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Gentle Giant
Tour History
***
Part Two ***
***
Hitting the Road ***
(1972 -
early 1973)
new information will be in RED
1972
Finally, at the beginning of 1972, Gentle Giant dropped
its previous piecemeal approach and jumped headlong into extensive European
touring. For the first couple months of
the year, they supported Jethro Tull on that band's
tour of the continent. This was their
first lengthy organized tour experience and could be considered their first
"big break". It was a grueling
tour, with very few nights off built in.
The two bands got along quite well but Ian Anderson of Tull claims that Giant frequently argued bitterly among
themselves after the concerts.
Supposedly, Anderson was invited occasionally to sit in with Giant on
stage, but always declined, modestly claiming to not be a good enough musician
for the job. It's
believed that, generally, Giant kept the same setlist they had been using in
the latter half of 1971. It was rumored
that they did play live, at least briefly, all the songs from the
not-yet-released THREE FRIENDS album, with some quickly determined to be
ineffective on stage and dropped. No
real evidence of this has turned up. For
instance, Malcolm has stated that he has no memory of ever playing the title
song, Three Friends, live on stage.
TYPICAL SETLIST (Early 1972)
Giant
Funny Ways
Alucard
Nothing at All - This still included
Kerry and Ray joining Malcolm on the percussion section of the song.
Plain Truth - This was still the
only song from ACQUIRING THE TASTE that was regularly played on stage,
both at the time and in subsequent years.
The Queen
The band continued
the trick of playing onstage a tiny portion of the National Anthem from
whichever European country they happened to be in at the time. This would be worked into the very end of The
Queen, which was generally used to finish the shows. Audiences would, of course, respond favorably
to this nod to their nationalism. Why
Not? was apparently played on occasion only at the very beginning of the
tour with Tull before being permanently dropped.
Jan. 6 Holstelbro,
Denmark Holstebrohallen
opened
for Jethro Tull before 1,300 spectators. The Hostelbro
Dagblad newspaper gave GG a lukewarm review and
claimed the audience did the same with evening definitely
belonging to Tull.
Jan. 7 Odense, Denmark Fyens Forum
opened
for Jethro Tull.
A review in the Morgenposten newspaper
again downplayed Giant’s set, claiming the audience did not relate well to the
band’s music which was very loud and heavy.
Jan. 7 Three
out of the four songs recorded at the band's third BBC session on Dec. 12, 1971
were included on this very first broadcast of a new program oddly entitled Friday
Night Is Boogie Night, hosted by John Peel.
Others appearing with sessions on the program were Keef Hartley, Miller Anderson and Anne Briggs.
The GG songs broadcast were Alucard, Plain
Truth and Giant. The other song, Funny Ways, was
intended to be broadcast on Feb. 4, but was not.
Jan. 8 Copenhagen, Denmark KB-Hallen
opened
for Jethro Tull.
It had been believed that there were two sets, an early and a late show,
on this evening, but it now seems more likely there was just one, with a review
in the Politiken newspaper putting attendance at 3,000. There was, however, a second Tull-Giant show scheduled in Copenhagen on Jan 15 at Tivoli
Konsertsal. An
earlier Politiken story explained the reason for the two concerts being
scheduled at different venues.
Apparently, KB-Hallen was chosen on Jan. 8
because it could provide a more relaxed atmosphere, where spectators may find
it “possible to dance.” The Tivoli Konsertsal on Jan. 15 was then planned as a “pure
concert”. It turns out there was indeed
some dancing at this first show but, ironically, it caused some unrest with
“small riots” being reported. Back in
early December 1971, the Reading Evening Post advertised a double bill
of Gentle Giant and support act Jude at the Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke,
England on Jan. 8 but by mid-December, the ads were changed to a bill of Jigsaw
and Jude. GG did indeed appear in
Copenhagen instead.
Poster for two shows in
Copenhagen Jan. 1972
The band
had three dates in Sweden lined up next but Malcolm says that, for some reason,
they were not allowed into that country.
Instead, they stayed in Copenhagen for a few days. As it turned out, jazz musician Stan Kenton
was also in Copenhagen, staying at the same hotel. Kenton was playing a gig in that city and
Giant attended the show.
Jan. 9 Gothenburg, Sweden Konserthuset
GIANT DID NOT PLAY.
scheduled to open for Jethro Tull
but they were not allowed into Sweden, as explained above. Tull went on
without them.
Jan. 10 Oslo, Norway Njardhallen
Apparently,
the band gave up their aforementioned rest and
relaxation in Copenhagen long enough to travel to Norway for this one gig,
where they opened for Jethro Tull before a packed
crowd. Although conventional wisdom
among both Tull and Giant fans placed this gig at Konserthuset, it turns out that is incorrect. Konserthuset was
not even built until 1977. Phil
remembers this gig fondly. However, an Aftenposten
newspaper review called out the crowd for poor behavior, such as throwing
bottles and blocking other fans’ view.
The newspaper also strongly criticized the venue’s management for poor
security, uncomfortable seating and allowing large numbers of people to sneak
in for free. After this gig, GG returned
to Copenhagen.
Oslo
article and ad Jan. 10, 1972
Jan. 11 Stockholm, Sweden Grottan
GIANT DID NOT PLAY. again scheduled to open for Jethro Tull
but did not, due to not being allowed into Sweden. One report has Konserthuset
as being the correct venue.
Jan. 14 Lund, Sweden University of Lund - Akademiska Foreningen
GIANT DID NOT PLAY. once
again scheduled to open for Jethro Tull but did not,
due to still not being allowed into Sweden.
Jan. 15 Copenhagen, Denmark Tivoli
Konsertsal
Their
banishment over, Giant rejoined the Jethro Tull tour
as the opening act. Still in Copenhagen,
the venue this time was located in an amusement park.
Jan. 16 Copenhagen, Denmark Tivoli
Konsertsal
opened
for Jethro Tull.
This was their third Copenhagen gig in nine days, though this one was
not part of the original schedule.
Press notice for German tour
dates Jan. 1972
Jan. 17 Munster, Germany Munsterlandhalle
opened
for Jethro Tull.
A partial tape exists of just the last song of GG’s set, The Queen,
during which Ray can be heard playing a few notes of the West German
National Anthem on his bass. It
would be logical to assume more of Giant’s performance may have been recorded
but, if so, it has not surfaced.
Jan. 18 Berlin, Germany Deutschlandhalle
opened
for Jethro Tull.
A tape of this gig has recently turned up. Plain Truth with Ray’s violin
solo, a mainstay of the set, was not played on this night. In its place, the group played Why Not?, a rare occurrence by 1972. Once again, Ray did play a bit of the West German National Anthem during The Queen,
this time repeated by Kerry on organ.
Phil also remembers this gig fondly.
A notice in Sounds revealed that this concert broke a house
attendance record previously held by the Rolling Stones.
Berlin
ticket Jan. 18, 1972
Jan. 19 Hamburg, Germany Musikhalle
opened
for Jethro Tull
Hamburg ad and ticket Jan. 19, 1972
Jan. 20 Lubeck, Germany Hansahalle
opened
for Jethro Tull
Jan. 21 Essen, Germany Grugahalle
opened
for Jethro Tull.
A tape of this show has recently been included in the 2019 UNBURIED
TREASURE boxset. On it, Ray can
again be heard playing a few notes of the West German National Anthem
during The Queen. A second tape of this same show, from a
different source in the audience, once existed, but the original tape has since
deteriorated and is no longer usable.
Jan. 22 Frankfurt, Germany Festhalle Messgelande
opened
for Jethro Tull.
GG was very well received. An
enthusiastic crowd called for repeated encores but the band had to eventually
yield to the headliners. There has been
conflicting evidence as to the exact location of this concert. There have been indications that the show was
moved to the Stadthalle in nearby Offenbach. There was even a newspaper review that did
describe the show as having taken place in Offenbach. However, both used and unused ticket stubs
and a surviving concert poster, as well as convincing fan recollections, corroborate
the likelihood that the show was, in fact, in Frankfurt. Whatever the case, a tape believed to be of
this show does exist, of course including Ray's nod to the West German
National Anthem during The Queen.
While in the area for this January show, Ray stopped into a music store
in Frankfurt and bought the Fender Precision bass that he used from then
on. Sounds reported that this
concert broke a house attendance record previously held by Led Zeppelin.
Frankfurt ticket and
review Jan. 22, 1972
Jan. 23 Nuremberg, Germany Meistersingerhalle
POSTPONED. Giant
intended to open for Jethro Tull, but both bands
ended up playing in Nuremberg two days later instead.
Jan. 24 Vienna, Austria Konserthaus
opened
for Jethro Tull at yet another gig Phil remembers
fondly. A tape of this particular show
exists which includes the band playing a snippet of the Austrian National
Anthem during The Queen.
Malcolm recalls an indoor concert hall gig in Vienna during which he had
to play his drum set with just his right arm.
He had hurt his left arm after actually being knocked down by a
car. Fortunately, he recovered quickly
and was back to full strength the next night.
After hearing a recording of this particular show,
he believes this is not the one-armed show.
The Sept. 5, 1971 Vienna gig was at an outdoor festival, nor has his
participation there been confirmed. He
may simply be mis-remembering the city, or there may be an additional Vienna
show not yet accounted for.
Jan. 25 Nuremberg,
Germany Meistersingerhalle
opened
for Jethro Tull.
This show was probably a replacement for the canceled show from two days
earlier.
Jan. 26 Ludwigshafen, Germany Friedrich-Ebert
Halle
opened
for Jethro Tull
Ludwigshafen poster and ticket Jan. 26, 1972
Jan. 27 Hannover, Germany Niedersachsenhalle
opened
for Jethro Tull.
It’s often said this gig took place at Kuppelshalle, but surviving ticket stubs clearly list Niedersachsenhalle as the venue. Kuppelshalle was actually part of the same complex but was used mainly for
classical concerts. Niedersachsenhalle,
used more for rock concerts, was a rectangular hall but, oddly, the stage was
set up in the middle of one of the long sides, rather than on one of the
shorter ends. Sadly, someone close to
the Gentle Giant camp had passed away shortly before this gig, so the band announced
from the stage that they were dedicating their set to that person’s memory.
Jan. 28 Offenburg, Germany Oberrheinhalle
opened
for Jethro Tull
Offenburg Jan. 28, 1972
Jan. 29 Zurich, Switzerland Hallenstadion
opened
for Jethro Tull
Jan. 30 Bern, Switzerland Festhalle
opened
for Jethro Tull.
A tape exists and, true to form, it includes a couple bars of the Swiss
National Anthem played during The Queen. On this tape, Phil comments that the show is
taking place on a Sunday afternoon. A
poster confirms that the show began at 3:00.
Bern
flyer Jan. 30, 1972
Tull and
Giant ran into scheduling difficulties when they reached
Italian tour dates - Ciao
2001 ads with original and revised schedules
Jan. 31 Milan, Italy
UNCONFIRMED. As stated above, a Torino concert with
Tull was canceled for this evening, and it was
rumored that a Milan concert was scheduled in the vacated slot. Some Tull sources
have claimed this to be the case. One or
two uncertain fan recollections of a Milan Tull/GG
concert appearance have come to light, as well as a couple vague references in
the local Milan newspaper from a year later, but absolutely no definitive
written evidence of either band appearing in Milan on this or any other date in
early 1972 has been found. Therefore,
this gig remains very suspect.
Feb. 1 Rome, Italy Palazzo dello Sport
opened
for Jethro Tull.
A tape exists of this concert. A
band member recalls 20,000 in attendance, although
other reports claim a more modest crowd of 17,000 or 18,000. Throughout the 1970’s, whenever a name
act like Tull played Italy, the venues were most
often the city’s primary sports facility, known as the Palazzo dello Sport or Palasport. The country had frequent rioting at rock
concerts, so many smaller theater managers were afraid to stage rock
events. The sports facilities were
supposedly more easily controlled by the local police departments. Giant themselves, when headlining there later
in the decade, usually frequented these same venues. On this particular evening,
GG almost didn't make it to the show when the security guards didn't recognize
them and wouldn't let them in. They were
trapped outside, circling the building, for about an hour with a Ciao 2001
journalist with whom they had spent much of the day. Malcolm, who was not with the rest of the
group, recalls being inside when he saw his bandmates in distress and finally
got them through the gates. The Italian newspaper L’Avanti
gave a longer review to Giant’s performance than it did to Tull’s. They particularly singled out the Italian
National Anthem snippet at the end of the set, with the audience’s fists
raised high in solidarity, as the high point of the entire evening.
