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Gentle Giant
Tour History
***
Part Three ***
***
Going On After
Phil ***
(early
1973 - mid 1974)
new information will be in RED
Immediately
after the Italian tour of early 1973, Phil Shulman left Gentle Giant, due to some
serious personal differences and his concern over the strain that life on the
road was putting on his family. He was
also considerably older than the others.
The group decided to continue as a five-piece outfit. Their first tour as a five-piece was also
their second North American tour. It is
believed to have run between March and May of 1973, although there are
indications that it may have been originally planned to have started as early
as Feb. 8 or 9. If so, Phil's departure
may have been responsible for the delay.
One March press notice had the tour ending by Apr. 22, but it was
eventually extended beyond that.
Shortly
before leaving the band, Phil stated in the press that they had had some offers
from promoters to do some headlining in
TYPICAL SETLIST (Spring - Mid 1973)
Prologue
Alucard -
may have been played more often earlier in the tour
Funny Ways
Knots
The Advent of Panurge - The recorder quartet
began to include a rendition of Yankee Doodle, an
addition which was commonplace during many future tours.
Nothing at All
Plain Truth - This
may have only appeared in the band's longer headlining gigs and more often
later in the tour.
Mister Class and Quality?/Peel the Paint - This THREE FRIENDS mini-medley may also have only appeared
in the band's longer gigs and earlier in the tour.
Even
though they had to rearrange their songs for one less member, their shows were
still musically satisfying and generally well-accepted. Besides Knots and The Advent of
Panurge, it seems no other OCTOPUS songs were played.
Feb. 11 GG had appeared on an episode of the
St. Louis, Missouri rock music television program Tube Trip at some
point in the Fall of 1972, their very first North American TV showing. This is their second appearance on the same
program and it is also the first appearance for which the exact date can be
verified. They had been filmed on an
unknown date and location during their Fall 1972 tour and both episodes
probably aired the same film. By the
beginning of 1973, Tube Trip was being aired in both St. Louis and
Kansas City, Missouri, eventually adding a station in Atlanta, Georgia briefly
in the summer of 1973, before the program came to an end. As was generally the case with most episodes,
this particular episode was advertised as airing first in Kansas City on the
previous night of Feb. 10, but it was actually shown after midnight, in the
early hours of Feb. 11. The actual St.
Louis broadcast followed in the late evening of Feb. 11. Clips of the band playing live in a studio
were probably shown, although that has not been verified. Also appearing on this episode were Osibisa and a band named Julia. In both cities, the TV broadcast was also
simulcast over the radio. This film of
Gentle Giant appeared on two other episodes of Tube Trip in the Spring
of 1973, where it was combined with different acts.
St. Louis - ad for first Tube Trip
TV broadcast and opening titles Feb.
11, 1973
Feb. 23 Devizes,
England Corn
Exchange Evidence
is mounting that this may have been Giant’s first outing as a five-piece
band. However, this is not confirmed and
conflicting evidence pinpoints the following Winchester listing as the first
post-Phil Shulman gig. What is definitely
confirmed from multiple sources is that Thin Lizzy did play in Devizes on Feb.
23, where their set was marred by violence between the audience and some
members of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang.
One fan in that audience kept meticulous notes on his concert
experiences at the time and his still extant notes list Gentle Giant as the
opening act. Gary himself, in a recent
interview, recounted how the band opened once for Thin Lizzy in 1973 or 1974 in
what he described as an unannounced “warmup gig”. That could certainly be an accurate
description of this concert, as it did not appear on any publicized itinerary
or as part of an organized tour. The
only contrary information in Gary’s recollection is that he seems to remember
the show in question being in the north of England, whereas Devizes is in the
south. He also revealed that Thin
Lizzy’s Phil Lynott was actually a fan of Giant.
Mar. 4 Winchester,
England King Alfred's
College - John Stripe Theatre This
show definitely did take place and it may, in fact, have been their first gig
without Phil. During the band’s introduction,
it was actually announced as such from the stage, as was the fact that Phil had
gone back to teaching. Since King
Alfred’s was a teacher education college, this comment elicited a few chuckles
from the crowd. The show was held on a
Sunday and could have been in late February, but it was probably on Mar.
4. They rehearsed for several hours in
the theatre on the afternoon of the gig in order to work out the bugs in their
new stage show. This was intended more
or less as a tune-up gig before the start of their upcoming North American
tour. The band did not even use their
normal lighting personnel, instead hiring a student at the college to handle
the lights. According to this person,
the only lighting demand made was that no flashing lights at all were to be
used. He also claims that all the lights
went well, except for one small glitch at the beginning. The band entered the stage in darkness and
the lights were supposed to snap on at the opening downbeat. Unfortunately, the lights came on early,
spoiling the effect. The tickets, which
went on sale the day before, were quite cheap, but there are conflicting
reports as to whether the show sold out.
Giant are said to have been pleased with the results of the show, as
were the record company representatives in the audience. Two separate tapes of this concert once
existed but sadly, both are now believed lost.
This concert was arranged by the same student friend of the Shulmans who
arranged their Feb. 12, 1971 King Alfred’s show.
Mar. 8 Hershey, Pennsylvania Hersheypark
Arena The J. Geils Band and Edgar Winter both played here, although
which band headlined is not clear. Giant
served as the support act.
Mar. 9 Chicago,
Illinois Kinetic
Playground This has
turned out to be quite a confusing date.
The Tennessean published an ad on Mar. 4 indicating GG was to
open for Edgar Winter on Mar. 9 at the Memorial Gymnasium of Vanderbilt
University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the Chicago Tribune advertised a bill
of Jo Jo Gunne with opening
act Malo at that city’s Kinetic Playground.
However, on Mar. 8, this Chicago paper printed a brief announcement that
Jo Jo Gunne had canceled
their appearance and was being replaced by a brand new bill of headliners
Gentle Giant and openers Tranquility and Wildflower. Right on the concert date of Mar. 9, the Chicago
Tribune ran one more very small advertisement for this revised lineup
although, considering the last minute nature of the bill, the minimal
advertising, and the fact that no further press has turned up confirming that
the gig actually went ahead, this date must still be viewed with
suspicion. Whatever the case, Giant did
end up appearing at the Kinetic Playground on April 13, as listed below, where
they supported Procol Harum.
Mar. 10 Louisville, Kentucky Convention
Center Giant and Jo Jo Gunne both opened for Edgar
Winter. A tape of the show exists.
Louisville
ad Mar. 10, 1973
Mar. 11 Cleveland,
Ohio Music Hall shared the bill
with Mark-Almond and Focus, although the order of the concert is not at all
clear. Printed ads even disagree as to
who headlined, although it definitely was not Giant.
Cleveland
ads with uncertain headliner Mar. 11,
1973
Mar. 11 Giant appeared on another episode of
the Tube Trip television show, this time sharing air time with Mama Lion
and Ship. It was first aired in Kansas
City in the early morning hours, then in St. Louis later in the evening. It was also simulcast over the radio in both
cities.
Kansas City - ad for second Tube
Trip TV broadcast Mar. 11, 1973
Mar. 12 Youngstown,
Ohio State Theater There are said to
have been four acts on the bill this evening, beginning with a male dancer,
then a gospel group and finally Giant and headliners Focus. It’s fairly certain this older venue was
named the State Theater at the time of this gig, but it was also known as the
Tomorrow Club or the Agora at other times in its existence. This was supposedly the first rock concert
held there.
