Kingfish 1974-76
Robbie Hoddinott-lead guitar
Matt Kelly-harmonica, guitar
Bob Weir-rhythm guitar, vocals
Dave Torbert-bass, vocals
Chris Herold-drums
This is the third installment on Kingfish's performance history (for the first two, see here and here). The sources from my dates include Deadbase IX (to which I was an initial contributor), the fine Weirworks site, some contemporary newspaper archives and a few other sources. I believe there are still many dates to add to this list. If you know of one from this period, please Comment or contact me, and I will add them to the list.
(note: dates added to the original post are shown as added).
August 9, 1975 Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford University Eric Clapton/Kingfish
I am aware of no Kingfish gigs between June 20 and August 9, and there are almost no Jerry Garcia gigs for that period also. I have to assume Garcia and Weir were focused on finishing off Blues For Allah. Although Kingfish had its own throwback sound, they communicated well as a conventional rock band, and opened a number of big shows around the Bay Area. Stanford University, after some bad experiences with Frost Amphitheatre in the early seventies, still alllowed the occasional rock show. Eric Clapton had only returned to performing the year before, and this was a very big deal of a show.
I attended this show, and Kingfish absolutely knocked me out. I had seen the Dead a few times, and I understood they weren't the Dead, but Kingfish managed to get a lot of motion out of a very few notes. Weir and Torbert's experience in larger venues really showed. Torbert was a terrific presence, too, for those who weren't lucky enough to see him, and his Cowboy Surfer cool made a nice contrast to Weir's dynamic presence (I'm pretty sure the girls really liked him too).
Clapton and his band were great, and Carlos Santana showed up to jam on the encore, but that's for another blog.
August 14, 1975 Fox Theater, Venice, CA Kingfish
The Fox in Venice was a converted movie theater. Commenter RD reports there were two shows this night.
There are probably a number of gigs I am missing from this period.
August 15, 1975 La Paloma Theater, Encinitas, CA Kingfish
A commenter recalls this show quite clearly (added). There was also a show at the Orange Theater in Orange around this time.
August 24, 1975 Trenton Speedway, New Jersey State Fairgrounds, Hamilton Township, NJ Aerosmith/Kingfish/Poco/Slade/Nils Lofgren/Mahogany Rush/Hootchie Kootch
14,000 people attended this outdoor event at a race track in New Jersey, for Kingfish's first journey away from the West Coast. I have written about it extensively elsewhere. [added]
Commenter David uncovered this remarkable booking. Even more remarkably, he found some professional quality photos of both bands at the show.
Fleetwood Mac, newly-reconstituted with Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, had just released their Fleetwood Mac album. The band had been very well-received at an Oakland Coliseum Day On The Green on August 3. They were now playing shows around California. Mick Fleetwood had jammed with the Dead a few times in 1970 (the other band members who had played with them were no longer with the group).
The Olympic Gold Ice Arena had opened in Modesto in 1972, and was used for occasional concerts. It burned down in 1976. The site is currently a parking lot for Modesto Junior College. [added]
Alpine Meadows was a ski lodge in the Lake Tahoe area. In the summer it was used for the occasional concert. Boz Scaggs was a big star in the Bay Area at the time, and played with an orchestra (local string players playing charts). Kingfish opened the show. Some photos have recently surfaced. Looks like a nice day outdoors...[added]
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| August 31, 1975, at the Alpine Meadows ski lodge. Kingfish opens for Boz Scaggs, on another beautiful day in Lake Tahoe, CA (photographer unknown) |
September 13, 1975 Stanford Music Hall, Palo Alto Kingfish/Link Wray/Barry Melton
Kingfish returned to the Stanford Music Hall, where they had played the previous New Year's Eve. This was the second time I saw them, and they played a lengthy, dynamic show. It is easy to listen to old Kingfish tapes and shrug that their playing seems rather simplistic, but it had a very powerful effect in concert.
Barry Melton was added to the bill at the last minute, and opened the show with a solo performance.
September 26, 1975 Acker Gym, Cal State Chico U., Chico, CA: Kingfish/Keith and Donna
Commenter David found this Friday night show in the Chico State student paper.
October 4, 1975 Winterland Kingfish/Sons of Champlin/Keith and Donna
Kingfish was a terrific live band, but many California Deadheads had seen them a number of times by now. One friend of mine who attended the concert said that while Keith and Donna and The Sons were great, he felt that Kingfish wasn't playing anything new. In that respect Kingfish was acting like a normal rock band, but Deadheads were used to constant variation, even at the cost of sloppinesss.
