Memory:Steven Courtright
I saw Gentle Giant in the late 70's at Chicago's Uptown theatre with my best friend Bob Drake (of 5UUs fame, etc.) At the time progressive rock fans were on the young side and usually slightly wild. I recall a lot of pot smoking at Yes concerts and Genesis concerts, for that matter. Anyway, upon entering the theatre we were struck dumb at the crowd. It was composed of fans of all ages, many dressed as thought it were a Chicago Symphony concert and everyone was quiet and polite waiting for the concert to start. All through the brilliant evening it was clear that everyone knew all the songs and despite the complexity of the music, followed the constantly intertwined lines with ease. It was a very educated crowd, musically speaking! Probably typical for a Gentle Giant fan still. Definitely an eye opening evening for a young person such as myself, with hopes to play music as fun and challenging as did Gentle Giant.