Memory:Eric Haubner
It is truly amazing how genuine fans of Gentle Giant express their love and devotion to the music like no other fans. GG may not have been the most popular group in terms of record sales and concert attendance, but by percentage, GG fans supercede by fully understanding and appreciating what they have uncovered and have been so fortunate to be a part of. Like most fans of GG music, I am into Crimson, Tull, UK, Yes, etc., and as great as these bands are, they never quite nail it down like Giant did. Tull probably comes the closest because like Giant, the music is very structured and thought out and not spacey and overly fluid like the prog Genesis. GG music is the most complex yet remains grounded.
I have seen GG in concert 5 or 6 times. First time in 1976 and last in 1980. One show that sticks out in my memory was, I believe, a show at New Jersey's Convention Center on Nov. 18, 1977. I was never sure what the reason was, but sometime during the middle of the show the band just stopped playing. Could have been an unforeseen technical problem or completely planned out, but at that time John Weathers came out from behind his kit to the front of the stage and began telling this long, drawn-out story that I could tell was hard to follow for most of the audience. As the crowd hung on to his every word, with some heckles and whistles breaking up the otherwise mute audience, the punch line finally came 10 minutes later with John making a stick-it-up-your-butt motion, implying he was ramming something up his bum, and yelled out "Preparation H!" Does anyone remember that one? The concert was phenomenal as always and I remember being so thrilled that they played Proclamation, which at the time was my favorite GG song. They have all been my favorite at one time or another, including little ditties like Dog's Life, Quite and Cold, Inmates Lullaby, to the long cuts like Advent, Pantagruel's Nativity, Class & Quality.
I still thank the forces above that such music was ever created--I only wish the band could have gone longer with their creative freedom.