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Gentle Giant Tour History

*** Part Four ***

*** Back to North America ***

(late 1974 - mid 1975)

new information will be in RED

Finally, after a series of aborted tour plans and over sixteen months away from North America, Giant returned there in the fall of 1974. The band initially pieced together a short tour and were also looking to book a television appearance on the ABC Wide World In Concert program. The tour was organized with very little help from their management, as their relationship with WWA had continued to deteriorate, but these long-awaited concerts went over quite well. Additionally, they found that album sales in the United States were, by this time, fairly brisk and improving all the time. Because of these factors, they decided to add more gigs as they went along, sometimes as a support act and sometimes as a headliner.

TYPICAL SETLIST (Fall 1974)

The Runaway/Experience

Funny Ways

Excerpts from Octopus

Nothing at All - The glockenspiels remained, but Shortnin' Bread was no longer played.

Plain Truth

In a Glass House

Their setlist remained relatively unchanged, except that Prologue was again dropped, this time for good. Songs from their new album, THE POWER AND THE GLORY, strangely only rarely appeared in their live shows at this time. Even though the album had just been released, it was the band's feeling that they would be better off promoting the earlier albums. Capitol Records, their American label, was not at all happy about this decision.

Oct. 7 Cleveland, Ohio Agora Ballroom

CANCELED. Multiple news sources confirm that Giant was scheduled to play at this popular Cleveland club on this date, but it did not happen, Harvey Mandel and Larry Coryell being booked as replacements. The group did play at the Allen Theater in Cleveland on Oct. 18, however, and finally made it to the Agora on Jan 27, 1975.

Oct. 8 Denver, Colorado Denver Coliseum

On this first date of the US tour, GG opened for Traffic. They had arrived in Colorado two days earlier and spent some time exploring and enjoying themselves in the Rocky Mountains. During the day on Oct. 8, they also visited Caribou Ranch, a well-known recording studio not far from Denver. Paul McCartney was recording there at the time, though it’s not known if they got to see him. Giant was considering the possibility of doing some future recording outside of England, but they didn’t end up using Caribou Ranch. Giant went over quite well at this Denver concert and the Denver College newspaper The Catalyst gave a glowing review of their hour-long opening set, despite pointing out the noisy crowd and a somewhat mushy sound system. Another press report also pointed out the woefully inadequate sound in the Coliseum which plagued both bands at this gig. A third review pointed out that Giant’s set was actually louder than that of the headliners. It also included the curious claim that John, during the Nothing at All drum bash, “ran around the stage playing a police whistle, a cowbell and a tambourine”. For their part, the band was encouraged by the good reception they received. In a post-concert interview, they indicated that after their upcoming run of concerts in West Hollywood, they had a few days off and may return to Colorado to play a gig at the nearby University of Colorado at Boulder. However, this was dependent on whether they secured the slot they wished for on the ABC Wide World In Concert TV program which would need to be filmed during that hiatus. As it turned out, they never did play a show in Boulder. GG had also been advertised as playing a Denver club called Ebbets Field sometime in October, but there’s no indication this went ahead either. The group did, however, play Ebbets Field in February 1975.

Denver - first gig back in North America Oct. 8, 1974

Oct. 9 Columbus, Ohio Agora Ballroom

CANCELED. As was the case with the Cleveland Agora gig scheduled two days earlier, this show at the Columbus Agora was also planned and advertised at one point, only to be ultimately canceled. There is no doubt Giant played West Hollywood on Oct. 9, as described below, appearing at the Columbus Agora on Oct. 21.

Oct. 9 West Hollywood, California Whisky A-Go-Go

This was only the second date of the tour, but it was the first of five straight sellout nights at this popular 500 seat nightclub in greater Los Angeles. The band was rapturously received. Because of this, ticket prices were raised for the remaining evenings. The band’s success here is particularly ironic, considering they did not even want to play at this club at all, finally being talked into it by their manager. Derek complained in a review that the stage was too cramped for their “elaborate stage show”. This run of shows at the Whisky is legendary among Gentle Giant fans and is viewed as a turning point in their success in America. People started to line up for tickets hours ahead of time and each night, the club had to turn away hundreds of disappointed fans. In fact, on this first night, police squads had to help dispel the crowds outside the club. The band themselves were quite stunned by the reception, but their success at this club ended up getting them more headlining engagements over the next couple months. Ex-Canned Heat guitarist Harvey Mandel was the opening act on this night, as he was at all these Whisky shows. He led a rather heavy sounding four-piece group which included a violin. A tape of this night’s gig exists.