Mar. 13 Wilmington,
North Carolina University of
North Carolina opened for
Tranquility and headliners Jo Jo Gunne. In the Univ. of North Carolina college
newspaper The Seahawk, a review was kind to Giant but heaped the most
praise on Tranquility.
Wilmington
ad Mar. 13, 1973
Mar. 14 Chattanooga,
Tennessee Memorial Auditorium shared the stage, presumably as
openers, with Black Oak Arkansas
Mar. 15 Morgantown,
West Virginia West Virginia
University - Coliseum The
band was scheduled to open this triple bill, to be followed by Jo Jo Gunne and headliner Edgar
Winter in the university's gymnasium,
After the audience had arrived, it was announced that the full bill
would not appear. Unfortunately, it’s
not known whether it was Winter or Jo Jo Gunne or both who canceled.
Whatever the case, it appears that Giant agreed to play and even extend
their performance. The majority of the
crowd left, but those who stayed witnessed an unusually long Giant set. Although not confirmed, a fan at the show is
sure they played all the songs from OCTOPUS during the course of
the evening and specifically recalls the band doing a fine job on River. It
seems unlikely that both bigger acts canceled while only the opener actually
performed, but one person in attendance remembers it that way. More information is needed about this
concert.
Morgantown ad Mar. 15, 1973
Mar. 16 New York,
New York Felt Forum Cash Box
reported that there was a standing room only crowd in attendance on this night
to see Giant open for the Mahavishnu Orchestra. As fans of the headliners, the members of
Giant were very much looking forward to this gig, but were disappointed in Mahavishnu's performance.
Ray, who was jumping around a lot and even rolling on the stage,
supposedly split his pants during Giant's set.
A partial tape exists of Giant’s performance, while a complete tape
recorded by a different person in the crowd is now missing. Originally, Giant was booked on this date to
play a gig with Grin, Foghat and Edgar Winter in the
gym at
Mar. 17 Passaic, New
Jersey Capitol Theater opened
for Edgar Winter. The show was sold out
in advance. Curiously, a review in the Herald-News
stated that the members of Gentle Giant were all classical musicians who, upon
realizing they were unable to make a living playing the classics, had just
recently switched to rock music.
Passaic
ad Mar. 17, 1973
Mar. 18 Allentown,
Pennsylvania Allentown
Fairgrounds - Agricultural Hall At
this show, the first of the year sponsored by the Allentown Council of Youth,
GG played before Foghat and headliner Edgar
Winter. The show was sold out with 5,500
fans present. For much of the year,
concerts at these Fairgrounds were held outdoors in the grandstand but, being
scheduled at the tail end of winter, this one was held at the indoor
Agricultural Hall facility. The Hall was
cramped and more than one critic complained about the heat, smoke, poor
ventilation, and uncomfortable seating on the concrete floor. An existing tape shows that portions of the
crowd were quite rambunctious throughout the evening. At one point, many fans were unable to see
and were yelling loudly, prompting Derek to ask, from the stage, for a return
to order.
Allentown Mar. 18, 1973
Mar. 19
They
again were afforded headlining status in Canada, with their appearances there
once again extremely well-received. In
fact, Giant continued to be a major draw in Canada throughout their career. The credit for initially breaking the band
there goes to Kosmos Productions and promoter Alain
Simard, who booked the original 1972-1973 GG concerts in eastern Canada, mainly
in cities all over Quebec Province.
Simard was also a journalist who wrote many articles in Pop-Rock Magazine
at the time touting the band’s virtues.
There has
been very much confusion as to the exact dates and venues of the Canadian
shows. Melody Maker mentioned
there were nine concerts scheduled for
Canadian dates with Necessite March
1973
Mar. 21 Ottawa,
Ontario High
School of Commerce - Auditorium The
Quebec area prog act named Necessite was the opening
act. According to two newspaper
accounts, the attendance was 600. This
is not to be interpreted as poor attendance as it was a relatively small
auditorium. The reviewer for the Ottawa
Citizen was impressed with the band’s music and noted they were very well
received, but criticized the “overacting” on stage and the overly loud volume
in such a small venue. A couple other
interesting occurrences were pointed out in this same review. At one point, John’s drum solo was panned
rapidly back and forth between the stacks of speakers on the left and right
sides of the stage. More significantly,
the group came out for a brief encore, most likely The Queen, during which they played a snippet of the Canadian National Anthem. This is the only confirmed occasion after mid
1972 when they played a country’s National Anthem at the end of a gig. It may have happened at other times but
appears on no other recordings from this time period. It seems that the band was interviewed on
this day, as an interview was broadcast over an Ottawa college radio station
just five days later, on March 26.
Ottawa Mar. 21, 1973
Mar. 22 Quebec City,
Quebec Palais Montcalm Tapes exist of what are
believed to be both of the scheduled Quebec City shows, though one of them is
often mistakenly attributed to Montreal.
A humorous moment happened on one of the tapes when, towards the
beginning of Knots, Kerry's keyboard broke down, forcing one of
the band members to whistle the missing part.
However, it is not clear which tape is which, so it's unknown which
night this happened. Also, neither tape
is complete, although GG headlined the shows.
Necessite was the opening act both
nights. John has said that, when first
taking the stage in Quebec City, he had no idea the group was as popular as it
was there. Upon hearing the applause, he
turned around to see if the crowd was clapping for someone behind him. Le Soleil gave the band a nice review
but was critical of the conditions in the venue.
Mar. 23 Quebec City,
Quebec Palais Montcalm As stated above, a
partial tape of this gig exists and Necessite opened
the show. It’s known that at least one
of the twp Quebec City shows was sold out, but which
one is not known.
Quebec
City Mar. 1973
Mar. 24 Montreal,
Quebec Centre
Sportif de l'Universite de Montreal Necessite was again the opening act. Local press reports differ as to attendance,
ranging from a full house of around 5,000 down to only 2,000. There has been considerable speculation and
debate concerning fan memories of this particular gig. Several in attendance swear that a real-life
giant was used to introduce GG at this show, with more attendees coming forth
to support this claim all the time.
Other fans adamantly deny such an odd thing ever happened. Fortunately, promoter Alain Simard has
recently confirmed what actually happened.
There was indeed a bearded Gentle Giant look-alike who came on stage to
introduce the band. His name was Jean Sarault, a gentleman who sometimes worked with openers Necessite, a group managed by Simard. Although not technically a giant, he was tall
and weighed close to 300 pounds. He was
dressed in medieval clothing borrowed from the 1973 theatrical production of The
Castle of Light which was produced by Simard and used Necessite’s
music. During his introduction, Sarault had a dove perched on his finger, again borrowed
from Necessite who were known to occasionally use a
live dove during their set. This unusual
introduction was a one time event, as members of GG
have repeatedly denied such a gimmick was a regular part of their concerts. A review of this show in the Montreal
Herald mentioned nothing unusual.
This same review did, however, give GG a scathing review, calling their
music “pure trash” and offering up the high quality of the sound system as the
only positive aspect of the performance.
A complete tape exists of Giant's set on this night, the only known
complete tape from the band's Canadian headlining gigs from March 1973. During his vibraphone solo in Funny
Ways, Kerry quotes a bit of the folk song, Joshua Fought the
Battle of Jericho. This was a general admission concert with no
assigned seating and, prior to the show, venue employees had to board up the
window near the front entrance with plywood so as to stop fans from breaking
through the glass. Paper flyers were
handed out at the doors and, once inside the hall, huge numbers of impatient
fans made paper airplanes out of these flyers while waiting for the show to
begin.