October 17, 1975 Concord Pavilion Jerry Garcia Band/Kingfish/Keith and Donna
I attended this show, and once again Kingfish played great, although even I noticed that I was starting to become awfully familiar with Kingfish's material on only my third show. Even though Jerry Garcia was the advertised headliner (the ad above is from the October 5, 1975 Oakland Tribune), Kingfish closed the show. In the Bay Area, at least, when Kingfish and the Garcia Band shared the bill, Kingfish usually closed.
Although the show was well attended, it was nowhere near sold out. Garcia and Weir were so omnipresent in the Bay Area that there wasn't an air of specialness to their performances. For Bay Area fans, that lead to a relaxed atmosphere at local shows.
October 21, 1975 River City, Fairfax, CA Kingfish
River City was a tiny watering hole, reputedly favored by one Philip Lesh.
November 6, 1975 Elting Gym, SUNY, New Paltz, NY Kingfish/Keith and Donna
Kingfish and Keith and Donna toured the East Coast in November. In the Bay Area, with Jerry Garcia a regular in nightclubs since 1970, Deadheads were very casual about the opportunity to see Grateful Dead spinoffs. In the East, however, the chance to see 4 members of The Dead (Weir, Kreutzmann, Keith and Donna) plus an ex-New Rider (Dave Torbert) in the same night was somewhat of a big deal. The Kingfish/Keith and Donna bill played medium sized theaters that neither band could have played at home. I have to presume that the bands also only used one crew and one sound system, another efficiency.
November 7, 1975 Beacon Theater, New York, NY Kingfish/Keith and Donna
November 9, 1975 Pritchard Gym, SUNY, Stony Brook, NY Kingfish/Keith and Donna
We only have scattered dates from the East Coast tour, mostly based on what tapes have survived. The Beacon show was on a Friday, and the Stony Brook show was on a Sunday. I have to believe the bill played somewhere in the Tri-State Areaon Saturday night. I don't think the tour played every night, but most tours make sure they fill in their weekends.
November 10, 1975 War Memorial Auditorium, Trenton, NJ Kingfish/Keith and Donna
Kingfish returns to Trenton. The small auditorium is only two-thirds full (per a review), but that's pretty good for a Monday night. A Commenter reports that there was an early and a late show. [added]
The tour hit Buffalo on a Wednesday night. Thanks to commenter David for tracking this down. Also, he found excellent photos of the show.
November 14, 1975 Brooklyn College, New York, NY Kingfish/Keith and Donna
Again, this show was a Friday night, and I'm sure the bands played somewhere Saturday night.
November 15, 1975 Passavant Center, Thiel College, Greenville, PA Kingfish/Keith and Donna
A commenter writes
Somewhere between Nov 22-29, 1975, Kingfish & Keith & Donna played a small college (Thiel Coll) in rural western PA. And for our little coterie of Deadheads adrift in northeast Ohio at the time, it WAS A BIG DEAL! We showed up expecting a Dead show type crowd experience but instead were greeted by a practically deserted sleepy college town and equally sparsely populated theatre! We have an amazing story surrounding this adventure, perhaps for another time...It DOES get strangerI have assumed that the date was Friday, November 28, although I don't know that for certain [update: I now believe the date was Tuesday, November 25] A correspondent adds
The show was in a (small) theater, probably in the student center (it definitely was not in a gym). I'm not sure if the Passavant Center on campus was there in 1975 (2,000 seat) but if it was the venue, it would have been (way) less than 1/4 filled for that show.
This hitherto forgotten event serves as a nice reminder that when a band featuring a member of the Grateful Dead came to a smaller city or a more out of the way place, it was still a memorable event for those in attendance. Deadheads lucky enough to live in the Bay Area or New York City could be casual about regular Deadheads and accessible Garcia appearances, but part of the Dead's magic was their relentless journeying to unconquered territory.
Update: Commenters report that the event was on November 15, and have even included a poster (thanks Nick and Mark)
November 18, 1975 My Father's Place, Roslyn, NY Kingfish
Two shows. Keith and Donna probably didn't play this club date.
Kingfish played a free outdoor concert at this Long Island JC, starting at noon or 1:00. The band probably got paid, at least a little bit. Keith and Donna also didn't play this date.
