In January KDWB published an apology about some unspecified remark that DJ Bob Shannon had said on the air.  It turned out to be a publicity stunt to let everyone know about new guy Shannon, who had actually been at the station eight years before as “Kelly.”  Shannon was no Howard Stern but he did generate some angry calls and letters, according to Irv Letofsky in the Trib.

 

Melissa Manchester, Danny O’Keefe, and Muske and Raths were booked into the Marigold Ballroom by Owen Productions on January 18, 1974.

 

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Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne, February 3, 1974, Guthrie Theater

Canned Heat, February 9, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center (Theatre)

BB King and Bobby Lyle, February 15, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center (Theatre)

Gordon Lightfoot’s two shows on February 17, 1974, filled up so fast at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium that a third show was added the next night, February 18, at 7:30 pm.

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DEEP PURPLE

Deep Purple and Savoy Brown, February 22,1974, Met Center.  This concert was cancelled due to the illness of Deep Purple organist John Lord.

 

 

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YES

Yes,  March 5, 1974, Met Center, with John Martyn.

Here is video shot by David Allan Wright!

Yes Lineup:  (Info from Forgotten Yesterdays fan site, apparently defunct)

• Jon Anderson – Vocals
• Steve Howe – Guitar
• Christ Squire – Bass
• Rick Wakeman – Keyboards
• Alan White – Drums

Setlist:

• Firebird Suite
• Siberian Khatru     (Close To The Edge)
• And You And I     (Close To The Edge)
• Close To The Edge     (Close To The Edge)
• Revealing Science Of God, The     (Tales From Topographic Oceans)
• The Ancient  (Tales From Topographic Oceans)
• Ritual     (Tales From Topographic Oceans)
• Roundabout     (Fragile)
• Starship Trooper     (The Yes Album)

 

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Seals and Crofts, March 20, 1974, Met Center

 

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Tower of Power, March 23, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center (Theatre)

 

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The Pointer Sisters performed at the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis on April 1, 1974.

Todd Rundgren, April 5, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center (Theatre)

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Paul Williams, April 6, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center (Theatre).  Opened by Home Cookin’

 

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Facebook Facts:  “The Theatre sat 3000 people. I was in the 8th row and Billy Gibbons had 8 Marshall stacks . I gave up about 10 dB in my top end hearing for that show.”  “I remember a streaker dancing across the stage!”  The Strib does not show any ads for this.

The Electric Light Orchestra appeared at the Orpheum Theater on April 17, 1974.

Foghart and Montrose, April 17, 1974 – Marigold Ballroom

Tom Jones performed at the Chimera Theater from April 19 to May 5, 1974, if I’m reading the Insider’s calendar right.

Bachman Turner Overdrive, May 11,1974, Met Center

Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra appeared at the Orpheum Theater on May 13, 1974.  The group’s previous performances had been at the much smaller Guthrie Theater, indicating a jump in their appeal.

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MARSHALL TUCKER BAND

The Marshall Tucker Band, with Pat Ireland, performed at the St. Paul Civic Center Theater on April 29, 1974.

 

Jon Bream, in his “R n’ R Hootchie Koo” column in the TC Express magazine (July 1, 1974), gave the group high marks boosting its standing as one of the best new groups to emerge last year.

Leader Toy Caldwell showed us more moves in less than one hour than any guitarist since Duane Allman – and he picks with bare thumb and fingers.  Brother Tommy Caldwell, bassist for the South Carolina group, earned his keep …

 

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Eddie Kendricks, opened by Graham Central Station, at O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, St. Catherine’s University, in St. Paul on May 16, 1974.

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None other than Marlene Dietrich was booked to give two shows at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium on May 26, 1974.  Due to inadequate ticket sales, the second show was cancelled.

Ten Years After with Dave Mason, May 31, 1974, Met Center, 8:00

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee appeared at the Whole Coffeehouse at the U of M on June 7 and 8, 1974.  One of these was my first concert!

Pianists Ferrante and Teicher were guest performers for the Minnesota Orchestra’s June 8, 1974, Summer Pops concert at the Minneapolis Auditorium – Henry Charles Smith conducting.

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ZZ Top with Maggie Bell, June 19, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center Auditorium.

 

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SCHOOL’S OUT DANCE

There was a Dance and Concert billed at the St. Paul Civic Center Auditorium on June 22, 1974.  It was alternately billed as a “Summer Solstice Spectacular,” “School’s Out Wipeout,” “’70s Stomp” and “the Largest Dance Party in Minnesota History.”  The ad promised balloons, noise makers, beer, dance contest, and giveaways.  Randy Levy of Schon Productions said that the emphasis was on dancing, and there would be no chairs.  Also planned were “revolving spotlights splashing multi-colored lights around the dance floor” like an old time ballroom.  10,000 to 12,000 people were expected.  The bands were:

• Slade “England’s No. 1 Rock And Roll Show”
• James Gang (from Cleveland)
• Brownsville Station (from Ann Arbor)
• The Charlie Daniels Band
• Maggie Bell “England’s #1 Female Vocalist

 

 

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Allman Brothers Band Summer Campaign ’74, July 8, St. Paul Civic Center Arena.  With Grinderswitch.