Montreal poster Mar. 24, 1973
Mar. 25 Sherbrooke, Quebec Centre
Culturel - Grande Salle Necessite was once again the opening act.
Mar. 26 In Ottawa, Canada, Carleton University’s
CKCU-FM radio station broadcast a pre-recorded half hour interview with members
of Gentle Giant. Chances are it was
recorded when the band visited that city on March 21.
Ottawa - ad for college radio
interview program Mar. 26. 1973
Mar. 29 Toronto,
Ontario Massey
Hall Headliners
Wishbone Ash had sound problems on this, the opening day of their North
American tour. As openers, Vinegar Joe
played first, followed by GG. Of the
three bands, Giant was the only one to receive a favorable write-up in a Toronto
Star review bearing the headline "Patience of Audience Tested at Rock
Show." Attendance at this sold out
four hour show was at least 1,600.
Toronto was another city that Ray thought had a very open, adventurous
musical heritage. Early on, it was
advertised that GG would be opening for Edgar Winter at the Masonic Auditorium
in Detroit on this evening, the first of two consecutive Detroit gigs for
Winter, but Giant did not play.
Toronto
- ad and backstage photo Mar. 29, 1973
Mar. 30 Detroit,
Michigan Masonic
Auditorium Although
GG did not appear in Detroit with Edgar Winter on the previous night, they did
open for Winter on this night.
Confusingly, one fan recalls the band actually playing another Toronto
show, supposedly a general admission show at a local university, on the night
after the above listed Massey Hall concert which would place it on Mar.
30. However, confirmation about this
alleged second Toronto gig has never been found. Detroit on March 30 seems definite.
Mar. 31 Waterloo,
Ontario Waterloo
Lutheran University Posters
and newspaper ads show that two sets were planned originally on this date,
starting at 7:00 and 10:00 P.M. However,
although not confirmed, it seems likely that only one performance took
place. It was held in the University's
gym which had a proper stage set up on one end and could hold around
1,200. The concert was sold out. Giant opened for Wishbone Ash and was
preceded by Vinegar Joe. Billboard
stated the band was scheduled to play in Buffalo, New York on this night, while
another early published ad had GG opening for Quicksilver at New York City’s
Academy of Music on this very same night, but Giant did indeed end up in
Waterloo instead. In fact, Giant
received a standing ovation from the crowd, rare indeed for an opening
act. The audience seemed particularly
enthralled by Ray’s violin solo, during which he plucked quite hard on his
strings, no doubt a bit of planned theatrics.
One report had him actually breaking all four strings, one at a time,
although this seems very unlikely and is disputed by another fan report. Although Giant did well this evening,
Wishbone Ash had to endure equipment difficulties at the beginning of their
set. To top it off, after the show, the
crowd had to drive home in freezing rain.
Unfortunately, University officials were quite unhappy with the mess
left behind by the crowd and by their general behavior which, on this night,
required a police presence to restore order at one point. The large percentage of younger, rowdy high
school students was blamed for this overall poor behavior.
Waterloo
poster Mar. 31, 1973
??? Buffalo,
New York New
Century Theatre Although
erroneously listed in Billboard as taking place on March 31, sources
indicate the band did indeed play in Buffalo somewhere around this time
period. This is not confirmed, but these
sources also recall no one else being on the bill. They did play in nearby Niagara Falls on Mar.
19, but there were others on that bill, so this may be a totally different
show.
Apr. 3 Fort Wayne, Indiana Lantern another gig
which may have been added at the last minute.
A tape exists of this show at which
Fort
Wayne ad Apr. 3, 1973
Apr. 5 Macomb,
Illinois Western
Illinois University opened for
Humble Pie before a near capacity crowd.
The student newspaper Western Courier gave both acts high marks,
stating that GG provided the listening portion of the evening while Humble Pie
provided the boogying portion.
Apr. 6 Knoxville,
Tennessee Civic Coliseum The band was scheduled
to follow Foghat and precede Humble Pie, though a fan
at the gig doesn't recall Giant actually appearing. Confusingly, another report has this same
three band bill appearing on this very same night at Indiana State University
in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Apr. 7 Roanoke,
Virginia Roanoke
Civic Center opened for Foghat and headliners Humble Pie. Giant’s name did not appear in all the
pre-concert advertising, nor was it on the tickets, so some in the audience
loudly voiced their disappointment at having an unexpected band delay the
appearance of the other bands. One fan
seems to recall another date in Roanoke around 1973 or 1974 when Giant opened
for southern rockers, the Marshall Tucker Band but this is not confirmed. Likewise, there is also an unsubstantiated
report that Giant played a gig in the mid-1970’s opening for Jo Jo Gunne, somewhere in the
Roanoke or Salem, Virginia area, but this too is unconfirmed.
Roanoke
ad - all three bands listed Apr. 7,
1973
Apr. 8 Hampton, Virginia Hampton Roads Coliseum Followed
Foghat and preceded Humble Pie. The audience drawn to this show for the other
two boogie/hard rock acts was understandably perplexed when Giant started their
set. However, they reportedly came
around and, by the end, they were quite appreciative. There had been a rumor that Uriah Heep was also on the bill, but this was not the case. In its review, the Newport News Daily
Press mentioned nothing about the music, but pointed out that 30 people
were arrested for marijuana possession.
A recording of GG’s half hour set is rumored to exist.
Hampton
ad - Foghat not listed Apr. 8, 1973
Apr. 8 Giant appeared on yet another
episode of the Tube Trip television program in St. Louis and Kansas
City, Missouri, simulcast over local radio in both cities. The Kansas City broadcast came first, in the
early morning hours, while in St. Louis, it was shown later in the
evening. Also appearing on this episode
were Black Oak Arkansas, White Bird and Peter Allen.
St. Louis - ad for third Tube Trip
TV broadcast Apr. 8, 1973
Apr. 10 Mt.
Pleasant, Michigan Central
Michigan University - Finch Fieldhouse It’s
been confirmed by three fans at the show, a University official, an existing
poster, a pre-concert newspaper ad and a published review that GG opened for
the J. Geils Band here on April 10 in front of an
audience of 4,000. However, this
audience’s reaction to Giant is not as easy to pin down. One fan claims much of the crowd ignored
Giant’s set, only coming around at the end, while a published review of the
show states that the crowd was quite appreciative and gave GG a standing
ovation. It turned out to be quite a
dramatic evening. Just as the concert
was beginning, a fire broke out in a locker room and Finch Fieldhouse, an old
basketball facility, had to be completely evacuated. Unfortunately, the crowd’s reentry was
somewhat chaotic making it easy for those without tickets to walk in with the
throng, leaving some paid ticketholders without seats.
Mt.
Pleasant poster Apr. 10, 1973
Apr. 11 Johnstown,
Pennsylvania Cambria County
War Memorial Although this has proven to
be a confusing date, it seems most likely that GG opened in Johnstown for
Humble Pie. Foghat
was again supposed to precede Humble Pie, but they bowed out and did not
appear. Giant was either an unadvertised
first act on the bill, or a last minute substitute. Either way, many in the crowd were not aware
Giant was on the bill and, expecting Foghat, were
slow to accept them. However, the
recorder quartet in The Advent of
Panurge is said to have brought the audience around. The War Memorial was basically a minor league
hockey facility seating about 5000, though there’s no information on the size
of the crowd this night. The initial confusion
came from the fact that other sources pointed to GG opening for the J. Geils Band on this date at the Masonic Auditorium in
Detroit. However, that does not seem to
be the case, although it may have been planned at one point. Of course, GG had already played Detroit on
March 30.