November 20, 1975 Fieldhouse, Sullivan County Community College, South Fallsburg, NY: Kingfish/Keith and Donna
November 21, 1975 Loews Theatre, Syracuse, NY Kingfish/Keith and Donna
November 22, 1975 Masonic Temple, Scranton, PA Kingfish/Keith and Donna
I do know a Scranton native who attended this show, and it was a very big deal for any Grateful Dead related bands to play in Scranton. He had nothing much to compare it to, but he thought it was a terrific show (and he went to Harvard).
November 23, 1975 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA Kingfish/Keith and Donna
November 24, 1975 Palace Theater, Albany, NY Kingfish/Keith and Donna
This was a Monday night show, which suggests that the tour played a lot more than just weekends.
November 25, 1975 Student Union, U Mass-Amherst, Amherst, MA Kingfish/Keith and Donna
There were early and late shows.
This was the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Once again, a Friday show somewhere seems likely.
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| Reader sdwinkler sent in a flyer for the Lisner Auditorium show on December 2, 1975 |
December 2, 1975 Lisner Auditorium, GWU, Washington, DC Kingfish/Keith and Donna (early and late)
December 4, 1975 Roxy Theater, Northampton, MA: Kingfish/Keith and Donna
December 5, 1975 Capitol Theater, Passaic, NJ Kingfish/Keith and Donna
December 6, 1975 My Father's Place, Roslyn, NY Kingfish
I assume we are missing numerous dates from the East Coast tour.
WLIR-fm, based in Uniondale, was the hip rock station for Long Island, remembered for sponsoring many live broadcast. WLIR promoted a free concert on the Nassau CC campus in nearby Garden City the afternoon after My Father's Place, as recalled by Commenters.The show would not have been advertised in advance, since that might have cut into ticket sales at MFP. In the Grateful Dead tradition, Kingfish was amenable to free concerts in a way that many contemporary bands were not.
December 19-20, 1975 Winterland Jerry Garcia Band/Kingfish/Keith and Donna/Clover
A Poco/Kingfish/Keith and Donna bill scheduled for Winterland on December 19 was converted to a Garcia Band/Kingfish/Keith and Donna bill for two nights. I attended the first night. Marin stalwarts Clover opened the show (Clover guitarist John McFee had played pedal steel on "Pride Of Cucamonga"). Keith and Donna played a brief but excellent set, joined by Matt Kelly of Kingfish on harmonica for the set closing "Scarlet Begonias." After a great set by the Jerry Garcia Band, Kingfish closed the show. For the final number, Keith Godchaux and Nicky Hopkins sat at the same piano, while saxophonist Stephen Schuster played along as well.
Kingfish continued to tour throughout 1976, and they also recorded an album at Weir's studio, released on Round/UA in March of 1976. However, once the Dead returned to action, it was clear that Weir's role in Kingfish was part time at best. Weir stayed with Kingfish until August of 1976, when his Grateful Dead schedule took over permanently. Weir would continue to guest periodically with Kingfish over the next few decades.
Until I complete my research on 1976 Kingfish dates, the best source is Weirworks, which I have not yet been able to improve on.
The Kingfish/Keith and Donna tour played the Trenton War Memorial Auditorium, in Trenton, NJ on Monday, November 10. They were very favorably reviewed in the November 12 Bucks County (PA) Courier by Don Wolf. The modest auditorium was only 2/3 full.
ReplyDeleteA review of the 11/9/75 SUNY Stony Brook show is available at http://dspace.sunyconnect.suny.edu/bitstream/1951/28128/1/Statesman%2c%20V.19%2c%20n.%2026.pdf.
ReplyDeleteI saw a wonderful show on 8/15/75 at the beautiful La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas, CA. It was an extremely foggy night and somewhat otherworldly when we left the venue. Don't remember that much of the material but they did play a wicked Mona. I still have Kenny Sanders fine poster for this gig. Place had couches instead of chairs. Also saw them few years later at the Catamaran.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update. Didn't Garcia/Hopkins play the same venue, on December 27-28, 1975? I heard a strange story once, at a show, about Hopkins breaking down and Garcia abruptly announcing from the stage that the show was canceled.
ReplyDeleteOne brief addition from my concert scrapbook:
ReplyDeleteThe 8-14-75 Fox Venice date was 2 shows (7 & 11PM);
On November 10 at the Trenton War Memorial their were 2 shows and each were 2/3 filled.
ReplyDeleteYou asked, "does anyone know when Weir 'debuted' as a slide player with the Dead?" When I reheard Warren Zevon's studio version of Werewolves of London and the slide work on that, I theorized that when the Dead learned that tune is when Bobby had the impetus to play slide guitar live. First GD performance of the song on April 19, 1978, did Bobby play slide prior to that date?
