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Gentle Giant
Tour History
***
Part Five ***
***
The Peak of Success ***
(mid - late 1975)
new information will be in RED
??? The
American release date for FREE HAND on Capitol is not yet pinned
down. Dates of July 21 and July 28 have
been mooted but this is far from confirmed.
In England, it was the first GG album released by Chrysalis and,
according to notices in the British press, it was “rush released” in that
country in late August. This calls the
US release, a full month earlier, into question. The first portion of August seems more likely
for the American release and it definitely was
appearing in US record stores by the first half of August.
Aug. 10 ZDF-TV
in Germany broadcast the Belgian film recorded in early January on its Sonntagkonzert program. It is safe to assume it was also broadcast on
RTB, Belgium’s French speaking television network, who assisted in the original
production of the film. Additionally, it’s known to have broadcast on VARA, the Dutch TV network,
on the same day and possibly in other European countries as well. Rebroadcasts are known to have been aired
from time to time in other parts of Europe, possibly including Dutch
rebroadcasts in December and perhaps again the following year, as well as
French and Belgian broadcasts in 1976.
This concert performance was filmed with high quality 35mm film. The sound engineer had planned on using an 8 track machine for the audio but, after seeing all the
instruments the band planned to use, ended up acquiring a brand new 16 track
machine specifically for the occasion.
He was not happy, however, with the final mix done by an inexperienced
gentleman in Munich, Germany as he felt the drums, in
particular, were not adequately presented. This entire performance has been officially
released, in both audio and video form, on the GIANT ON THE BOX DVD,
while the song Proclamation has also been included in the 35th
anniversary CD reissue of THE POWER AND THE GLORY. Coincidentally, this same song from the same
performance also appears as an enhanced bonus video track on the 35th
anniversary CD reissue of PLAYING THE FOOL.
ZDF-TV “Sonntagkonzert”
broadcast notice Aug. 10, 1975
The band originally had hoped to start their next
North American tour in June, but that was pushed back some. In
August, the group put on only a short series of concerts in eastern Canada and
the northeastern United States. However.
they did manage to do a number of interviews at this
time, so this short swing into North America may have been partly promotional
in nature. As for the few concerts that
have been confirmed, the band headlined some of the shows and played as an opening
act at others. A number
of changes were also made in their live setlist, including the addition
of three songs from the new album and the deletion of Gary Green's guitar
solo. A full scale North American tour didn’t finally start until the beginning of October.
TYPICAL SETLIST (Mid - Late 1975)
Intro/Cogs in Cogs - A new prerecorded original instrumental
was now used as the intro. This new
recording can be found on UNDER CONSTRUCTION, mistakenly titled Intro
74.
Proclamation/Funny Ways
The Runaway/Experience - The prerecorded
bridge section was no longer used to connect these two songs.
On Reflection
Excerpts from Octopus -
This popular medley was rearranged, making it a bit longer. It now began with a full band arrangement of The
Boys in the Band, complete with the "coin toss" recording, before
going into the other material. The
acoustic guitar duet was rewritten and included themes from the songs Raconteur,
Troubadour and Acquiring the Taste.
So Sincere
Plain Truth - In this time period,
most or all of the vocals were omitted. The song still spun off into Ray's violin
solo.
Free Hand
Just the Same - The outro used after this song was a tape loop
fashioned from the song's saxophone riff.
It would gradually fade out.
Backstage pass used on FREE HAND tour mid to late 1975
Aug. 16 Boston,
Massachusetts Boston Garden
This
was an open seating gig, the last of the so-called “dance concerts” held at
this venue. A tape exists of the show,
at which Giant played first, before Peter Frampton and headliners Steppenwolf. Giant’s set had poor attendance with crowd
estimates ranging from 250 to 1,000. A
review in Billboard was kinder to Giant than it was to Steppenwolf,
although it mentions that both acts had sound problems and it oddly did not
mention Frampton at all. This review
also stated that GG’s set was rather short and that they were “not allowed an
encore”. Before
Excerpts from Octopus, a member of Giant's crew made a mistake by
playing, instead of the "coin toss" tape, a snippet of the
pre-recorded tape loop used as an outro to the song Just the Same. A very unusual arrangement of Plain Truth
was played on this evening. It consisted
only of a brief instrumental portion of the song used as an intro to Free
Hand, with the guitar taking over some of the melody line from the
violin. There was a large contingent in
the audience from the local chapter of the Hell’s Angels, the notorious
motorcycle gang that was somewhat associated with Steppenwolf. One false report had these bikers
running security and riding their bikes through the crowd in order to introduce
the headliners from the stage. Although
an entertaining notion, this did not actually happen. It is true, however, that a political group
called the Coalition Against Macho-Sexist Music picketed and distributed
pamphlets outside the venue, claiming Steppenwolf’s songs promoted sexist views
against women.
Boston ad Aug. 16, 1975
Aug. 17 Toronto,
Ontario Varsity
Stadium
POSTPONED. A show was scheduled here on this
date, but it was canceled and rescheduled for Sep. 1. The reasons for this change have not been
confirmed, but it may have had something to do with trouble at a Crosby,
Stills, Nash and Young concert held earlier in the summer at this same venue.
Aug. 18 Trois-Rivieres, Quebec Stade
de Trois-Rivieres
The
stage was set up on two flatbed trucks on second base at the local baseball
stadium and the band began quite late.
About 2,500 were in attendance on a fairly cold night, making the place
about half full. Local Quebec-area band
Pollen was one of the opening acts. Triumvirat was also listed on the tickets and posters, but
did not play. Prog/folk singer Raoul
Duguay, himself a Quebec-area musician, did play, apparently as a substitute
act.
Trois-Rivieres
ad and poster Aug. 18, 1975
Aug. 21 Quebec City, Quebec Colisee
Pollen
was the opening act at this Quebec City hockey arena and were well received.