Apr. 12 Akron, Ohio Civic Theater opened for Procol Harum. Meanwhile, in Oklahoma City, the Apr. 12
issue of The Oklahoman printed an article claiming GG would be opening
this very evening for Yes at the State Fair Arena, which they did not do. On the same page, they also printed a display
ad for the Yes show which included the correct opener, the band Trapeze. The Yes/Gentle Giant double bill may have
been planned at one point, but how such an odd journalistic gaffe came about is
unclear.
Akron
- ads including erroneous bill with Yes
Apr. 12, 1973
Apr. 13 Chicago,
Illinois Kinetic
Playground Only about
200 people were in the crowd on this night to see Giant play in support of Procol Harum. GG supposedly put on a problem-free show, but
Procol's set was bogged down by a myriad of technical
problems. One person in attendance seems
to recall Giant playing a new song that they introduced as "not being on
an album yet." He says they then
played Proclamation. This cannot
be verified, but that song is not believed to have been played regularly on
stage for another nineteen months. Ray
later recalled this concert with great fondness.
Apr. 14 Cincinnati,
Ohio Cincinnati
Gardens It had been
advertised that the band was to play at the Holheinz
Pavilion in Houston, Texas on this night, but they actually played in
Cincinnati, where they opened for Edgar Winter and, in the headliner slot,
Humble Pie.
Cincinnati
ad Apr. 14, 1973
Apr. 15 Baltimore,
Maryland Civic Center A fan recalls GG
playing a 30-minute set opening for Edgar Winter and headliners Humble
Pie. However, this is questionable as
ads in the Baltimore Sun consistently listed Spooky Tooth as the
intended opener. Sadly, a lengthy review
afterwards gave no mention of the opener.
Apr. 18 Warren, Ohio Packard Music
Hall This is the first
known date of a mini-tour that Giant did in the Midwest playing support for
King Crimson. On this particular
occasion, a local Warren band named MF Rattlesnake performed first, before
Giant and Crimson. Gary's schedule lists
a show in Cleveland, Ohio on this date but it may simply refer to this gig,
since Warren is near to Cleveland. The
band's airline itinerary saw them flying into Cleveland on Apr. 16, but staying
right in
Warren
ad Apr. 18, 1973
Apr. 20 San
Francisco, California Winterland Giant’s
appearance at this gig was canceled.
They were scheduled to play second on the bill, after Colin Blunstone and before Commander Cody and The Lost Planet
Airmen and headliners Sha-Na-Na.
However, promoter Bill Graham announced that “transportation
difficulties” necessitated them dropping out of this and the following night’s Winterland shows.
Apr. 21 San
Francisco, California Winterland Giant’s
appearance at this gig was also canceled, like the night before, because of
transportation difficulties. The order
of the bill was again supposed to be Colin Blunstone,
Gentle Giant, Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen and headliners
Sha-Na-Na. Gary's schedule lists the
band as originally intending to play San Francisco on Apr. 19, but this may
have been changed. There is an
unconfirmed report that Giant was replaced on the bill by Steeleye Span on this
evening.
Apr. 22 Kansas City,
Missouri Cowtown
Ballroom another night
opening for King Crimson, with jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd taking the stage
first. It’s been hypothesized that
Lloyd’s guitar player may have been having problems on this night. According to an audience report, this
guitarist, after a solo, “sat on his amp, put his head in his hands and cried
like a baby.” The Cowtown Ballroom was a
small, intimate venue which only held about 800 people. There were no seats, just an old hardwood
floor from when the place was previously a roller skating rink. Still, the hall had excellent acoustics. As was the case at the Mar. 15
Kansas
City Apr. 22, 1973
Apr. 23
Apr. 24
Oklahoma
City ad Apr. 24, 1973
Apr. 25 Salt Lake
City, Utah Terrace
Ballroom Giant opened
for the J. Geils Band.
Apr. 26 Portland,
Oregon Paramount
Theatre opened for
Sha-Na-Na. A couple published sources
mistakenly advertised Giant’s appearance here and in Seattle the following
night as being in the opposite order, but Giant did play Portland on Apr. 26.
Portland
ad Apr. 26, 1973
Apr. 27 Seattle,
Washington Paramount
Northwest Theatre again
opened for Sha-Na-Na. Supposedly,
portions of the crowd were pretty receptive towards Giant, while others were
quite rude, yelling out for Sha-Na-Na during some of the songs. Being an opening act, GG played no encore on
this night, ending with Plain Truth,
after which many in attendance did give them a standing ovation. One person at the show has said that many Giant
fans left before Sha-Na-Na even took the stage, but another recalls the theatre
remaining quite full during the headliners’ set. As noted in the above listing, this and the
Portland show were sometimes advertised in reverse, by mistake.
Apr. 28 Long Beach,
California Long Beach
Arena A show at the
Long Beach Arena was advertised at the time, but no corroboration has been
found and Gary claims it was canceled and did not take place. There was also a rumor that the group played
in Ontario, California on Apr. 28, but that stems from a misreading of the
plane schedule which had them actually flying into the city of Ontario on Apr.
28 before checking into their hotel in
Apr. 29 San
Bernardino, California Swing
Auditorium The group
headlined this show.
??? San
Antonio, Texas Municipal
Auditorium It is not clear
if this show ever took place. Billboard
originally advertised the date as April 13, but it’s certain they played
May 1 Dallas,
Texas Majestic
Theater Steeleye
Span, a band that professed great admiration for Gentle
Giant, was the opening act at this old style movie theater. John was apparently not feeling well on this
night but is said to have played well, nonetheless. This was a poorly attended show, with one
report claiming only 32 people to be in attendance. An earlier date of March 15 at the Memorial
Auditorium in Dallas had at one time been advertised.
May 2 Springfield,
Missouri Shrine Mosque opened for Black Oak
Arkansas. During BOA’s set, someone
began flicking the house lights on and off.
A large fight broke out with audience members and even road crew
involved. Fire Marshals had to be
brought in to clear the aisles and restore order before the concert could
continue.
May 3 Little Rock,
Arkansas Barton Coliseum opened for Ten Years
After. Actor Billy Bob Thornton was at
this show, and he recollects GG playing first, with the Strawbs
taking the stage second and, finally, Ten Years After. An alternate rumor has Patto
appearing on the bill. It's not known if
GG ever played Little Rock again after this, as they were reportedly not
terribly popular there.
May 4 Austin,
Texas Armadillo
World Headquarters Steeleye
Span opened. There is also a report that
a Los Angeles show may have been originally planned for May 4.
Austin
poster May 4, 1973
May 5 San
Francisco, California Winterland Steely
Dan, Humble Pie and Slade all played the Winterland
here this evening. GG is said to have
also been on the bill, but that is totally unconfirmed.
May 6 Houston,
Texas Santa Rosa
Theater Steeleye Span was
the opening band.
??? Miami,
Florida Hollywood
Sportatorium Clearly,
pinning down Giant’s exact activities in early 1973 continues to be
problematic. One uncorroborated online
source claimed GG played a 1973 Miami gig opening for the band Chicago. Rolling Stone did place Chicago at a
Miami gig on May 25, but that seems way too late for GG to have participated.
Mid
1973 was a difficult time for Gentle Giant as they struggled to make their
first album without Phil Shulman. His
creative contribution to the earlier albums was immense but the band's musical
style did continue to evolve even after his leaving. John Weathers began to contribute more of
what would become his trademark straight ahead drumming style. This made for a more concise, solid sound.
