour. He played guitar and autoharp onstage during the show and revived a few favorites, including “Do You Believe in Magic?” “Younger Girl,” and “Nashville Cats” from his days in the Lovin’ Spoonful. Martin strode confidentially onstage in his standard dress. Performing from a deep well of well-rehearsed jokes featured on his Grammy-winning comedy album, “Let’s Get Small,” the material was familiar, if not memorized by the college audience. Martin’s follow-up, “Wild and Crazy Guy,” was still percolating, however, judging by the sold-out crowd at Memorial Coliseum, they were there to laugh. UPC photographer Kent Öztekin was backstage before the concert taking pictures. During one of Martin’s bits onstage, he asked for a volunteer from the audience. “Ken,” as Martin referred to him, was selected. “We’ve never met before have we Ken?” Öztekin agreed, then quickly reconsidered blurting out, “Well, actually we met backstage when I took your picture,” he added. “Thanks for ruining the joke, Ken,” replied Martin. He mugged, grinned, laughed, and deadpanned his way through the set, all while playing his trademark five-string banjo to perfection, an early onramp to a decorated show business career that was blossoming before our eyes. And as Martin said a particularly ironically smug moment in the show, “I get paid for doing this.”