Rome Feb. 1, 1972
Feb. 2 Bologna, Italy Palazzo dello Sport
opened
for Jethro Tull at two shows, one in the early
evening and one later at night. Both
were sold out with a capacity crowd of somewhere around 7,000 fans. This date of Feb. 2 seems definitive, even
though some Tull sources listed a gig in Naples on
this night, which Gary remembers being canceled. A Feb. 2 gig in Bologna was indeed advertised
at the time in both the national Italian press and a local Bologna newspaper,
and fan recollections further corroborate this date. A tape of Giant’s set from the late show
exists which includes a brief snippet of the Italian National Anthem
played by Ray and Gary at the end of The Queen. By all accounts, Giant was
extremely well-received in this city, the audience clamoring for the band to
return even after an encore. One report
even has a number of disappointed fans at one of the shows leaving the venue
when the lights came up after Giant finished.
Tull’s Ian Anderson was reportedly somewhat
angry about the audience response to GG in Bologna. A press report at the time even claimed that
Anderson insisted on a contract clause prohibiting Giant from playing any more
encores. Giant went on to become a
highly revered band in Italy and these Bologna shows seem representative of
their early impact on that country.
Bologna Feb. 2, 1972
Feb. 3 Treviso, Italy Bocciodromo Ovest
opened
for Jethro Tull.
Tull apparently had some trouble narrowing
down a venue for this gig. Early ads
listed it at the Bocciodromo Ovest
while later ads were revised to list it at the Palazzo dello
Sport, but it ended up being held back at the first location. This is unfortunate as the Bocciodromo Ovest was actually
built as a facility for the Italian sport of bocce and was a long, narrow
building with quite poor acoustics. Some
Tull sources claim that this was actually the night
of the Bologna show, but that is false.
Treviso
- includes poster with incorrect venue
Feb. 3, 1972
Feb. 4 Varese, Italy Palazzo dello
Sport
Tour
schedules listed GG as opening for Jethro Tull
here. This has been a contested date for
some time, mainly because Varese is quite near to Novara where the two bands
played the following two nights.
However, one eyewitness account and three printed sources, including a
concert flyer and an issue of Musica e Dischi, lend credibility to the claim that this gig did
take place. Some feel that Varese is too
small of a city to have hosted such an event, but their Palazzo dello Sport is actually twice the size of the one in
Novara.
Varese flyer Feb. 4, 1972
Feb. 4 On this episode of John Peel’s Friday
Night Is Boogie Night BBC radio program, all four songs from the Dec. 12,
1971 session were scheduled to be rebroadcast, including Funny Ways
which was missing on the initial Jan. 7 broadcast. However, studio logs indicate that only Alucard and Giant were actually
aired on this date, with both Funny Ways and Plain Truth
being absent. Also presenting studio sessions
on the program this time around were Mick Abrahams, Lindisfarne
and Miller Anderson.
Feb. 5 Novara,
Italy Palazzo
dello Sport
An
early ad in Ciao 2001 listed no gigs in Novara, although the revised
itinerary published later actually listed Giant opening for Jethro Tull at two Novara dates on Feb. 5 and 6. The Italian newspaper La Stampa also
advertised these Novara dates, claiming they were replacements for the canceled
Torino gig from Jan. 31, Torino being about an hour away. Several eyewitnesses have now come forward
verifying these two Novara dates, plus a tape of their complete Feb. 5 set
exists. What had made this so confusing
for so long is that many Tull sources incorrectly
show that band traveling to Lyon, France on Feb. 5, while the February 1972
issue of Rock and Folk Magazine noted Tull as
actually being in Bordeaux, France on both Feb. 5 and 6, also incorrect. As is the case with the tape of the Bologna
show, the tape from Feb. 5 includes a bit of the Italian National Anthem
played at the end of The Queen.
Novara
- ad for two consecutive nights Feb.
1972
Feb. 6 Novara, Italy Palazzo dello Sport
This
date was also eventually advertised in Ciao 2001. Jethro Tull sources
often incorrectly list that band as playing in Paris, France on Feb. 6 or, as
mentioned in the above listing, in Bordeaux.
However, when the dust settled, Giant found themselves opening for Tull in Novara again, as confirmed by a couple different
sources. One fan has fond memories of
this double-bill Sunday concert which he claimed was an afternoon show before a
sold-out audience.
Feb. 28 Cleethorpes, England Winter
Gardens
The
band opened for Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come at a dance sponsored by the
Students’ Union of the nearby Grimsby College of Technology. At the time, many areas of England were
dealing with imposed restrictions on electrical use, resulting in a number of
events being canceled. However, ads for
this gig promised no danger of that happening on this night.
Cleethorpes ad Feb. 28, 1972
Jethro Tull had two Dutch dates
planned for Feb. 11 and 12 in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, respectively, and Gentle
Giant was again scheduled and advertised as being the opening act. However, it appears that Giant backed out. A Ciao 2001 article published shortly
afterwards indicated that Giant returned to their home country of England after
finishing their Italian dates. It’s not
known who took over the support slot in Rotterdam, but singer/guitarist Mike
Tingley supported Tull in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam ad - Giant did
not appear at this show Feb. 12, 1972
A UK press notice from December 1971 stated the band set
aside the month of March for a concert and college tour in the UK. However, specific information is still quite
incomplete, with only two scheduled shows known so far. This same notice announced plans for their
first tour of the
Mar. 1 Paris,
France Gibus
Club
UNCONFIRMED
Mar. 4 Dourges, France Piblokto
Club
UNCONFIRMED
Mar. 5 Dourges, France Piblokto
Club
UNCONFIRMED
The possibility has been raised that Giant played another
show in the John Stripe Theatre at King Alfred’s College in Winchester, England
sometime in 1972, as they did on Feb. 12, 1971 and Mar. 4, 1973. This is as of yet unconfirmed, while the
exact date during the year is unknown.
However, since the 1971 and 1973 shows were arranged by a close friend
of the Shulmans who was, at the time, attending the college, it would not be
unreasonable to assume that this same student could have arranged a show during
1972, as well. A different student does
recall attending all three shows.
Mar. 11 Bradford,
England Bradford
University
UNCONFIRMED. One
notable website places Giant at this University on this date, but a concert
listing in New Musical Express has Focus scheduled to play there
instead. A search of the University’s
school newspaper confirms neither appearance.
Mar. ? Chippenham,
England Neeld
Hall
UNCONFIRMED. In mid-February, the Evening
Post in nearby Bristol announced that The Chippenham College of Further
Education had scheduled a dance and disco event featuring Vinegar Joe and
Gentle Giant as part of their Student Union’s Charity Week. Charity Week began on Mar. 11, but the exact
date of the planned dance has not been determined. It is also not confirmed the dance even went
ahead at all since no follow-up announcements have been located. Additionally, the Bristol area was one of
the areas experiencing numerous cancelations due to restrictions on electrical
use, as described above
Mar. 13 Gravesend,
England Gravesend Civic
Centre
The
band Writing On the Wall served as the support act.
Gravesend
ads Mar. 13, 1972
Mar. 17 Lancaster,
England Lancaster
University - Great Hall
Playing
support for the band on this night was the progressive band T2. According to a flyer distributed on campus,
this was billed as an Easter Party.
Roger Ruskin Spears’ Giant Kinetic Wardrobe also entertained the crowd,
plus the University provided disco lights, late buses and a bar, all for only
45p.
Lancaster
- handwritten flyer Mar. 17, 1972
At some point
in late March, Malcolm was injured in a motorcycle accident, breaking his left
arm, left leg and pelvis, and the band was forced to find yet another drummer
on very short notice. Discussions were
held with Mike Giles, formerly of King Crimson, to have him fill the position,
but that plan fell through. Running out
of time, they then managed to recruit, as a temporary fill-in, John Weathers,
who had just left his position with the Greaseband a
short time earlier and had been working in a carpet factory. With him, they went into some quick
rehearsals and then straightaway into a tour of the
New Musical Express notice about Malcolm
Mortimore’s motorcycle accident March,
1972
The UK
tour with John originally comprised 19 dates, although adjustments were made
and a number of new dates were booked as it went along. Looking back, the tour may have been a
somewhat humiliating experience for the group, as they actually had to serve as
the opening act for a movie, the Jimi Hendrix live concert film, Jimi Plays Berkeley. Certain ads for the tour had the band's name
in large, bold print, as if they were headlining, but they did, in fact, take
the stage first each night, before the movie.
This tour also had its share of problems and for that reason, not all the dates listed below can be confirmed. At one gig, the film never
arrived. At another unknown date on the
tour, Giant's equipment didn't arrive, due to a van breakdown, so they were
unable to perform. This also caused a
further problem for the film, as the band's PA system was supposed to be used
for the soundtrack. Roadie Phil Freeman
recalls that the angry crowd actually beat up the projectionist on this
occasion, out of frustration. An
alternate version of this story has the projectionist’s violent misfortune
coming about because he himself arrived late.
Whatever the case, it was certainly a trying tour at times, and Kerry
has commented that being relegated to opening for a movie was a sure sign that
Giant was not really gaining any ground with English audiences. John, on the other hand, has said that he was
just happy to “have a gig” and was pleased that Hendrix’ popularity ensured
some packed houses. The three Shulman
brothers have all recently joked about the tour, Derek saying the band really
needed to find somewhere to play and this was all they could find at the
time. Gary remembers it as an odd bill,
certainly, but he enjoyed watching Hendrix every night.
UK tour ad - opened for
Jimi Hendrix film Apr. 1972
TYPICAL SETLIST (Apr. 1972)
Prologue - This THREE
FRIENDS song was now used to begin Giant's shows.
Alucard
Funny Ways
Nothing at All - During this tune, the "drum
bash" continued with the new drummer.
During his percussion break, John used to enjoy displaying amusing
little tricks to the audience. He would
sometimes change the pitch of his floor tom by blowing air into it through a
plastic tube. Another trick was to tap
the snare drum vertically with a stick, then slide his hand down the length of
the stick to create a continuous rolling sound.
There is also at least one photo confirming that he sometimes wore an
actual rubber mask of the infamous “giant head” during his solo.
Schooldays - another song from their new album,
added to the regular set for this tour only
Plain Truth
The Queen
Peel the
Paint -
It’s believed this was played as an encore, though it’s not known how
often. It’s also not known if the same
arrangement was used as was done at the German gigs the following month.
This may
be the time after which the song Giant was no longer played on a regular
basis. However, it is possible that the
song did turn up now and again as late as early 1973.
Apr. 1 Blackburn,
England Windsor Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley. There
were unspecified problems with the film at this opening night of the tour.
Apr. 3 Folkestone, England Leas
Cliff Hall
UNCONFIRMED. scheduled to open for Jimi Plays
Berkeley but Ray believes this may have been the
gig when the film never arrived.
Folkestone
flyer Apr. 3, 1972
Apr. 4 Croydon,
England Fox at
Greyhound
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley
Apr. 5 Stafford,
England Stychfield Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley
Apr. 7 Epsom,
England Ebbisham Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley. Gary has
a very specific memory about a gig in early April in this general area of
England where Malcolm Mortimore made a surprise appearance. As the band arrived at the gig, Malcolm was
there to greet them. It turns out the
band still had his drums in their van and he wanted them back. Although not confirmed, it may very well have
been this Epsom gig.
Apr. 8 Barry,
Wales Memorial
Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley. A
spectator at the show remarked, while visiting with the band backstage after
the show, that he preferred their two previous drummers over John
Weathers. This angered John who rose to
retaliate. Fortunately, Kerry and Ray
intervened.
Apr. 9 Oakengates, England Town
Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley
Apr. 11 Bradford,
England St. George's
Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley. Venue
personnel sometimes set up seats for scheduled events but on this night, they
did not, so the crowd either stood or sat on the floor for the entire
evening. In the band's early years, a
roadie would either kneel near or lie under the vibraphone with a microphone
during Kerry's solo in Funny Ways.
At this particular show, an eyewitness recalls the roadie having a lot
of trouble keeping up with Kerry's hands.
Since St. George’s Hall was not generally used for showing movies, it
did not have its own built-in screen, so a large portable screen was erected
for the Hendrix film. This may have been
quite common during this tour.
