Ross found this hitherto unknown poster featuring the Loading Zone headlining at the Concord Coliseum on October 11 and 12, 1968, supported by the Gettysburg Express and Bronz Inc. The clarity of the scan gave me a good look at the address of the venue, at 1825 Salvio Street. Due to the miracle of googling, I discovered some recent blog posts about the Concord Coliseum at Claycord.com (devoted to the area of Clayton, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill and Concord). Former and current Concord residents recall the venue and the building, as well as numerous concerts and events. Fans of old venues are well-advised to click over there, and in particular read the comments. They give a nice flavor of how exciting rock and roll was back then when it came to your town.
The Claycord site has done such a good job of evoking the building and the era that I thought I would make a brief chronology of known shows at the Concord Coliseum. The history of the building is better described on that site, but the building was a former Purity Supermarket that was taken over by Bill Vavrick and Bill Quarry. Quarry was a successful East Bay promoter, with his production company Teens N Twenties (TNT). TNT mostly focused on the Oakland-San Leandro-Hayward corridor, along East 14th Street, and his most well known venue was the Rollarena in San Leandro, where he promoted rock shows on Friday nights from New Years Eve 1965-66 through mid-1967. However, Quarry promoted shows throughout the East Bay and the Bay Area.
The Concord-Walnut Creek area is now a thriving suburb of San Francisco, with heavy commute traffic going in all directions on a huge freeway network. In the late 1960s, however, Concord and Walnut Creek were sleepy little communities, with plenty of open space and few commuters to San Francisco, and even fewer elsewhere, as much of the County was agricultural. While teenagers were certainly aware of the Fillmore and Avalon, that was perceived as being quite a bit farther away than it is today, and there wasn't as much to do on weekend evenings. The Bill Quarry model was to put on dances every Friday and Saturday night, for both teenagers and young adults (hence "Teens N Twenties"). Since no alcohol was served (I'm sure plenty was consumed) city authorities and parents were comfortable with allowing the events. According to commenters, there wasn't even really a stage at the venue, and fans could look the performers in the eye if they so chose.
While the Claycord site suggests that the Concord Coliseum put on shows almost every Friday and Saturday night, only a few shows are known based on surviving posters and newspaper clippings. Most of the bands who played were local East Bay rock bands, with periodic visits from out of town stars. What follows is a list of known shows--consider this a work in progress. Anyone with specific information about dates and performers please contact me or mention it in the comments. I have added a few notes about some of the bands (update: for the Concord Armory during the same era, see my post here)
August 5, 1967 Roger Collins/Harbinger Complex/Virtues
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer, from the collection of Juanita Chan Williams]
This was the opening weekend of the venue. San Jose's Chocolate Watch Band were both popular and a fantastic live group. Harbinger Complex were a popular TNT attraction from Fremont. The Virtues were a Contra Costa band who included guitarist Gregg Douglas (later of Hot Tuna and the Steve Miller Band). The Virtues later changed their name to Country Weather and played the Fillmore West many times.
August 11, 1967 The Mojo Men
The Mojo Men had had a hit with Buffalo Springfield's "Sit Down I Think I Love You," with vocals by drummer Jan Errico.
September 2, 1967 Immediate Family/Rear Exit
September 3, 1967 The Virtues/Immediate Family
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
Labor Day weekend in 1967 featured local bands. Rear Exit was a San Leandro band, and Indian Head Band was from Castro Valley, then quite a rural area. Indian Head Band played mostly improvised "raga-rock," featuring guitarist Hal Wagenet, who would later join Its A Beautiful Day. The Immediate Family were from Clayton, and guitarist Tim Barnes would later help found Stoneground.
September 9, 1967 Little Richard/Dearly Beloved
The Epics were a Walnut Creek band featuring Bobby Winkelmann, later in Frumious Bandersnatch.
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
Roger Collins was an East Bay R&B singer who had had a local hit called 'She's Lookin' Good."
October 7, 1967 Justice League/The Trend
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
The Justice League were a Bay Area band led by guitarist Ron Cornelius, who played with Bob Dylan and others and was a successful Nashville producer. Early Mornin' Rain and The Trend are unknown to me.
October 14, 1967 The Grass Roots/Bristol Box Kite
This was the second, more famous Grass Roots. They had played The Fillmore the previous weekend.
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
October 20, 1967 Martha's Laundry/Mary's Blacksheep
October 21, 1967 Strawberry Alarm Clock/King Biscuit Entertainers
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
The poster for the Grass Roots show says "October 20-Buffalo Springfield." The band had played for Quarry before, and they did play Santa Rosa on the next night (Saturday October 21 at Sonoma County Fairgrounds),
Santa Barbara's Strawberry Alarm Clock were climbing the charts with their hit "Incense And Peppermints."