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DeleteWho cares? Booby's "slide playing" is like listening to a gerbil being dragged over a cheese grater.
DeleteHe played slide a few times in late 1969, usually on Easy Wind. The first Easy Wind slide was at the Aqua Theatre, Seattle 1969-08-20, then the Family Dog 1969-08-30 and 1969-09-11 and finally Boston 1969-12-30.
Deleteoops, make that Boston 12-29.
DeleteMight as well give all of Bob's slinky slides from '69 that I've spotted:
DeleteEasy Wind Seattle 1969-08-21 and Family Dog 1969-08-30 (I had Dog 1969-09-11 too but I missed the duplicate, I haven't checked it but I'm not doubting it), Lovelight Fillmore 1969-12-20, Smokestack Fillmore 1969-12-21, on Miami 1969-12-28 I'm not sure if it's Jerry or Bob playing slide on Lovelight (it's not for very long), 1969-12-29 Easy Wind.
I'm pretty sure I've not missed any Easy Winds, the other versions have no slide.
Is the 1969-02-27 Lovelight Jerry's first venture into slide? I've not spotted any earlier. He played it pretty regularly for the rest of the year
I haven't examined Garcia's use of slide in Lovelight at all, can't help there.
DeleteI wonder if Weir's slide-playing in Easy Wind was something they tried in rehearsals, as a way of keeping a Delta blues feel, but didn't survive many live playings. (Kind of like Garcia's slide playing in Hard to Handle - though it took Garcia quite a while to mercifully drop the slide in that song!)
hey ...I have a handbill from the Stanford music hall kingfish show sept 13
ReplyDeleteYes, the date turns out to be September 13, I have changed it after you reminded me. I saw a copy in on online book by the promoter (Andrew Bernstein).
ReplyDeleteYou wouldn't have a scan of it, by any chance? I'd love to post it here (corrarnold at gmail dot com).
I can't remember the date, but Kingfish played the old Orange Theater in Orange, CA. My guess is it was just before or after the August Shows in the LA/SD area.
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ReplyDeleteI was at the Venice concert and am sure it was on 8/12 not 8/14, cause it was the day before the GAMH Blues for Allah show , and I was also at the Trenton show on 11/10
ReplyDeleteBobby's worst slide is better than anyone else's best. , cept Jerrys
ReplyDeleteI saw the Halloween '75 Garcia show with Nickey Hopkins and it was spectacular, then I heard the NYE show and Hopkins was horrible WTF?
ReplyDeleteIt was a bad time for Nicky.
ReplyDeleteI worked a Kingfish show @ Nassau County Community College during the last half of 1975.
ReplyDeleteAs second electrician with the City Lights rig;Candace Brightman doesn't remember the date either. I remember that is definitely happened since it was my
My first road show outside of my crew work @ the Capitol Theater in NJ. The show was held in a student lounge with drop ceilings; I hung lamps on anything we could find!
DeleteThanks for this. Nassau CC is in Garden City, right? It makes sense that Kingfish would play there between Nov 10 and Nov 20, when they were around the area. Nov14 was Brooklyn, and Nov 18 was Roslyn, which is right next door. Saturday Nov 19 seems like a plausible date.
DeleteDo you recall if the Keith and Donna band played?
My memory is that it was a Kingfish only gig.
DeleteThe rundown of those dates show an appearance at my fathers place by Kingfish only as well( they maybe one and the same) could it be a venue switch! That is a distinct possibility
I was there at Nassau. Met Bob outside on the way in. This was the day after My Fathers Place. Free concert advertised on WLIR. I lived 15 minutes away. Just Kingfish. I can't remember if it was a full 2 sets. But they were great. In addition. I visited San Francisco in Feb/March 1975. I caught SNACK at Kezar. Also Kingfish played Winterland. I was there. Terry and his Pirates opened with John Cippolina and Les Dudek. Great night with those blacklights and a full dose!!
DeleteEdit to my post above: The free Nassau show started at either 12 noon or 1 p.m. Cant recall how long it was
DeleteThanks for these details. I updated the post.
DeleteI have a poster from a show Friday September 26 1975 in Acker Gym at Cal State Univ. Chico, featuring Kingfish with Bobby Weir and Dave Torbert, along with Keith and Donna featuring Bill Kruetzman. I am not sure if the show went on, or who turned out. The poster was sent to my by a friend who was attending CSUC at the time.