Quebec
City ad and ticket Aug. 21, 1975
Aug. 22 Chrysalis
definitely rush released FREE HAND in England
in late August, probably on Aug. 22. It
went on to become the most commercially successful album Gentle Giant ever
made, with songs that were musically challenging, yet accessible. The album sold very well in most parts of the
world and the band began to think their future would be very bright indeed.
Aug. 23 Hempstead,
New York Calderone Concert
Hall
This
is the band's first performance at this Long Island venue, an old refurbished
movie theater, but they returned there several times more in later years. Ray remembers a very odd bill with Giant actually playing with heavy metal favorites Kiss. This is almost correct. Both bands did play there on Aug. 23 but in
two completely separate gigs. Kiss played at 8:00 P.M. while Giant was
scheduled to perform at 11:30 P.M.
Ticket sales were quite reasonable for Giant’s concert, especially
considering there had only been one week’s promotion for the show. Kiss’ show ran over and it ended up taking
longer than expected to tear down their equipment, so Giant's show started
quite late, actually closer to 1:30 A.M. A tape of GG's performance does exist,
however.
Hempstead
- late show after Kiss concert Aug.
23, 1975
Aug. 25 Northampton,
Pennsylvania Roxy Theater
P.F.
and the Flyers were the opening act. In
an interview held on Aug. 22, Derek stated that this show was planned for two
days later, namely Aug. 24. That may
have been the original plan but, more recently, printed documentation indicates
the concert actually took place on Aug. 25. This old vaudeville theater only seated 550,
but it was sold out and the acoustics were reportedly very good.
Aug. ? Rochester, New York
UNCONFIRMED. In a different interview held at the
time, Derek indicated there may have been a gig scheduled in Rochester, but it
seems he was probably mistaken. No
contemporary Rochester press coverage has come to light to confirm such a
concert.
Aug. 30 Montreal, Quebec Autostade
This
was an outdoor gig that Giant headlined but it was plagued by bad luck. It was actually scheduled
for Aug. 29 but that was a rainy day, so the concert was moved to the planned
rain date of the following night.
Unfortunately, it was also cold and rainy on Aug. 30. More significantly, most of
Montreal
ad and backstage pass Aug. 30, 1975
Sep. 1 Toronto,
Ontario Maple Leaf
Gardens
This
was the rescheduled concert from Aug. 17, and was a festival seating gig, with
Giant and the J. Geils Band both opening for Jefferson Starship. There had been some confusion as to which of
the two support acts actually played first, as fan recollections,
advertisements, and even newspaper reviews conflicted. However, the preponderance of evidence now
makes it fairly certain that Giant took the stage first. Regardless, one newspaper reviewer wrote
that, after the exciting sets played by Giant and J. Geils, many in the
audience found Starship’s more low-key approach a bit too lethargic. In contrast, another newspaper account had
Giant struggling to gain audience acceptance.
Existing backstage passes and posters from this rescheduled date
indicate it was supposed to take place as an outdoor gig at Varsity Stadium,
but it was changed right on the day of the concert to nearby Maple Leaf Gardens
because of the threat of inclement weather.
Festival seating had recently caused problems at the 40,000 seat Varsity
Stadium, so the original plan called for only 25,000 tickets to be made
available, a number intended to make the audience more “comfortable”. Total sales ended up well below that, with
published attendance figures at Maple Leaf Gardens ranging anywhere between
5,000 and 10,000. Because of this, the
promoters lost a significant amount of money.
There were no chairs on the bare concrete floor of the Gardens, but the
smaller crowd did indeed make it more comfortable for those in attendance to
spread out and enjoy themselves, and there were reportedly no significant
problems. Radio announcements were used
in an attempt to notify fans of the last-minute change in venue, while signs
were posted and personnel were assigned to Varsity Stadium to inform all who
showed up there of what was happening.
The show itself ended up starting a little late, also due to the venue
change. During the J. Geils set, Gary
was seen jumping around and playing wild air guitar backstage.
Toronto
flyer and bumper sticker Sep. 1, 1975
Sep. 10 San Diego,
California Golden Hall
CANCELED. They were set to share a bill with Procol Harum, with Procol
probably headlining, but the show was canceled.
Press reports listed three southern California shows involving these two
bands being scrapped, allegedly because of the “English tax situation”. Included were a Sept. 11 Procol
show in Santa Monica and the Sept. 12 Los Angeles Gentle Giant show listed
below. The promoter for all three shows
claimed neither band would return to the United States until 1976, but both did
end up returning within a month. GG
played San Diego on Nov. 2.
Canceled California shows Sep. 1975
Sep. 12 Los Angeles,
California Shrine Auditorium
CANCELED. As explained above, Giant was set to headline
a show here, but it was postponed, supposedly because of the “English tax
situation”. The band subsequently didn’t
arrive in Los Angeles until November 1.
The scheduled Sept. 12 opening act is not known.
Sep. 16 On
this date, in London, the band recorded their eleventh BBC studio session,
consisting of Just the Same, Free Hand and On Reflection,
all songs from the newly-recorded FREE HAND album. It was recorded at Maida Vale Studio 4 and
broadcast on Oct. 13. After this, the
band took a break from recording sessions for the BBC, as Chrysalis no longer
considered the BBC helpful in the band's promotion. This entire session appears on the OUT OF
THE WOODS and TOTALLY OUT OF THE
WOODS albums.
In the fall of 1975, Giant began another round of
full-scale worldwide touring to support their new album. Their stage set was, by now, even more
visually elaborate, utilizing slide presentations synchronized to the
music. The group seemed to be operating
at the peak of their commercial and creative abilities. As a whole, the band was a force with which
to be reckoned. Their live shows were
tight, brilliantly arranged and performed, and usually very well received. However, in North America, they still at
times found themselves serving as an opening act, most notably for the Strawbs and Rick Wakeman.
