GEORGE HARRISON: NOVEMBER 1974 (PART 2)

 George Harrison

George Harrison
Cow Palace, Daly City, California
November 7, 1974

Photos by Dan Cuny

Dan: This was one of the most anticipated concerts for me, as I was a huge fan of The Beatles and George Harrison. I was always jealous of Michael, as he did get to see The Beatles at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, which was their very last concert in 1966. After The Beatles broke up and All Things Must Pass came out, I wanted to see George Harrison. (Actually, I wanted to see all of The Beatles!) My opportunity to see George finally came on November 7, 1974, when he played with Ravi Shankar at the Cow Palace in Daly City.

I went to this concert by myself. At that time, I wasn't hanging out much with David, Gary, or Michael, and none of my other friends were able to go. This was the only time that I went alone (except for my camera and film, which was enough) to a concert. When I got to the Cow Palace, because I was on my own I didn't have any problem getting close to the stage. Having seen The Concert for Bangladesh, I figured that the concert at the Cow Palace would start with Ravi Shankar and his orchestra.

When the show started, it was unlike any other concert, because the crowd was electric with anticipation to see George Harrison. Ravi Shankar and his orchestra did perform near the beginning of the show, but first George Harrison and his band came out and played a few songs. The band included Robben Ford, Billy Preston, Willie Weeks, Tom Scott, Andy Newmark, and others that I didn't recognize. They started with an instrumental, "Hari's on Tour (Express)," which I really liked. Then they did "Something," which brought cheers from the crowd. The next song was the one that I had anticipated the most, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." George changed the lyrics to "While my guitar gently smiles"... what a great twist. George also played with Ravi Shankar at the end of the Indian performance, and it was great to see them together.

After about forty-five minutes of Ravi Shankar, George and his band returned for their main set. I remember that at one point, a girl got on a guy's shoulders, which was a mistake, as it blocked my view. I'm not proud of this, but I distinctly remember pulling her off his shoulder and her jumping down. They were pretty pissed off, but also stoned, so I showed them my camera and moved in front of them. After that I don't remember what happened, but I did enjoy the rest of the show. The other songs that I can clearly remember were "Sue Me, Sue You Blues," "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)," "Dark Horse," and "What Is Life." The show ended with "My Sweet Lord," another one of my all-time favorite songs. It was a concert that I'll always remember.

George Harrison with Indian musicians:

George Harrison with his own band:

Photos and memories of George Harrison's performance at the Oakland Coliseum Arena on November 8, 1974, can be seen here

More about George Harrison at David's Rock Scrapbook

Next: Dave Mason