 

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Maggie Bell was in St. Paul on June 19, 1974.  Jon Bream reported that Atlantic Records hosted a party for her but she was late, having come from New York that day.  Her set that night was a mere 30 minutes – “all-too-brief,” but it “confirmed Maggie’s staggering vocal power even though her supporting band lacked polish and discipline.”  Maggie Bell was formerly the lead singer of a defunct band called Stone the Crows.

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Cat Stevens, July 6, 1974, Met Center – just him, a piano, and a guitar.

Crusaders and Minnie Ripperton, July 11, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center Theater

David Bromberg and Wendy Waldman, July 14, 1974 – Marigold Ballroom

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The Santana, Poco, Aerosmith, and Mountain show scheduled for July 19, 1974, at the St. Paul Civic Center was cancelled because Santana’s drummer, Michael Shrieve, was hospitalized with kidney stones and the tour was delayed.   The show was rescheduled for August 17 with Leon Russell.

 

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Cleo Laine appeared with the Minnesota Orchestra at the Minneapolis Auditorium on July 20, 1974.

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The Eagles opened for Joe Walsh and Barnstorm on July 20, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center Arena.  JoJo Gunne may have also been on the bill.  Jim Froehlich says:

The Eagles at this stage were Henley and Frey, plus Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon and recent addition Don Felder. Walsh replaced Leadon in ’75, Timothy Schmitt replaced Meisner in ’77 and Felder made it through to the band’s first break-up in 1980.

 

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Ry Cooder and Ben Sidran, July 21, 1974 – Marigold Ballroom.  Bob Dylan, unsuccessfully incognito, was spotted.

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A reportedly off-key Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young performed at the St. Paul Civic Center on July 22, 1974.  Also Jessie Colin Young.

 

 

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Joni Mitchell made her first appearance in the Twin Cities on July 28, 1974, at the St Paul Civic Center Arena.  The three-hour concert also featured Tom Scott and the L.A. Express.

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URIAH HEEP AND MANFRED MANN

Uriah Heep’s Wonderworld Tour, opened by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, July 28,1974, Met Center.  Members of Uriah Heep were:

 

 

 

 

As it was 1974, the year of the Streaker, some remember a naked runner at this show.

Also, Mark Stang remembers that Manfred Mann got an encore and played their cover of Dylan’s “The Mighty Quinn.”  He said it was very rare for an opening act to get called back out for an encore.

 

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Mac Davis, August 4, 1974, Met Center (2 shows)

The Guess Who, Wet Willie, and War performed at the St. Paul Civic Center on August 8, 1974, the night Nixon resigned.  They played to 22,060 fans, the best-attended single concert at the St. Paul Civic Center.  One attendee remembers that they played his speech over the speakers and cut to the music as soon as he said “I’m resigning.”

The Jackson 5 performed at the St. Paul Civic Center on August 16, 1974.  A review  indicates that they were not yet superstars.  It was a benefit for the Afro-American Music Opportunities Association, which started in Minneapolis in 1969.   Also on the bill was Haze.

Anne Murray appeared at O’Shaughnessy Auditorium on August 17, 1974.

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The Santana, Poco, Aerosmith, and Mountain show scheduled for July 19, 1974, at the St. Paul Civic Center was cancelled because Santana’s drummer, Michael Shrieve, was hospitalized with kidney stones and the tour was delayed.   The show was rescheduled for August 17, 1974, with Leon Russell.

 

 

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Chicago and the Doobie Brothers appeared at Midway Stadium on August 22, 1974.  See the page on Midway Stadium for details.

Dr. John the Night Tripper was scheduled for August 25, 1974, at the Marigold Ballroom but had to cancel.  Owen Production.

The Band, Souther Hillman Furay Band and “Surprise Guest:”  September 1, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center

Albert Collins performed at the Cabooze, September 12-15, 1974.

Ella Fitzgerald, backed by a quartet, performed at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium on September 13, 1974.

Van Morrison appeared at the Minneapolis Auditorium on September 13, 1974.  It was his first appearance in the Twin Cities after several cancellations.

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Three Dog Night appeared with Heartfield and Wolfman Jack at the St. Paul Civic Center on September 13, 1974.  Jeff Lonto says,

Wolfman Jack . . . had Minnesota connections, even owning a home near Lake Minnetonka. (He had homes in New York and California as well.) On the afternoon of this Three Dog Night show at the St. Paul Civic Center in September 1974, he DJ’d live on WDGY for an hour with Jimmy Reed. “Clap For the Wolfman” by the Guess Who was a chart hit at the time as well.