June ? Berlin,
Germany Waldbuhne Giant
was booked to participate in this, the first of Germany’s 1973 "Summer
Rock Festivals". This was a three day-day
rock event split between the cities of Berlin and Frankfurt that also included,
among others performers, the Strawbs, Family, Ekseption, Beck-Bogart-Appice,
and Uriah Heep.
Attendance in Berlin was a disappointing 6,500, much lower than the size
of the crowd in Frankfurt. The portion
in Berlin was on June 9 and June 10, although it's not known which day Giant
was scheduled to perform. Unfortunately,
several eyewitness accounts have surfaced which cast doubt on whether Giant
appeared at all.
Berlin
- first “Summer Rock Festival” June
1973
June ? Frankfurt,
Germany Radstadion another
stop on Germany's first "Summer Rock Festival" with the same basic
lineup as at the Berlin show. The
festival stopped in Frankfurt on June 10 and June 11, overlapping the Berlin
show. A much better crowd, totaling
24,000, showed up in Frankfurt, than went to Berlin. The German press reported as many as 10,000
attendees lined up for up to three hours before the festivities even
began. In both cities, organizers tried
to cut eliminate wasted down time by showing Marx Brothers films between each
act. At the end of the final evening in
Frankfurt, a large fireworks display celebrated the conclusion of the
Festival. Again, it's not known on which
night GG was scheduled to play, but one recent report indicates the band may
have canceled their appearance, as was also the case at the Berlin stop listed
above.
Frankfurt
- unconfirmed appearance at first “Summer Rock Festival” June 1973
July ? Frankfurt,
Germany Radstadion This
was Germany's second 1973 "Summer Rock Festival". Unlike the first such Festival held the month
before, this one was only staged in Frankfurt, probably due to the low
attendance figures in Berlin back in June.
Giant again participated, along with a number of other bands, including
Black Sabbath, the Faces, Sly and the Family Stone, Rory Gallagher and Canned
Heat. At one time, Paul McCartney and
Wings were being advertised as the headliner, but that did not happen. The show took place on the weekend of July 21
and 22, but it is not known on which date Giant played. The U.S. Armed Forces, with a heavy presence
in Germany at the time, is said to have been very unhappy with all the rock
festivals held in that country, as they believed they drew too many soldiers
away from their regular duties.
Frankfurt
- second “Summer Rock festival” July
1973
July ? After the aborted attempt at
recording during the previous December and January, IN A GLASS HOUSE,
Gentle Giant's fifth album, was finally recorded at Advision
Studios in
Aug. 28 At London's Langham Studio 1, the band did
their seventh BBC studio session, broadcast on Sept. 28. The songs recorded were Way of Life, The
Advent of Panurge and The Runaway. This was GG's third BBC session in a row to
include The Advent of Panurge, which would appear again in the next one,
as well, as part of Excerpts from Octopus. This entire session appears on TOTALLY OUT
OF THE WOODS, but not on the earlier OUT OF THE WOODS album.
By
the fall of 1973, the band's live shows began to take on a more visual aspect
with the use of projection screens placed behind the stage. At first, one screen was used but that
evolved, by later tours, into the use of multiple screens. The group's popularity had been steadily rising
for a while and they now found themselves headliners for many of their concerts
in
Record Mirror UK tour article Fall 1973
One visual idea they had planned on using at this time
was a film of John Weathers, in Gentle Giant costume, walking slowly through a
village seemingly made of doll houses, this miniature village located in
TYPICAL SETLIST (Fall 1973)
The Runaway - The "breaking glass" tape
loop at the beginning of this song, played amidst flashing strobe lights,
served as an intro to the shows.
Way of Life
Funny Ways
Excerpts from Octopus - This new arrangement
was to become their most famous medley.
It combined portions of Knots and The Advent of
Panurge and also included the recorder quartet, a Kerry Minnear organ bridge and an acoustic guitar duet. This duet, played by Gary and Ray, contained
a theme taken from the song The Boys in the Band.
Nothing at All - The percussion section began to include
several toy glockenspiels on which were played a variation of the folk song Shortnin' Bread.
These were played by John, Gary and Kerry.
Plain Truth
In a Glass House - This title song to the new album took
over the encore slot and provided a vehicle for an extended Gary Green guitar
solo. Only the heavier second half of
the tune was performed. At the end, the
"breaking glass" tape loop returned as an outro, gradually fading
out.
By
now, the only songs remaining in their live set from the early days were
Sep. 17
Plymouth flyer Sep. 17, 1973
Sep. 19 Doncaster,
England Top Rank Wild Turkey
opened the show.
Sep. 21 IN A GLASS HOUSE was heavily
advertised to be released in England on this date, although some indications
place the actual date one week earlier on Sep. 14. It was not originally released in America.
Sep. 22
Manchester
ad Sep. 22, 1973
Sep. 23
Sep. 24
Sep. 26 Southampton,
England Top Rank Suite Wild Turkey opened the
show.
Sep. 28 Birmingham, England Town
Hall Wild
Turkey opened the show, with Rod Crisp also sharing the stage.
Birmingham
ticket Sep. 28, 1973
Sep. 28 Giant's
seventh BBC session from Aug. 28 was broadcast on Sounds of the Seventies,
hosted by Pete Drummond. Sessions by
Mike Maran and the group Sassafras were also on the program.
In September, Record
Mirror reported that Kerry Minnear had previously been contracted by the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to compose an original piece for performance at a
music festival in that city in February 1974.
Kerry was said to be hard at work on the piece, a 45 minute orchestral and
choral composition which the band’s management said was to be recorded live at
the festival. However, even if such a
project was discussed at some point, Kerry himself has confirmed that no such
piece was ever written or performed.
Record
Mirror article about Kerry
orchestral composition Sep. 1973
Sep. 29 Glasgow,
Scotland City Hall Wild Turkey
opened the show.
Sep. 30 Edinburgh,
Scotland Caley Cinema Electrical
limitations at the venue made it necessary for GG to forgo use of their own
lighting effects, relying instead only on the house lights already in
place. A fan who attended this show
claims the band played for two hours, but this would be unusual and is not
likely. The fan also claims the setlist
included Think of Me With Kindness, a song not generally thought
to be performed live. This is
unconfirmed. Rod Crisp and Wild Turkey
opened the show.
Edinburgh
poster and ticket Sep. 30, 1973
Oct. 2 Leicester,
England Polytechnic Wild Turkey opened
the show.
Oct. 3 Bristol,
England Top
Rank Wild
Turkey opened the show.
Oct. 4 Llanelli, Wales Glen
Ballroom Wild
Turkey opened the show. This gig was not
on the band's original schedule, which called for them to be in Neath, Wales on
this night and Aylesbury, England on Oct. 5. Both performances were pushed back one night.
Oct. 5 Neath,
Oct. 6
The band next embarked on a European tour which was
supposed to bring them to Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Belgium. Originally, Giant was supposed to play seven
German and Austrian gigs
opening for Procol Harum
between Oct. 19 and Oct. 27, but most of them did not take
place. The swing through Italy seems to
have been extended instead, causing the German dates to be pushed back, most of
them without Procol Harum. After leaving Italy,
details are very sketchy as to exact dates, cities and venues of a number of
the concerts, with no confirmation at all found for any Swiss or Belgian
dates. Early evidence suggests that Tir Na Nog was supposed to play
support at the Italian shows, but Acqua Fragile took
over the support slot. Around this time
period, Acqua Fragile opened for a number of the
British progressive groups but, according to their bass player, they considered
Giant to be the finest, most talented band they had the pleasure to
support. It seems that two sets may have
played on days when performing in small theaters, while the larger halls hosted
just one set.