Apr. 13 Cambridge,
England Guildhall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley. The
sound in the hall may have been a bit inferior during Giant’s set. An audience member recalls that when the
"drum bash" began, the participants started in the middle, playing on
John's kit, then moved away, hitting on stands and other objects around the
stage. Finally, they reconvened in the
center for the conclusion. At one point,
John is said to have bounced his sticks off the floor, caught them, and
continued without missing a beat.
Cambridge ad Apr. 13, 1972
Apr. 14 Corby,
England Civic
Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley
Apr. 14 Although at one time planned for March,
it’s believed that this is when the group released THREE FRIENDS in
England, though one report claims that the album didn’t see its UK release
until June. Apparently, it was rush
released in Italy as much as two months earlier, possibly to capitalize on their recent live successes there. It’s been said that some of the later GG
albums were also released first in Italy.
Apr. 15 Norwich,
England St. Andrew's
Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley
Apr. 16 Kenilworth,
England Chesford Grange
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley
Apr. 17 High
Wycombe, England Town Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley. Though
not absolutely certain, one attendee believes Kerry played the final selection,
The Queen, on the Town Hall’s own pipe organ which, since this had not
been cleared through proper channels, somewhat annoyed the management at the
venue.
Apr. 18 Southport,
England Floral Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley. One fan
recalls the band playing Wreck at this show, but another fan refutes
this claim. In fact, no evidence
indicates them ever playing this particular song live. Gary says the band rehearsed it at one time
but came to the conclusion it wouldn’t work as a concert number. Attendance was not strong on this night and,
of the people who were there, a good number left before the film.
Apr. 19 Liverpool,
England Liverpool
Stadium
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley. Although
not in the original advertisements, Giant and the Hendrix film did appear in
Liverpool on this tour, with the Liverpool Echo advertising Apr. 19 as
the date. The promoter at the Liverpool
Stadium, who worked under the name Dragonfly Promotions, also confirmed this
concert but mistakenly recalls it as being on April 27. The Stadium was not actually a huge outdoor
sports facility, as the name may imply, but rather an indoor boxing arena which
also hosted a fair number of concerts.
The acoustics were reported to be quite horrible for GG’s performance.
Liverpool
ad Apr. 19, 1972
Apr. 20 East Kilbride, Scotland Olympia
Ballroom
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley, although not on the originally advertised tour
schedule. Only a modest number of people
attended this show. There was a dance
floor in front of the stage and the small number of people in attendance were
asked to move their chairs onto that floor, so as to consolidate them into some
semblance of a crowd.
Apr. 21 Sunderland,
England Top Rank Suite
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley. A fan in
attendance remembers an exceptionally long wait between Giant’s set and the
Hendrix film. The picture and sound for
the film were also subpar due to the use of makeshift projection and screen
equipment.
Apr. 22 Northwich, England Memorial
Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley.
Advertising for this event also promised a “spectacular disco”.
Northwich ad Apr. 22, 1972
Apr. 23 Edinburgh,
Scotland Caley Picture
House
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley
Edinburgh
ticket Apr. 1972
Apr. 24 Glasgow,
Scotland City Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley. It was a
relatively small venue with chairs set up on wooden flooring. Once again, a free-standing projection screen
was erected for the Hendrix film. This
points out the rather low key production values of this particular tour. Additionally, the hall was only about a
quarter full, possibly because it was raining heavily on that night. There was at one time a rumor that a live
tape of this gig existed.
Glasgow ad Apr. 24, 1972
Apr. 25 Sheffield,
England City Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley. Giant’s
transport broke down on the way to this gig, so the Hendrix film was shown
first, with Giant playing second.
Unfortunately, by the time the band hit the stage, many in the audience
had left.
Sheffield poster Apr. 25, 1972
Apr. 26 Lincoln,
England Drill Hall
GIANT DID NOT PLAY. The band was scheduled
to open for Jimi Plays Berkeley. but canceled at the last minute,
possibly due to transportation problems.
It’s not known if the film was still shown.
Lincoln - Disc Magazine notice
for canceled gig Apr. 26, 1972
Apr. 27 Northampton,
England Guildhall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley. As stated
above, the promotor of this tour’s Liverpool appearance remembers Giant being
in that city on Apr. 27. However, it
seems he was mistaken.
Apr. 28 Cheltenham,
England Town Hall
This
show did not appear on the group’s original tour itinerary, but this date was
added afterwards, the band again opening for Jimi Plays Berkeley. Due to electrical problems, they were late
starting their set, a situation Derek blamed on the tour manager. A tape of this gig exists which includes the
only known live recording of Schooldays.
As can be heard on that tape, Phil got caught up in a microphone stand
early in the show and ripped the back of his trousers. Derek took the opportunity to tease him on
stage over this unfortunate mishap. In
2003, Schooldays was included on an official live Gentle Giant release
called PROLOGUE on the European Glass House label. It was a direct copy from an earlier bootleg
traded among collectors. Between 2000
and 2005, Glass House released ten titles, mostly exact copies of previous
bootlegs of audience recordings, soundboard recordings, or radio broadcasts,
with no attempt to clean up any sound defects.
The band members did not endorse the sub-par sound quality of these
releases, but they did receive some small royalties from them.
Apr. 29 St. Albans,
England City Hall
opened
for Jimi Plays Berkeley, although this one was not on the original tour
schedule either
St.
Albans ad Apr. 29, 1972
Apr. 30 London,
England Greyhound
The
band played alone at this particular gig, which was a free admission show.
Ad
for London’s Greyhound Apr. 30, 1972
May 5 Burton-on-Trent,
England 76 Club
UNCONFIRMED. New Musical Express advertised this and the
following gig in Chichester, both with GG opening for Jimi Plays Berkeley,
but they both seem unlikely, as the tour seems to have ended by April 29. Besides, a local newspaper advertised the
Mick Abrahams band as actually playing the 76 Club on May 5.
May 6 Chichester,
England Bishop Otter
College
UNCONFIRMED. Like happened with the May 5 listing, New Musical Express
advertised Giant as opening for Jimi Plays Berkeley again, but there is
no credible evidence that such a gig actually took place.
While
with Jethro Tull earlier in the year, Giant was
particularly well-received in Germany. Because
of this, they made it a point to return there on their own as soon as possible,
therefore scheduling a German headlining tour with the bands Chicken Shack and
Man, the latter being the band that John Weathers became a member of in the
1980's. This tour was, on some posters
and tickets, billed and promoted as the "London Rock Scene '72". Although printed materials seemed to give
each group equal billing, John has confirmed that Man opened, GG played second
and Chicken Shack topped the bill.
On stage,
most of the group's live repertoire remained in rotation, though Peel the
Paint was added and Schooldays seems to have been dropped.
TYPICAL SETLIST (Mid 1972)
Prologue
Alucard
Funny Ways
Nothing at All
Plain Truth
The Queen - A portion of the host country’s National Anthem was
again added to the tail end of this song.
Peel the Paint - The second half of this song, featuring Gary on guitar, was played
for the first time on this tour and was done separately, instead of
combined with other songs, as would be done in later years. It appeared only when an encore was needed.
May 9 Germany
UNCONFIRMED.
New Musical Express stated
that the band’s German tour may have started on this date but, if so, the exact
city is unknown. Variety had
earlier published a notice that the German tour would start on May 11.
May 11 Oldenburg,
Germany Weser-Ems Halle
This
show definitely took place and may have been the beginning of the tour. The order of bands was Man, Giant and
headliners Chicken Shack. One fan at the
show believes Giant played Schooldays, but there is no corroborating
evidence that song was played live after the April UK tour. It does not appear on complete tapes of the
band’s performances on May 12 or 13.
Oldenburg ad May 11, 1972
May 12 Offenbach, Germany Stadthalle
A
tape exists of this concert which includes the encore Peel the Paint. The West German National Anthem was
again played during The Queen but the excerpt was a bit longer than that
played at the January German concerts.
Once more, they were scheduled to play second, after Man and before
Chicken Shack. However, one report has
Deep Purple brought in at the last minute to headline in place of Giant. This is extremely implausible, especially
considering that Purple were at the time without guitarist Ritchie Blackmore
who was recovering from hepatitis.
Offenbach
ticket May 12, 1972
May 13 Kronau, Germany Grosse
Mehrzweckhalle
The
order of bands was Man, Giant and headliners Chicken Shack. A tape exists of Giant’s set. The longer portion of the West German
National Anthem again appears on that tape during The Queen.
Kronau poster May 13, 1972
May 14 Ludenscheid,
Germany IKA-Traglufthalle
The
order of bands was Man, Giant and headliners Chicken Shack.
May 15 Munich,
Germany Circus Krone
Building
The
order of bands was Man, Giant and headliners Chicken Shack.
May 16 Nurnberg,
Germany Messehaus
The
order of bands was Man, Giant and headliners Chicken Shack.
Nurnberg
ticket May 16, 1972
May 17 Dusseldorf,
Germany Rheinhalle
The
order of bands was Man, Giant and headliners Chicken Shack.
May 18 Munster,
Germany Halle Munsterland
The order of bands was Man, Giant and
headliners Chicken Shack.
May 19 Hamburg,
Germany Musikhalle
The
order of bands was Man, Giant and headliners Chicken Shack. A notice in Melody Maker mentioned GG
was at one point slated to appear at Polytech in Huddersfield, England on the
same date. At this event, they were
supposedly to perform with Michael Chapman and an act called Help
Yourself. A dance and the showing of
various films were also planned to round out the evening's entertainment. Nevertheless, this did not happen and they
ended up playing in Hamburg. BBC
presenter Stuart Maconie has written about an unusual
event that took place during this visit to Hamburg when all three bands were
staying in the same hotel in the Reeperbahn, the redlight section of the
city. After the concert, all the
musicians were partaking of some heavy drug use with the exception of Giant,
who chose to get only mildly involved, sharing just one joint between them. In walked British R&B legend Graham Bond
who was staying at the same hotel. Bond,
known for his larger-than-life personality, walked right up to Derek who had
his alto sax around his neck. He grabbed
the sax, breaking the strap in the process, and started playing Charlie Parker
tunes before turning and leaving again.
Derek was quite surprised and more than a little upset, especially
considering Bond had also taken Giant’s only joint and smoked it.
Hamburg ad May 19, 1972
May 21 Berlin, Germany Waldbuhne
GIANT DID NOT PLAY. This
Berlin venue hosted the "Super Pop Festival" from May 19 to May
22. Giant was booked and their name did
appear in the printed program, showing they were scheduled for a May 21
slot. However, it’s recently been
reported that they did not appear, after all.
Some of the other scheduled bands also did not
show up although, interestingly, Man and Chicken Shack did.
Berlin
- canceled appearance at “Super Pop Festival”
May 21, 1972
Band itineraries
and plans seemed to be unsettled for a while in mid-1972, with press reports
conflicting and mostly incorrect. New
Musical Express provided the most confusing information. One report placed the band in Italy for
sixteen days starting in early June, then five weeks in America beginning at
the end of June, while another issue of the same magazine gave detailed
information about concerts in Czechoslovakia, then concerts and TV in Belgium,
Holland and Luxembourg, then twelve days in Germany and at last, an American
tour commencing in early August. As if
this was not bewildering enough, a May 1972 issue of Melody Maker
reported on a planned short tour of Eastern Europe starting on June 20 with
five dates in Poland, followed by two dates in Czechoslovakia, and two dates in
Yugoslavia. Next was to be ten more days
in Germany in July and then, at last, two weeks in Italy. It seems likely that, no matter how many
plans were made, the band actually spent minimal time in Europe over this
summer. Gary Green claims that no
Eastern European gigs ever took place.
Nothing whatsoever has been found in any source to confirm summer dates
in Germany, a country in which they had just toured in May. The long discussed American tour did not
finally begin until late August.
As for
Italy, this was another country that had embraced the band during their
appearances with Jethro Tull, so they were itching to
return there and capitalize on that.
Unlike the other countries mentioned, it is certain that they did spend
a bit of time in Italy, either before or immediately after the June 13 BBC
session listed below, but what exactly transpired while there is tougher to pin
down. The May issue of Melody Maker
mentioned above, while reporting on the upcoming trip to Italy, stated that it
was to include some “concerts and club dates”.
However, the July 1972 issue of Musica
e Dischi, while confirming that Giant had
recently spent a little time in Italy, reported that it was for filming “a
series of TV programmes” and did not include any live
gigs. Nonetheless, further corroboration
of live work in Italy came from a June 29 issue of the British newspaper Runcorn Weekly News which mentioned the band
having just returned from Germany and Italy where they were “working in” their
new drummer. The German visit referred
to here was no doubt the May dates, as outlined above, while Italy would
logically have been into June. At least
two band members make the argument that the group probably did play at least
some live dates there in June, as they would not have driven all the way to
Italy just for a small number of television projects. Unfortunately, written confirmation of
specific live appearances has not been found.
