- Dark Side of the Moon Tour
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Dark Side of the Moon Tour World tour by Pink Floyd Associated album The Dark Side of the Moon Start date 17 January 1972 End date 04 November 1973 Pink Floyd tour chronology Meddle tour
(1971)Dark Side of the Moon Tour
(1972-1973)1974 tours
(1974)The Dark Side of the Moon Tour was a concert tour by British rock band Pink Floyd in 1972 and 1973 in support of their album The Dark Side of the Moon. There were two separate legs promoting The Dark Side of the Moon, one in 1972 before the album's release and another in 1973 after its release.
Contents
History
1972 tour
Playing 98 shows in 1972, the most until 1994, Pink Floyd debuted the live performance before its release not of a song but a whole album. The original title was Eclipse, then Dark Side of the Moon - A Piece for Assorted Lunatics, the name under which it made its press debut in February 1972 at London's Rainbow Theatre. The title changed for the first part of the US tour to Eclipse (A Piece for Assorted Lunatics) during April and May before reverting to Dark Side of the Moon - A Piece for Assorted Lunatics in September for the second part of the US tour and finally released in 1973 under the title of The Dark Side of the Moon.
Remarkably, at its first full live performance at Guildhall, Portsmouth, England on 21 January 1972, most of the album was in the form it would be when released 14 months later. The significant differences include:
"On the Run", whose working title was "The Travel Sequence", was a guitar and drum jam and would remain so for the rest of the year's performances.
"Time" was played at a slower speed and the first half of the verses were sung by Gilmour and Wright together. The line "Lying supine in the sunshine" was sung instead of "Tired of lying in the sunshine". The former lyric was also sometimes used in shows after the album's release.
"The Great Gig in the Sky", whose working title was "Religion" or "The Mortality Sequence", consisted at the debut in January of synthesized organ and various tapes of "preachers" either preaching or reading from such passages as from Chapter 5, Verse 13 of Ephesians, a book of the Bible, or reciting The Lord's Prayer. Starting in September, the music of the song as per the album was performed, without vocals. A portion of the song contained the aforementioned "preacher" tape recording of Ephesians, at much lower volume, and it was performed this way for the rest of the year.
"Money" began with a longer introduction on the bass, and the saxophone solo was instead played on the electric piano.
"Us and Them" during 1972 lacked the saxophone solos as found on the album.
At the debut, the song "Eclipse" was nothing more than lyricless extension of "Brain Damage" that devolved into various odd sounds. The version with lyrics and music as found on the album debuted at Bristol on 5 February.
Finally, none of the spoken word pieces as found on the album were done during 1972.
One of the two shows at The Dome, Brighton, England on 28 June and 29 June was filmed by Peter Clifton for inclusion on his film Sounds of the City. Clips of these appear occasionally on television and the performance of "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" is on the various artists video Superstars in Concert.
In November 1972, during the middle of the European leg of their 1972 world tour and again in January 1973, Pink Floyd performed with the Roland Petit Ballet. The set list for which their portion of the ballet was choreographed to was "One of These Days", "Careful with That Axe, Eugene", "Obscured by Clouds", "When You're In" and "Echoes".
1973 tour
1973 saw Pink Floyd go on two relatively short tours of the US, one in March to coincide with the release of Dark Side of the Moon and a later one in June. Sandwiched between them were two nights at London's Earl's Court on 18 May and 19 May where they debuted the special effect of a plane crashing into the stage at the end of the song "On the Run". This was also the first year that the band took additional musicians on tour with them, unlike the earlier performances of "Atom Heart Mother" where the band would often hire local musicians. Dick Parry would join Pink Floyd during Money and Us and them and a backing chorus of three or four women. Clare Torry sung backing vocals during the Robert Wyatt benefit concerts, she wouldn't do this again until 1990 at the Knebworth Festival.
Due to the overwhelming chart success of both Dark Side of the Moon, which reached #1 in the US in late April, #2 in the UK, and the US-released single "Money", the nature of Pink Floyd's audiences changed in June 1973. They used to play at theaters and auditoriums but in this tour they played at Stadiums and large arenas.