West Hollywood - five nights in a row at the Whisky Oct. 1974

While in the Los Angeles area for their run of shows at the Whisky, the group did manage to sign on for the coveted appearance they wanted on the ABC late-night television music program, Wide World In Concert, no doubt with the help of Capitol Records who were based there in Los Angeles. For years, the most reliable evidence was that their segment was filmed during the afternoon of October 10, before their evening show at the Whisky. However, recent information has surfaced which makes the date of filming much harder to determine. October 10 is still a possibility but, as indicated above, it may have taken place during their hiatus between Oct. 14 and Oct. 16. Then again, during an interview after the Oct. 18 Cleveland gig, the filming was said to still be “in the near future”. The date of Nov. 3 and even some time in December have also been put forward. Ultimately, it has so far proven impossible to confirm definitively when this television performance was filmed.

What is certain is that filming took place at Los Angeles’ Aquarius Theater, not at the Long Beach Auditorium, as often stated. The band’s entire short set consisted of Experience, Excerpts From Octopus and Funny Ways. There were tuning problems at the beginning of Funny Ways, causing the group to stop and start over. The whole performance was filmed, though only Excerpts From Octopus actually appeared on TV when it was broadcast on Jan. 3, 1975. The entire three-song set has now been officially released as part of the GIANT ON THE BOX DVD, although the DVD liner notes mistakenly list the set as being filmed at the Terrace Theater in nearby Long Beach in early 1975. The Terrace Theater did not open for business until 1978.

Oct. 10 West Hollywood, California Whisky A-Go-Go

Harvey Mandel opened.

Oct. 11 West Hollywood, California Whisky A-Go-Go

Harvey Mandel opened.

Oct. 12 West Hollywood, California Whisky A-Go-Go

They played two shows on this date. Harvey Mandel opened both.

Oct. 13 West Hollywood, California Whisky A-Go-Go

They again played two shows. Harvey Mandel opened both. At one or both of the shows on this night, the band played two songs from the new album, probably Cogs In Cogs and Proclamation. They had been practicing these two songs in soundchecks, but this may have been the only time the songs were actually performed in front of an audience prior to the European tour in late November. After the band’s extremely successful run of shows at the Whisky, Capitol responded by ordering that 30,000 more copies of their current THE POWER AND THE GLORY album be pressed. Some online sources state that Giant was originally scheduled to open for the Mahavishnu Orchestra on this night at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, but canceled due to illness. This may or may not have been the plan at first, but Giant definitely ended up playing the Whisky and they definitely were not ill.

After their 5-day stint in West Hollwood, the band took a brief vacation in San Francisco, California before heading East to continue their U.S. tour. As explained above, they may have filmed a segment in Los Angeles for the ABC Wide World In Concert TV program during this vacation, but that is not certain. Otherwise, they had no professional commitments during these few days off.

Oct. 14 The BBC rebroadcast a Gentle Giant studio session, probably the one from July 1, on Sounds of the Seventies, presented by Bob Harris. The program also included sessions by Mike D’Abo and Beckett.

Oct. 17 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Riverside Theater

Giant played first, followed by Aerosmith and headliners Golden Earring in a packed house of about 2,400 people. The Milwaukee Sentinel had kind words for GG and Golden Earring but totally dismissed Aerosmith, saying they were “loud and little else”.

Milwaukee ads Oct. 17, 1974

Oct. 18 Cleveland, Ohio Allen Theater

again opened for Golden Earring. During the afternoon before the concert, the band did an in-store promotional appearance at a nearby record store called Record Revolution. Unfortunately, it seems the turnout to meet the band was minimal, perhaps because it was a Friday and many were at school or work. An employee at the store also points out that promotion for the appearance was minimal. As was tradition at the store, GG signed their name to a wall of visiting bands, signing the phrase “Gentle Giant not General Grant”. This was apparently an inside joke that came about after an announcer, misreading some sloppy handwriting, accidentally introduced the group as General Grant.