If the band was able to secure some live appearances while in Italy, it
was apparently not a well-organized national tour and it seems to have not
garnered national press coverage.
On the
other hand, at least two Italian television film projects have been confirmed
for June of 1972, one in Milan and one in Jesolo.
June ? Although the exact date cannot be
determined, Gentle Giant was definitely filmed in Milan, Italy by the Italian
RAI TV Network for broadcast in either mid-July or late July. It’s believed that, when broadcast, this was
the first time the band appeared on television anywhere. Also filmed for this same program was the
popular Italian progressive band Formula 3, as confirmed by John Weathers and a
couple members of Formula 3. The two
bands each played sets of their own material.
A proposal was made for the groups to unite for one improvised jam to
air during the final credits and, while Formula 3 was more than willing to do
this, Giant was more reluctant, due to their habit of generally playing only
written, arranged music. The Formula 3
band members remember differently as to whether this improvised number was
ultimately included or not. In a
September 1972 issue of Ciao 2001, a reporter described watching this
filming taking place. Giant ran through
several live songs with Prologue and Peel the Paint being singled
out by the magazine reporter who was also quite impressed by the progress the
band had made since their early 1972 Italian tour with Jethro Tull. Gary and John
specifically recall making this film in Milan.
Things did not go well, as the band and the film crew kept missing each
other throughout the day. Frustrated,
the band spent much of their time in the local pub. Gary freely admits he had too much to drink
and, finally back in the hotel after filming, he got himself into some trouble
with the hotel management, due to his accidentally slipping in the bathroom and
damaging a window and sink. John, who
was Gary's roommate at the time, swears it was unintentional. Sadly, all indications point to this Milan
film as no longer existing.
June ? Giant was also definitely filmed at
some point in June at an event in Jesolo, Italy, a
seaside town near Venice. It took place
at the Kings River Club, one of the largest and best-known beach-side
nightclubs in the area, offering many indoor and outdoor facilities. This event, at which the band appeared on an
outdoor terrace or courtyard, was actually a private party hosted by Patrick
Meehan, their manager at WWA. Meehan
owned a residence nearby and had many business connections in the area. In fact, this entire event may have been
promotional in nature. Some members of
the press were present, as was the Italian RAI TV Network. In the course of the day, RAI filmed some
sort of promotional “music video”, the band miming to the album version of Peel
the Paint, with no audience present.
John recalls how difficult it was for him to mime to Malcolm’s original
drum part on the song. It is worth
noting that this mimed promotional film is still believed to reside in RAI’s
archives, where they describe it as a “soundcheck”. The mimed film was originally broadcast at
least once, on the Permette Questo Ballo? program on Nov.
14 but, being promotional in nature, it may very well have appeared on other
programs, too. Interestingly, a second
RAI film clip from this day in Jesolo has also been
located which includes both live material and a brief interview with Phil. Gary has revealed that the band played
possibly a full live set, this time for a sizable assembled crowd, though only
a small amount appears on this second clip.
RAI may not have been set up that day to record live concert audio, as
the live portion of this second clip is coincidentally also overdubbed with the
album version of Peel the Paint.
During Phil’s interview, he states that John had been with the band for
a “couple months”, again pointing to June as the proper timeframe for this day
on the beach. RAI’s records show that
some portions of film made in Jesolo were also shown
on the Adesso Musica
program one or more times during 1972.
This may very well have included the second clip with the live
appearance and Phil’s interview, as well as possibly the mimed clip or other
yet unseen segments of film. Regardless
of what was broadcast, the live set performed that day is the only live Italian
concert in the summer of 1972 to be confirmed so far. This second RAI film clip described here was
released online in 2021 by the band themselves.
Jesolo June 1972
Hints of
additional Italian television and film projects in mid-1972 have surfaced now
and again but, at this point, they all remain barely more than conjecture and
educated guesswork. Melody Maker
stated at the time that GG planned to record some music they had written for an
Italian film. Possibly referring to the
same project, a 1976 article in Trouser Press referred to some point in
Giant’s earlier years when they were considering providing a soundtrack for an
animated Italian film, but the production company went out of business before
the project could get off the ground.
The July 1, 1972 issue of Billboard provided information on
another possible film. Apparently, an
Italian disc jockey named Nico Metta was currently touring discotheques in that
country with his 90-minute “Pop Show”, during which he would play the latest
records and show a 20-minute film of various bands and musicians. Giant was one of the bands included in his
film, although Metta himself has recently stated that he believes his film to
be lost now. A notice in Musica e Dischi
even reported that the band was to film a segment for the Italian Festivalbar contest.
This was a long running annual competition based on radio play around
the country. There is no further
corroboration to back up this claim but, whatever the case, Giant were not
finalists and were certainly not included in the September televised finale.
June 13 The
band did their fourth BBC studio session at London's Transcription Service
Studio T1, recording Mister Class and Quality?, Prologue and Schooldays. It seems that the song Three Friends
segued out of Mister Class and Quality?, according to one fan who recorded
the original broadcast. This is similar
to the way the two songs were connected on the THREE FRIENDS album. On the BBC session, the title track was heavy
on bass and mellotron, but did not include vocals. Prologue had some additional bass
parts and an extra saxophone part in the middle, not found on the album
version. Sadly, the tape made by this
fan is now lost, as is the BBC's master recording of the session.
June ? The June 29 issue of the Runcorn Weekly News that was referenced above
also stated that GG was “now engaged” on a short British tour after returning
from Italy. The article went on to say
they were using these dates to break in a new act for their upcoming visit to
America. Of course, initial plans to
tour the States starting as early as June and July did not materialize, the
group not arriving on those shores until the end of August. Since no other information has been found
about British dates in this time period, this newspaper claim must be viewed as
suspect.
It is very
unlikely that Giant played any live concerts at all in July. After returning from Italy, the band’s
attention would have shifted to preparing for their next album. John estimates Ray and Kerry would have
needed a couple weeks to finish writing the material, after which they would
have gone into rehearsals in Portsmouth.
Following that was the actual recording sessions in London beginning on
July 24, as described below.
July 10 This is believed to be the date that THREE
FRIENDS was released in America.
Less likely is the possibility of a release in August, although it has
been suggested. As stated earlier,
Gentle Giant’s exact album release dates are often difficult to trace, with
projected dates frequently changing and contradictory information often
appearing in print. While still
remaining with Vertigo in England, Giant was now signed to Columbia in the US
and it was Columbia who issued this album there. However, instead of using the same cover
artwork as had been used in the UK, Columbia chose instead to reuse the George
Underwood cover painting of the iconic “giant head” that appeared on the very
first album, itself not released in America.
July 14 Giant's fourth BBC session, recorded
June 13, was broadcast on Friday Night Is Boogie Night, hosted by John
Peel. Others with sessions on the
program were Ashman Reynolds, Slade and Tir Na Nog.
July ? The Milan television film described
above was announced in the July issue of the Italian magazine Musica e Dischi as
being shown in either mid-July or late July over the RAI TV Network. It was between 45 minutes and an hour in
length and featured both Gentle Giant and the Italian band Formula 3. An exact date of broadcast is unknown.
July ? As described above, RAI-TV’s records
confirm that portions of the film made in Jesolo in
June appeared on the Adesso Musica program, possibly more than once, although the
records are incomplete and do not reveal the exact contents of the episodes or
give exact broadcast dates. Referring to
Giant’s appearance on this program, one Italian press notice gives a broadcast
date of late July, although the dates of possible additional episodes are still
unknown.
Opening titles for Italian TV “Adesso Musica” program July 1972
An article
about Giant appeared in the July 15, 1972 issue of Melody Maker. It included an interview with Phil who, while
discussing the band’s future plans, announced they were going to be playing at
the upcoming Arts Festival in Venice, Italy, an event he believed would be good
for the band. The festival ran from June
to October but specifically when they were to appear is not known. However, this probably did not happen. Considering the group’s other activities and
commitments in July and August, those months seem very unlikely. One issue of Ciao 2001 indicated Giant
intended to play live Italian dates in September, but they were in America that
entire month. Italian dates were indeed
at one time scheduled for October, as explained below, but a date in Venice was
not on that schedule and, as it turned out, that entire tour ended up being
canceled.
July - Aug. Between July 24 and Aug. 5, the band
recorded their fourth album, OCTOPUS, at
Aug. 8 They recorded their fifth BBC studio
session at Maida Vale Studio 4 in
Ad for U.S. tour dates
with Black Sabbath Aug. - Sep. 1972
By the latter part of 1972, they had made it, at last, to
At their
North American shows, they continued to play most of the same songs they had
been playing for a while. However, The
Queen was apparently dropped at this time, probably due to its unique
British flavor not translating well for North American audiences. There are rumors, possibly true, that they
did perform rare material from THREE FRIENDS, as well as material that
would appear on OCTOPUS, which was still unreleased in America at that
time. Gary remembers A Cry for
Everyone being played one time, before being dropped, but it's not known
where that was or even which year.
TYPICAL SETLIST (Fall 1972)
Prologue
Alucard - This was apparently included in the set
less and less as the year went on.
Funny Ways
Nothing at All
Plain Truth -
Ray's violin solo continued to get longer and wilder.
Aug. 24 Charleston,
South Carolina County Hall
opened
for Black Sabbath in a somewhat run down old building. There had been conjecture that this gig was
held in Charleston, West Virginia.
However, a surviving ticket clearly proves the show was in South
Carolina. It seems Sabbath only played
two songs. Partway into the third, Ozzy
threw his microphone stand over the amplifiers and stormed off, never to
return. The crowd was told that his
voice was shot and the rest of the show was canceled. Fortunately, the Sabbath crowd was relatively
supportive during Giant’s opening set, but they were not as understanding when
the headliner canceled. About 600-800
angry fans pelted band members with whatever they had handy. Police had to come in and disperse the crowd
but some rioting continued in the parking lot after the show.
Charleston ticket Aug. 24, 1972
Aug. 25 Nashville,
Tennessee Municipal
Auditorium
Although
scheduled, Sabbath canceled at the very last minute their appearance at this
general admission concert. The show went
on, however, with the other two scheduled bands, Gentle Giant and Black Oak
Arkansas. In fact, Giant had already
finished their opening set before the promoter took the stage to announce that
Sabbath would not appear and that BOA would play a double set for those who
wished to stay and watch. Audience
members were, of course, given the option of a refund but, reportedly, only 570
did so of the 5,553 in attendance. One
eyewitness thinks GG may have played Working All Day, but this is
unconfirmed. However, this same
eyewitness does clearly remember them playing The Advent of Panurge, not
yet released in America. This is also
not confirmed, but is certainly possible.
More than one fan at the concert and at least one press review have
indicated the band went over fairly well, considering they were relatively
unknown in the States. However, a second
review reported the audience greeted them with “unsympathetic ears” and “dumb
stares”. Several band members have
recounted staying in Nashville for several days with very little to do on this
tour, due to Sabbath’s canceling the next few gigs. Fortunately, they
were staying at Nashville’s King of the Road Motor Inn, known as an exciting
vacation spot.
Nashville - a gig played without Sabbath Aug. 25, 1972
Aug 25 John Peel’s
BBC program Friday Night is Boogie Night rebroadcast the Giant session
recorded on June 13, along with sessions by Medicine Head and Miller Anderson.
Aug. 26 Louisville,
Kentucky Louisville
Gardens
POSTPONED. planned as part of the Kentucky State
Fair festivities but eventually rescheduled for Louisville’s Freedom Hall on
Sep. 6. GG was supposed to open for
Black Sabbath.
Press
notices about Black Sabbath concert cancelations Aug. 1972
Aug. 27 Detroit,
Michigan Cobo Hall
POSTPONED.
This time GG was supposed to open for Edgar Winter and headliners Black
Sabbath but, again, it was canceled at the last minute and rescheduled for Aug.
31.
Aug. 28 Minneapolis,
Minnesota Minneapolis Armory
POSTPONED.
rescheduled for the same venue on Sep. 5. GG was supposed to open for Black Sabbath.
Ad for original postponed Minneapolis
show Aug. 28, 1972
Aug. 30 Knoxville,
Tennessee Civic Coliseum
opened
for Argent, then headliners Black Sabbath, who were finally able to appear
again after missing several dates.