On 4 November 1973, Pink Floyd played two shows at London's Rainbow Theatre to benefit musician Robert Wyatt formerly the drummer of Soft Machine, a band they'd played with in their UFO Club days. Wyatt fell from a fourth floor window in June 1973, breaking his back and making him a paraplegic. The concerts raised a reported £10,000 for Wyatt.
1972 Tour dates
1972 UK Tour
- 17/01/72 London (Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park) UK - Rehearsals
- 18/01/72 London (Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park) UK - Rehearsals
- 19/01/72 London (Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park) UK - Rehearsals
- 20/01/72 Brighton (The Dome) UK (= very first "Dark Side Of The Moon" live performance interrupted at 'Money' due to technical problems)
- 21/01/72 Portsmouth (Guildhall) UK (= very first complete live performance of "Dark Side Of The Moon")
- 22/01/72 Bournemouth (Wintergardens) UK
- 23/01/72 Southampton (Guildhall) UK
- 27/01/72 Newcastle-upon-Tyne (City Hall) UK
- 28/01/72 Leeds (City Hall) UK
- 03/02/72 Coventry (Lanchester Polytechnic College Arts Festival - Locarno Ballroom) UK
- 05/02/72 Bristol (Colston Hall) UK
- 06/02/72 Plymouth (ABC Theatre) UK (Cancelled)
- 10/02/72 Leicester (De Montfort Hall) UK
- 11/02/72 Manchester (Free Trade Hall) UK (Rescheduled)
- 12/02/72 Sheffield (City (Oval) Hall) UK
- 13/02/72 Liverpool (Empire Theatre) UK
- 17/02/72 London (Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park) UK
- 18/02/72 London (Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park) UK
- 19/02/72 London (Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park) UK
- 20/02/72 London (Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park) UK
1972 Japan Tour
- 06/03/72 Tokyo (Tokyo-To Taiikukan) Japan
- 07/03/72 Tokyo (Tokyo-To Taiikukan) Japan
- 08/03/72 Osaka (Festival Hall) Japan
- 09/03/72 Osaka (Festival Hall) Japan
- 10/03/72 Kyoto (Dai-Sho-Gun Furitsu Taiikukan) Japan
- 11/03/72 Yokohama (Kemin Hall) Japan (Cancelled)
- 13/03/72 Sapporo (Nakajima Sports Center) Japan
1972 Manchester dates
- 29/03/72: Manchester - Free Trade Hall
- 30/03/72: Manchester - Free Trade Hall
1972 North American Tour - leg #1
- 14/04/72: Fort Homer Hesterly Armory - Tampa, FL
- 15/04/72: Hollywood Sportatorium - Hollywood, FL
- 16/04/72: Township Auditorium - Columbia, SC
- 18/04/72: Atlanta Symphony Hall - Atlanta, GA
- 20/04/72: Syria Mosque - Pittsburgh, PA
- 21/04/72: Lyric Opera House - Baltimore, MD
- 22/04/72: Akron Civic Theater - Akron, OH
- 23/04/72: Music Hall - Cincinnati, OH
- 24/04/72: Toledo Sports Arena - Toledo, OH
- 24/04/72: Allen Theater - Cleveland, OH
- 26/04/72: Ford Auditorium - Detroit, MI
- 28/04/72: Auditorium Theater - Chicago, IL
- 29/04/72: The Spectrum - Philadelphia, PA
- 01/05/72: Carnegie Hall - New York City, NY
- 02/05/72: Carnegie Hall - New York City, NY
- 03/05/72: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts - Washington, D.C.