Sep. 21 London,
England New Victoria Theatre
This
was supposedly a very long concert and has also been described as a
"comeback gig", since the band had not played England in quite a
while. The sound in the hall, packed
with about 2,000 fans, was reported in the press to be less than ideal. Nevertheless, the group's excitement at being
back in their homeland was apparent to the audience, a fact which did not stop
Derek from complaining a bit onstage about the band’s poor reputation in
England up to that point. Michael Moore
played in support of Giant, as he would on many occasions during the band's
full English tour coming up in December.
At one point early on, this show was erroneously reported in the music
press as being scheduled for Victoria Palace, later corrected to New Victoria
Hall. However, tickets for the show
properly listed the venue as New Victoria Theatre.
London
- New Victoria Theatre - marquee and ticket
Sep. 21, 1975
Sep. 23 Rotterdam,
Holland De Doelen
This
was in a venue described as having excellent acoustics. The concert was late beginning, but the crowd
of 1,500 - 2,000 fans was quiet and respectful.
It’s been stated that members of the band Kayak were among these
attendees. An advertisement in the Dutch
music magazine Oor mentioned the addition of a
support act but did not name the act.
Several fans in attendance actually recall there being no opener at
all. One critic in attendance absolutely
hated the performance and gave it a scathing negative review in the Dutch
press.
Rotterdam Sep. 23, 1975
Sep. 24 Frankfurt,
Germany Jahrhunderthalle
A
tape exists of this gig. After the
encore, the crowd continued to applaud wildly.
Derek eventually came back out and thanked them but the band did not
play again. Some evidence suggested the
possibility that the venue was changed at the last minute to Festhalle Messgelande, but the
fan who originally taped the performance confirms it was indeed held at Jahrhunderthalle.
There may not have been an opening act at this show.
Frankfurt
ad and ticket Sep. 24, 1975
Sep. 28 A
small amount of music recorded in
“King Biscuit” radio broadcast
notice Sep. 28, 1975
Oct. 1 Hilversum
3, Dutch Public Radio, broadcast a special on Gentle Giant during the “Theo Stokkink Show”. Ray
is heard during the broadcast thanking the Dutch people for giving the band
such a “great time last week”, referring back to the Sept. 23 Rotterdam
concert.
“Theo Stokkink
Show” Dutch radio special Oct. 1, 1975
Oct. 1 Largo,
Maryland Capitol
Center
Once
again, Giant opened for old friends Jethro Tull in front of a good 15,000
fans. A few reports through the years
have hinted at the possibility of additional pairings of Tull and Giant around
this same time period, though that is not confirmed at all. There is also a rumor, based on an old,
mislabeled bootleg record, that Giant played the Hollywood Palace in nearby
Ellicott City, Maryland around this time but that is unlikely. At this Largo show, although most of the
crowd was kind to Giant, there was apparently a small portion of the crowd who
were quite vocal in their displeasure with having to sit through the opening
set. A partial tape of Tull’s set exists
and there is a rumor that Giant’s set may also have been recorded but, if so,
it has not surfaced.
Largo
ad Oct. 1, 1975
Oct. 3 White Plains, New York White
Plains Music Hall
Giant
was the first act to perform at this brand new concert venue, along with Gary
Wright as their support act, and attendance is said to have been very
poor. The band endured a few technical
glitches at this show. During the
clavinet introduction to Experience, Kerry is reported to have found his
instrument to be out of tune. Using a
tuning wrench, he quickly opened the lid and tuned it, then went on as if
nothing had happened. Also, Ray is said
to have broken not only one of his bass strings but also a drum head that he
was playing upon during the So Sincere drum bash. A tape exists, allegedly recorded at this
concert, although questions have arisen as to whether this tape may actually
have been made at a different show. On
the recording, the intro tape leading into Cogs in Cogs at the beginning
of the show didn't work, nor did the "breaking glass" tape normally
used to lead into The Runaway.
However, at least three fans in attendance recall both tapes working
fine at the actual concert. Additionally,
the recording includes the instrumental Plain Truth intro before Ray's
violin solo, but one of these same fans remembers Ray jokingly trying to start
to play without his instrument, then retrieving it and beginning his solo
without the rest of the band. Regardless
of the tape’s origin, the complete performance was released on the Glass House ENDLESS
LIFE CD in 2002. On Reflection
and Proclamation from it have also been included in the 2013 compilation
album MEMORIES OF OLD DAYS.
White
Plains Oct. 3, 1975
Oct. 4 Boston, Massachusetts Orpheum
Theater
Opening
this show which the Brown Daily Herald described as a “near sellout”,
was a blues act from the Boston area, the James Montgomery Band. Harmonica player James Cotton sat in on a few
songs with the opening band. A tape of
Giant's performance exists. The crowd
was so supportive on this night, that they continued to yell and cheer for
quite a while after the show was over, even after the house lights had been
turned up and half the band’s gear had been torn down. The band’s female tour manager finally had to
take the stage and politely ask the audience to go home, explaining that the
band was “too exhausted to play any more”.
Boston
ad and backstage pass Oct. 4, 1975
Oct. 5 Buffalo, New York New Century Theatre
Brian
Augur's Oblivion Express went first, followed by Gary Wright, both opening for
Giant. One fan in the front row recalls
Wright having a lot of glitter in his hair, lit by bright white lights. After frequently shaking his head during his
set, the front row ended up covered in glitter.
Then, during GG’s set, one lucky fan was rewarded with a vibraphone
mallet that Kerry threw into the crowd after his Funny Ways solo. This was reportedly a long gig, ending after 1:00 A.M. One fan claims it ran long because it was
late getting started, but this is not clear.
While in town, Ray and John were interviewed on local radio station WBUF.
Buffalo Oct. 5, 1975
Oct. 6 With a night off before their Hempstead, NY
radio broadcast described below, the band took the opportunity to see a concert
of their own, all five attending a Weather Report show at the famous New York
City nightclub, the Bottom Line. Miles
Davis was also in the audience.
Oct. 7 In Hempstead, New York at Ultrasonic
Recording Studios, Giant performed in front of a studio audience of less than
100 people. The room was the size of a
small gymnasium with the band set up on one end with no stage and no special
lighting effects. The fans sat on the
floor. The concert was broadcast live as
it happened over New York City's WLIR radio, itself located in Hempstead on
Long Island, just outside of the city proper.
