Dear All, I am an Italian rock fan and gig collector. Did anyone of you saw in concert durigne the Sixties / Seventies one of these English bands: BAD COMPANY, BLACK SABBATH, BACK STREET CRAWLER (Paul Kossoff), DEEP PURPLE, FREE, GENTLE GIANT, GENESIS, LYNYRD SKYNRD, YES, PEACE (Paul Rodgers), TOBY (Andy Fraser), SHARKS (Andy Fraser), RAINBOW (Rithcie Blackmore) ? Did you remember exactly when (day, month, year) and where (city, country, hall) ? Thanks for your memories !
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I saw Bad Company, Back Street Crawler at Maidstone Art College and vaguely remember Gentle Giant at Cambridge Strawberry Fair. Also, I might have seen Sharks at Maidstone Art College.
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Thanks ! BACK STREET CRAWLER played in Maidstone - Oakwood Park 27 November 1975. A recording of this show exist ! Where/when did you saw BAD COMPANY exactly ? I know GENTLE GIANT played in Cambridge - Dorothy Ballroom 24 June 1971, Cambridge - Guildhall 13 April 1972, Cambridge - Corn Exchange 12 December 1975 and again 30 April 1976. Which one of these gigs gig you attend ? Or perhaps did you attend a differente gig (Cambridge Strawberry Fair seems a different place or seems so). Did you remember more of SHARKS gig you attend ? Did you remember if Andy Fraser (on bass) was in the line up ? Thanks again for your memories !!!
I saw Backstreet Crawler 6th June 1976 at the Croydon Greyhound just after Paul died, with AC/DC supporting. AC/DC with Bon Scott blew Back Street Crawler away. We spoke to BSC before the gig and the thing that sticks in my mind, was the band would play football in the concert halls prior to gigs and Paul would sit in a chair staring blankly into space, when the time came they would help him on stage and he would just come alive and play.
Bad Company at Earls Court 2nd July 1977. The sound desk was placed where our seats should have been !!
Genesis on the Wind and Wuthering tour at the reopening of the Finsbury Park Rainbow 1st January 1977. We had front row seats and I dozed off only to be woken by Steve Hackett’s bottleneck hitting me, hard.
Sadly I didn’t get to see Lynyrd Skynyrd play live, I did see Rossington Collins play at Santa Monica civic auditorium on the 19th July 1980, 3 years after the fatal crash, it had the most memorable ending with Freebird being played and an empty spot lit mic stand centre stage, where Ronnie should have been. An awesome tribute and the audience were in tears.
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Thanks for your reply ! Sorry for my curiosity but as I am also a fan of English football did you remember if some English member of BSC is also a football fan of which English team ? Thanks again !
I had a few beers with the guys from Deep Purple & Rainbow in the late 70’s, I became friends with the landlord of their local pub, does this count?
I probably heard some nice bands in 1965-1966, however from inside my mother’s belly.
Can’t remember any bands doing me! 
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I can’t remember where or when I saw the gigs sorry, the music scene back then was very healthy and I would regularly go to gigs in venues in and around Maidstone. Some of them might have been in some of the larger village halls around the area and I have no firm recollection of when or where I saw bands now.
Strawberry Fair is an old traditional fair that had a free festival element to it and used to have a few bands playing each year.
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I don’t know, but they did enjoy a game of football
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Black Sabbath (I think 3x), Deep Purple (maybe 4x), Gentle Giant (once), Genesis I only remember one occasion) and Yes (maybe 3x).
I can’t remember dates, but I can remember at least some of the occasions. DP the first time is a particularly strong memory as the first gig I went to, however I have had some difficulty identifying the date: it was at The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London, either 1970 though could have been very late 1969.
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Sadly I was just too young to see Free. Serious regret.
However, my first proper gig, Birmingham Odeon 2nd Feb 77, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Pete Haycock from the Climax Blues Band jammed on the encores. Van Zant wore a CBB t-shirt. Funny what you can remember. Very loud and Steve Gaines was brilliant.
They were a great live band imho. Only Pyle left alive I think. All very sad.
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That is interesting as I assume CBB weren’t the support band - the tour guide shows Clover as the support.
If so, was Huey Lewis in the band? A few months later they were working on Elvis Costello’s first album.
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Went to the following in the 70s…
Genesis (Liverpool Empire - Jan 1977)
Yes (Stafford Bingley Hall - Nov 1977)
Lynyrd Skynyrd (Liverpool Empire - Feb 1977)
I missed seeing BSC at the Liverpool Stadium (maybe 75?), one of my big concert misses!
I did see Crawler (obviously without PK) at Erics in Liverpool probably 1978.
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Yes, it was Clover, ( who were quite Country), and yes HL was in the band. I still have the programme. From memory HL was be no means the main guy in the band.
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Nice one - yes HL was only a bod in the band in those days.
Must have been great to see Lynyrd Skynyrd at the time and also Pete Haycock who was a great guitar player.
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Yes, I saw the CBB in about 79/80. They were really great. Lots of the Students I was with thought they were boring because the were not Punk/New Wave.
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Just thinking what was the crowd reaction in Birmingham to the line from Sweet Home Alabama
“In Birmingham, they love the governor (boo! boo! boo!)”?
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Never saw Free 
Bad Company, Dec 74 Rainbow, Earls Court Jul 77, Wembley Mar 79, Wembley Aug 10.
Back Street Crawler Victoria Nov 75.
Lynyrd Skynyrd Knebworth Aug 76, Rainbow Jan 77.
Deep Purple Mar 76 Wembley (crap).
Yes Oct 77 Wembley.
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I also saw Italian band PFM several times in England.
And, having been introduced to Le Orme by the British release of Felona and Sorona, a couple of years later on holiday in Italy I saw another albums by them in a record shop and bought if (though I don’t remember which album it was). When I got home and found I liked it a lot, I wrote to the record company in Italy asking about other releases and if if was possible to buy by mail order (that was long before internet!). You can imagine my amazement a few weeks later when I received three more albums, abd no charge!
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