The old Memorial Stadium in St. John’s played host to rock superstar Tina Turner for four sold-out performances at the absolute pinnacle of her career.
By 1985, Turner was arguably the biggest star on the planet and the fact that she played St. John’s still leaves people who were there shaking their heads with wonder.
Bruce Morel was working with promoter Donald K Donald at the time when he took a call from him asking about the possibility of Turner coming to St. John’s to rehearse for the North American launch of her Private Dancer tour.
Morel indicated at the time that St. John’s had the facilities, the people and “everything she needs to make it happen.”
He says the rationale for rehearsing in St. John’s was to get the band and crew “out of the Chicago, New York, Los Angles mindset where musicians would disappear on them… socially.” The idea was to find a place where they could focus and get ready for a major North American tour.
Morel says the band arrived in early July, and the shows sold out immediately. He’s spoken to dozens of people since the news of Turner’s passing broke, many of whom described her concert series in St. John’s as a turning point for them.
He remembers Turner and that special time in the summer of 1985 very fondly.
He thinks Turner, who was living in Europe at the time, felt comfortable in St. john’s. He says Turner spent about ten days in the capital city, and in the days before cell phones and social media, enjoyed walking around the downtown and popping into shops and restaurants. He describes her as “elegant, friendly, socially engaging, a good listener.”