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
Van Morrison, on his first solo tour, played a Wednesday night at Concord Coliseum. Van had played for Bill Quarry at The Rollarena in May of the previous year on Them's legendary American tour. It was at the Rollarena in May 1966, in the alley behind the rink, where Van met Janet (Planet) Riggsbee, his future wife and the world's Brown-Eyed Girl. By October 1967, Van had just finished a weekend at the Avalon (October 20-22), and was touring with just two other band members (a bassist and reed player). The clipping above is from the October 21, 1967 Oakland Tribune "Teen Age" section.
October 27, 1967 Purple Haze/Family Circle
October 28 , 1967 The Magnificent Seven "Giant Halloween Masquerade"
The Concord Coliseum tried to be open every weekend, whether or not headliners were available. Van Morrison's unique status meant he could play on a Wednesday, but its seems that the doors needed to be open for the local teenagers anyway. Note that on Friday, girls got in free (no word on whether women got in for free as well). On Saturday, there was a costume contest, with a $25 prize.
November 4, 1967 Moby Grape/Staton Bros
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
The Moby Grape shows were highlighted in a November 4, 1967 Oakland Tribune interview with the Grape. A local band, The Blues Union, opened the show on Friday, with the Staton Brothers on Saturday.
November 17, 1967 Stained Glass/Family Circle
November 18, 1967 Maggie's Farm/Family Circle
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
This weekend featured local bands. The key player in Stained Glass was the multi-talented Jim McPherson, a long-time pal of Mickey Hart. Stained Glass released an album, and much later McPherson wrote a lot of songs for Hart's band High Noon. McPherson passed away far too soon in 1985, but he left a great legacy of music.
November 22, 1967 Benefit for United Cerebral Palsy of Contra Costa County
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
The night before Thanksgiving was like a weekend evening for teenagers.
Reader Kent contributed this long-forgotten Quicksilver flyer (note that it says "Dec 1 [the next weekend] GIRLS FREE")
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
December 22, 1967 Youngbloods/Staton Brothers
In September of 1967, the Youngbloods had moved from Greenwich Village to the greener and warmer pastures of the San Francisco Bay Area.
December 23, 1967 The Wildflower Christmas Dance
The Wildflower were an Oakland based group who were popular at the Fillmore and Avalon.
December 29-30, 1967 Sons Of Champlin
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
December 31, 1967 Sopwith Camel/Savonics
The Concord Coliseum wasn't usually open Sundays, but of course it was New Years Eve. The Sopwith Camel had been the first San Francisco "ballroom" band to make it big, with the hit single "Hello Hello." They had returned to San Francisco, but although they got on the launching pad, they never managed to quite take off.
1968 (uncertain) Sonny And Cher
Sonny and Cher played a Cerebral Palsy benefit at the Concord Coliseum, but the exact date is unclear. Possibly it was the November 22, 1967 event (see the poster above).
January 5-6, 1968 Bo Diddley/The Anaudience
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
January 12, 1968 Box Tops/The Undecided
January 13, 1968 The Undecided/Overbrook Express
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
January 26, 1968 The Maze/Overbrook Express
January 27, 1968 Country Weather/Inspirations
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
Country Weather was a local band, in the same county (Contra Costa) as Concord. Mostly from Lafayette, the band had mostly been known as The Virtues. The group had helped put on a legendary 1967 event in Lafayette, pretty much the only rock festival in the county. Thus calling them "formerly The Virtues" had some pull amongst the teenagers. Guitarist Greg Douglass played with Hot Tuna and Steve Miller, and co-wrote the hit "Jungle Love."
February 2, 1968 The Magnificent Seven with Rufus Miller/The Dynamics
February 3, 1968 Country Weather/The Dynamics
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
February 9, 1968 The Grass Roots/Benevolent Society
February 10, 1968 Family Circle/Blue Union
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
February 16, 1968 Country Joe and The Fish/Oklahoma River Bottom Band
February 17, 1968 Mint Tattoo/Fabulous Malibus
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
Mint Tattoo featured Sacramento's Bruce Stephens and Berkeley's Ralph Burns Kellogg (ex-Melvin Q Watchpocket), along with drummer Gregg Thomas. The "heavy psych" band put out a 1969 album on Dot Records. The Fabulous Malibus would evolve, after a number of personnel and style changes, into the great Latin-Rock band Malo, who had a worldwide smash with "Suavecito,"
February 21, 1968 The Fox/Tears Of Blue Washington's Birthday Dance
February 23-24, 1968 Marvin and The Uptights/Tina and The Dolls/The Quintescence/The Casanovas/The Appollos
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
In the 60s, George Washington's Birthday (February 22) was always a schoool holiday, regardless of the day of the week, so the Wednesday night show was like a weekend night. Lincoln's Birthday was February 12, and a holiday, and they were later combined to become the third-Monday "President's Day."
March 9, 1968 Bobby Vee/The Outrage
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
I assume that some local acts played on Friday, March 8.
Spring 1968 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
An eyewitness recalls seeing the Dirt Band in the Spring of '68.