Cleveland ad Oct. 18, 1974

Oct. 19 Marietta, Ohio Marietta College

Giant opened for Quicksilver in the college gymnasium as part of the college’s 1974 Homecoming activities. Supposedly, a large percentage of the crowd left during Quicksilver’s set. A tape is rumored to exist of Giant’s set. The band also got a few color photographs in the college’s yearbook.

Marietta - college yearbook page Oct. 19, 1974

Oct. 19 Gentle Giant appeared on the Swiss music television program Kaleidos-Pop. It’s not known what their appearance entailed but they shared the program with Alain Berceville, Bert Jansch and the Swiss band TEA.

Oct. 20 Youngstown, Ohio Tomorrow Club

played two shows, opening for Focus. The first, at 2:00 P.M. was open to all ages, while the late show at 9:00 P.M. was only for those over 18. This venue had been a movie theater called the State Theater until its closure in 1970. It was unoccupied until this very date when it reopened as the Tomorrow Club with this being the first concert event presented there. There was a report that a male dancer followed by a gospel group actually went on stage first, before Giant and Focus, but this has not been confirmed. One online Focus source also places these same two bands at the State Theater back on March 12, 1973 but, as stated above, that theater was strictly for movies and was closed in 1973.

Youngstown ad Oct. 20, 1974

Oct. 21 Columbus, Ohio Agora Ballroom

GG was scheduled to open for Focus, but a member of Focus came down ill, so that band canceled. Giant played the entire gig by themselves at a reduced ticket price. Ticket sales were not very good for this show which could have contributed to the price reduction.

Columbus ad Oct. 21, 1974

Oct. 22 Chicago, Illinois Auditorium Theater

This venue was a converted opera house and boasted superior acoustics. GG opened for J. Geils and it’s been said that a large percentage of the audience left before the headliners played. The afternoon of this gig, Derek, Ray and Kerry were interviewed by Chicago’s WXFM Radio.

Chicago ads Oct. 22, 1974

Oct. 23 Parsippany, New Jersey A Joint In The Woods

This club was located, literally, way out in the woods, away from everything, a fact which may have contributed to the rather small size of the crowd. The audience stood on an empty dance floor, with no tables or chairs, making for a very intimate concert experience. The group is known to have, once again, played Cogs in Cogs and Proclamation in their soundcheck, though not during the actual concert. Supposedly, the opening act, a band called Joe’s Bar and Grill, was somewhat frustrated by the hard time given them by the impatient audience. The frugality of the travel budget Giant allowed themselves on this tour is evidenced by the fact that they showed up at the club on this night, not in a limousine, but in a rented station wagon. A tape of this gig exists.

Parsippany ad Oct. 23, 1974

Oct. 24 Northampton, Pennsylvania Roxy Theatre

UNCONFIRMED. This gig may have been planned at one point, but it probably was scrapped. Some early promotional material from Capitol Records listed an Oct. 24 date at this very small theater, but other material did not. Then, in its Oct. 19 issue, a nearby college newspaper instead advertised Melissa Manchester as playing at the Roxy on Oct. 24. Giant did finally make it to Northampton on August 25, 1975.

Oct. 25 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Carnegie-Mellon University - CMU Gym

The band opened for Chick Corea’s Return to Forever. The concert was part of the school’s Homecoming celebration and was held in a gymnasium with everyone sitting on a large mat on the floor. As is not uncommon for gymnasium concerts, the sound at this show is said to have been a bit boomy.