Knoxville
ad Aug. 30, 1972
Aug. 31 Detroit,
Michigan Cobo Hall
Originally,
the band was scheduled to open for Black Sabbath at the Civic Center in
Roanoke, Virginia, but that was changed for some unknown reason. Instead, press reports confirm that the
canceled Aug. 27 Detroit concert took place on this date instead, with GG
opening for Edgar Winter and headliners Black Sabbath. Winter appeared with Giant together several
times over the 1972-73 period, and Phil professed great admiration for
him. Interestingly, Derek stated in a
press report at the time that he did not share his brother’s respect for
Winter.
Sep. 1 Savannah,
Georgia Civic Center
Arena
Like
what happened in Charleston and Nashville already on this tour, it seems that
GG played its opening set but Sabbath backed out, once more supposedly because
of Ozzy’s “throat problems”.
Sep. 3 Chandler,
Indiana Bull Island
Giant
did participate at this three-day Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival, held between
Sep. 2 and Sep. 4. The exact date that
they played had long been a matter of debate with fan recollections alternating
between the first and second day. It is
believed that they flew into nearby Evansville on Sep. 2, and written evidence
does now indicate they finally performed on the afternoon of the second day,
Sep. 3. GG endured a difficult hour and
a half bus ride to the site and took to the stage immediately upon
arrival. However, they did not really
get a chance to play for very long. John
has confirmed what a couple fans at the event also recall, that problems with
an electrical generator made it impossible for Kerry’s
Chandler
- “Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival” Sep.
3, 1972
Sep. 5 The
group's fifth BBC session from Aug. 8 was broadcast on Top Gear hosted
by John Peel. Other sessions on the
program were by the Sutherland Brothers Band and the Albion Country Band.
Sep. 5 Minneapolis,
Minnesota Minneapolis Armory
Along
with JoJo Gunne, Giant opened for Black Sabbath. This was one of the rescheduled dates,
originally planned for Aug. 28.
Sep. 6 Louisville,
Kentucky Freedom Hall
opened
for Black Sabbath before a mostly well-behaved audience. This concert was originally scheduled for
Aug. 26 at Louisville Gardens during the Kentucky State Fair. An attempt was made to reschedule the show
for Aug. 31 in Freedom Hall, but that didn’t happen either. Instead, the rescheduled concert finally took
place on Sep. 6. Giant took the stage
just after 8:00 but, due to their equipment not arriving on time, Sabbath had
to scramble and rent a lot of replacement gear locally. This caused them to not start their own set
until nearly 10:30. The promoter
estimated the size of the crowd at about 5,000, while one press report gave a
number of only 3,000. Either way, this
was quite small for a hall that seated 18,000.
One possible reason given for the meager crowd was that the school year
had started by this rescheduled date and many students were away at college or
otherwise occupied. Because of the small
audience, a special smaller stage area was set up in the center facing one long
side of the building only. The Courier-Journal
reported that quite a few people left before the show ended, possibly because
of the lateness of the hour.
Sep. 7 Jackson,
Mississippi Memorial
Coliseum
opened
for Black Sabbath. This was probably a general admission show. A brief silent 8mm film clip of this
performance is known to exist. Argent
again was on the bill, as well, in the middle position. Rod Argent recalls his band sharing the bill
with GG a number of times, so there may be additional GG/Sabbath shows from
this tour on which they appeared.
Jackson ad Sep. 7, 1972
Sep. 8 New Orleans,
Louisiana Municipal
Auditorium
opened
for Black Sabbath at this gig, the only time GG ever played in New
Orleans. The Municipal Auditorium was
one of the two major rock venues in this city, the other being known simply as
Warehouse. A couple inaccurate newspaper
notices advertised this show as being booked at Warehouse but it truly was held
at the Municipal Auditorium. Beaver
Productions, the premier rock promotors in the area and the company responsible
for this gig, actually owned Warehouse but they also promoted shows at the
Auditorium, as was the case with this show.
A soundboard recording has turned up of Giant’s opening set, the only
known live soundboard recording of a Gentle Giant concert with Phil Shulman
still in the band. It clearly shows that
Phil had little patience for the antics of an unruly crowd. During the vibraphone portion of Funny
Ways, he called the rowdy members of the audience an unpleasant name and
told them to “shut up”. Prologue
from this recording first appeared on the 2011 CD remaster of THREE FRIENDS,
but in 2019, the entire recording was included in the UNBURIED TREASURE
boxset. Sadly, it is short and
incomplete but is still a historically significant recording.
New
Orleans ad Sep. 8, 1972
Sep. 9 Mobile,
Alabama Municipal
Auditorium
opened
for Black Sabbath. Early on, Sabbath had
planned to play to play the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, Louisiana
on this evening.
Mobile press notice Sep. 9, 1972
Sep. 10 San Diego, California Sports Arena
opened
for Black Sabbath
San
Diego ad Sep. 10, 1972
Sep. 11 Salt Lake
City, Utah Salt Palace
At
this general admission show, Giant hit the stage first, followed by a Latino
rock band from Los Angeles called Malo, run by George Santana, brother of
Carlos Santana. Last appeared headliners
Black Sabbath. Giant was fairly well
received and reportedly even got to perform an encore. Official attendance figures list about 9,500
tickets sold.
Salt Lake City press notice Sep. 11, 1972
Sep. 13 Portland,
Oregon Memorial
Coliseum
opened
for Black Sabbath in front of 5,700 fans.
The reviewer in the local Oregonian gave Sabbath a truly horrific
write-up but failed to mention Giant at all.
Portland - press notice with
incorrect Black Sabbath information
Sep. 13, 1972
Sep. 15 Los Angeles, California Hollywood
Bowl
Captain
Beyond started this show, with Giant in the middle, then headliners Black
Sabbath. A few reports claim the venue
was packed with attendance between 20,000 and 25,000, while Amusement
Business magazine more modestly claimed the Bowl was “slightly over
two-thirds” full. It has sometimes been
said that Iron Butterfly was on the bill, but that is incorrect. Iron Butterfly had broken up the previous
May, but two of their members were in Captain Beyond. Because of the importance of Giant’s first
major market appearance in the Los Angeles area, a large billboard with the
Giant's head was erected in town prior to the show to publicize GG's upcoming
concert and to advertise
the recently released THREE FRIENDS
album. This concert has indeed
become one of Giant’s most talked-about and notorious gigs, but not necessarily
for the right reasons. Much of the crowd
was particularly unkind to the band, throwing beer bottles and the like. Firecrackers were set off during the
introduction to Funny Ways, causing Derek and Phil to yell at the crowd,
Phil with language even cruder than that used in New Orleans a week
earlier. Still, a reviewer writing in
the L.A. Free Press claimed GG’s set to be one of the most powerful
performances he’d seen in quite some time.
A tape exists of this concert.
That recording has been released as part of the 2019 UNBURIED
TREASURE boxset, officially documenting GG’s difficulties on this
night. Unfortunately, Sabbath's Tony
Iommi collapsed while on stage at this show, ending Sabbath’s set a bit
prematurely. Even so, one press review
curiously stated that Sabbath “got excellent notices and put on a fine show”,
while mentioning nothing about Iommi’s collapse or the shortened set. It’s possible that some 8mm film footage of
the show may also have been shot but, if so, it is now believed lost.
Los
Angeles - infamous Hollywood Bowl show
Sep. 15, 1972
Sep. 16 Sacramento,
California Civic Auditorium
CANCELED. This gig with Black Sabbath did
not take place, due to Tony Iommi's collapse the night before.
Ad for canceled Sacramento gig Sep. 16, 1972
After
finishing their dates with Sabbath, Giant managed to take a few days off before
continuing. They spent them in Fort
Wayne, Indiana. Next, they did a small
number of dates opening for several other acts, including Yes. This led to more bookings and Phil recalls
them even headlining the odd gig here and there. One early report had them planning some gigs
opening for Chicago, though it’s not known if they ever came about.
Rolling
Stone magazine reported at the time that Columbia Records
had arranged a promotional stunt of having a real life giant appear on stage
during the band’s first North American concert tour. The gentleman in question was 36-year old Ed
Carmel, an incredible nine-foot, one-inch tall New York City resident who had
once worked with the Ringling Brothers Circus.
He was to introduce the band and carry them to their spots on
stage. Record World added that
this was to come at a cost to Columbia of $18,000. However, the Rolling Stone article
went on to state that Mr. Carmel died of a heart attack before the tour even
began, causing Columbia to struggle to find a replacement. Derek himself mentioned this in an interview
with Record Mirror shortly after the tour. He added that someone had even suggested
replacing the deceased giant with dwarves, but the band didn’t like the
idea. However, other band members have
no memory of these events. A press
report from 1977 also refers to Columbia’s plan, saying a giant actually did
appear at some of the band’s early American gigs. Other unsubstantiated rumors have since
popped up, seeming to lend credence to the idea that, for at least some shows,
some sort of long-haired, costumed giant did indeed introduce the band, after
carrying them to the stage. Much of this
may not seem likely, but it has not yet been definitely ruled out.
Additionally,
on some early live recordings, including before and after the Fall 1972 U.S.
tour, a voice can be heard introducing the start of the show with the words,
"the sweet sound of Gentle Giant", but the identity behind the voice
remains a mystery. It may have been a
pre-recorded voice, or possibly a roadie came out to do the intro. This same phrase was also known to be used in
radio ads, adding further to the mystery.
Related to this story is the Sept. 16, 1972 issue of Record World
which stated that anyone over nine feet tall would be admitted free of charge
to any Gentle Giant concert.
Record World article about real-life giant late 1972
Sep. 19 Cincinnati,
Ohio Cincinnati
Gardens
It
appears that Giant played first before the Eagles, both headlining for Yes before
a disappointingly small crowd of 3,801.
Acoustics were reportedly quite awful, not uncommon in this large
venue. For all three bands, the drums
were too loud in the mix, while the bass was too low. Although the Eagles opened for Yes at quite a
few shows around this time, Giant only appeared on a few of the bills and their
name was not always present on posters or ticket stubs, even when they did
appear. Additionally, it’s believed that
the running order of these concerts with Yes was not always consistent, with
the Eagles sometimes playing before Giant, instead of the other way
around. On this evening, the original
bill had Malo and Eggs Over Easy opening the show instead of the Eagles and
Giant.
Cincinnati ads Sep. 19, 1972
Sep. 20 Indianapolis, Indiana Fairgrounds
Coliseum
Played
first, before the Eagles and headliners Yes in front of about 3,500 fans. GG started their set about 15 minutes early
for some reason, when just a third of the audience were even in their
seats. The crowd was quiet and
respectful, even while filing in, a fact appreciated by the band. The group performed in their street clothes,
possibly because their stage clothes did not arrive in time. John actually performed with no shirt at all
for most or all of the concert. Derek
began the evening wearing a short sleeve shirt but then followed John’s lead,
removing his shirt for the rest of the set.
Photographic evidence shows that bare-chested John came down onto the
floor in front of the stage at one point with a tambourine to try to whip up
more enthusiasm from the crowd. After
Yes took the stage and started their second song, the police over-reacted with
force to a small group of rambunctious fans in the very front. The show actually came to a stop temporarily
until things got back under control. At
the time, Yes was reportedly a bit wary of Giant, concerned that they played
too well for a support act.
Indianapolis
ad Sep. 20, 1972
Sep. 21 Detroit,
Michigan Cobo Hall
played
first before the Eagles and headliners Yes.
One newspaper review gave Giant a lukewarm reception at best, while
referring to them as “Humble Giant”.
Detroit Sep. 21, 1972
Sep. 23 Minneapolis,
Minnesota Minneapolis Armory
Although
some Yes sources have conflicting information, it’s been confirmed that GG, the
Eagles and headliners Yes played this evening in Minneapolis. It was a general admission concert, with no
chairs and the audience sitting on the floor.
The order of bands is not clear with one fan remembering the Eagles
playing first as people were filing into the hall, and another fan definitely
recalling Giant going first.
Sep. 24 Milwaukee,
Wisconsin Mecca Arena
Again,
the Eagles went on first, followed by Giant and finally Yes. The arena, also known simply as the Milwaukee
Arena, seated about 13,000, though only about 3000 attended this gig. Originally, the date was believed to have
been Sep. 25. However, Yes and the
Eagles, without Gentle Giant, were in Hartford, Connecticut on that date
playing a rescheduled show after being rained out there in August. One fan at the
An
article in an October issue of Record World indicated that Giant was one
of the musical acts that had performed for a new late-night music TV program
called Tube Trip that was being produced in St. Louis, Missouri. This program aired twice in July 1972 and
twice more in October, and it’s very possible film of Giant was included in one
of those episodes, with further corroboration coming from a 1973 Melody
Maker article that stated that a 1972 St. Louis program was Giant’s very
first US television appearance.