The 12 1/2 minute aircheck of Wolfman’s appearance on WDGY is available from Radiotapes.com!

 

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Chubby Checker appeared at the 1 & 44 Club on September 23 and 24, 1974.

Lynyrd Skynyrd opened for Elvin Bishop at the St. Paul Civic Center Theater on September 26, 1974.

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, with Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, performed at the St. Paul Civic Center on September 29, 1974.

 

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Steppenwolf, September 29, 1974, Met Center

Elvis appeared at the St. Paul Civic Center on October 2 and 3, 1974.  Jon Rukavina remembers driving in from Excelsior and paying $7 for the ticket!  See separate page on Elvis in the Twin Cities.

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BOWIE

David Bowie came to the St. Paul Civic Center with his Diamond Dogs Tour on October 5, 1974.

 

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SETLIST

According to setlist.fm, Bowie played the following songs:

• 1984
• Rebel Rebel
• Moonage Daydream
• Sweet Thing
• Candidate
• Sweet Thing (Reprise)
• Changes
• Suffragette City
• Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)
• All the Young Dudes
• Cracked Actor
• Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me
• Knock on Wood
• It’s Gonna Be Me
• Space Oddity
• Future Legend
• Diamond Dogs
• Big Brother
• Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family
• Time
• The Jean Genie
• Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide
• John, I’m Only Dancing (Again)

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REVIEWS

On January 11, 2016, a day after Bowie’s death from cancer, the StarTribune’s Jay Gabler reviewed the coverage of all of Bowie’s performances here in the Twin Cities.  This is what he wrote about the 1974 show:

On Oct. 7, the Monday after Bowie’s Saturday night show, Tribune reviewer Michael Anthony reported that the show was “less theatrical, I’m sure, than the 6,700 fans expected.” Still, it was “a powerful, high-energy evening: positive proof of Bowie’s far-reaching, innovative talents.”

Anthony called the Diamond Dogs tour “a much more straightforward musical presentation than that of the elaborately staged and choreographed tour he made last summer.” Bowie’s bandleader Mike Garson and his musicians (including, Chris Riemenschneider notes, a still-unknown Luther Vandross) played for a “vigorous half-hour,” and then after an intermission, Bowie came out in “modified Gatsby and a 1950s coif.”

Bowie’s look — the beginning of the Young Americans era, despite the fact that it was still technically a tour to support Diamond Dogs — was much more conservative, Anthony noted, than “some fans in the audience, who, in homage to the King of Glitter Rock, made do with feathers, sequins, capes and all manner of facial makeup.”

Anthony saw the show as a testament to Bowie’s skill as a musician, not merely as a showman. “Bowie, 27, is not yet the Superstar in the U.S. that he is in his native England,” however. “Proclamations from publicity types and a number of rock critics that he will be the major figure in ’70s rock have yet to be borne out.”

Neglecting to mention any specific songs Bowie actually sang, Anthony carried on to opine that “Bowie is the only pop-culture artist of this decade who has really taken the medium in a new direction. His themes of science-fantasy (and his persona of extraterrestrial rock singer, Ziggy Stardust) serve as metaphors for the drug experience, for teen-age alienation and for the pan-sexuality of some members of his audience.”

Meanwhile, in the Minneapolis Star, Bream wrote that “Bowie has been hailed as the next Elvis, next Dylan and the next Beatles, even though the singer-songwriter has become better known for his flamboyant, style-setting, bisexual image than for his wholly original science-fiction rock and roll.”

Bream, too, seemed disappointed the the performer whose show “has been reputed the be the ultimate in stage histrionics” had opted for a relatively conventional approach, “a show that is as slick as Elvis Presley’s.” (The King himself had played the same venue just three days earlier.) Calling the Garson Orchestra’s opening set “a bland set of faceless pop soul,” Bream decided that Bowie’s new songs, “like Bowie’s new stage show, lacked the distinctiveness and creativity of Bowie’s early work.”

One interesting detail from Bream’s review: the show wasn’t sold out. “The sparse crowd of 7,000 (Bowie usually plays to sold out houses) responded faithfully, though not as frenetically as expected.” Anthony must have been looking at a different section of the crowd than Bream was, too: “Their dress,” wrote Bream about the crowd, “like Bowie’s, was surprisingly short on glitter.”

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The two photos below show Bowie in a jacket, either in a different show the same night, or one that he took off during the show.

 

 

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AFTERPARTY

Below is a shot taken at the October 1974 Bowie concert afterparty at Don Powell’s house on Lake Minnetonka.