Pittsburgh ad and college yearbook photo Oct. 25, 1974

Oct. 26 Lawrenceville, New Jersey Rider College - Alumni Gymnasium

Originally, GG was scheduled, along with Dr. John, to open for J. Geils at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on this date. However, that gig was canceled one week before showtime, J. Geils rescheduling their appearance for Dec. 21, when Manfred Mann and Alex Harvey served as openers. This freed up the Oct. 26 date for Giant who were now able to play this homecoming gig at a small college outside of Trenton, where they opened for Dave Mason at a reasonable cost to the college. Reportedly, Mason’s ticket sales had been slow but picked up considerably when GG was added to the bill, resulting in a packed house. This was all fortunate for the college as they had been having financial difficulties and considered sponsoring no more concerts if this gig did poorly. At the start of the band’s set, Derek annoyed some in the audience by stating it was “great to be in Pennsylvania”, although the show was actually taking place in the state of New Jersey. Still, GG was well received, even though they suffered through terrible acoustics in the gym. However, Mason seemed a bit on edge most of the evening and this caused an uncomfortable situation with his opening act. A couple local student newspapers reported that Mason had the lights turned up early in an attempt to shut Giant down. One newspaper report had this happening 50 minutes into their set, while another claimed Giant went fifteen minutes over their allotted one-hour time slot. Whatever the specifics, this angered some members of Giant who were quoted as uttering the phrases “professional jealousy” and “childsplay”. Mason himself was then said to have been very agitated on stage, while rushing through his own set. The reasons for his agitation were not clear at the time, but the student in charge of booking the concerts at the college has now come forward and offered an explanation. It turns out Mason was scheduled to have a filmed segment aired on the Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert TV program that very evening and he was anxious to not miss the broadcast, especially as he was to be the show’s featured performer. The student concert committee graciously secured a television in one of the college’s fraternities so he could watch the program in private immediately after the concert, a gesture for which Mason was very appreciative.

Ads for canceled Philadelphia show and added Lawrenceville show Oct. 26, 1974

Oct. 28 Detroit, Michigan Ford Auditorium

GG, along with John Martyn, opened for John Sebastian. Oddly, GG played in Detroit again just one week later on Nov. 4.

Detroit ad Oct. 28, 1974

Oct. 29 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Farm Show Arena

opened for Frank Zappa, as confirmed by a newspaper ad, a backstage pass and two attendees at the show. Some in attendance expected John McLaughlin to also be on the bill. This was just a rumor that circulated at the time and McLaughlin was definitely not there. It was a pretty full house with somewhere in the neighborhood of 8,000 people present. Giant was well received by the Zappa fans, as might be expected. The Farm Show Arena, as can be surmised by its name, was not much more than a big barn, with dirt floors and terrible acoustics. At one point, the sound man was asked why he was using so much echo, to which he replied that he was using none at all. This was an added date, not on the original schedule, and was presented by Electric Factory Concerts, one of the biggest concert promotion firms on the east coast. John, who was a big Zappa fan and had been looking forward to this show, described the Arena as a “rodeo hall” and was so upset by the poor acoustics that he refused to listen to Zappa’s set.

Harrisburg - opened for Frank Zappa Oct. 29, 1974

Oct. 31 Springfield, Massachusetts Julia Sanderson Theatre

This venue was originally a vaudeville theater known as the Paramount Theater but converted to a 2,600-seat concert hall in 1973, changing its name at the same time in tribute to a well-known actress from Springfield. It’s now a dance club known as the Hippodrome. GG was preceded by John Martyn, both opening for headliners Focus. According to the Daily Collegian, Giant a large number of audience members left before Focus even took the stage. Being Halloween night, the crowd was rather festive, with a number of spectators in costume. Giant decided this would be a good night for a bit of holiday theatrics, as well. At the beginning of Giant’s set, Kerry disappeared underneath the stage, seating himself at the theatre’s beautiful built-in Wurlitzer organ. He was for a time totally in the dark, struggling to find his place on the instrument, until he finally rose out of the pit, lit by spotlight, at which time he launched into the keyboard intro to Experience. It is unclear if the breaking glass loop or The Runaway were heard prior to this. Either way, the band played their parts somewhat quietly so as not to drown out the Wurlitzer. When they reached a section of the song requiring just bass and drums, they added a few extra measures to give Kerry enough time to return to his spot on stage so he could continue the show, now out of breath. Throughout it all, to complete the effect, he was wearing a cape. It did take some cajoling to get Kerry to agree to this stunt, but the audience responded with deafening applause as he rejoined the rest of the band on stage. Ever the gentlemen, they had asked Focus ahead of time if they would mind this possibly upstaging activity. Graciously, Focus agreed. According to the Connecticut Daily Campus, the acoustics were fine and the crowd was generally quite well-behaved and thoroughly enjoyed Giant’s entire performance, to the point of being quite forgiving when, during the Knots portion of Excerpts from Octopus, the band got a little off on their timing. A gentle wave of sympathetic laughter rippled through the crowd and the band recovered quickly. However, the crowd did show their displeasure when the emcee for the evening announced that Giant would not return for an encore, since the show was running a bit late. On either Oct. 30 or 31, while in town for this concert, Kerry, Gary and John visited the campus of the University of Massachusetts in nearby Amherst and took part in an hour-long interview. A recording of this interview was probably broadcast over the University’s radio station on Dec. 10.