Italian tour with Acqua
Fragile Oct. 1973
Oct. ? Padova,
Italy It
appears likely that, although not advertised on published tour schedules, a
concert was added in Padova, possibly on a weekday. It was held in a local theatre, since
demolished, and it’s been reported that the audience was a bit colder in
response toward the newer material than they were toward OCTOPUS and earlier material. This gig was recorded by a female audience
member, but the tape is presumed lost. Acqua Fragile may have opened at this show, as they did for
the rest of this Italian tour, but one fan in attendance says there may not
have been any opener.
Oct. 9 Catania,
Italy Teatro
Ambasciatori There
were two shows on this date in a theater that was small and cramped. Italian progressive band Acqua
Fragile opened the shows on this and all the remaining Italian dates of this
tour. In a 1975 interview, Derek boasted
about the fact that Giant had once been able to play a date in Sicily, implying
it to be a rare occurrence. Actually,
the band played at least twice in Sicily, the two known dates being this one
and the next night in Palermo.
Oct. 10 Palermo,
Italy Teatro
Biondo There
were again two shows with Acqua Fragile opening
both. There had been some evidence that
the band actually played in Frankfurt, Germany on this date, but the Palermo
show has since been confirmed.
Oct. 12 Bari, Italy Teatro Petruzzelli Acqua Fragile opened the show. During the afternoon soundcheck, that band
ran through the GG song Giant. They believed they were alone but were
surprised when, at the end, GG band members started applauding from backstage.
Bari
- poster on wall Oct. 12, 1973
Oct. 13
Rome Oct. 13, 1973
Oct. 15 Reggio
Emilia, Italy Palazzo
dello Sport Acqua Fragile opened the show.
Oct. 16 Ancona,
Italy Teatro
Metropolitan two shows
with Acqua Fragile opening both
Oct. 17 Treviso,
Italy Teatro
Garabaldi There
were two shows and a tape exists of one of them, but it’s not known which. At the recorded show, during the guitar solo
to In a Glass House, Gary threw in a brief theme from Peel
the Paint. Acqua
Fragile opened both sets.
Oct. 18 Milan, Italy Palalido Acqua Fragile probably opened this show, but it’s not
certain.
Oct. 19 Torino,
Italy Palazzo
dello Sport Acqua Fragile opened before an audience of over 5,000. A soundboard recording of this show,
originally owned by a band member, has been officially released on the 2001
Glass House CD IN A PALASPORT HOUSE
and again, in mp3 form, on the band's SCRAPING THE BARREL box
set. A roadie at the show incorrectly
remembers this recording as being made in January 1974, but GG did not play in
Italy at that time.
Torino Oct. 19, 1973
Oct. 20 Genova,
Italy Teatro
Alcione Two
shows were played on this date, in the afternoon and evening, both of them
before sold out capacity crowds of 1,500.
Yet another tape exists, possibly of the afternoon show, this one
showing that Gary again played the Peel the Paint theme during
his guitar solo. Before Plain Truth, Derek thanks the
crowd while giving a polite mention to the city’s two football clubs, Genoa and
Sampdoria. Acqua
Fragile opened both shows.
Oct. 21 Travagliato, Italy Supertivoli A
tape exists of this show, as well. Acqua Fragile opened.
The sound at the venue was said to be poor, by one report. A press review cited the band’s performance
as “magnificent” while complaining about traffic and local government
restrictions adversely affecting the event.
Oct. ? Genova,
Italy Teatro
Alcione Things
become very confusing over the next few days.
There is an unconfirmed report that, after selling out their two Genova
shows on October 20, the band agreed to play one more night there. This third Genova show was some unusual,
special performance with a report of as few as 20 or 30 people in the audience,
even though the venue held 1,500. While
introducing the band, an announcer described the show as being some sort of
family style performance, although the exact meaning of that is unclear. It is not certain on which night this may
have occurred, but the best information so far indicates Oct. 22 to be the most
likely date. Therefore, for this to be
true, there would have had to have been some cancellations or shuffling in the
following few scheduled Italian or Swiss dates, but exactly what transpired is
unknown. It’s believed that, if this
third Genova concert did take place, there was no support act.
Oct. 22 Novara,
Italy Pallazzo dello Sport Acqua
Fragile was scheduled to open for GG on this date in Novara. However, very little written documentation of
this has been found and Oct. 22 also seems to be the most likely date for the
third Genova concert listed above. For
this to be true, this Novara date would have had to have been canceled or
rescheduled somehow. Record Mirror
also advertised a Basel, Switzerland gig on Oct. 22, but that seems more likely
for the following night, as listed below.
Oct. 23 Basel,
Switzerland Festsaal Mustermesse The band did intend to play a
concert in Switzerland on this date and one fan report has them headlining at
this Basel venue with an unknown local keyboard/synthesizer player
opening. Amazingly, however, Record
Mirror advertised Oct. 23 as the scheduled date for GG’s very first concert
behind the iron curtain, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. This almost certainly did not take place, nor
did a couple dates in Russia the group was trying to book for late October.
Oct. 24 Switzerland City
and venue are unknown.
Oct. 25 Germany New Musical Express stated
the band was to finally make it to Germany on this date, but it is not
confirmed. The alleged city on
this night is also unknown, although it could have been Dortmund or Heidelberg,
as mentioned below.
Oct. 26 Berlin,
Germany Deutschland
Halle Folk guitarist
Leo Kottke went first, then Giant, both opening for Procol Harum.
Oct. 27 Hamburg,
Germany Congress
Centrum Procol Harum headlined this show
also. A local Hamburg musician named
Vince Weber played first, followed by Leo Kottke. Giant was third to play, right before the headliners. Oddly, some of these
acts were originally scheduled at separate concerts, both on earlier
dates, but low ticket sales led to all the performers being combined into this
one bill on Oct. 27.
Hamburg
ticket Oct. 27, 1973
Oct. 29
Frankfurt
ticket Oct. 29, 1973
Oct. ? Dortmund,
Germany Market Hall The exact date of
this concert is not known although, as stated above, it would have been
sometime between Oct. 25 and Oct. 31.
Giant had no support act for this gig.
The small venue literally served as a marketplace, described by an
attendee as a place “where in the morning, pigs might have been sold”. He said it still smelled that way in the
evening.
Oct. ? Heidelberg,
Germany There
are indications the group played in Heidelberg sometime in 1973. It could have been either during this tour or
earlier in June or July when they did a few German festival dates. A live tape of this Heidelberg show was even
rumored to exist.
Oct. 31 Germany According to New Musical Express, this was to
be the final German date of the tour, but it is not
confirmed. If so, the city is
unknown although, again, it could have been Dortmund or Heidelberg.
Nov. 1 Belgium The
first Belgian show was originally scheduled for this date.
Nov. 4 Belgium If
the original itinerary was adhered to, the final date of the European tour was
held on this date, again somewhere in Belgium.
Nov. 16 The
BBC recorded a short live set in Golder's Green,
Dec. 4 At
London's Langham Studio 1, the band did their eighth BBC studio session,
broadcast on Jan. 8, 1974. This entire
session, consisting of Excerpts from Octopus and Way of Life,
appears on the OUT OF THE WOODS and TOTALLY OUT OF THE WOODS
albums.
