Procol Harum in California, 1995

Robert Moselle

Greetings from Monterey, California

I was privileged to have had, with Henry Scott-Irvine, some part in the Procol Harum 1995 US tour. Basically, we introduced my friend, Mike Gaiman, manager of the Jefferson Starship and a genuine Procol fan, with Henry's friend, the inimitable Kellogs. They hit it off, and Mike set up a great set of venues for the band, not least of which were the two in California, at the Fillmore on July 16, and the House of Blues in L.A. on July 18th.  Henry, and John Grayson, made the pilgrimage to the Golden State for these shows, and a great time was had by all.

Set-lists for The Fillmore and for House of Blues.

Each of these shows had a unique sense of history to it. The Fillmore show was 27 years after the band had last played there. Gary mentioned that he had seen the poster in the lobby. The crowd was a typical blend (for a SF Procol show) of bikers, barristers and beautiful people.

After the show, we headed to the only place open, the world famous Tommy's Joynt, which features beer from all over the world. I got a chance to meet the band, and they did not disappoint. A finer group of gentlemen does not exist, and I was astounded at their warm and friendly manner.

After some SF and Monterey adventures, Henry, John and I drove down to L.A., arriving at 9:00 pm and promptly being escorted by Mike Gaiman to the best seats in the house, in the small balcony, with a great view of the stage and perfect sound (although John opted for a spot on the floor, right at the stage).

From the beginning we could sense "something magic", and when the song selection stumped even Henry (Worry Life Blues and Alpha), we knew we were right. The addition of Fool's Gold and Kaleidoscope was icing on the cake.

This was an L.A. crowd, as compared to S.F., and had a healthy dose of "suits", musicians (I bumped into Albert Lee in the men's room) and blondes. Many a new fan was made, and many a long-time fan was satisfied.

Backstage, the band was feeling good. When I pointed out to Gary that the Kinks had just finished a three-day stint at the House of Blues, he stated, "we'll just have to come back for a week, then!"

Draw your own conclusions, but I believe that, like General MacArthur, they shall return!

Thanks for all your efforts on producing a great web site that connects all of us.

Regards,

Robert Moselle MCLE@msn.com, www.cce-mcle.com

What is interesting is that at the 17 September 1993 Procol Harum show at the Berkeley Greek Theatre, when they opened for Jethro Tull, there was a little booth where they had postcards by which you could be kept current on Procol Harum news. I sent mine in, along with a letter, and on January 3, 1994, I got a letter back from Henry Scott-Irvine. We began corresponding (and running up huge 'phone bills), and somehow it ended up with the 1995 tour. It's amazing what a postcard can do!