Post by TheWallsScreamedPoetry on Jan 23, 2005 11:20:58 GMT
May 2nd 1970 - Pittsburgh Civic Arena.
The Doors are a little
slow getting started tonight, but by the time they
arrive at their "People Get Ready" jam they are in high
gear. That unreleased jam goes over exceptionally well
with the crowd, who are subsequently introduced to two
additional new songs- "Universal Mind" and (the still
unreleased) "Someday Soon." The only other known time that
"Someday Soon" is performed will be one month later in
Seattle, and that version is pitiful in comparison to this
one. After superb versions of both of songs, the
audience is busy shouting for favorites when Manzarek
suddenly bursts into the opening lines of "When the
Music's Over" and the crowd goes wild. Morrison turns
toward Krieger and breaks into a wide smile and Robby
reciprocates in kind. Tonight's version of the song rises to
new heights when Morrison begins inserting rare
snippets of his poetry in between his legendary howls and
groans. When the song is over, the band takes a pause and
Morrison requests a cigarette from the audience. He is
bombarded with single butts and full packs. Morrison
gratefully scoops up a handful, strolls over to Manzarek,
and the two of them take a brief smoke break. During
it, one heckler successfully provokes Morrison into
flipping him off, and then, after a few moments, Jim
returns to his mike and makes some brief comments about
his experiences in Miami. Then the band continues
with another unreleased song- a rendition of "Close to
You" featuring Manzarek on lead vocals, during which
Morrison moves to the side of the stage. As Manzarek cries
out his invitation of "Wanna get close to you,
Pittsburgh," a portion of the audience responds by spilling
out of their seats and advancing toward the stage.
The arena management reacts by bringing up the house
lights, but by now nothing can interfere with the high
spirits that pervade the auditorium. After the song, the
band members joke around, Robby dances a jig, and
Manzarek is beaming with a radiant smile as he breaks into
introductory organ passages to "Light My Fire." During the
instrumental excursion, Morrison spins about the stage,
stopping frequently to lean over and kiss or be kissed by
impassioned women in the audience. At one point, he gathers
up all of the bras that have been hurled at him and
playfully holds them up like some sort of a preposterous
trophy. This performance is recorded for Absolutely Live.
Also performing: The Blues Image. Capacity 17,500
The Doors On The Road
May 8th 1970 - Detroit Cobalt Hall, Michigan
The Cobo Arena show is reportedly one of the most
powerful and outstanding performances of 1970. During the
overtime portion of the show, John Sebastian joins the
Doors on stage with his harmonica and guitar for an
extended blues jam. It is his second time sitting in with
the group, and proves to be even more engaging than
the memorable occasion in New York in January.
The
conclusion of "The End" is a very unusual collage of poetry,
which makes it unique even among the previous
variations on the song. Jim's singing on the piece is
precise, intentional, and emphasized by his clearly
pronounced vocals, which make the unusual progression of
lyrics even more remarkable. He sings concluding verses
of the song at the beginning of the piece, then
drifts into a very calm version of "Come with me, across
the sea," and then unexpectedly moves into the
climactic lyrics "Come on, baby, take a chance with us!"
However, instead of building this into its usual
crescendo, Jim tones it down and gracefully coasts the
verses into "Vast Radiant Beach." There follows a
mixture of poetic imagery, beginning with "Come, they
crooned, the ancient ones; Beneath the moon beside the lake..." and concluding with "Everything is broken up and dances," which abruptly crashes into "Wake Up!"
From there, the band sprints into the rapidly accelerating
instrumental climax of "The End," and Morrison explodes into a
fury of motion, culminating with his collapse on the
stage as innumerable arms stretch out to connect with
him. This spectacle is followed by a brief harmonica
contribution by Morrison and the concluding verses, bringing
this fine but highly unusual version of the song to a
close. Tonight's contract with the arena specifies
that the concert is to conclude no later than
midnight; however, with Morrison's prompting to "Don't let
them push us out!" the Doors continue to play for an
hour overtime. As a consequence, the manager of the
Cobo Arena permanently bars them from ever appearing
there again.
