Procol Harum

Beyond
the Pale 

PH on stage | PH on record | PH in print | BtP features | What's new | Interact with BtP | For sale | Site search | Home

Procol Harum on tour

Dates from 1970

We have no authoritative master-source for these dates, so we rely on the fans to search their diaries, photo-albums, ticket collections, poster-stashes, even their memories: and send in further dates and references for any year of this growing Procol tour index.

700311

Holstebro Hallen, Holstebro Denmark: supported by Delta Blues Band, 1262 tickets sold. Pictures here. Poster here. Review good but lousy sound (Michael Christensen)

700328

High Wycombe Town Hall, with Mick Softley etc (thanks, Pete Gardner) [ticket]

700403 /  04

Koln Sporthall Progressive Pop Festival  (thanks, Jim) Repulsive poster here
700418 Dagenham Roundhouse.  'It was a pub, and I remember it well, as it was the first time I saw them live' (thanks, Mick Webber)

700502

Bern, Switzerland (poster here, setlist here))
700605 London, The Lyceum (with Hard Meat, Supertramp and Argent)  (thanks, TJ Tjernlund)

700509

The Refectory, Leeds University (with Humble Pie) [pictures] (thanks, Sheila)

700612 / 13

Fillmore East, New York City, with Rhinoceros, Seals and Crofts, Joe’s Lights (but is this a confusion with July 12 and 13? Probably not, it seems)

700620

w/Elizabeth Electric Factory, Philadelphia (thanks, Dave)

700704

Second Atlanta International Pop Festival, Gainsville, Georgia
  
Ten Years After, Jimi Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Mountain, Procol Harum, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Jethro Tull, Chambers Brothers and several others.

'The festival was really near the town of Byron, Georgia, not Gainesville (Gainesville is northeast of Atlanta, while Byron is south of Atlanta and Macon). I was too far away to see the band very well at the festival, but two friends from my high school told me they were very close to the stage ... close enough to surprise Gary when they stood at the end of Whaling Stories to sing the ending with him.' (John Underwood)

700706 ? Bill Slish reports here about a gig at Lambertville Music Circus

It was a treat to run across this website. I have only one memory of the Music Circus, but it was a very enjoyable one. In July or August of 1970 my brother and I attended a Sunday concert performed by Procol Harum, the British art rock group immortalized by their recording A Whiter Shade of Pale in 1967. They were my favorite group at the time and it was my first opportunity to hear them perform live in concert. The stage revolved during the performance, sometimes as a song progressed and other times it was rotated to a set position for the performance of a particular song. The band played A Salty Dog, Whaling Stories, Whisky Train and many other selections from their first four albums (Home, the fourth, was about to be released that fall). The group had already undergone their first major personnel change, with organist Matthew Fisher and bass guitarist David Knights departing, both replaced by multi-instrumentalist and former Paramounts bandmate Chris Copping, joining pianist/vocalist Gary Brooker, guitarist Robin Trower and drummer Barrie (BJ) Wilson. I went on to see the band perform live six more times in the next two and a half years, but never in as intimate a setting.

700712 / 13

Fillmore East, NYC (image here) (but is this a confusion with June 12 and 13? It seems likely that the gig was June)

700726

San Antonio, Texas (with Josephus and Ten Years After): concert memoir (thanks, Mike)
700717

Sometime in Summer 1970 – Ravinia Festival, Chicago (annual summer series of outdoor concerts)

Pam Chwedyk writes, 'This was the first time I ever heard Procol in concert, and the only time I ever heard them with Trower in the lineup. (I say “heard” rather than “saw” because we were sitting on the lawn at a great distance from the stage and couldn’t see zip). Sorry I can’t remember the exact date or any other details—it was a looooooooong time ago.

Reviews etc here, here and  here

Regarding the 1970 / 1971 / 1972 concerts in Chicago, I was at all three – I believe the 1970 Ravinia Concert was 17 July 1970, my first PH Show – very excellent. Black Oak Arkansas show was a mess, less than an hour before the encores, all 50s and 60s blues songs. Brooker was clearly in a bad mood. Mark-Almond show was sweet. (thanks, George Andrews)

700801

Santa Monica Civic, with Blodwyn Pig (thanks, Les)

700802

Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino. Blodwyn Pig opened, followed by Leon Russell, and Procol closed. (thanks, Les) (pre-gig article here)

700803

Fillmore West, SF, CA

700804

Fillmore West, SF, CA

700805

Fillmore West, SF, CA

700807

Strawberry Fields Festival, Mosport Park, Canada (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim)