Since the Fall of 1971, WLIR, which positioned itself as a progressive
rock radio station, had been broadcasting live concerts every Tuesday night
from the nearby Ultrasonic Studios and this was part of that regular Tuesday
series. Generally, acts were given about
an hour of airtime but this performance ran a little long, so WLIR kept them on
the air for an extra 10-15 minutes.
Approximately two thirds of the broadcast saw official release in 2005
on LIVE IN NEW YORK 1975 on the Glass House label. Intro/Cogs in Cogs, So Sincere,
Free Hand and Just the Same from this concert were also broadcast
over American radio on a July 14, 1976 episode of the syndicated program BBC
Rock Hour.
Hempstead - brief review of live
radio broadcast Oct. 7, 1975
Oct. 8 Lowell,
Massachusetts University of
Lowell
GIANT DID NOT PLAY. On this night, Giant
was scheduled to open, for the first time, for Rick Wakeman and they did indeed
arrive in town. However, according to a
review in The Connector, the college newspaper, the ever extravagant
Wakeman’s equipment took up so much space on the stage that Giant had no room
for their own gear and decided not to play.
There may have been more to the story but, whatever the case, Wakeman
played alone to a sparse audience and lost the University over $2,000 in the
process. The Connector stated
that, had Giant performed, the event would’ve lost an additional $1,500. Derek and Kerry did manage to record an
interview for the college radio station which was broadcast on November 18.
Lowell
- Wakeman lost money and Giant was unable to perform Oct. 8, 1975
Oct. 9 Waterbury, Connecticut Palace
Theater
opened
for Rick Wakeman. A tape of this concert
exists. Oddly, although the band did
play the song Experience at this gig, they did not play The Runaway
which usually led into it. Curiously,
Wakeman and Giant were also confirmed by a local promoter to play on this very
same evening at the Allen P. Kirby Field House at Lafayette College in Easton,
Pennsylvania. However, when the schedule
conflict became apparent, the two acts fulfilled the earlier Waterbury
commitment. The Wakeman camp did offer
Lafayette College a replacement date of Dec. 2, with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
in support, but that gig also was canceled, mainly due to poor ticket sales.
Waterbury Oct. 9, 1975
Oct. 10 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Spectrum
preceded
by Larry Coryell and his band the Eleventh House and followed by Rick
Wakeman. A tape exists of this show and
was officially released by Glass House on their PROLOGUE CD. Surprisingly, this was the very first time
the group ever played in Philadelphia, a fact Derek confirmed from the
stage. The concert was not well attended
with only 7,500 fans in a venue capable of holding many more. Two of these fans recall a good number of
Giant fans leaving before Wakeman’s set.
In its review, the Villanova University newspaper The Villanovan
ran the headline “Giant Outshines Wakeman at Spectrum”. A 1976 Philadelphia Inquirer article
referred back to this show, stating that the boomy
acoustics of the large Spectrum were not favorable for GG’s delicate interplay
of instruments. The bill for this show
was not firm until close to the day of the show. GG’s participation was initially listed as
“tentative” while Italian band PFM was at one point advertised as being
involved instead of Larry Coryell. Gary
was impressed by the friendliness and outgoing nature of Larry Coryell who,
prior to the show, knocked on Giant’s door backstage and asked if the guys
wanted to come and jam with him, most likely during his soundcheck. Giant did not take him up on the offer but
Gary nonetheless appreciated the gesture.
Philadelphia
- includes glowing headline Oct. 10,
1975
Oct. 11 New York, New York Academy of Music
This
gig was described as “near Standing Room Only” with a total turnout of
2,828. White Lightnin’
was the opening act and had to endure quite a bit of booing from the
audience. There were some technical
difficulties at this show with some of the slides being shown at wrong times. Two separate audience tapes of this show are
known to exist. One of them is mostly
complete and the other, while incomplete, does include a few bits and pieces
not found on the first tape. During
Giant’s time in the New York City metropolitan area, they took the opportunity
to do some interviews, including one for New York radio station WRNW. During another press interview held on Oct.
12, band members were complimented on the quality of this particular Academy
performance. When asked for an
explanation, Ray joked that it must have been because Gary was wearing “new
shoelaces”.
New
York’s Academy of Music ad Oct. 11,
1975
Oct. 13 Gentle
Giant's eleventh BBC session, recorded on Sept. 16, was broadcast on the John
Peel Show, hosted by John Peel, of course.
Other musicians with sessions on the program are not known.
Oct. 14 Kalamazoo,
Michigan Old Central High
School - Chenery Auditorium
CANCELED. This gig was canceled one day before
showtime, due to only 250 tickets being sold.
Premier Talent, the talent agency handling this tour for Giant,
apparently did not deliver a signed contract to the show’s promoter until one
week before the show. This simply did
not allow the rightfully angry promoter enough time to advertise
sufficiently. Interestingly, copies of
the Power and the Glory single were meant to be given away to all who
purchased a ticket, but even this promotional gimmick came too late to save the
show. Boxes of singles remained
undistributed. Originally, Gary Wright
was planned as the opening act but at the last minute, Premier Talent
substituted White Lightnin’.
Kalamazoo
- concert canceled at last minute Oct.
14, 1975
Oct. 16 Chicago, Illinois Auditorium Theater
This
was a poorly attended show with about 1,300 fans, making the hall only half
full, a fact that Derek commented on from the stage, thanking those that did
attend. Nonetheless, Gary does recall
the band playing fairly well this night.
Gary Wright opened and Giant headlined.
A tape of this concert exists.
Chicago Oct. 16, 1975
Oct. 17 Detroit, Michigan Cobo Hall
In
a hall that was half filled at best, Giant was preceded by Gary Wright with
Rick Wakeman the headliner. One report
has GG being poorly treated by the Wakeman audience, reinforcing the
reservations Kerry expressed in an interview the previous November about the
band’s misfortunes when playing in Detroit.