Springfield ad Oct. 31, 1974

Since this tour ended up being extended quite a bit longer than anticipated, touring plans for later in the year had to be rethought. They had planned a UK tour, to be supported by the band Snafu, beginning at the Plymouth Guildhall on October 31, followed by a swing through Europe, but the European schedule was shortened considerably, while the UK tour was postponed until December.

Original and rescheduled UK and European tour plans Oct. - Nov. 1974

Nov. 1 New York, New York Academy of Music

This was a midnight concert, with a totally separate concert featuring Shawn Phillips and Quatermass taking place earlier in the evening. Quatermass may not have played alone but may have simply served as Phillips’ backing band. A tape of GG’s set exists. John Martyn played first then Giant and headliners Focus, although GG and Focus both played full length sets, Giant’s clocking in at around 70 minutes. This is the first confirmed time GG played at this popular New York venue, but they returned there many times in later years. At this show, the transition tape between The Runaway and Experience played a half step sharp, for some reason. A member of the audience recalls a fan near the front screaming at Ray during his violin solo. Ray then put his instrument down and engaged in a back and forth screaming match with the fan before resuming his solo. This was actually a common occurrence during the violin solos through the years, though it is unclear how much of it was spontaneous and how much was provoked by Ray himself. After the show, as further evidence of their shoestring budget at the time, no limousine was present and the band was spotted simply walking away from the Academy, belongings in hand. A number of reviews of this gig appeared in various publications, almost universally positive, although Billboard did cite the band’s music as being “too repetitious”. A local newspaper review called the show a “giant triumph” and even indicated the band had to play three encores to please the New York audience, while a couple other reviews pointed out the multiple ovations that occurred over the course of the performance. One online source lists that this show took place on November 3 but that is wrong, another source placing Focus in Edison, New Jersey on that evening.

New York - Academy of Music Nov. 1, 1974

Nov. 2 Boston, Massachusetts Orpheum Theater

Giant played first on a triple bill here, preceding Golden Earring and headliners Black Oak Arkansas. In the interview referenced above before the Springfield show, band members described BOA as “one of the funniest bands we’ve ever seen”.

Boston ad Nov. 2, 1974

Nov. 2 In England, BBC 3 Radio included a segment on Gentle Giant on their Sounds Interesting radio program, along with segments on King Crimson, Harry Chapin and singer/guitarist Krysia Kocjan. It’s also known that Giant appeared on a later episode of the program on Feb. 2, 1975, during which an interview with Derek and Ray was featured. It’s not known if this Nov. 2 episode included the same interview or different content.

Nov. 4 Detroit, Michigan Cobo Hall

Like the Detroit appearance from one week earlier on Oct. 28, three bands were again on this bill, Giant playing first, Mountain in the middle, and the J. Geils Band headlining. This was apparently a late add, not appearing on Giant’s original schedule. J. Geils had played just the previous night at Cobo Hall with Mountain and Golden Earring but when tickets for that show sold out, another show was scheduled for Nov. 4. Mountain returned for this second appearance, but Golden Earring did not, Giant taking their place. J. Geils was extremely popular in Detroit and played their often, often multiple times per year, and always to rapturous fans. However, in comments made the following day, both Kerry and Gary expressed disappointment over their own band’s lukewarm acceptance by the audience, Kerry going so far as to state that Giant never enjoyed playing in Detroit. A tape of GG’s performance also exists, documenting an unusually short opening set.