Dec. 8 The
BBC broadcast the Nov. 16 Hippodrome show on its In Concert radio show,
narrated by Mike Harding. Guitarist Dave
Ellis also performed on the program. It
is interesting to note that, for some unknown reason, a small section of The
Advent of Panurge from Excerpts from Octopus was edited out of this
broadcast and did not appear on the official CD either. However, some of this concert was included in
an episode of the American Rock Around the World radio show, broadcast
on July 20, 1975, and there it does include the missing section of music.
Ad for BBC In Concert radio
broadcast Dec. 8, 1973
Dec. 1973 - Jan. 1974 GG's sixth album, THE POWER AND THE
GLORY, was recorded at
In
addition to the unverified rumors of more dates with Jethro Tull,
there are a number of other fan recollections of Giant playing with other bands
in
1974
Jan. 8 The band's eighth BBC session from
Dec. 4, 1973 was broadcast on Top Gear hosted by John Peel. It’s not known who else may have had sessions
appearing on this episode.
New
Musical Express and Record Mirror had early on announced a second
try at a tour of America, this time starting in Memphis, Tennessee on Jan. 27
and running for five weeks, but this tour was also canceled, like the one the
previous November and December. In March
of 1974, Gentle Giant did hit the road again, staging another tour of
TYPICAL SETLIST (Spring 1974)
The Runaway/Experience - These two songs were
combined by use a of a prerecorded keyboard bridge. The Runaway was shortened, due
to Kerry's discomfort with singing in a live setting.
Prologue - This song made a brief return to the
setlist.
Funny Ways
Excerpts from Octopus
Nothing at All
Plain Truth
In a Glass House
Melody
Maker ad for UK Spring
tour March 1974
Mar. 8 Chatham,
England Central Hall It had been advertised
that the UK tour was to begin on March 4 but it apparently was pushed back to
March 8. String Driven Thing opened at
this show. Ray claims to have had his Hagstrom guitar stolen at this venue, though exactly when
is not clear.
Chatham ticket Mar. 8, 1974
Mar. 9 Norwich,
England University
of East Anglia - Main Hall Giant played
at this University several times and a fan who attended all of them clearly
recalls one from the early 1970’s at which a student film crew of at least two
cameras in different locations was present.
It’s not known whether it was this gig or a different one, nor is it
known if the University actually possesses the film in its vast archives. These archives still contain many unmarked
films from this time period so, if a film of one of the band’s gigs is indeed there,
it may still turn up in the future. This
same fan was also fortunate enough to be present for another interesting scene
at one of these
Norwich
ad Mar. 9, 1974
Mar. 11 Manchester, England Free
Trade Hall String
Driven Thing opened.
Manchester
ticket Mar. 11, 1974
Mar. 13
Mar. 14 Plymouth,
England Guildhall String Driven
Thing opened. A tape exists from this
show. During Gary’s In a Glass
House guitar solo, he gives a nod to Cream by playing a fragment of Spoonful.
Mar. 15
Mar. 16 London,
England Drury Lane
- Theatre Royal was
originally scheduled for Mar. 10. String
Driven Thing again opened, this time before a house
that was reportedly only a third full.
A professional film crew filmed a portion of Giant's set on this
night. New Musical Express stated
that the film crew was from Germany and that they were filming as part of a
planned TV documentary. Some of this
footage was shown on German television on April 26, 1974 and possibly again on
June 28, 1974. A small portion of this
German broadcast now appears, in color, on the official 2004 DVD release, GIANT
ON THE BOX. Excerpts from Octopus taken from this film was also
broadcast on Italian TV on June 2, 1976.
This Italian broadcast, shown in black and white, also appears on GIANT ON THE BOX. Additionally, the last few minutes of the
same medley were broadcast, again in color, on the BBC Old Grey Whistle Test
television program on Nov. 26, 1974 and this now appears, in both audio and
video format, on the 2006 GG AT THE
GG DVD. New Musical Express
also claimed that "several surprises" were planned for the Mar. 16
concert, specifically mentioning a 7’4” giant being used to greet concertgoers
in the lobby. To corroborate, Kerry and
John also recall the band inviting one of the tallest men in
London’s
Drury Lane poster Mar. 16, 1974
In
a Sounds interview given and published in March, during this UK tour,
Derek again brought up Kerry’s alleged commission to compose some music for the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, as had earlier been reported back in Sep.
1973. Kerry has confirmed that no such
music was ever composed, but how such a rumor circulated in the first place is
still unclear, as is the fact that the story changed as it went along. Originally, the live premiere of Kerry’s
original piece was to have taken place in February, but now Derek claimed it
was actually an orchestration of one piece from ACQUIRING THE TASTE and
it was to be performed soon during an American Midwest tour.
Sounds interview excerpt with Derek Shulman Mar. 1974
Mar. 18 Birmingham, England Town
Hall String
Driven Thing opened. After the show,
John Weathers noticed smoke in the balcony and the fire department was
summoned. The Birmingham Post the
next day credited him with saving the building, although they mistakenly
identified him as John Knight.
Birmingham
article about fire in venue Mar. 18,
1974
Mar. 19 Watford,
England Town Hall A tape exists
of this concert for which String Driven Thing opened. There were no seats in the hall, so all in
attendance had to stand. The acoustics
were also far from ideal.
Mar. 20 Bedworth, England Civic
Hall This
concert was not originally on the band’s itinerary but has been confirmed by
multiple sources, including records provided by the Civic Hall itself. The Civic Hall was a small town venue that rarely
staged concerts by name rock bands and this particular event was billed as a
“pop dance” and included String Driven Thing as support. Wryly commenting on the band’s struggles for acceptance
in England, Derek introduced Excerpts
From Octopus as a “massive hit on both sides of the Atlantic, except
here in the UK”. The Coventry Evening
Telegraph was impressed but bemoaned the fact that a paltry 250 people even
bothered to attend. A tape of this show
is rumored to exist.
Bedworth
- note in Civic Hall datebook Mar. 20,
1974
Mar. 21 Derby,
England King's
Hall String
Driven Thing opened.
Mar. 22 Sutton in Ashfield, England Golden
Diamond This concert
was originally scheduled for Mar. 24, but ads printed closer to the event
listed the date as Mar. 22. String
Driven Thing may not have opened as their own publicized itinerary did not
include this gig.
Mar. 28 Portsmouth,
England Guildhall String Driven
Thing opened. During John’s drum solo,
someone in the back of the hall was talking and yelling too loudly. John stopped and deadpanned to the overly
exuberant fan, ”Excuse me,
old bean, am I interrupting your conversation?”
Mar. 29 Bournemouth,
England Winter Gardens String Driven Thing
opened.
Bournemouth
ticket Mar. 29, 1974
Apr. 4 Frankfurt,
Germany Jahrhunderthalle String
Driven Thing opened.
Apr. 5
Apr. 6 Stuttgart,
Germany Gustav-Siegle-Haus On
this evening, Alan Knight, a gentleman who roadied
for GG in the spring of 1974, took over 30 photos of the band, but his camera
was unfortunately stolen. The road crew
had their hands full during the show as the hydraulics controlling GG’s left
loudspeaker stand were not functioning, causing the stand to continually slip
down. String Driven Thing probably
opened but their presence on the bill has not been verified.
Apr. 7 Kehl, Germany Stadthalle String
Driven Thing opened.
Kehl ticket Apr. 7, 1974
Apr. 8 St. Gallen, Switzerland Kongresshaus
Schutzengarten String
Driven Thing opened. The German version
of Sounds magazine advertised the venue as Volkshaus
Burgvogtei but that is probably untrue. A tape of this gig exists, as well.
Apr. 9 Munich,
Germany Theater an
der Brienner Strasse String
Driven Thing opened.
