Memory:Steven Whitcombe
Apr. 13, 1973 . . . in Chicago, Illinois . . . at the Kinetic Playground GG opened for Procol Harum. I had driven down from central Wisconsin with the girl I was about to marry to see Procol Harum, who had recently released Grand Hotel. I was very anxious to see them, even without Robin Trower. Neither my wife nor I had ever even heard of Gentle Giant. They were simply something we were going to have to sit through . . . and the venue, the Kinetic Playground, was a giant cement floor to sit on. I was impatient when they started to play (they opened with "Prologue"); I thought it sounded pretty weird. The song wasn't even finished before I was a convert. Never saw such virtuosity before, or since. Gary Green played guitar like nobody else I've ever seen live, not even David Gilmour or Robin Trower or Stevie Ray Vaughn. I was knocked out by it, didn't want them to stop playing . . . I really didn't even care whether I ever saw Procol Harum (and, hey, I still love them). I never saw GG again (I guess I didn't need to, maybe?), my wife never cared for them as much as I did, I suppose, so I never pushed for it. I do wish I had seen some later shows, but this one would be hard to top in any way, at any time. Flawless, sharp, tight, absolutely perfect.