After Giant finished their set, there were a few seconds of silence,
then a gentleman in the balcony yelled loudly “that band was weird!” However, a Detroit area college newspaper
review stated that Giant did play an encore while, curiously, Wakeman did
not. It's rumored once more that Giant
played River at this gig. Similar
rumors concerning this song have circulated around a few gigs from earlier
years, as well, though all remain unconfirmed.
Detroit
ad Oct. 17, 1975
Oct. 18 Cincinnati, Ohio Riverfront Coliseum
The
venue seats over 17,000 but on this night, a large curtain was hung so as to
divide the space and provide a smaller, more intimate concert experience. In fact, this was the first major concert
attraction to use this “Riverfront Theater” setup. Unfortunately, the large curtain did not help
the acoustics which were quite poor and full of echoes throughout the
evening. 7,500 tickets were put on sale,
out of which only 5,600 were sold, with bad weather possibly inhibiting ticket
sales. Giant opened for Rick
Wakeman. Procol
Harum was supposed to appear second on the bill but was unable to, due to their
equipment truck breaking down in West Virginia.
Giant agreed to let Procol use their
equipment, but Wakeman vetoed the idea. Procol may have also asked to play last to give their
equipment time to arrive, but Wakeman was not keen on that idea, either. Whatever the case, this all led to a nasty
scene backstage between Wakeman’s road crew and members of Procol
Harum. After Giant’s set, Procol band member Keith Reid tried to take the stage and
announce to the crowd why they weren’t playing, but Wakeman’s crew stopped
him. In fact, no announcement at all
about Procol was made until the end of the evening,
at which time several hundred Procol fans stayed in
their seats, chanting for their band to come out and play. After the show, the battle went public as Procol’s Reid and Gary Brooker took to the airwaves over
Cincinnati's WEBN radio to complain about the situation. Wakeman himself heard this broadcast and
phoned in to rebut against what he called “lies”. This whole bizarre situation ended up making
headlines in the national rock music press.
A local newspaper, in its review of the show, described GG’s performance
as “lackluster”, an assessment shared by at least some of the crowd who were
heard booing during their set. Another
review claimed that GG’s music was too delicate for a venue this size, although
the audience did eventually warm up to them.
They did not come out for an encore, however. A fan reports that Ray broke a string or two
during his violin solo. However, this is
not apparent on a tape that exists of the show.
Possibly, the fan actually witnessed the unraveling of some of the
horsehair on Ray’s bow. An early ad
listed Peter Frampton as being second on the bill, but that was quickly changed
in later advertising to Procol Harum.
Cincinnati
- ads with original lineup and final lineup
Oct. 18, 1975
Oct. 19 Indiana, Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Fisher
Auditorium
opened
for Procol Harum before a near-capacity crowd during
the university’s Homecoming Weekend festivities. It had been previously assumed that this show
was held in Indianapolis, Indiana, possibly at the Fairgrounds Coliseum. However, the concert map on the inside cover
of Giant's 1977 live album, PLAYING THE FOOL, shows the band leaving
Cincinnati after Oct. 18 and heading east, away from the state of Indiana. Whereas this album cover lists all other
concerts by city, the Oct. 19 concert east of Cincinnati is listed as being
held in "Indiana", not "
Indiana,
Pennsylvania ad Oct. 19, 1975
In an
interview on Oct. 12, members of the band said they were considering taping an
appearance for the American television show, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
a week later, but they had not yet committed to the idea, as they were
concerned over retaining control over the final mix. It looks like this filming never took place.
Oct. 21 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Riverside Theatre
Gary
Wright began the proceedings and was a full hour late taking the stage. After a fairly long interval, Giant played
second. Headliner Peter Frampton finally
played after that, having only arrived at the venue a few minutes
beforehand. The audience was afforded no
explanation as for the lateness of the show.
An earlier erroneous report had Giant opening for Golden Earring and
Aerosmith on this night. The Riverside
was an ornate 1920’s movie house that seated in the neighborhood of 4,000
people, but only about 1,500 witnessed this concert.
Milwaukee ad Oct. 21, 1975
Oct. 22 St. Louis, Missouri Kiel Opera House
opened
for Rick Wakeman. During the Excerpts
from Octopus medley, the band had some brief technical difficulties right
before breaking into The Advent of Panurge. Derek subsequently missed his vocal entrance,
leaving Kerry to sing the opening line of the song alone. A tape of the gig exists.
St. Louis ad Oct.
22, 1975
Oct. 23 Vancouver, British Columbia Commodore Cabaret Ballroom
Here,
GG was supposed to open for Status Quo but, due to illness, Status Quo canceled
before the scheduled date. REO Speedwagon was brought in as a replacement, still in the
headliner slot. This dancehall venue
held approximately 1,000 people. It had
a low stage and was set up in such a way that the front of the audience could
be right up next to the performers. The
crowd at this gig cheered for quite a while after GG played, hoping they would
be rewarded with an encore, but to no avail.
According to a review in the Vancouver Sun, half the crowd then
proceeded to leave before REO even took the stage. One fan at the show actually thinks the
percentage of people who left after Giant’s set was as high as 80 percent.
Vancouver ad Oct. 13, 1975
Oct. 24 Portland, Oregon Paramount Theatre
CANCELED. scheduled to open for the Strawbs, but canceled due to poor
ticket sales. A tour ad in Billboard
originally listed this date as Oct. 26.
Portland - poster for canceled
show Oct. 24, 1975
Oct. 25 Seattle, Washington Moore Egyptian Theater
Starting
the show was a piano player/folk singer named Bette White, followed by Giant
and the Strawbs as headliners in this quite intimate
theater setting. The house was half full
and many in the audience were apparently there to see Giant, as two thirds of
the crowd were reported to have left by the Strawbs'
third song. Even the Strawbs'
Dave Cousins, when recently recalling this particular gig, commented that Giant
blew his own band away. The Seattle
Daily Times agreed with this assessment, pointing out that Giant seemed
quite pleased at how knowledgeable the crowd was about their music. Cousins has also claimed that Giant was the
only band he ever shared a stage with that intimidated him. Billboard originally listed this show
as taking place on Oct. 24.
