Memory:Greg Van Blair
Following are a few recollections of a band I loved more than any of the 1970's and beyond:
As I told Peter Hammill once...He was my most favorite artist, but Gentle Giant was my favorite band. It all started back on March 31, 1977 when I went to see GG at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA.
Sadly, I missed the entire concert minus the first opening song...which I recall was Runaway. This was due to a stupid mistake of a 15 year old who thought he had to get "high" at a rock concert...I took a pill which put me to sleep.
Though this mishap put me on a passion for what I missed...I already had heard their Octopus LP, but was eager for more.
I continued to purchase all their LP's...loving them all. I was especially fond of "In a Glass House", their 1st, Free Hand and Playing the Fool...though I loved them all.
Then it was always exciting when a new GG LP came out; then The Missing Piece was released, then Giant for a Day and of course their last LP Civilian.
I noticed the direction of the band but loved them so much it was all good...heck one Halloween I dressed up a Giant for a Day.
At this point I must admit it wasn't just me, but a few of my close friends who all loved them. So in school we made GG tee shirts and note pads in print shop.
We wore these shirts so often that our high school year book but the GG head as part of the collage on its opening page...they were mystified by the image.
Then to make it more cool, my three friends (literally) all wore their GG tee shirts and at the school picture for the upcoming year book.
They went to the front of the 1000+ students, so there they stood my "Three Friends" (Chris, Darrell and Jerry) for our school picture.
Next we heard GG was going to play at the Roxy in Los Angeles. Boy were we excited...of all the hundreds of concerts we went to nothing matched the anticipation of seeing Gentle Giant. I rode my motorcycle with no clutch down to the Roxy to buy tickets. Darrell pushed and I popped it into gear; we had too this was a priority...over the hill and down the Sunset strip to the Roxy Theater.
So we purchased tickets for all shows minus the last night we bought only the 2nd show...don't ask me why?
These shows were amazing; the excitement, the energy of a small club with the band mainly on a streamed down electric instruments was extremely powerful.
It was absolutely amazing, from parts of Civilian, to classics from Freehand to the group drum bash...to the end of the set when The Advent of Panurge was played it was mind blowing...the Power was unbelievable.
I'd like to shift slightly to more personal aspects of this concert:
First, my habit of being one of the first to get into the Roxy and to save the entire table right in front for all my friends.
So there we all were to see Gentle Giant...later Giant asked us why we would go to all their sets. It just didn't make sense to them...in the end I think they realized it's because we Loved them so much. In one of the shows during the drum bash Gary in front of his two toms dropped a drum stick which rolled to the front of the stage so I picked it up and tossed it back to him who then proceeded to catch it without missing a beat to continue the great drum bash which only GG could do...I've never shared this story because 35 years later as I type this it seems like a dream, it's hard for even me to believe, but such was that night.
Next I'd like to share our back stage experience. Well it all happened because our good friend Bill Riley (bless his soul) made "friends" with the lady selling the GG tee shirts who happened to be their managers wife.
She got the bands ok for us to go back stage after their last show...again I had no idea this was their last tour and this was their last concert date after the 2nd set.
So I and a couple friends went back stage we came prepared so I suppose we knew it was a possibility since we brought our school year book to show the band the photo of the entire high school with my three friends in their GG head shirts at the front. I think we also brought the note pads we made which were very cool...in fact I still have a couple (I loved them too much to use, they have the GG head on them).
So anyways, we got back stage at the Roxy which is extremely small. We were offered a beer and I chose the Heineken (sorry GG even then I couldn't drink a Bud).
I recall Derek left pretty quick, I do recall especially John and Kerry. Kerry was such a gently men and politely declined to celebrate with us...though John was more inclined (enough said on this). Sadly I don't recall if Ray was there...but in hind sight I think it was mainly Gary, Kerry and John. They were so amazed we would go to all the shows, and how much we respected and loved them. The show was over, the tour and their career as Gentle Giant; and there they were putting their equipment way as the humble musicians they truly were...I imagine the same way they started back in 1970!
In hindsight it was all a dream, a most amazing precious dream...what a way to end our High School Years it was 1980 and life was about to change in a major way and to blast us off to our futures was the Band we Loved the most Gentle Giant!