Detroit ad Nov. 4, 1974

Nov. 5 Akron, Ohio Civic Theater

CANCELED. GG was booked to open for Foghat but, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Foghat was having “tour troubles”. Online Foghat sources indicate that band was out of commission for the entire beginning of November, although it is certain that they did share the bill with Giant in Flint on Nov. 6, as listed below. Confusingly, other sources have GG opening for Focus at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, Connecticut on Nov. 5 and receiving a nice reception, though that is obviously wrong. It’s known from a private telephone interview two teenage fans conducted with Kerry and Gary on this date that Giant ended up with the day off.

Akron - canceled show Nov. 5, 1974

Nov. 6 Flint, Michigan I.M.A. Auditorium

opened for Foghat before 1,790 fans. In comments made the day before with a couple young fans, Kerry expressed concerns that this pairing would not be ideal and he was proved right. Giant was heavily booed at this gig by the relatively small number of people who even bothered to watch them. When first addressing the crowd, Derek asked that they stop throwing things at the stage. In response to the poor audience behavior, Ray is said to have made "rude" sounds with his violin, directed towards the audience. A reviewer in the Flint Journal admired Giant’s talent but did admit the crowd had trouble warming up to them. A tape of the show exists as does a bit of the soundcheck. During this soundcheck, the band can be heard in a bluesy jam, as well as running through an instrumental version of Cogs In Cogs. Originally, Giant was planning to play the I.M.A. Auditorium on Oct. 30 on a bill with John Matryn and headliner John Sebastian. However, they switched to this Nov. 6 bill with Foghat. Even earlier, it had been announced that Giant was to play the Centre Culturel in Sherbrooke, Quebec on Nov. 6, but that plan did not materialize. In fact, even though rumors have surfaced now and then about Canadian GG shows in 1974, all of them are false. The band’s Fall 1974 North American concerts all took place in the U.S.A.

Flint ad Nov. 6, 1974

Nov. 7 Center Valley, Pennsylvania Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales - Billera Hall

The Allentown College venue is correct, even though a conflicting report has this gig taking place at nearby Lehigh County Community College in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. This college gig was arranged at relatively short notice and was supposed to be a triple bill with GG and the Strawbs opening for Robin Trower. However, the Strawbs canceled. One fan recalls about 250 in attendance, while another places the number higher. The attendees simply sat on the floor in front of the stage in what’s believed to have been a converted dining hall and, although Trower was the headliner, Giant was very well received. In fact, after their set, the lights came on but the crowd continued to chant “Giant! Giant! Giant!”, sadly to no avail.

Center Valley ad Nov. 7, 1974

Nov. 8 Plattsburgh, New York State University of New York at Plattsburgh

Original plans were for Giant to perform in Teaneck, New Jersey on this evening, but they played this college near the Canadian border instead, opening for the Climax Blues Band. In fact, several photos of the band appear in the college’s yearbook, where they are mislabeled as “Gentile Giant”. John’s drum solo was particularly well received by the Plattsburgh crowd and one fan alleges they played Working All Day, dedicating it to the road manager. One unofficial report puts about 200 people in the audience.

Plattsburgh - includes college yearbook pages Nov. 8, 1974

Nov. 9 New Haven, Connecticut Yale University - Woolsey Hall

This concert was booked as part of a University charity drive and the band opened for Poco. Giant was booed for the first ten minutes of their set, but the crowd ended up giving them a standing ovation by the end. Then, after the show, the members of Giant were interviewed on the Yale University radio station. Poco recorded their set and one song from this night may have ended up on their 1976 Live album.

New Haven ad Nov. 9, 1974

Nov. 10 Baltimore, Maryland Johns Hopkins University - Newton White Athletic Center

GG opened for Robin Trower. By the beginning of November, Giant’s participation had not yet been confirmed, but they did play and were well received. Several days before the concert, a vague bomb threat was phoned in to the Athletic Center, putting the concert in doubt. However, local police deemed it not to be a credible threat and the show went on as planned. The University did increase security for the concert and police searched the building the day of the show, just to be safe. Due to these events, ticket sales started a bit sluggish but, in the end, the 2,300-seat facility was sold-out. New Riders of the Purple Sage at one time planned to be part of this bill, but they ended up playing at the University on Dec. 8.

Baltimore ad Nov. 10, 1974

??? Buffalo, New York New Century Theatre

UNCONFIRMED. A report has Nektar opening for Giant here in 1974.