Unfortunately, no hard evidence has been found to prove the band’s
inclusion in a 1972 episode, although it’s known that their film clip was shown
during three episodes in the first months of 1973. All that can be ascertained so far is that
Giant’s filmed segment had already been prepared by the time of the 1972 Record
World article, even though there is no firm evidence of broadcast before
the 1973 episodes.
Determining
the exact content of the band’s Tube Trip film has also proven
difficult, since none of the program’s episodes seem to have survived. The producers of the program sometimes filmed
acts while they were passing through town, but it’s believed that Giant did not
actually play a gig in the St. Louis area during their 1972 US tour. However, newly surfaced evidence indicates
the band may have been in St Louis immediately prior to the Sep. 29 Houston gig
listed below. There are several days
unaccounted for after the Sep. 24 Milwaukee gig and this could have provided a
perfect opportunity for the group to film a television segment in a St. Louis
studio setting. On the other hand, it’s
also possible the producers secured the rights to broadcast an already existing
film such as one of the Italian films from June, perhaps the mimed promotional
film of Peel the Paint that was filmed in Jesolo. This all remains pure speculation at this
point but whatever was shown and whenever it was first broadcast, Gentle
Giant’s Tube Trip film was indeed their first US television appearance.
Sep. 29 Houston,
Texas University
of Houston - Houston Room
The
band put on a free concert at this University, arranged by the school’s Program
Council. Originally, this was arranged
as an outdoor performance on Thursday, Sep. 28 at 2:00 P.M. but that was
canceled on the day of the event as negotiations fell apart between the
University, Columbia Records and the promotors of the Oct. 1 Houston Music Hall
gig already scheduled. Concerns were
raised that the free show on Sep. 29 would hurt ticket sales for the Oct. 1
show. The free show was quickly
rescheduled for noon in the school’s Houston Room on Friday, Sep. 29 while
negotiations continued, but was canceled yet again by Thursday night. The school’s daily newspaper followed the
story closely as talks continued with things not resolving until the last
minute. Finally, at noon on Friday, the
band did manage to perform at the University before 2,000 fans, although it was
not an easy gig. A later published
review pointed out the “horribly distorting sound system” and claimed the show
was saved by Phil Shulman’s clowning around during the various equipment
hassles, thereby lightening the mood in the room. The several hundred people in the crowd did
respond with a standing ovation at the end but Phil told the reviewer, when
describing the PA system, that “it was positively bloody useless for a
professional band!” One press report
erroneously stated that the original date was changed because the airline lost
the band’s equipment coming out of St. Louis.
This was definitely not the reason although, with several days
unaccounted for after the above Milwaukee gig, the band may very well have been
in St. Louis prior to coming to Houston.
Houston
- free concert with scheduling problems
Sep. 29, 1972
Sep. 29 San Antonio,
Texas Trinity
University - Laurie Auditorium
UNCONFIRMED. Considerable advertising prior to Sep.
29 shows that Giant was booked to open for Frampton’s Camel. However, this would have made for a busy day
as Giant had just finished a rescheduled free concert in Houston that very
afternoon, as described in the above listing.
Curiously, Trinity University’s own student newspaper made absolutely no
mention of this concert before or after Sep. 29 and no evidence has been found
confirming either act’s appearance.
Ad
for unconfirmed San Antonio show Sep.
29, 1972
Sep. 30 Arlington,
Texas University
of Texas - Texas Hall
Steve
Miller headlined here, supported by Frampton’s Camel and Giant, who probably
opened the show. 3,500 were in the
audience, making the concert a sellout.
Arlington ad Sep. 30, 1972
Oct. 1 Houston,
Texas Music Hall
opened
the show, followed by Frampton’s Camel and headliner Steve Miller. One report called this a Standing Room Only
show, while another claimed 2,800 out of a possible 3,000 seats were filled. A tape of GG’s set is known to exist. On it can be heard a remarkably respectful
audience. Giant played Houston several
times through the years, but Gary recalls one particularly tough gig there that
they played after engaging in too much sunbathing in the nearby city of Galveston. John got the worst of it, ending up with the
top of his head seriously sunburned, but he didn’t let it affect his playing at
the show. Unfortunately, it’s not known at
which concert or in which year this took place.
j
Houston Oct. 1, 1972
Oct. 2 Columbia,
South Carolina University of
South Carolina - Carolina Coliseum
opened
for the Eagles and headliners Yes. John recounts an amusing story involving this show. At the end of the evening, Eddie Offord, Yes’
sound man, having apparently had too much to drink, announced from the stage
that there was to be an after-concert party at the Holiday Inn, the hotel
across the street where GG happened to be staying. The members of Giant did not hear his
announcement and were quite surprised to have to fight their way through
massive crowds when they returned to the hotel.
??? Tampa,
Florida University
of South Florida
UNCONFIRMED. There are
unverified reports that Giant played in a gymnasium at this college sometime around
1972 or 1973, but there is conflicting information as to the events surrounding
this concert. One fan says GG was
extremely popular on campus and public demand led to their being booked for the
gig. Another fan says few on campus had
heard of the band and the audience was very small, a situation made worse by
the band's being late for the show. The
first fan claims the band's amplifiers were set on the sides of the stage
facing inward, allowing the band to hear each other without the need for monitors. The second fan remembers the acoustics as
being terrible, yet Giant seemed to enjoy themselves, talking and bantering
with the small crowd. Verification as to
exactly when this gig was held is certainly needed.
Around this time, Giant had originally planned to end
their North American tour with a concert supporting Mahavishnu
Orchestra at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, but this did not occur, the two
bands not coming together in New York until March 16, 1973. After this, they originally hoped to play
some more shows in the UK and were also considering going on to play in New
Zealand, Australia and Japan, but none of this took place either. Instead, they lined up their first Canadian
dates. Giant went over extremely well
when they played in Canada, as headliners no less. These appearances garnered the band quite a
bit of good publicity. Peel the Paint
is known to have again turned up in their setlist while in Canada, though this
may not have been a regular occurrence.
Ad for first Canadian
tour Oct. 1972
Oct. 6 Rimouski, Quebec Centre
Civique
Giant
was the last English rock band to play in this particular city until Van der
Graaf Generator played there in 1976.
1,000 people were in attendance and they were quite upset when Giant
ended their set after only one hour. The
band did not play an encore but they explained to the audience that they did
not feel comfortable playing longer because they were working with a new
drummer. Giant was never a band to play
exceptionally long sets and in this time period, rarely going over an hour,
even when headlining. Still, their
explanation on this evening seems an odd excuse as John had, by then, been with
the group for half a year.
Oct. 7 Montreal, Quebec Centre
Sportif de l'Universite de Montreal
This
was the first concert of the University’s 1972-1973 season and was another gig
that Phil says was very successful, even though it was a rainy night. Reviews placed between 1,800 and 2,000 people
in the audience, rather low numbers for this venue, but these same reviews said
the crowd really enjoyed themselves. One
reviewer even remarked this was the best concert he himself had ever seen. A local comedy/folk duet of Plume Latraverse and Pierre Landry opened this show. It had been assumed the openers were Plume
and Cassonade, but that particular lineup came into
being a bit later. The crowd erupted with
cheers and applause during the Nothing at All percussion break. During this break, the band used their
sticks, in sequence, on the drums, the drum stands, the microphone stands, the
microphone cables and the floor, before reversing the order, finally returning
to the drums. The crowd was again cheering wildly by the end of the show but,
like what happened the night before, Giant did not return for an encore. Le Petit Journal, in its review, did
point out how remarkably short Giant’s set was, but blamed that on the fact
that the band had a long bus trip from the previous night’s show and were
facing another long bus trip to the next show.
An existing tape of the concert does show they ended their set with Peel
the Paint again done as a separate song, as was done in May, but in a
slightly modified version from what was done then. A very brief silent 8mm film clip of the show
is also known to exist.
Montreal Oct. 7, 1972
Oct. 8 Ste-Foy, Quebec Pavillon Maurice-Pollack - Universite
Laval
Although
Ste-Foy is today incorporated as part of Quebec City, in 1972 it was
technically a separate, more residential city adjacent to Quebec City. Nonetheless, tickets and ads in several
publications all advertised this gig as taking place in Quebec City. Attendance here was greater than in Montreal
on the previous night. The press
attributed this to the fact that there was less competition from other venues
in this area, than there was in Montreal.
This was another gig that Phil remembers as being very successful. Ste-Foy is right outside of Quebec City and
the venue was in a basement, with the audience sitting on the floor. Opening the show was a local progressive band
called William D. Fisher. This show was
at one time advertised for Oct. 9, but it did take place on Oct. 8. There is an unsubstantiated report that some
silent 8mm film footage of the concert exists.
Ste-Foy ad and ticket Oct. 8, 1972
An October 1972 ad in Ciao 2001 confirms that an
entire Italian tour had been finalized for October 12 through October 22. However, this tour and all other plans were
subsequently canceled. Instead, they
accepted another offer from Jethro Tull to play
support at some of the stops on their U.S. tour and ended up staying another
month in North America.
Printed material for
canceled Italian tour Oct. 1972
Unlike
the Sabbath fans, the Tull audiences tended to accept
the band more readily, as they had when the two bands worked together in
Very few
live recordings from this
Oct. 13 Buffalo, New York Memorial
Auditorium
opened
for Jethro Tull.
The concert was sold out which would prove to be quite commonplace on
this particular Tull tour. In fact, Tull sold
out this concert weeks in advance, the first act to do so at this venue since
Elvis Presley. Derek has said that
Buffalo is one of the U.S. cities in which the band most enjoyed playing. However, on this evening, the concert was
marred by unruly Tull fans and violence, resulting in
$30,000 in damage to the box office.
Oct. 14 Rochester, New York War
Memorial
opened
for Jethro Tull.
A tape of this show exists. As had
happened before, one fan in the crowd remembered that, during the Nothing At
All percussion break, band members were seen hitting their drumsticks on
the floor. Even though other fans have
recalled this same activity at other shows, Gary has no memory of it. The show was sold out over a week in advance,
with the University of Rochester’s Campus Times describing it as
“standing room only” and the Times Union giving an attendance figure of
9,300. The same newspaper commented that
the War Memorial’s bad acoustics gave GG an inferior sound but the audience
still enjoyed their performance. Oddly,
the house lights in the War Memorial were not turned down until halfway through
Giant’s opening set.
Rochester
review Oct. 14, 1972
Oct. 15 Bangor,
Maine Bangor
Auditorium
opened
for Jethro Tull.
In its review, the Bangor Daily News gave an attendance of 7,000
which was clearly a sell-out. In fact,
the newspaper made note of those without tickets who managed to listen and
catch the occasional glimpse of the musicians from vantage points in the
parking lot.
Oct. 16 Springfield,
Massachusetts Civic Center
GG
definitely opened for Jethro Tull, although there is
a possibility that Captain Beefheart may also have
been on the bill. This show was sold-out
with 9,500 in attendance, described at the time as one of the largest crowds to
date in this fairly new facility. As was
becoming fairly routine at Tull shows, there were
problems again on this night with about 300 unruly people without tickets
causing trouble outside and in the lobby, resulting in a strong police
response, several arrests and a couple minor injuries. However, the manager of the Civic Center said
there were no problems inside.
Oct. 17 Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania Civic Arena
opened
for Jethro Tull before at least 13,000 fans in this
sold-out gig. Scalpers did a brisk
business outside the venue, so high was the demand for tickets. One fan in the crowd seems to recall A Cry
for Everyone being in this show, which is possible, though
unconfirmed. Even though his wife hails
from this area, Ray eventually began to dislike Pittsburgh, claiming the city
had a very unadventurous musical climate.
Pittsburgh
ad Oct. 17, 1972
Oct. 18 Charleston,
West Virginia Civic Center
opened
for Jethro Tull.
The Charleston Gazette was rapturous in its praise for Giant, referring
to them as “perhaps the year’s sleeper act” and “one to watch”.