ReplyDeleteShout out to Uli and Volkmarr, who sent me a ticket scan and some great photos from another unknown Kingfish gig. Aug 31 '75, Alpine Meadows, Lake Tahoe, CA, opening for Boz Scaggs (added above)
ReplyDeleteI can't remember the exact dates. My mind is fuzzy about the 70s, but Kingfish with Bobby, Matt and Dave made a tour around a few Colleges in Oregon. Reed College was one. Can't remember the others. I believe it was 1975.
ReplyDeleteI found a after concert report in the GWU student paper about the Dec 4 '75 show at Lisner. Seems the student board got in trouble after most the tickets got sold to non students. https://archive.org/details/gwu_hatchet_19751204/page/n1/mode/2up
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ReplyDelete11-12-1975 New Century Theater Buffalo NY Kingfish/Keith & Donna
Here is some great fan photos of both bands and the JGB show from a different date
https://www.flickr.com/photos/66933176@N02
Found in the student newspaper. I love the ad art
ReplyDeleteFriday September 26 1975 Acker Gym CSU Chino - Keith & Donna / Kingfish
http://archives.csuchico.edu/digital/collection/p17133coll6/id/26183/rec/1865
And the week after student review (with pictures)
Deletehttp://archives.csuchico.edu/digital/collection/p17133coll6/id/26802/rec/1866
Thanks again. I updated the post, and updated the Keith and Donna performance history post too
DeleteAnd to be complete here is the ad.
Deletehttps://online.flippingbook.com/view/677627/144-145/
Sorry the ad is for the nov 12 Buffalo New Century show. Replied to the wrong comment
DeleteWednesday October 29th 1975 Arlington Theatre Santa Barbara Ca Kingfish/Robert Hunter
ReplyDeleteVia a poster online
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/original-kingfish-robert-hunter-arlington-theater
This is from 1986 (Hunter wasn't touring in 75, not under his own name).
Deletehttps://hooterollin.blogspot.com/2012/06/bob-weir-and-kingfish-1984-1987.html
August 29 Olympic Gold Ice Arena Modesto Ca Fleetwood Mac/Kingfish
ReplyDeleteSome nice professional photos linked
https://algolub.photoshelter.com/image?&_bqG=0&_bqH=eJxtT11LwzAU_TXriyjrw2QM8pDmxnG3Nhn52Jan4Ia6Vhm6FsX9enPL0KIGcnI.chLuc.O2oTiG12n93p6vXzZNvui63cfnxs_y21k.HtNOiBGsYMv6.PRYt4erDKMF7uRoUlTVaAJsYACQATCwQlpk0pls.bsq_1bl_1WBLvSfuRQTEdorZ0JEq0lqg1KlDLUiiTYaWUpuJVzkaqitNo4ZrpZZP1_kCliXuLfSRATmafa6uVmct6fVWzlN0RqN87yMfC6VCHQpi6KImB5O1Qv139Tc_dCKKBeOtQ_3p_0hW_fteY.C8AtFmnNV&GI_ID=
November 20 1975 Sullivan CCC Fieldhouse S. Fallsburg NY Kingfish/Kieth & Donna
ReplyDeleteTracked down someone who went. He sent me pictures of both bands and his ticket stub. I will post a link at some point.
Fantastic. It's great to find all this lost material before it disappears. I updated the post (and the Keith and Donna post, I might add!)
DeleteAugust 2nd 1975 Chumash Auditorium Cal Poly San Luis Obispo CA Kingfish/The Frisco Kids
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ebay.com/itm/KINGFISH-BOB-WEIR-1975-SAN-LUIS-OBISPO-POSTER-VG-STAPLE-HOLES-RARE-TEARS-VTG-HTF/143578588946?hash=item216df36712:g:cMQAAOSwK05ehY~K
I think Kingfish backed out and the Sons of Champlin was the fill in. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3337&context=studentnewspaper
DeleteFrom WSAN facebook group
ReplyDeleteDecember 4, 1975 Roxy Theatre Northampton PA Kingfish/Keith & Donna
Re the 11/28/75 Kingfish-KD Band show at Thiel College, someone sent me this poster: https://gdsets.com/73posters/1975_11_15.jpg
ReplyDeleteThe printed date appears to be 11/1, with a "5" cleverly written in to change the date to 11/15. No telling whether the show actually happened on that date, but it does seem to be open in the historical record.