??? Upper Darby, Pennsylvania Tower Theater

UNCONFIRMED. There are a couple reports that Giant opened here for Focus in 1974, although one Focus source gives a date of November 9, 1973. That is most certainly incorrect.

??? North Branch, New Jersey Somerset County Community College

UNCONFIRMED. There are two fan reports of Giant playing in the gymnasium at this college. One has GG opening for Robin Trower. The other has GG opening for Caravan. Late 1974 and late 1975 have both been presented as possible time periods, but Trower and Caravan tour date sources both make late 1974 more likely. No documentation of a gig at this college has been located but at least some agreement can be found between the two reports, as both fans complained about less than ideal acoustics.

Nov. 15 Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville Civic Coliseum

This was a festival seating gig at which Giant opened for John Sebastian and headliner Dave Mason.

Knoxville ad Nov. 15, 1974

Nov. 17 Memphis, Tennessee Ellis Auditorium North Hall

UNCONFIRMED. One press report had listed Nov. 17 as being the tentative final date of the extended North American tour but no clear information has surfaced. A couple pieces of evidence hint that Giant may have been the support act for Dave Mason, but advertising and a review in the Memphis Commercial Appeal listed the Souther, Hillman, Furay Band as openers. Of course, Giant may have been an additional, unmentioned part of the bill but, more than likely, they were not there. Attendance for Mason’s performance was reported at 3,800.

Upon returning to Europe, the group finally began regularly including songs from THE POWER AND THE GLORY in their live stage show. However, they ended up spending relatively little time in Europe, because of the unexpected extension of their tour in the US. Six shows were, at one time, slated for Switzerland, then shortened to four, but it appears that only three actually took place. Gigs in Italy were originally planned for Nov. 20 - Nov. 30, then that tour was shortened as well, with as few as three gigs actually taking place. It’s believed, though not yet confirmed, that a show was scheduled for the Olympen in Lund, Sweden with support from String Driven Thing, the same band that had supported Giant at many shows earlier in the year, but this Fall concert was canceled. One newspaper account implied the group may have even planned to return to America for a short spell at the end of the year, after their time in Europe, though this did not happen either.

TYPICAL SETLIST (late 1974)

Intro/Cogs in Cogs - A brief pre-recorded edit of the album version of the song Giant was used as an intro. This opening tape was actually fashioned from two different snippets of the original song segued together.

Proclamation/Funny Ways

The Runaway/Experience

Excerpts from Octopus - The recorder quartet included a brief bit of Raconteur, Troubadour instead of Yankee Doodle for only this minor European tour.

Nothing at All

Plain Truth

Mister Class and Quality?/Peel the Paint - a slightly different arrangement than was used at some early 1973 gigs. Gary's guitar solo now found a home in Peel the Paint. The "breaking glass" tape loop was now faded out at the end of this, as an outro.

Most notable at this time is the band's ever-increasing fascination with combining songs or portions of songs into mini-medleys. This would continue into future tours.

Nov. 21 Basel, Switzerland Stadtcasino

A tape of this concert exists. It’s been said that on this night, John was seen walking across the stage with bells attached to his ankle.

Basel ticket Nov. 21, 1974

Nov. 22 St. Gallen, Switzerland Kongresshaus Schützengarten

A complete tape of this concert exists. It was held in private hands for many years but now most of it, though not all of it, has been released officially in the UNBURIED TREASURE boxset.

Nov. 23 Ascona, Switzerland Palestra Scolastica

Ascona is a beautiful small Swiss town on Lake Maggiore, Palestra Scolastica referring to the sports hall or gymnasium of the local school. This concert was organized by Suzy Stauss of the one-woman Ascona concert agency known as SU 71. Although several fans in attendance recall there being no opener, it has been confirmed that an unnamed jazz trio actually began the evening. This trio was made up of local musicians Andre Desponds on keyboards, Piero Righetti on bass and Oliviero Giovannoni on drums. They played a highly improvisatory set of original and cover numbers. The crowd of about 500 were quite well behaved but one press report does mention there were a number of people gathered outside the hall protesting the commercialization of pop music, specifically the charging of admission. This was an extension of the anti-capitalism sentiments common at the time in nearby Italy.