700814

Fillmore East, NYC: Procol Harum, Country Joe McDonald, Seals and Crofts, Joshua Light Show

700815

Fillmore East, NYC: Procol Harum, Country Joe McDonald, Seals and Crofts, Joshua Light Show

700828

Afton Festival, Isle of Wight

700904

(West) Berlin (setlist), accompanied by Hendrix, Ten Years After, Canned Heat (thanks, Christian)
700905 Procol were billed with Ten Years After and Cold Blood (whoever that was) (thanks, Manfred) (ticket here)

700906

The Fehmarn Festival in West Germany
Fehmarn is situated on an Island just off the German coast. Among others on the bill were The Kinks, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Incredible String Band, Cactus, Fat Mattress. I think The Kinks headlined. (thanks, Dan Kirby)

700923

City Hall, Sheffield (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim)

700924

Albert Hall, Nottingham (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim)

700925

Town Hall, Birmingham (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim)

700927

City Hall, Newcastle (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim)

700928

De Montfort Hall, Leicester (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim)

700930

Music Hall, Aberdeen (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim): preview article here

701001

Caird Hall, Dundee (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim): review here

701002

Playhouse Cinema, Glasgow (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim)

'Saw them in Glasgow 1970. They were the support act for Jethro Tull. They had the audience out of their seats dancing. Then the ‘Tull’ came on. Well they must have regretted having PH as a warm up act because the crowd were over-cooked by then, with no energy or enthusiasm left.' Dale Carrick

701003

Free Trade Hall, Manchester (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim)

701004

Colston Hall, Bristol (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim)

701009

Guildhall, Southampton (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim)

701010

Olympia, Paris (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim)

701013

Royal Albert Hall, London (from a Jethro Tull source ... thanks, Jim)

701015 ??

Dave Tamarkin writes: I saw this on a forum where the person was talking about 1070: sounds like quite a show, and I wish I could hear it. From my searches I found out The Faces played two nights at this venue on 16 and 17 October 1970. That would most likely put this as 15 October 1970 [though would the band have travelled from London to Detroit for a single gig, then back to Denmark? Any suggestions?]

"I saw the band on this tour, the second last time I would see them live, and would like to share a story about this evening. Procol Harum were playing at the Eastown Theater in Detroit this night and I was with my friend and band-mate, Lee. Lee’s attitude to Procol Harum was much like the ultimate Dead fan’s; he would go many miles to see his favorite band and be as close as possible. We were sitting about six feet from the edge of the stage with our feet hanging over the edge of what was once the orchestra pit. As the show was drawing to a close I turned to Lee to say something and as I did I noticed that sitting next to him was a well-dressed rocker and next to him a long-haired albino. Yes, it was Johnny Winter. I mentioned this to Lee who turned, looked and exclaimed that it wasn’t! How many people looked like Johnny Winter and what was the chance of him being next to us? Well, the show ended and after calls for an encore the MC appeared on the stage and said that Procol Harum would be right out with a special guest. The gentleman to our right stood up and with one long stride stepped over the orchestra pit, strapped on a guitar and jammed with Procol Harum; it was indeed Mr Winter and the rocker was Rick Derringer. They were appearing the next night with The Faces and Three Dog Night (remember those great shows for $4 and $5?). That’s it."

701017

Holstebro Hallen, Holstebro Denmark, supported by Belta BB with Lyd & Lys (Light show). 1008 tickets sold; Review OK. Hashish confiscated during show (thanks, Michael)

701029

Fillmore West, SF, CA

701030

Fillmore West, SF, CA

701031

Fillmore West, SF, CA

701101

Fillmore West, SF, CA
701107

We guess this was 1970, when 7 November was indeed a Saturday. Tchouprtoulas is a street in New Orleans where the Warehouse venue opened in January of that year  (thanks, Andrew Lawrence)

701114

Ten Years After - Spectrum, Philadephia w/Leon Russell & Procol Harum (thanks, Dave)

Also attested on this interesting (long!) page (thanks, BfP)
701121? Allentown, PA .. Lehigh? We're inferring from this concert review

701122

Columbus, Ohio (ticket here) (thanks, Richard)

701125

Colden Auditorium, Queen's College, Flushing, NY, USA (thanks, Isaac): setlist here

 

Index of tour dates at BtP

PH on stage | PH on record | PH in print | BtP features | What's new | Interact with BtP | For sale | Site search | Home