Johnny Rey:

We were fortunate to be invited, and Bowie and the whole band/entourage showed up, and as I remember, stayed quite late. Thanks to my friend Anita Collodoro, who can be seen in the bottom left hand corner talking to my good friend, and KYX drummer, Dan Grenier.

 

 

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Scott Browning:

It was advertised as the Diamond Dogs Tour that we all read about in all the Rock Magazines at the time and were all dying to see. So it was disappointing to see a stripped- down version of the show without any of the theatrical elements. Bowie passed playing the Twin Cities for more than a decade after this poorly attended show.

Bowie would return to the Twin Cities three more times:

• October 1 and 2, 1987: Glass Spider Tour, St. Paul Civic Center
• October 18, 1997: Earthling tour, Roy Wilkins Auditorium
• January 11, 2004: Reality Tour, Target Center

 

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Glenn Yarborough and the Original Limelighters, October 10, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center Theatre

Billy Joel, Brewer & Shipley: October 13, 1974 – Marigold Ballroom

Minnie Ripperton sang at the West Bank Auditorium on October 16, 1974.

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October 16, 1974, brought Golden Earring and Mahogany Rush to the St. Paul Civic Center

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Fleetwood Mac and Triumvirat appeared at the Minneapolis Auditorium Bowl on October 21, 1974.

Kevin Ring wrote that this was “with Bob Welch before the Lindsey/Buckingham era on their “Heroes are Hard to Find” album tour. The warm up band was Triumvirat, a West Germany progressive rock band which played their “Illusions on a Double Dimple” album in its entirety. Never heard of them at the time but is one of my favorite albums.”

 

 

 

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The Lettermen appeared at Northrop Auditorium on October 24, 1974.

Chick Corea and the Chuck Mangione Quartet, Return to Forever, October 27, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center Theatre

Tom Rush and Roger McGuinn appeared at Orchestra Hall on October 28, 1974.

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Elton John with Kiki Dee on Oct 31, 1974, Halloween night, St. Paul Civic Center.  Tickets were only $7 in advance!

 

Kevin Ring took these great photos of opener Kiki Dee and Elton John:

 

 

 

Facebook:

That show is still brought up occasionally in local newspaper music columns. I was there. They sold the place out, probably 18,000, and then sold an additional 10,000 standing room I believe the week of the show or so. Almost 30,000 in the Civic Center that night. Someone having to do with the show got in trouble for fire code violation I believe and that was the last of doing standing room only tickets. It was a madhouse, everyone having fun.

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Todd Rundgren appeared at the Minneapolis Auditorium Bowl on November 3, 1974.

Heartsfield, Plus Muske and Raths, November 3, 1974 – Marigold Ballroom.  Owen Production.

Weather Report played Orchestra Hall on November 4, 1974.

Arlo Guthrie appeared at Northrop Auditorium on November 7, 1974

Jackson Browne and Wendy Waldman were at Orchestra Hall on November 11, 1974.

 

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November 15, 1974, featured Black Oak Arkansas at the St. Paul Civic Center.

 

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Bluesman Furry Lewis graced the Whole Coffeehouse on November 15-16, 1974.

Shawn Phillips came to the Minneapolis Auditorium on November 16, 1974.

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Greg Allman played the St. Paul Auditorium on November 23,1974

Theodore Bikel, November 23, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center Theatre

The Kingston Trio were at Orchestra Hall on November 24,1974

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America and Poco, November 26, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center

 

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Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention Zappa’s first annual Turkey Troy drew a record 15000 fans to the St Paul Civic Center on November 27, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center  With the Climax Blues Band.

Songs Performed included:

Dog Breath, in the Year of the Plague
Montana
Penguin in Bondage
Stink-Foot

 

 

 

A bootleg LP was made of the entire concert:  Thank you Brad Steuernagel!

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Johnny Mathis, December 1, 1974, St. Paul Civic Center Theatre

Wishbone Ash and Foghat played the St. Paul Auditorium on December 4, 1974.

 

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A show sponsored by Schon Productions and radio station U-100 took place at Northrop Auditorium on December 5, 1974:

• Charlie Daniels Band
• Marshall Tucker Band
• Larry Raspberry and his High Steppers

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DEEP PURPLE

Deep Purple Burn Tour, December 9, 1974, Met Center. Deep Purple featured David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, and Ritchie Blackmore.

 

 

 

The show was opened by Elf, a group formed in 1967 by Ronnie James Dio, that had become a regular opening act for Deep Purple.

 

In 1975, Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore founded the band Rainbow and hired Dio to be his lead singer.

Also on the bill was the Electric Light Orchestra

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The photo below, posted on Facebook by Nicky Jester, indicates that a concert by Yes was scheduled for November 11, 1974, at the St. Paul Civic Center Arena, but was rescheduled for December 17, 1974.  Presented by Howard Stein.