Ascona Nov. 23, 1974

Nov. 25 Bologna, Italy Palazzo dello Sport

opening act was Arti e Mestieri. A couple sources agree that attendance was sparse, about 2,000 out of a capacity of 7,000.

Nov. 26 A short film clip of the band appeared on British television on BBC 2’s Old Grey Whistle Test program, alongside the episode’s other attractions, the Pretty Things, Jackie Lynton’s Grande, and Can. Giant’s contribution to the show was the second half of Excerpts from Octopus shot at London's Drury Lane on March 16. The clip has now been released officially in video and audio form on the GG AT THE GG DVD.

Complete lineup of Old Grey Whistle Test episode Nov. 26, 1974

Nov. 26 Rome, Italy Palazzo dello Sport

opening act was Arti e Mestieri. A reviewer in Ciao 2001 pointed out the poor acoustics in the hall, as well as the presence of some noisy, unruly elements in the crowd. This same reviewer was kind to Arti e Mestieri but seemed disappointed with GG’s set, an unusual occurrence in a magazine noted for championing the band in the past. The magazine Nuovo Sound published a similarly lukewarm review, while voicing surprise that the audience wasn’t bigger. A couple other sources indicated the size of the crowd to be between 6,000 and 7,000. The venue for this show is often listed as Palaeur which was a commonly used nickname for the same location. It was a large circular hall built on a hill. In 2000, a soundboard recording of the majority of this show became the first in the series of official Glass House releases, appearing on a CD entitled LIVE IN ROME. An audience recording of the same show also exists but it is complete, containing some material not on the soundboard recording. Nuovo Sound claimed in its review that GG played Working All Day as an encore, but they were probably incorrect.

Rome ticket Nov. 26, 1974

Nov. 27 Italy Palazzo dello Sport

UNCONFIRMED. The exact location of this planned concert has not been determined. The show, with Arti e Mestieri in support, was advertised for the Palazzo dello Sport in Udine with a note that it may end up in Brescia instead at that city’s own Palazzo dello Sport. To date, it’s not been confirmed that any gig at all actually took place. A member of Arti e Mestieri states that the two bands only played three gigs together, most likely Bologna, Rome and Torino.

Nov. 28 Torino, Italy Palazzo dello Sport

opening act was Arti e Mestieri. Upon first welcoming the audience, Derek mentions the city’s famous football club, Juventus, and elicits applause from many in the crowd. Unfortunately, the city’s other football club, the Torino club, was not mentioned, thereby upsetting others in the crowd. It seems fans of the two teams have a very rocky relationship. A member of Arti e Mestieri claims the venue, which seated around 6,000, was oversold with as many as 9,000 tickets being purchased by fans. Another member recalls that some segments of the audiences at this and the other 1974 Italian shows were unkind to GG, believing them to be money grubbing capitalists. Understandably, he claims Giant did not particularly enjoy this Italian mini-tour. Derek himself confirmed this in a Ciao 2001 article at the time, presenting it as a contributing factor in the band’s decision to cut their time in Italy short. This was a common sentiment among Italian rock audiences at the time but GG had, in the past, been treated more forgivingly than had many other bands. That was not the case on this tour. A tape exists of this concert.

Torino ad Nov. 28, 1974

Nov. 29 Genova, Italy Teatro Genova

CANCELED. Two shows were scheduled for Genova, with some sort of transportation problem as the reason given for the last minute cancelation. The opening act was supposed to be Arti e Mestieri.

??? Modena, Italy Teatro Storchi

UNCONFIRMED. No written documentation has been found proving this gig. However, it cannot be completely discounted as two separate fans seem to recall it, although only one recalls the specific venue. This fan also stated the audience responded better to the older tunes than to the newer ones.

As stated above, the band rescheduled their October-November 1974 tour of Great Britain for the month of December, with Joe Brown's Home Brew planned as the opening act. They even intended to record some of the dates for a possible future live album release. However, this second attempt at a tour of the UK ultimately had to be canceled, as well. There are differing reports as to why. The primary reason given to the press was that Derek developed a severe stomach ulcer. Although possibly true, it seems there may have been more to the story. John and Kerry have both claimed that management problems also played a part, logical when considering that Giant’s relationship with WWA had by now completely broken down. Listed below is the originally planned December tour itinerary.