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending a scan of this flyer]
Archie Bell and The Drells (from Houston, TX) had a huge crossover hit with "Tighten Up." Frumious Bandersnatch was Lafayette's leading (and first) psychedelic band. Many of the members went on to play with the Steve Miller Band.
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| The Teen Age column in the May 29, 1968 Oakland Tribune listed The Yardbirds as playing at the Concord Coliseum |
The Yardbirds, near the end of their existence, featured Jimmy Page on lead guitar, and had begun to perform a few numbers (like "Dazed and Confused") that would turn up in Led Zeppelin a few months later. The Flamin Groovies were a San Francisco band who bucked convention by continuing to play in a British Invasion style, while Linn County were a blues band who had recently located from Cedar Rapids, IA.
May 31-June 1, 1968 Country Weather/Frumious Bandersnatch
Both of these groups were Contra Costa bands who were trying to break in to the Bay Area scene, and regularly gigged around the circuit. Although at the time they would have just been local heroes, whom many in the crowd probably knew, in later years Greg Douglass of Country Weather co-wrote "Jungle Love," a huge hit for Steve Miller. Not only did Douglass tour with the Steve Miller Band (as well as Hot Tuna), but four of the five members of Frumious Bandersnatch ended up touring with Miller as well. On top of that Frumous bassist Ross Valory and road manager Walter "Herbie" Herbert achieved fame and fortune with Journey.
June 7-8, 1968 The Box Tops/Cold Blood
The Box Tops returned to Concord. Cold Blood was part of a new breed of rocking East Bay funk bands, just getting their feet on the ground.
July 5, 1968 Big Brother and The Holding Company
Janis and Big Brother liked to play smaller places around California, and they played a gig at Concord. Cheap Thrills would have just been released, and the band would have been at the height of their powers.
July 19-20, 1968 Iron Butterfly
This booking was alluded to in Billboard Magazine (July 13 '68).
August 8, 1968 Eric Burdon And The Animals
Eric Burdon had played a number of shows for Bill Quarry in the past. This was a Thursday night show, the night before a three-night stand at the Fillmore West. Although its easy to be smug about Burdon's vocal excesses now, the "New Animals" with guitarists John Weider and Andy Somers (better known now as The Police's Andy Summers) and organist Zoot Money, were a powerful live band.
October 11-12, 1968 Loading Zone/Gettysburg Express/Bronz Inc
The Loading Zone was one of (if not the) first East Bay bands to successfully cross psychedelic rock with soul, kicking the door open for Cold Blood, Sly and The Family Stone, and numerous others. The Zone played both the psychedelic ballrooms and East Bay soul clubs. The other two acts are unknown to me, although it might be possible that Bronze Inc was Cotati's Bronze Hog.
Obviously there are numerous shows missing from this chronology, but I do not know of any after October 12, 1968. By 1969, owner Bill Vavrick had converted the building to a furniture auction warehouse, and the site is now a Petco.
Unsupported dates
The Claycord site had a link to a Teen Magazine calendar that suggested that The Who played Concord on August 23, 1968. Magazines were published months in advance in those days, and while that Concord may have been on an early itinerary, The Who did not play Concord on that day, as they were in Oklahoma City. In any case, the site misdates events of 1967 as 1968 (The Who toured with Hermans Hermits in 1967), but on August 23, 1967 The Who were in Flint, MI.
This list represents the extent of my knowledge. Check out the Claycord posts for more personal memories. I will update the list in the Comments, and do a new post if I get enough information.
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| The unassuming Concord National Guard Armory at 2925 Willow Pass Road, as it looks today (photo by and courtesy of Kent Wood) |
[update:] Prior to the opening of Concord Coliseum, some concerts were held in early 1967 at the Concord Armory. The National Guard Armory is still there, at 2925 Willow Pass Road, not far from the Concord Pavilion, which has been Contra Costa County's leading concert venue since 1975. Thanks to Scholar and Commenter Kent, a few flyers have been rescued. Golden Star Promotions mostly worked in Sonoma County, putting on concerts in Santa Rosa and the surrounding area.
There is a poster circulating that has Sopwith Camel headlining a dance in Marin on this date, at the Santa Venetia (San Rafael) Armory, but the Camel were replaced by the Grateful Dead. Thus I assume that the Camel actually played Concord Armory.
February 17, 1967 Concord Armory, Concord, CA: Battle Of The Bands
The poster for this long-forgotten event was by banjo legend Rick Shubb.
February 21, 1967 Concord Armory, Concord, CA: Baytovens/Hypnotist Collectors
The Tuesday night show was the night before Washington's Birthday, so it was like a weekend for teenagers.
March 20, 1967 Concord Armory, Concord, CA: The New Breed/The Wheel
The flyer tells us that The Wheel were formerly known as Jack And The Rippers.
*
June 24, 1967 Concord Armory, Concord, CA: The Immediate Family/The Virtues
The Concord Coliseum would start up in the Fall.
[update: thanks to Commenter and scholar Kent for sending scans of these flyers]
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