- 04/05/72: Music Hall - Boston, MA
- 07/05/72: The Spectrum - Philadelphia, PA
1972 European Tour - leg #1
- 18/05/72: Deutschlandhalle - West Berlin
- 21/05/72: Second British Rock Meeting - Germersheim
- 22/05/72: Olympic Stadium - Amsterdam
- 28/06/72: Brighton Dome - Brighton
- 29/06/72: Brighton Dome - Brighton
1972 North American Tour - leg #2
- 08/09/72: Austin Municipal Auditorium - Austin, TX
- 09/09/72: Music Hall - Houston, TX
- 10/09/72: McFarlin Memorial Auditorium - Dallas, TX
- 11/09/72: Memorial Hall - Kansas City, KS
- 12/09/72: Civic Center Music Hall - Oklahoma City, OK
- 13/09/72: Levitt Arena - Wichita, KS
- 15/09/72: Tucson Convention Center - Tucson, AZ
- 16/09/72: San Diego Convention Center - San Diego, CA
- 17/09/72: Big Surf - Tempe, AZ
- 19/09/72: University of Denver Arena - Denver, CO
- 22/09/72: Hollywood Bowl - Los Angeles, CA
- 23/09/72: Winterland Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
- 24/09/72: Winterland Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
- 27/09/72: Vancouver Gardens - Vancouver, BC
- 28/09/72: Memorial Coliseum - Portland, OR
- 29/09/72: Hec Edmundson Pavilion - Seattle, WA
- 30/09/72: Vancouver Gardens - Vancouver, BC
1972 London date
- 21/10/72: Empire Pool - London
1972 European Tour - leg #2
- 10/11/72 K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 11/11/72 K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark]
- 12/11/72 Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg, West Germany
- 14/11/72 Philipshalle, Düsseldorf, West Germany
- 15/11/72 Sporthalle, Böblingen, West Germany
- 16/11/72 Festhalle, Frankfurt, West Germany
- 17/11/72 Festhalle, Frankfurt, West Germany
- 20/11/72 Salle Valliers, Marseilles, France [Roland Petit Ballet] (rehearsals)
- 21/11/72 Salle Valliers, Marseilles, France [Roland Petit Ballet] (rehearsals)
- 22/11/72 Salle Valliers, Marseilles, France [Roland Petit Ballet]
- 23/11/72 Salle Valliers, Marseilles, France [Roland Petit Ballet]
- 24/11/72 Salle Valliers, Marseilles, France [Roland Petit Ballet]
- 25/11/72 Salle Valliers, Marseilles, France [Roland Petit Ballet]
- 26/11/72 Salle Valliers, Marseilles, France [Roland Petit Ballet]
- 28/11/72 Palais des sports, Toulouse, France
- 29/11/72 Parc des Expositions Les Arènes, Poitiers, France
- 01/12/72 Centre sportif de l'Île de Vannes, Saint-Ouen, France
- 02/12/72 Centre sportif de l'Île de Vannes, Saint-Ouen, France
- 03/12/72 Palais des expositions, Caen, France
- 05/12/72 Sport Palais Vorst Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium
- 07/12/72 Palais des sports, Lille, France
- 09/12/72 Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
- 10/12/72 Palais des sports, Lyon, France
1973 Tour dates
1973 "Roland Petit Ballet" Paris Shows
- 11/01/73 Palais des sports Paris, France [Roland Petit Ballet] [two shows] (rehearsals)
- 12/01/73 Palais des sports Paris, France [Roland Petit Ballet] [two shows] (rehearsals)
- 13/01/73 Palais des sports Paris, France [Roland Petit Ballet] [two shows]
- 14/01/73 Palais des sports Paris, France [Roland Petit Ballet] [two shows]
- 20/01/73 Palais des sports Paris, France [Roland Petit Ballet] [two shows] [playback concert]
- 21/01/73 Palais des sports Paris, France [Roland Petit Ballet] [two shows] [playback concert]
- 27/01/73 Palais des sports Paris, France [Roland Petit Ballet] [two shows] [playback concert]
- 28/01/73 Palais des sports Paris, France [Roland Petit Ballet] [two shows] [playback concert]
- 03/02/73 Palais des sports Paris, France [Roland Petit Ballet] [two shows]
- 04/02/73 Palais des sports Paris, France [Roland Petit Ballet] [two shows]
1973 North American Tour - leg #1
- 04/03/73: Dane County Coliseum - Madison, WI