The Doors On The Road
The Doors are a little
slow getting started tonight, but by the time they
arrive at their "People Get Ready" jam they are in high
gear. That unreleased jam goes over exceptionally well
with the crowd, who are subsequently introduced to two
additional new songs- "Universal Mind" and (the still
unreleased) "Someday Soon." The only other known time that
"Someday Soon" is performed will be one month later in
Seattle, and that version is pitiful in comparison to this
one. After superb versions of both of songs, the
audience is busy shouting for favorites when Manzarek
suddenly bursts into the opening lines of "When the
Music's Over" and the crowd goes wild. Morrison turns
toward Krieger and breaks into a wide smile and Robby
reciprocates in kind. Tonight's version of the song rises to
new heights when Morrison begins inserting rare
snippets of his poetry in between his legendary howls and
groans. When the song is over, the band takes a pause and
Morrison requests a cigarette from the audience. He is
bombarded with single butts and full packs. Morrison
gratefully scoops up a handful, strolls over to Manzarek,
and the two of them take a brief smoke break. During
it, one heckler successfully provokes Morrison into
flipping him off, and then, after a few moments, Jim
returns to his mike and makes some brief comments about
his experiences in Miami. Then the band continues
with another unreleased song- a rendition of "Close to
You" featuring Manzarek on lead vocals, during which
Morrison moves to the side of the stage. As Manzarek cries
out his invitation of "Wanna get close to you,
Pittsburgh," a portion of the audience responds by spilling
out of their seats and advancing toward the stage.
The arena management reacts by bringing up the house
lights, but by now nothing can interfere with the high
spirits that pervade the auditorium. After the song, the
band members joke around, Robby dances a jig, and
Manzarek is beaming with a radiant smile as he breaks into
introductory organ passages to "Light My Fire." During the
instrumental excursion, Morrison spins about the stage,
stopping frequently to lean over and kiss or be kissed by
impassioned women in the audience. At one point, he gathers
up all of the bras that have been hurled at him and
playfully holds them up like some sort of a preposterous
trophy. This performance is recorded for Absolutely Live.
Also performing: The Blues Image. Capacity 17,500
The Doors On The Road
May 8th 1970 - Detroit Cobalt Hall, Michigan
The Cobo Arena show is reportedly one of the most
powerful and outstanding performances of 1970. During the
overtime portion of the show, John Sebastian joins the
Doors on stage with his harmonica and guitar for an
extended blues jam. It is his second time sitting in with
the group, and proves to be even more engaging than
the memorable occasion in New York in January.
The
conclusion of "The End" is a very unusual collage of poetry,
which makes it unique even among the previous
variations on the song. Jim's singing on the piece is
precise, intentional, and emphasized by his clearly
pronounced vocals, which make the unusual progression of
lyrics even more remarkable. He sings concluding verses
of the song at the beginning of the piece, then
drifts into a very calm version of "Come with me, across
the sea," and then unexpectedly moves into the
climactic lyrics "Come on, baby, take a chance with us!"
However, instead of building this into its usual
crescendo, Jim tones it down and gracefully coasts the
verses into "Vast Radiant Beach." There follows a
mixture of poetic imagery, beginning with "Come, they
crooned, the ancient ones; Beneath the moon beside the lake..." and concluding with "Everything is broken up and dances," which abruptly crashes into "Wake Up!"
From there, the band sprints into the rapidly accelerating
instrumental climax of "The End," and Morrison explodes into a
fury of motion, culminating with his collapse on the
stage as innumerable arms stretch out to connect with
him. This spectacle is followed by a brief harmonica
contribution by Morrison and the concluding verses, bringing
this fine but highly unusual version of the song to a
close. Tonight's contract with the arena specifies
that the concert is to conclude no later than
midnight; however, with Morrison's prompting to "Don't let
them push us out!" the Doors continue to play for an
hour overtime. As a consequence, the manager of the
Cobo Arena permanently bars them from ever appearing
there again.
The Doors On The Road