Seattle Oct. 25, 1975
Oct. 28 Berkeley, California Community
Theater
This
show took place in front of what the San Francisco Examiner described as
a small crowd of about 1,000, many of them noisy and a bit unruly. This was not helped by the excessive number
of delays throughout the evening, as stage crews worked to fix repeated
technical equipment glitches. As had
happened the previous night in Seattle, folk singer Bette White played first
and GG played a 50-minute set second, both opening for the Strawbs. Of the three acts, the review was actually
kindest to Bette White, although it was noted the crowd paid little attention
to her. A mostly complete tape of this
gig exists and has been released on the Glass House ENDLESS LIFE CD while.Free Hand from it appears in the MEMORIES
OF OLD DAYS compilation. Berkeley is
adjacent to the city of Oakland and it may have been on this date that John
Weathers first appeared on stage wearing his famous Oakland A’s baseball
jersey. He had fallen in love with it
after watching the A’s play on television earlier on, so he asked Capitol
Records to secure him one. No clear live
photos of John have surfaced from this Berkeley gig, but all earlier photos
show him wearing something else. The next known live photos of John are from
Los Angeles four days later and he is indeed wearing the jersey at that time. Debuting the jersey in Oakland would
certainly have been logical, the A’s being the local baseball heroes, and John
does recall that when he first wore it, the crowd roared their approval. Unfortunately, the recording of this gig is
missing the section when band members would have been introduced, so definitive
proof that Berkeley was where he first wore the uniform is still missing. As it turned out, John ended up wearing this
uniform for the remainder of his time with the band.
Berkeley ad Oct. 28, 1975
Oct. 30 Phoenix, Arizona Celebrity Theatre
opened
for the Strawbs.
This was an in-the-round theater with a rotating stage. The farthest seats from the stage were only
75 feet away.
Phoenix - cover of concert
program Oct. 30, 1975
Oct. 31 A phone
interview with Gentle Giant was broadcast on a late-night Canadian radio
program called Major Progression.
Although not certain, this may have been broadcast in many places across
Canada, as ads have been located as far apart as Montreal and Regina. It is also not known if it was a live
interview or if it was pre-recorded.
Nov. 1 Los Angeles, California Shrine
Auditorium
Gary
remembers there being problems with the lights at this show. There is a strong possibility that the Strawbs were again scheduled to headline before
canceling. As it turned out, Giant
headlined while a singer/keyboard player by the name of Tom Snow had the bad
fortune of opening the show and being heavily booed. One report has him cutting his set short, as
a result. The Shrine seated around 6,400
but published reviews disagree on whether this gig was sold out.
Los
Angeles Nov. 1, 1975
Nov. 2 San Diego, California Golden
Hall
GG
opened for the Strawbs who were said to have had an
off night, due to equipment problems and poor sound. There had long been confusion over the exact
venue of this concert, even though all pre-show written information proves that
it was scheduled for Golden Hall. This
includes newspaper articles, backstage passes and advertisements, right up to
the day of the show. The confusion came
from fan recollections that it was moved at the last minute to the Civic
Theatre which is actually adjacent to Golden Hall, just across an open
concourse. Throngs of fans were seen
trekking from one venue to the other on the night of the show. However, this could be easily explained. Even though advertising listed Golden Hall as
the venue, this same advertising stated that the tickets were to be purchased
at the Civic Theatre box office. The
migration of fans between buildings could be explained as simple confusion
among concertgoers, or by those purchasing tickets at one venue then walking to
the actual show at the other. Besides,
reviews published in the Triton Times and Walrus! magazine both
clearly stated the gig was indeed held at Golden Hall. This concert unfortunately had a fairly low
turnout, but those in attendance reacted much more positively to Giant and
continued to cheer even after their encore.
San
Diego - planned for Golden Hall with tickets sold at Civic Theatre Nov. 2, 1975
Nov. 5 New York, New York Academy of Music
UNCONFIRMED. This is a totally unsubstantiated date
that has been postulated for a long while but has always been
questionable. More recently, a couple
different eyewitnesses have recalled a date at the Academy of Music from around
this time when Giant shared a bill with the Strawbs,
the Pretty Things and Spooky Tooth though, again, no hard evidence has
surfaced. More than likely, the Nov. 2
San Diego gig was the band’s last engagement of the North American tour.
Nov. 7 Detroit, Michigan
GIANT DID NOT PLAY. A Detroit gig on Nov.
7, 1975 is listed in the inside gatefold of the 1977 PLAYING THE FOOL
live album, but it seems to be in error.
This date certainly did not appear on any advertised tour schedule. One rumor had Cobo Hall as the site of this
alleged gig, but It’s known that Little Feat opened for Dave Mason at Cobo Hall
on Nov. 7 and no information about a GG show at any other Detroit venue has
ever been located.
??? Dallas,
Texas Electric
Ballroom
UNCONFIRMED. A fan who saw the band at the Oct. 16
Chicago Auditorium gig with Gary Wright specifically recalls seeing them again
at this Dallas venue a few weeks later.
The claim gains further legitimacy when considering a rumor that’s
surfaced that Giant did in fact play that city five times in their career
while, so far, only four have been accounted for. Although no confirmation of this concert has
yet surfaced, the fan does remember a largely uninterested audience with only
about ten rows of enthusiastic listeners and the rest of the crowd not paying
attention or milling about in back.
Nov. 10 Oslo, Norway Chateau Neuf
Chateau
Neuf was affiliated with the University of Oslo and run by their student
organization. It housed a moderately
sized concert hall seating around 1,200.
One report has the hall being full on this night but the Aftenposten
newspaper claimed only about 700 were in attendance.