- 05/03/73: Cobo Hall - Detroit, MI
- 06/03/73: Kiel Auditorium - St. Louis, MO
- 07/03/73: International Amphitheater - Chicago, IL
- 08/03/73: Armory Fieldhouse - Cincinnati, OH
- 10/03/73: Memorial Gym - Kent, OH
- 11/03/73: Maple Leaf Gardens - Toronto, ON
- 12/03/73: Montreal Forum - Montreal, QC
- 14/03/73: Music Hall - Boston, MA
- 15/03/73: The Spectrum - Philadelphia, PA
- 17/03/73: Radio City Music Hall - New York City, NY
- 18/03/73: Palace Theatre - Waterbury, CT
- 19/03/73: Providence Civic Center - Providence, RI
- 22/03/73: Hampton Coliseum - Hampton, VA
- 23/03/73: Charlotte Park Center - Charlotte, NC
- 24/03/73: Municipal Auditorium - Atlanta, GA
1973 London dates
- 18/05/73: Earls Court Exhibition Centre - London
- 19/05/73: Earls Court Exhibition Centre - London
1973 North American Tour - leg #2
- 16/06/73: Roosevelt Stadium - Jersey City, NJ
- 17/06/73: Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Saratoga, NY
- 19/06/73: Civic Arena - Pittsburgh, PA
- 20/06/73: Merriweather Post Pavilion - Columbia, MD
- 21/06/73: Merriweather Post Pavilion - Columbia, MD
- 22/06/73: War Memorial Auditorium - Buffalo, NY
- 23/06/73: Olympia Stadium - Detroit, MI
- 24/06/73: Blossom Music Center - Cuyahoga Falls, OH
- 25/06/73: Louisville Gardens - Louisville, KY
- 26/06/73: Lake Spivey Park - Jonesboro, GA
- 27/06/73: Veterans Memorial Coliseum - Jacksonville, FL
- 28/06/73: Hollywood Sportatorium - Hollywood, FL
- 29/06/73: Tampa Stadium - Tampa, FL
1973 European dates
- 12/10/73: Olympiahalle - Munich
- 13/10/73: Wiener Stadthalle - Vienna
1973 London date
- 04/11/73: Rainbow Theatre - London
Setlist
A typical 1972 set list for the tour:
Set One: The Dark Side of the Moon (entire album)
Set Two:
- "One of These Days"
- "Careful with that Axe, Eugene"
- "Echoes"
- "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun"
- "A Saucerful of Secrets" (occasional)
- "Blues" (occasional)
- "Atom Heart Mother" (on very few occasions)
A typical 1973 set list for the tour:
Set One:
- "Obscured By Clouds"
- "When You're In"
- "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" (replaced a few times by "Childhood's End" during the first few dates in March)
- "Careful with That Axe, Eugene"
- "Echoes" (served as the opening number during the first few weeks in March)
Set Two: The Dark Side of the Moon (entire album)
Encore:
Tour Band
- David Gilmour - vocals, guitar
- Roger Waters - bass, vocals
- Richard Wright - keyboards, vocals
- Nick Mason - drums
Additional musicians:
- Dick Parry - saxophone (was not present during the 1972 tour)
- Black Grass (Nawasa Crowder, Mary Ann Lindsey & Phyllis Lindsey) - backing vocals (during the March and May gigs)
- Blackberries (Billy Barnum, Venetta Fields & Clydie King)- backing vocals (during the October gigs)
- Vicki Brown, Liza Strike, and Clare Torry - backing vocals (A Benefit For Robert Wyatt concerts)
References
- "Echoes: The Complete History of Pink Floyd" (MInd Head Publishing - March 2007 - 368 p.) by Glenn Povey
- Brain Damage.co.uk
- http://pinkfloydarchives.com/TourDate.htm#1973
The Dark Side of the Moon Related articles Dark Side of the Moon Tour · The Dark Side of the Moon Live · Mary Fahl: From the Dark Side of the Moon · Dark Side of the Rainbow · Dub Side of the Moon · Dubber Side of the Moon · The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing The Dark Side of the Moon · Return to the Dark Side of the MoonSongs Side one: Speak to Me · Breathe · On the Run · Time · Breathe (Reprise) · The Great Gig in the Sky
Side two: Money · Us and Them · Any Colour You Like · Brain Damage · EclipseCategories:- Pink Floyd concert tours
- 1972 concert tours
- 1973 concert tours
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