Charleston Oct. 18, 1972
Oct. 19 Columbia,
South Carolina University of
South Carolina - Carolina Coliseum
opened
for Jethro Tull as part of the University’s
Homecoming Week festivities. The concert
was sold out with an attendance of nearly 10,000. A review in The State gave GG high
marks, but heaped evn higher praise on Tull. This same
review incorrectly claimed that Giant had a “bassman
that has played with the London Symphony.”
Ray was indeed a classically trained violinist, but his career never
included a stint with the LSO.
Oct. 21 Cleveland,
Ohio Public Hall
opened
for Jethro Tull before a capacity crowd of 10,500
fans. This show actually sold out a
month in advance. Curiously, though,
this show does not appear on Giant’s original transportation itinerary, which
had them going directly from Columbia to Memphis on Oct. 20.
Oct. 22 Memphis,
Tennessee Mid-South
Coliseum
opened
for Jethro Tull.
A Memphis college newspaper commented on the heavy-handed yet
ineffective methods employed by the reserve police officers working security at
the Coliseum, but failed to mention anything at all about the music. Another local paper, while correctly
identifying Tull as a British band, curiously
described Giant as American, calling them “domestic rockers”. Coliseum records indicate that 8,264 tickets
were sold.
Memphis press notice Oct. 22, 1972
Oct. 23 Little Rock,
Arkansas Barton Coliseum
opened
for Jethro Tull.
This concert was sold out but, although official capacity was a bit over
7,000, a press report estimated between 8,000 and 10,000 fans were crammed
in. It was a general admission concert
and the doors did not open until a half hour before showtime, resulting in a dangerous
stampede of eager fans hoping for good seats.
Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries.
Oct. 24 Nashville,
Tennessee Municipal
Auditorium
UNCONFIRMED. It’s believed the group was scheduled to
again open for Jethro Tull, but confirmation has
proven elusive. Although Tull definitely did play Nashville on this night before
9,000 fans, there are just as many clear indications from fan remembrances that
Giant did not appear as there are that they did. Written documentation one way or the other is
sadly lacking at this time.
Oct. 25 Louisville, Kentucky Convention
Center
opened
for Jethro Tull.
A relatively well-behaved sell-out crowd of 6,500 witnessed this show and enjoyed the reportedly excellent acoustics in the venue. The crowd was impressed enough to give GG a
standing ovation after their four-song set but, unfortunately, time constraints
did not allow them to come out for an encore.
Originally, Captain Beefheart was
advertised as the support act, but it was changed to Giant in later ads.
Louisville
ad Oct. 25, 1972
Oct. 26 Bowling
Green, Kentucky Western Kentucky
University - Diddle Arena
During
homecoming festivities, GG opened for Jethro Tull
before an audience of over 6,500, which was near capacity. Nonetheless, the university’s yearbook made a
mention of this concert, describing it as a “major financial loss”.
Oct. 27 Jackson, Mississippi Memorial
Coliseum
There
had been some confusion regarding this date with some early evidence indicating
Dr. John served as the opener for headliners Jethro Tull. However, enough fan recollections and written
sources have since surfaced to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Giant
indeed opened.
Oct. 28 Baton Rouge,
Louisiana Louisiana State
University - Assembly Center
opened
for Jethro Tull.
Press reports varied in their attendance estimates, placing it anywhere
from 10,000 to over 12,000, and the audience rapturously received both
groups. Giant received a standing
ovation and calls for an encore, but it’s not known if they obliged. For most of their dates with Black Sabbath
and Jethro Tull, GG had an English roadie by the name
of Sam Simpson. During their headlining
set, Tull would recruit Sam and have him dress as a
gorilla or as a deep sea diver, as part of their legendary stage
theatrics. During this particular show,
Sam was visited by his American girlfriend whom he had met earlier in the tour
and added her into the festivities by carrying her across Tull’s
stage when he was in costume. A few
nights later, when the two bands reached Florida, Sam left Giant’s employ and
decided to stay in the US with his girlfriend, the two of them later to be
married.
Baton Rouge Oct. 28, 1972
Oct. 29 Macon,
Georgia Macon
Coliseum
opened
for Jethro Tull.
There was a near capacity crowd in this 9,000-seat facility. One published report stated that, even though
this crowd was mostly well-behaved, the police patrolling the floor were too
strict and heavy-handed. Early on, the Virginia
Gazette advertised Tull playing at William and
Mary Hall at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia on this
evening, but that did not occur.
It had
long been assumed that Giant opened for Tull at the Spectrum
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Oct. 30 and 31, but this is incorrect. Tull did play
there, but Captain Beefheart was the support act both
nights. GG’s own transportation
itinerary lists them as staying in Boston between Oct. 30 and Nov. 2.
Nov. 1 Boston,
Massachusetts Boston
Garden
opened
for Jethro Tull before a sellout crowd of
15,000. A review in The Morning
Record conceded that Giant was “well received” but otherwise gave short
shrift to their performance. Likewise,
the Randolph Herald was kind to Giant, but commented that they seemed
“noticeably insecure” on stage. The
worst review appeared in the Boston Globe which liked nothing about the
band, heaping its most scorn on John Weathers whom it called “consistently
terrible”. Tull
played a second show here on Nov. 2 but Giant left that morning for St.
Petersburg, so they could not have played support again.
Boston - harsh review and Gary with Tull’s Martin Barre
Nov. 1, 1972
Nov. 2 John
Peel’s Top Gear program on BBC rebroadcast Giant’s Aug. 8 session, along
with sessions by Glencoe, Nazareth and the JSD Band.
Nov. 3 St.
Petersburg, Florida Bayfront
Center
opened
for Jethro Tull.
This concert sold out two weeks in advance, with an attendance of around
8,000, even though advertising was limited.
On the night of the show, a number of fans remained outside without
tickets and caused a fair share of trouble, resulting in a broken front door
and 16 arrests. This led the manager of
the Bayfront to speculate on whether he would continue to book rock shows.
St.
Petersburg review Nov. 3, 1972
Nov. 4 Miami,
Florida Miami
Beach Convention Hall
UNCONFIRMED. This concert totally sold out a
week prior to showtime. GG was
advertised to again open for Jethro Tull. However, a review of the show in the Miami
Herald raises some doubt. The
reviewer admitted he did not actually watch the support act, but wrote that it
was the Tampa-based heavy band White Witch.
Since no other reviews have yet been located, the possibility of GG
backing out at the last minute cannot be ruled out.
Miami press notice Nov. 4, 1972
Nov. 5 Jacksonville,
Florida Jacksonville
Coliseum
opened
for Jethro Tull.
A fan definitely recalls hearing Working All Day but, though it's
possible, it's not confirmed. No live recordings
have ever surfaced of this song which was also rumored to have been played at
the Aug. 25 Nashville gig. At this
Jacksonville show, Giant was fortunate enough to be called back for an encore.
Nov. 6 Savannah,
Georgia Civic Center
Arena
opened
for Jethro Tull
Nov. 7 Fort Wayne,
Indiana Allen County
Memorial Coliseum
opened
for Jethro Tull before 8,500 fans
Fort
Wayne - curiously understated review
Nov. 7, 1972
Nov. 8 Detroit,
Michigan Cobo Hall
Interestingly,
this was the third time the group played at Cobo Hall
since they first came to America in August, all as openers for different
bands. This time, in front of 12,000
fans, they opened for Jethro Tull, who were so
popular at the time that the gig sold out in three hours, under near riot
conditions. Tull
played Cobo Hall again on Nov. 9, but Giant had
already left town for
Nov. 11 Chicago,
Illinois Chicago
Stadium
opened
for Jethro Tull at a massive venue that was, at the
time, America’s largest indoor arena.
One unconfirmed report has the band playing Knots at this show
from the still unreleased OCTOPUS album.
Tull also played at this venue on Nov. 10, but
GG definitely only opened on Nov. 11, Wild Turkey filling the support slot the
previous night. The band always enjoyed
Chicago's rich musical traditions and Ray once remarked that the city was
filled with "progressive, forward-thinking people". Derek once commented that Gentle Giant was
always well-received by Chicago audiences.
This gig was sold out with a good 20,000 fans
present.
Nov. 12 Baltimore,
Maryland Civic Center
opened
for Jethro Tull.
The show was sold out with an attendance of over 12,000. An additional 20 people outside were arrested
trying to break into the building.
Nov. 13 New York, New
York Madison Square
Garden
opened
for Jethro Tull.
Phil and Derek both fondly recall this gig, the only time the band ever
performed in this prestigious New York City venue. A tape exists of Giant’s set. Apparently, they were well received, as Ian
Anderson joked during the Tull set that he wished his
band sounded as good. The nearly 20,000
seat venue was not only sold out, but was actually oversold, one newspaper
report putting the total attendance at 23,000.
This prompted Tull to schedule another Garden
performance on Dec. 8. At least one area
newspaper advertised GG as opening at this second date, as well, but that is
false, the job going to Roxy Music.
New York - sold out Madison Square
Garden show Nov. 13, 1972
Nov. 14 Some of the footage filmed in June in Jesolo, as described above, was broadcast by the Italian
RAI TV Network on the Permette Questo Ballo? program. This show was broadcast in two episodes a week
apart with Giant appearing on the first one on Nov. 14. It’s believed that shown on this program was
the promotional “music video” of the band miming to the studio version of Peel
the Paint. Permette
Questo Ballo? dealt
with music popular at the time in Italy’s dance halls. Many of the acts featured were geared towards
older audiences, but these performers were balanced with the inclusion of some
newer rock groups more popular among younger viewers. Besides Giant, other rock bands featured over
the two episodes included Colosseum, Le Orme, Formula Three and a group from
Spain called the Pop Tops.
“Permette Questo Ballo?” Italian TV
broadcast Nov. 14, 1972
In
November of 1972, Giant returned to the U.K. to join a tour with the British
blues band, the Groundhogs, with whom they had already worked many times. They did not appear on every date of the tour
but when they did, they played first before Stray and then the headliners. On additional dates not listed below, the
Groundhogs were supported by Badger.
Representatives of the bands involved insisted in the press that tickets
for this tour would always cost between 50p and 90p at the most, claiming it to
be “surely the best value for money concert tour to have hit the road this
year”. The program sold at the gigs
included a page on Gentle Giant but, oddly, it also included a picture of the band
taken while Malcolm Mortimore was still with them. It's possible that Alucard
was less commonly included in the set during this UK tour but, with very little
recorded evidence in existence, it's hard to say for certain. It is again not known if songs from the new OCTOPUS
album were ever included in the setlist, although one newspaper account from a
week prior to the tour claimed that was the band’s intention.
Ad for UK tour with
Groundhogs Late 1972
Nov. 17 Birmingham,
England Town Hall
opened
for Stray and the Groundhogs. The show
was sold out. Some sections of seating
were behind the stage, so the band frequently turned around to face fans
sitting there.
Nov. 18 Edinburgh,
Scotland Empire Theatre
Although
this gig was advertised as being at the Empire Theatre, one fan claims it was
really at the Edinburgh Odeon. Although
Stray was scheduled to be part of the bill, some sources claim Stray played in
Canterbury, England on this evening.
Nov. 19 Dundee,
Scotland Caird Hall
opened
for Stray and the Groundhogs
Nov. 20 Glasgow,
Scotland Green's
Playhouse
opened
for Stray and the Groundhogs
Nov. 23 Oxford,
England New
Theatre
UNCONFIRMED. The Groundhogs did play this concert,
but Giant’s participation is not at all clear.
Several sources indicate GG and Stray opened, but several others show
Badger in support. Definitive evidence
one way or the other has not been found.
Oxford - ad for unconfirmed
appearance with the Groundhogs Nov.
23, 1972
Nov. 25 Hitchin, England Hitchin College
GIANT DID NOT PLAY. For
this college show, GG was scheduled to headline, preceded by Medicine Head and
Mike Absalom. However, Giant canceled
their appearance, instead spending the evening in London. This greatly frustrated officials at the
college who claim to have been not informed of this until the show was set to
begin and, even then, in a rather patronizing manner by the band’s agent. The audience, expecting to see Gentle Giant,
was also frustrated when told they would not perform, but was overjoyed to find
out that Absalom, a favorite at this college, would now play a double set.
Ad
for canceled Hitchin show Nov. 25, 1972
Nov. 26 Newcastle,
England City Hall
opened
for Stray and the Groundhogs
Newcastle
ad Nov. 26, 1972
Nov. 30 Hanley,
England Victoria
Hall
opened
for Stray and the Groundhogs
Hanley ad Nov. 30, 1972
Dec. 1 The OCTOPUS album had its
official release in England in the first week of December, possibly on Dec.