Oslo Nov. 10, 1975
Nov. 12 Stockholm, Sweden Karen
Karen,
or Karhuset, as it was sometimes referred to, was not
technically part of Stockholm University but was operated by the faculty of
that University as a Student Union. For
this concert, it was privately rented by one of the University's students who
then booked Giant. On occasions like
this, the hall was renamed “Club Karen”, as it was whenever a concert or dance
night took place. One report had the show attended by approximately 2,000 fans,
while another had an estimate of just 900.
The gig was recorded by Sweden's Radio 3 and then broadcast in
edited form at a later date, possibly a week later. This edited broadcast version had been
heavily bootlegged through the years, but now has been officially released on
the LIVE IN STOCKHOLM ’75 CD, produced from Swedish Radio’s master
tape. This show was also rebroadcast in
January of 1976 as part of the Swedish Radio Tonkraft
program. The original producer at Radio
3 attempted to locate any remaining portions of the concert that were not
broadcast and therefore not released, but was unsuccessful and now believes
they no longer exist. However, a newspaper review confirms that Excerpts From
Octopus was indeed performed, although it was not included in the
broadcast.
Stockholm ticket Nov. 12, 1975
Nov. 13 Copenhagen,
Denmark Hard Rock Cafe
CANCELED.
This concert was scheduled and advertised, but ultimately canceled. Supposedly, the stage at the venue was too
small, so the band pulled out at the last minute. A notice was pinned to the door of the venue
informing the arriving fans of the sudden cancelation. One rumor floating at the time was that, upon
canceling the show, the band drove off to somewhere in Scandinavia. Perhaps another gig was scheduled there for
the next night, but this is pure conjecture.
Copenhagen
- ad for canceled show Nov. 13, 1975
Nov. 14 It
is believed that this was the official release date for the band’s first
compilation album, entitled GIANT STEPS, although there are indications
that some record shops had the album by Nov. 1.
It included songs from the band’s first six studio albums and also
included the song Power and the Glory, previously only available as a
single. Although the fifth and sixth
albums were on WWA in England, the band remained signed to Vertigo in many
countries in continental Europe, and it was Vertigo who released this compilation
in England and at least part of Europe.
It was not released in the United States.
German tour ad Nov. 1975
Nov. 15 Hannover, Germany Niedersachsenhalle
Hannover
ticket Nov. 15, 1975
Nov. 16 Berlin, Germany Hochschule
der Kunste
This
concert at Berlin’s University of the Arts took place in a hall normally used
for more "serious" concerts.
Therefore, the atmosphere was more sophisticated than that of a typical
rock concert. A contributing factor to
this could have been the stage's neat, clean appearance since, at the time, all
of Giant's amplifiers and equipment were hidden behind wooden frames covered in
fabric. These frames also held the
twinkling white lights which flashed during the 5-man drum bash. The University consisted of four separate
colleges, one being for Music, as noted in the tour ad pictured above.
Berlin press notice Nov. 16, 1975
Nov. 17 Dusseldorf, Germany Philipshalle
A
tape of this show exists.
Nov. 18 Hamburg, Germany Musikhalle
There
may have been no support act at this show.
In fact, very few support acts are known from this time period, so Giant
may have frequently played alone. The
band was very well received and attendance was said to be much better on this
night than it was at their previous appearance at Hamburg’s Musikhalle
on Apr. 10, 1974.
Hamburg Nov. 18, 1975
Nov. 18 WLTI-FM,
the college radio station of Lowell University in Lowell, Massachusetts,
broadcast their interview with Derek and Kerry that had been recorded while the
band was in town on October 8.
Lowell
- band member interview broadcast over college radio Nov. 18, 1975
Nov. 20 Gutersloh, Germany Sporthalle
The
hall here was rather small, as was the crowd.
A fan at the show estimates about 300 in attendance.
Nov. 21 Germany
The
tour ad shown above announced this concert as being held at Scheffelhalle
in Singen, in southern Germany. However, an early version of a concert poster
has been located which had the band in Rhein-Main-Halle in Wiesbaden farther
north, outside of Frankfurt. The Singen show seems more likely, but confirmation has yet to
be found.
early poster for possible Wiesbaden
gig Nov. 21, 1975
Nov. 22 Munich, Germany Circus
Krone Building
Backstage
after the show, several band members expressed concern that ticket prices were
too high for this gig. Prices ranged
between 14 and 16 DM. A tape of this
concert exists.
Munich ticket Nov. 22, 1975
Nov. 23 KMET Radio
in Los Angeles, California broadcast a live Gentle Giant set at 6:00 P.M. on
Sunday, Nov. 23. Cash Box announced
that the set had been recorded a month earlier in “Gotham”, a common nickname
for New York City. The band could have
recorded something specifically for KMET while they were in the New York area
on or around Oct. 11, similar to what they had done on Feb. 13 right in Los
Angeles. Alternatively, the radio
station could have simply arranged to rebroadcast the Oct. 7 studio session
from Hempstead, New York. More specifics
are unknown at this time.
Cash
Box notice about Los Angeles
radio broadcast Nov. 23, 1975
Nov. 24 Basel, Switzerland Festsaal Mustermesse
A
complete tape of this concert exists. The
majority of the show, but not all of it, saw official release when it was
included in the UNBURIED TREASURE boxset.
Basel flyer Nov. 24, 1975
Nov. 25 Karlsruhe, Germany Stadthalle
A
newspaper review called Giant’s music the “music of the future” but noted the
band was fighting with a persistent humming in their amplification, as well as
the hall’s traditionally “miserable” acoustics.
Karlsruhe ticket Nov. 25, 1975
Nov. 26 Mannheim, Germany Rosengarten Mozartsall
Mannheim poster Nov. 26, 1975
Nov. 27 Zurich, Switzerland Volkshaus
There
is an existing tape of this gig.
Zurich
flyer Nov. 27, 1975
Nov. 28 Metz, France Palais des Sports
The
venue for this concert, although very popular for rock concerts at the time,
has not been confirmed.
