Fact #161991
When:
Short story:
Gene Pitney plays at The Odeon, Lewisham, England, UK, Europe, supported by Status Quo, Don Partridge, Simon Dupree and Amen Corner.
Full article:
Francis Rossi (Status Quo) : The gigging scene was very different in those days. Even the biggest bands couldn't play arenas. In fact, Wembley Empire pool was the only arena in the country. The best a band could hope was to play somewhere like Hammermsith Odeon in London for 2,000 to 3,000 people.
Even on some of those package tours with five or six acts, you were still doing well if you sold out those kinds of places. Each act would come out and do fifteen minutes. I remember Gene Pitney, being the headliner, used to play relatively long sets, maybe forty minutes, but he padded it out by reading letters from his fans. He kept all these letters for years and read them out from the stage. If there was a letter writer in the audience he'd say hello and give a little wave, and they loved it. They didn't notice they were getting less songs, but, you know, that's show business.
A lot of young, inexperienced artists try to be stars by staying aloof from the audience, and I think we might have been a bit like that. Dickheads. As I've got older, I realise that an audience wants to believe you're their friend. They want to feel connected. I'm the same. I feel like I'm big mates with the guys in The Eagles, but I've never met them.
It wasn't until the late sixties when all the fans were smoking dope and sitting on the floor and didn't want move that bands started playing longer sets.
(Source : Interview with Johnny Black, February 2009)
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Even on some of those package tours with five or six acts, you were still doing well if you sold out those kinds of places. Each act would come out and do fifteen minutes. I remember Gene Pitney, being the headliner, used to play relatively long sets, maybe forty minutes, but he padded it out by reading letters from his fans. He kept all these letters for years and read them out from the stage. If there was a letter writer in the audience he'd say hello and give a little wave, and they loved it. They didn't notice they were getting less songs, but, you know, that's show business.
A lot of young, inexperienced artists try to be stars by staying aloof from the audience, and I think we might have been a bit like that. Dickheads. As I've got older, I realise that an audience wants to believe you're their friend. They want to feel connected. I'm the same. I feel like I'm big mates with the guys in The Eagles, but I've never met them.
It wasn't until the late sixties when all the fans were smoking dope and sitting on the floor and didn't want move that bands started playing longer sets.
(Source : Interview with Johnny Black, February 2009)