Memory:Ralph Sucee
In 1973, I was a BIG fan of Wishbone Ash. Being a guitar player, I loved the dual guitar solos that were the central feature of that band. I was also a fan of Roxy Music, Yes, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Genesis, King Crimson, Moody Blues and others in the British prog-rock scene. And I was the only one in my group of friends that had any albums by Gentle Giant.
I was ecstatic when I learned that Gentle Giant would be 'backing' Wishbone Ash at Massey Hall - a truly GREAT venue for acoustics!! I bought six tickets on the floor about 1/2-way back from the stage, and gave a couple of them to friends who had never heard Gentle Giant. It was March 31, 1973.
The opening band was Vinegar Joe - a British blues-rock band that featured a female singer named Elkie Brooks, and a male singer by the name of Robert Palmer. In true 'Hogtown' (Toronto) fashion, the crowd called for the attractive Ms. Brooks to 'take your clothes off' - not the least bit interested in the music of Vinegar Joe. The band disbanded later that year.
When Gentle Giant came on stage, they were a marked departure from the rock-blues that preceeded them ... and for a while the crowd didn't seem to know what to think. That quickly gave way to a sense of awe at the spectacle before them ... and to amazement and astonishment by the end of the show. With the band members spinning from one musical instrument to another and another - Gentle Giant swept the audience up to the rafters, spun them around for an hour or so, then set them (gently) back into their chairs.
Wishbone Ash didn't stand a chance. Sound problems caused them to abruptly stop one song in mid-stream (to boos from the now-lifeless crowd) ... but there was NO WAY they could come near to matching the excitement and intricacies in the music of Gentle Giant. Some 'back-up band'!!!!!!!
My brother and I have remained BIG fans ever since - though the irony of Gentle Giant is probably best summed up in the song "Betcha Thought (We Couldn't Do It)"?? They could do anything they wanted - better than anyone out there. They just never 'sold out' like most of their contemporaries.