Nov. 29 Paris, France Olympia
A
portion of this concert was broadcast over AM radio in Paris, but it is
uncertain whether it was broadcast live or at some point after the concert took
place. During the broadcast, a French
announcer translated all of Derek’s English introductions. A gig had been previously advertised at Turfschip in Breda, Holland on this date.
Paris press notice Nov. 29, 1975
Nov. 30 Brussels, Belgium Ancienne Belgique
Brussels
ticket Nov. 30, 1975
Dec. 1 Amsterdam, Holland Carre Theatre
Mike
McClintock opened for GG at this show. A
tape of this show was once in the hands of a fan but, unfortunately, it no
longer exists. This venue has been
described as an intimate "circus theatre", with very steep
seating. It’s been reported that there
was a loud, irritating buzz in at least one audience speaker during Ray’s
quadrophonic violin solo, possibly caused by bad grounding. Still, about 2,000 fans enjoyed this sold out
show, but influential Dutch pop critic Elly de Waard hated it.
Amsterdam Dec. 1, 1975
Dec. 2 Rotterdam,
Holland De Doelen
UNCONFIRMED
Dec. ? A
rumor has been floated that the band was filmed around this time for Dutch VARA
TV. Specifically, it’s been suggested
this filming may have taken place on Dec. 2, possibly at the above listed
alleged Rotterdam concert, but this is far from clear. So far, no evidence to confirm any new
filming has surfaced. December could
very well have simply been when VARA rebroadcast the German ZDF-TV Sonntagkonzert first aired on Aug. 10. On the other hand, Dutch TV did broadcast
some sort of Gentle Giant concert on June 26, 1976. More information is needed.
In
December, Giant finally brought a tour to
UK tour ad Dec. 1975
Dec. 5 Norwich, England University of East Anglia
One
fan who managed to meet the band backstage saw them playing a word game which
Ray told him they sometimes did to alleviate the boredom of being on the
road. For instance, Ray presented the
phrase “an abundance of prehensile extremities lessens the onerous burden”
while his bandmates had to guess the simpler translation of “many hands make
light work”. It’s believed that Michael
Moore was scheduled to open.
Dec. 6 Leeds, England Leeds University - Refectory
Michael
Moore was the opening act. The Refectory
is a well-known music venue right on the University campus, adjacent to the
Student Union.
Leeds ad Dec. 6, 1975
Dec. 7 Hemel Hempstead, England Pavilion
Michael
Moore was the opening act. The Pavilion
was a somewhat small, modern hall and although, by one account, GG was well
received, one fan does remember them as being too loud for such a small venue. However, a reviewer in Sounds said the
sound quality was excellent.
Incidentally, this review was one of very few reviews the UK press even
bothered to publish about this particular homeland tour.
Hemel
Hempstead ad Dec. 7. 1975
Dec. 8 Birmingham, England Town
Hall
Michael
Moore was the opening act.
Birmingham
poster Dec. 8, 1975
Dec. 9 The
BBC rebroadcast the band’s Sep. 16 session as part of the John Peel Show. No other acts had live sessions included in
this particular program. After playing
GG’s final song, Free Hand, Peel mistakenly introduced the band as
Supertramp, before quickly correcting himself.
Shortly after this, Peel lost interest in many of the progressive bands
of the day. He soon became a champion of
the emerging punk scene.
Dec. 9 Manchester, England Free
Trade Hall
Michael
Moore was the opening act.
Manchester
ad and ticket Dec. 9, 1975
Dec. 11 Bristol, England Colston Hall
Michael
Moore was the opening act. Ticket sales
were not strong, with the hall reportedly being only half full, so all who did
attend were encouraged to come forward and sit in the front sections.
Dec. 12 Cambridge, England Corn Exchange
Michael
Moore was the opening act. There were no seats installed in the Corn Exchange at the
time, so the crowd had to stand or sit on the floor. One group of drunken audience members caused
problems right from the start, causing Moore a great deal of trouble. They continued their poor behavior right into
Giant’s set. When the band played Funny
Ways, they chose to loudly and inappropriately criticize
Kerry for what he was wearing.
This greatly irritated Derek who, after the song, called out the offending
drunks for their obnoxious behavior, eliciting applause from others in the
hall. There were no further disruptions
after that, fortunately.
Cambridge
ad Dec. 12, 1975
Dec. 13 Liverpool, England Liverpool Stadium
The
crowd was large and appreciative.
Michael Moore was the opening act.
Liverpool ad Dec. 13, 1975
Dec. 15 Derby, England King's Hall
This
gig was a late addition to the tour and was originally advertised for Dec. 18
while later ads listed the correct date of Dec. 15. Michael Moore was the opening act. A reviewer in the Derby Evening Telegraph
described the hall as “bursting at the seams” while lamenting the lack of fire
and passion in the performance before a passive, fidgety crowd.
Derby
poster and ticket Dec. 15, 1975
Dec. 16 Newcastle, England City Hall
Michael
Moore was the opening act. This concert
was not terribly well attended.
Newcastle ad Dec. 16, 1975
Dec. 17 Sheffield, England City Hall
Michael
Moore was the opening act.
Dec. 19 Portsmouth, England Guildhall
Michael
Moore was the opening act. After the gig, a party was held in a nearby hotel and it’s
known that Phil Shulman, who had not seen much of the band or his brothers
since leaving in early 1973, was in attendance.
Portsmouth Dec. 19, 1975
Dec. 22 Plymouth,
England Guildhall
UNCONFIRMED. Michael Moore was scheduled as the
opening act, but a reliable source has claimed this concert was canceled. An existing flyer advertised this engagement
as a “Christmas Concert”.
flyer
for unconfirmed Plymouth show Dec. 22,
1975
Dec. ? Chatham,
England Central Hall
UNCONFIRMED. There is some evidence that Giant
played a gig in Chatham during this tour, again possibly with Michael Moore.
Go on
to Part Six
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Tour History