1. There are indications, however, that
it may have actually hit the shops as early as Nov. 16 or thereabouts. Interestingly, it was first released in Italy
in mid October and was already high in the Italian
charts by mid November.
Dec. 1 Manchester,
England Free Trade Hall
GIANT DID NOT PLAY. The
band was supposed to open for Stray and the Groundhogs again but, due to
someone having a case of laryngitis, they canceled their appearance. The other two bands played extra-long sets to
make up the time.
Dec. 3 Bristol,
England Colston
Hall
GIANT DID NOT PLAY. Again,
the band was scheduled to open for Stray and the Groundhogs but, this time,
several of the members were ill with stomach problems. Instead, an acoustic guitar/harmonica player
substituted for them. Kerry's
girlfriend, Leslie, also attended this show, not knowing the band was not going
to perform.
Bristol ad - GG did not appear Dec. 3, 1972
Dec. 5 Bradford,
England St. George's
Hall
opened
for Stray and the Groundhogs
Dec. 8 Bournemouth,
England Winter Gardens
opened
for Stray and the Groundhogs
Dec. 8 Giant’s records, including the
newly-released THREE FRIENDS, were selling surprisingly well in Texas,
so on this date, they were one of the acts whose music was featured on a
locally produced Houston, Texas television program called Sensatiation. It was a short-lived series, only lasting six
episodes, and this was the fifth broadcast.
It appeared at midnight on KVRL-TV and was simulcast on Houston’s
KLOL-FM Radio, as well as also being aired on TV and radio in Lubbock,
Texas. The show did not feature any live
music or film of the band, but instead showcased the album version of Working
All Day, accompanied by a psychedelic light show timed to coordinate well
with the music. Obviously, the radio
simulcast was just music, but featuring Giant’s music on TV and radio in this
way helped cement the band’s growing name recognition in the important city of
Houston. Other acts included in this
half hour program were Shawn Phillips, Uriah Heep,
Simon and Garfunkle, and Jade Warrior.
Houston - TV listing and opening
titles for “Sensatiation” broadcast Dec. 8, 2972
Dec. 9 Leeds,
England Leeds
University
GIANT DID NOT PLAY. At
least one ad mentioned Giant appearing at this gig opening for the Groundhogs,
but most press notices did not. The
student newspaper at Leeds University clearly stated Badger was to be the only
support act.
Dec. 10 Paignton, England Festival
Hall
Giant’s
inclusion in this show was not mentioned in all advertising, but they
definitely did open for Stray and the Groundhogs. A tape exists of Giant's set. GG was very well received at this gig but
Stray, quite popular in England at the time, got quite a poor reception with
one local newspaper review describing their performance as “dismal”. Their set was shortened by some sort of
on-stage argument centered around the drummer and his kit. There were also rumors of some sort of
upsetting phone call beforehand, as well as possible amplifier trouble. This same review also claimed Giant, who did
not do an encore, was the only band on the bill who should have. Paignton is a
smaller English town and is a bit off the beaten path for big name concert
tours. Because of this, representatives
of Deep Purple’s management attended this gig to see if it would be worthwhile
to schedule a gig of their own the following year in the adjoining, equally
small town of Torquay. It appears that
they did not.
Paignton
poster Dec. 10, 1972
Dec. 11 Wolverhampton,
England Civic Hall
UNCONFIRMED. This date has caused a bit of
confusion. Most Groundhogs advertising
and press notices at the time did not mention this gig, but it did appear in
one of Giant’s. If the Groundhogs did
indeed appear, it would be reasonable to assume that GG opened for them,
although Stray’s involvement would be sheer speculation. Complicating the issue further, BBC records
indicate Giant recorded a studio session for them in London on this same
date. They could have theoretically
fulfilled both commitments, but what actually transpired is not yet
settled.
Dec. 11 The band did their sixth BBC studio
session on this date, the last one to include Phil. It was recorded at
Dec. 12 Hull,
England City
Hall
Giant
was scheduled to open for Stray and the Groundhogs, although one disputed
account has Badger being a last-minute substitute for Stray. There was also talk, at one point, that this
gig may have been canceled completely, but three separate fans have confirmed
the show went on as planned. The exact
attendance is unknown, but the hall is said to have been mostly full.
Hull ads Dec. 12, 1972
Dec. 14 The
group's sixth BBC session was broadcast on Top Gear, hosted by John
Peel, along with sessions by Babe Ruth, Holy Mackeral
and Ten Years After.
Dec. 14 Chatham,
England Central Hall
Once
again, advertising paints an unclear picture of this show. The Groundhogs may have been originally
scheduled to play this show by themselves, or possibly with Badger in
support. However, it seems fairly
certain now that Giant did end up opening the show. Badger did not perform and Stray’s
involvement is unknown.
Dec. 15 Sheffield,
England City Hall
opened
for Stray and the Groundhogs
Dec. 16 Liverpool,
England Liverpool
Stadium
opened
for Stray and the Groundhogs. Although all advertising found so far includes the correct
date of Dec. 16, a poster has recently surfaced which indicates this gig was at
one time planned for Dec. 23.
Liverpool ad Dec. 16, 1972
Dec. 22 London,
England Rainbow
Theatre
Giant
opened for the Groundhogs at this 2,500-seat theatre, but the remainder of the
bill is uncertain, due to conflicting advertisements. Separate ads for this show differed as to
whether Stray was scheduled to perform, while one ad mentioned an act called
Mister Crisp preceding Giant. A
published Groundhogs source indicated this actually referred to singer/guitarist
Rod Crisp, although no one at the show has yet to surface who actually recalls
seeing him perform. In fact, two
separate fans at the show remember no one else on the bill at all other than
Giant. Both still retain their written
notes from the concert and neither mention Stray or Crisp, nor did a review in
a London college newspaper. The Rainbow
advertised this concert as a "Christmas Special" and, indeed, the
character of “Father Christmas” made an appearance to kick off the
festivities. The show may have been
originally scheduled for Dec. 20, although tickets did have the correct Dec. 22
date.
Ad
and review for London Rainbow Theatre
Dec. 22, 1972
In the second half of December, Giant reserved studio
time to record their fifth album, only four months after recording OCTOPUS. The exact schedule was for them to be
recording between Dec. 18, 1972 and Jan. 3, 1973. Although an article in Melody Maker
hints that some small amount of recording may have indeed taken place, it seems
that no serious recording was done.
Instead, at the tail end of December 1972, Giant embarked on a tour of
Italy with the band Area as support..
This end of year tour was originally announced in a couple printed
sources as beginning on Dec. 28.
However, the Italian magazines Ciao 2001, Musica
e Dischi and Super Sound all reported a
start date of Dec. 29. Curiously, the Super
Sound ad mistakenly listed the first two December dates as being planned
for November. Italy was a country they
had wanted to play in for a long time.
They may have managed a few gigs there over the summer but, as explained
earlier, documentation of this lacking.
Then there were hints of appearing in September and, of course, there
was the canceled tour in October described above, so they must have been
relieved when a scheduled tour finally looked set to go ahead without a
hitch. Unfortunately, a giant hitch was
about to appear, as this would be Phil's last tour with the band.
Italian tour ad with incorrect
month for first two dates late 1972 -
early 1973
TYPICAL SETLIST (Dec. 1972 - Jan. 1973)
Prologue
Alucard
Funny Ways
Nothing at All
The Advent of Panurge - This song, which included
a recorder quartet in the middle, was known to be added to the set, making this
the only tour on which Phil’s participation in live OCTOPUS material can
be verified.
Plain Truth
Mister Class and Quality?/Peel the Paint - This combination of two songs from THREE FRIENDS was the
band’s first attempt to connect songs into mini-medleys. On future tours, this became a common
occurrence.
Dec. 29 Pordenone,
Italy Salone della Fiera
Area
was the opening band. This date has been
confirmed by the show’s promotor, a gentleman responsible for bringing many
name acts to Pordenone. On this night,
the hall was full with between 2,000 and 2,500 fans.
Dec. 30 Bologna,
Italy Palazzo dello Sport
Area
was the opening band. Several fan
recollections and an extant poster serve to confirm this gig. Additionally, a tape of Giant’s set exists.
Bologna poster Dec. 30, 1972
Dec. 31 The
band had a couple days off before continuing the tour. They ended up celebrating New Year’s Eve in
Milan with the Italian band PFM.
1973
Jan. 2 Genova, Italy Teatro Alcione
There
was an afternoon and an evening set. A
tape exists of one of these sets, though it’s not known which set was
recorded. Area was the opening band.
Genova
poster Jan. 2, 1973
Jan. 3 Rome, Italy Palazzo
dello Sport
A
rumor has it that a tape may exist of this concert, but it is probably
false. Area was the opening band. Attendance figures are unclear, as L’Unita gave a number of 10,000 while L’Avanti reported only 6,000. It’s believed that GG was interviewed on the
Italian radio program Per
Voi Giovani
earlier in the day. During the
interview, members of the band revealed that during their February 1972 Italian
tour with Jethro Tull, the Tull
camp sometimes lowered the volume during Giant’s opening set in a supposed
attempt to stop them from stealing the show.
The two bands generally got along very well and GG has always
acknowledged the help Tull gave them in 1972, so this
was a rare display of professional jealousy.
Per Voi Giovani is one of the radio
programs most responsible for championing British progressive rock in Italy.
Rome Jan. 3, 1973
Jan. 4 Milan,
Italy Palalido
Area
was the opening band and during their set, segments of the audience continually
interrupted quiet moments by yelling out the name of Demetrio
Stratos, their lead singer. According to
a local newspaper review, GG’s sold-out performance was musically a great
success before a paid attendance of about 5,000, and was met with
“thunderous applause”. However, things
were not at all well outside the venue once Giant’s set began. Up to 1,000 more determined fans battled
with police in an attempt to gain admittance to the concert for free. This type of anti-capitalist civil unrest at
Italian rock concerts became quite common as the 1970’s progressed and this
evening’s melee was a particularly bad example.
John’s recollection is that this was also the gig at which Phil
announced he was leaving, although a roadie thinks it may have been back in
Portsmouth several days later, when the tour ended. Whenever it happened, it was very upsetting
to the rest of the band and led to quite an emotional argument. Derek and Ray actually considered disbanding
the group but were talked out of it.
Jan. 5 Vicenza,
Italy Palazzo
dello Sport
Area
was the opening band. A recording of
this gig, the last known
audio record of the six-man Gentle Giant lineup, has been included in the UNBURIED
TREASURE boxset. A
fan at the show recalls Giant being enthusiastically received, despite Phil
having a small bit of trouble with his trumpet part on The Advent of Panurge. Sadly, neither of the two known recordings
from Phil’s last Italian tour include the encore of Mister Class and
Quality?/Peel the Paint. A gentleman
named Luigi Vianini was also in the audience with his
camera and took some excellent photos, two of which appear here.
Vicenza Jan. 5, 1973
Jan. 6 Cavallermaggiore, Italy Le Cupole
Area
was the opening band. Several minutes of
silent color 8mm film of this concert have recently been unearthed.
Cavallermaggiore
ad Jan. 6, 1973
Jan. 8 Varese,
Italy Palazzo
dello Sport
Area
was the opening band. Melody Maker
originally announced this Italian tour was expected to run through Jan.
15. However, the itinerary eventually
changed and Varese does appear to be Phil Shulman’s last appearance with the
band.
Jan. 17 Frankfurt,
Germany Jahrhunderthalle
GIANT DID NOT PLAY. A
poster exists which advertised GG's scheduled inclusion in this Frankfurt rock
festival entitled "The Sound of Britain in Concert". Others on the bill at this sold-out show
included Steeleye Span, Amazing Blondel and Alexis Korner. However, GG did not appear and was replaced
by Genesis, a band not originally scheduled.
It was said at the time that a member of Giant was ill but, since Phil
Shulman left the band after the Italian tour, that most likely explained
Giant’s cancelation.
Frankfurt poster - canceled festival
gig Jan. 17, 1973
Feb.
? OCTOPUS was released in
America, the second for Columbia Records.
The exact date is difficult to ascertain but it may have been either
Feb. 19 or Feb. 26. Once again, Columbia
decided against using the record cover artwork used elsewhere, a painting by
famed artist Roger Dean. Instead, they
used a totally different painting of an octopus in a jar.
Go on
to Part Three
Return
home to Gentle Giant
Tour History