Apr. 10 Hamburg,
Germany Musikhalle A
ticket stub from this show announced the bill simply as "Gentle Giant and
Guests". However, it has been
confirmed that String Driven Thing did indeed open.
Hamburg Apr. 10, 1974
Originally,
the band had set their mind on yet another try at an American tour after the
initial European dates, starting in mid April
somewhere in Florida and running for four weeks. This was to be their third attempt but,
again, it did not work out. Instead,
after playing in Germany, GG scheduled a significant number of dates in
France. This French tour was mentioned in New Musical Express and advertised in more detail in the French music press at the
time. It is the only known time the band
ever planned an extensive stay in that country but, unfortunately, the entire
tour was canceled. The entire original
French tour itinerary can be found below.
Giant never earned extensive press coverage in France and did not have
the same impact there early on that they enjoyed in some other European
nations.
Somewhere
around this time, they also intended another swing into Italy to play some
dates there. However, there was much
political upheaval and rioting in Italy at the time. Rock concerts by non-Italian bands were not
common, Gentle Giant being one of the few bands able to play there with any
regularity. Authorities in that country
viewed Gentle Giant as performers of “serious music”, not simply as a rock
band. Still, the group abandoned their
1974 plans there. It’s possible they
went ahead with a small number of concerts, but they very well may have
canceled all appearances. One fan seems
to remember an April show in Rome, but it is not confirmed. A rumor of GG being filmed in April for
Italian television is also unconfirmed.
Apr. 17 Nantes,
France Salle Paul-Fort canceled. On this
evening, the French band Magma was brought in as a replacement for Giant. String Driven Thing had been scheduled to
open, but it’s unknown if they remained on the bill.
Apr. 18 Le Mans,
France canceled. String
Driven Thing had been scheduled to open.
Apr. 19 Toulouse,
France Palais des
Sports canceled. String
Driven Thing had been scheduled to open.
Apr. 20 Menton, France canceled. String
Driven Thing had been scheduled to open.
Apr. 21 Marseille,
France Salle
St-Georges canceled. String
Driven Thing had been scheduled to open.
Apr. 22 Rodez, France canceled. String
Driven Thing had been scheduled to open.
Apr. 23 Lyon, France Salle Rameau canceled. String
Driven Thing had been scheduled to open.
Apr. 24 Grenoble,
France Grenoble
Theatre canceled. String
Driven Thing had been scheduled to open.
Apr. 26 Clermont-Ferrand,
France canceled. String
Driven Thing had been scheduled to open.
Apr. 26 The
German TV network Bayrischer Rundfunk broadcast some
footage from Giant's spring 1974 tour on a program called Szene
74, the footage being from the band's London gig of Mar. 16. A small portion of this has been included in
the official DVD, GIANT ON THE BOX.
Seen on the DVD is the guitar and drums ending portion of the song In
a Glass House. Film of Renaissance
was shown on the same broadcast, the theme of which was “Youth and Sexuality”.
Ad for “Szene
74” German TV broadcast Apr. 26, 1974
Apr. 27 Uckange,
France may
have been canceled, but String Driven Thing was scheduled to open
Apr. 29 Colmar,
France may
have been canceled, but String Driven Thing was scheduled to open
Apr. 30 Lille,
France may
have been canceled, but String Driven Thing was scheduled to open
May 5 Breda,
Holland Turfschip GG
headlined this one day festival, sharing the stage with several other acts,
including Kayak and Dizzy Man’s Band. A
fan recalls the band jumping off the ground just before the opening lights came
on, giving the impression of the band "falling from the sky" to start
the show. It's unknown whether this was
a regularly used gimmick. Another fan in
the crowd recorded Giant’s set, but the tape is now believed to be lost. Kerry admits to having fond memories of the
times the band played in Holland through the years.
Breda
ad May 5, 1974
May ? Articles in Sounds and New Musical Express stated
that the band was to do six college gigs in England in early May. No details are known.
Once
again, evidence indicates that the band unsuccessfully attempted to schedule an
American tour, this time beginning on either May 14, May 17, or May 18. According to Melody Maker, it was to
last until the end of June, while Sounds reported that it was to be an
eight-week tour. New Musical Express described it as the group’s
“first U.S. headlining tour”. However, keeping the band's losing streak going, it was
canceled, like all the previous attempts.
May 29 The band recorded So Sincere, Aspirations,
Playing the Game, and The Face, all songs from their new album,
at their ninth BBC studio session in
June ? It’s likely that this is when Giant
booked a little more time in a studio, most likely in London, to record their
only non-LP single, a song called Power and the Glory. It was released in the UK, probably in early
October. Ray said in 1975 that the band
actually recorded three songs in an attempt to come up with a single and he
joked that they "released the worst one". More recently, Kerry has also confirmed that
three songs were written. However, it's
possible that they may not have all been recorded. On the other hand, the SCRAPING THE BARREL
box set does include a few outtakes from around this time period that
theoretically could have been part of this search for a single.
June 11 Toledo, Ohio Agora did
not take place. This is the only
specific date that has been identified so far from the aborted May - June U.S.
tour, as evidenced by a newspaper advertisement.
Toledo - ad for canceled
gig June 11, 1974
June
15 Sheffield,
England Sheffield University - Student Union This
was a one-off concert, between regular tours, although a longer UK tour was at
one time considered for the month of June.
The stage was very small, creating a very intimate setting.
Sheffield article
June 15, 1974
June 28 It's
believed that the German TV network Bayrischer
Rundfunk once again broadcast footage from Giant's spring 1974 tour on the
program Szene 74, filmed at the band's
London gig of Mar. 16. This time, about
45 minutes of music was shown. The
network had already broadcast at least some of this footage on Apr. 26.
July 1 Giant's
ninth BBC session from May 29 was broadcast on Sounds of the Seventies,
hosted by Bob Harris, as were sessions by Ducks De Luxe and 10cc.
Sep. 6 Penzance, England The
Garden A
poster exists advertising a Sep. 6 show in this modestly sized town at the southwestern
tip of England. The poster mentions no
other act on the bill. The authenticity
of this poster is still in question, as no other information is known as to
shows the group may have played during this time period, either in England or
elsewhere.
Penzance
- poster for unconfirmed show Sep. 6,
1974
Sep.
22 THE POWER AND THE GLORY album
was released in America sometime in September, with Sep. 22 being a good
possibility.
Oct.
? The non-LP single, Power
and the Glory, may have been released in England during the first week of
October, apparently around the same time as the new album. An ad in Sounds indicated that the
single came out first, although it may have been just a matter of days. Specifics on where and when the single was
recorded are also unclear, though it was probably in London in June. Eventually, Power and the Glory was
also included on the 1975 compilation album, GIANT STEPS, as well as
being added as a bonus track on a later CD reissue of their THE POWER AND
THE GLORY album. It was never
released as a single in America.
Ad for Power and the the
Glory UK single release 19741000
Oct.
4 Pinning down exactly when THE
POWER AND THE GLORY was released in England has proven very difficult. Back in February 1974, New Musical Express
announced the album would be out in May, but this certainly did not
happen. Next, a number of UK press
reports pointed to a date of June 21.
Later still, this date of October 4 popped up in the press, making the
June date unreliable. However,
regardless of exactly what transpired, British copies of the album had
certainly appeared in the marketplace, either officially or unofficially, as
early as late June.
??? There are reports that the group
appeared on a Portuguese television program sometime in 1974, but this is
totally unconfirmed.
Go on
to Part Four
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Tour History