Love Is All That I Ever Needed. Chapter 19. The World Tour 1974. Part 1
The 1974 David Cassidy World Tour was carefully planned, but it didn’t help much. Nothing went as planned, and the tour ended with a horrible tragedy.
David : ‘The world tour turned out to be a circus. We were all partying hard - the band, the
security people, everybody - just blowing off steam before we packed it all for good.’
Yes,
there was a lot of fun and sex, Don Murfet, a man responsible for the David safety
wrote about it in his autobiography.
David was to start the tour in New Zealand. The first concert was planned to be played in Auckland on
February 26, 1974. There were a lot of articles about his visit.
‘He (DC) uses private
jets and helicopters like others use buses and saves his public appearances strictly for the
stage.’ But not every article was enthusiastic. Readers were informed that David wasn’t ‘cool’
anymore. That his fans outgrew him. They now listened to Led Zeppelin, and were ashamed
they ever had liked David and his bland music.
David was to be the first artist to perform at Auckland’s major sports ground at Eden Park and
about 15,000 fans were expected. Two known security specialists came from England to
coordinate and brief 50 local security men. But when the big day came, February 23, David wasn’t feeling well and what’s more he received
a low-key welcome and only about 200 fans appeared at airport. At the press conference
he said that he wasn’t disappointed by it, Auckland wasn’t as big as London, and that it was
his first visit so maybe people didn’t know him.
It was announced that because of the bad
weather forecast, the venue was changed from Eden Park to Auckland Town Hall for two
smaller shows. Also the date was changed from Tuesday to Wednesday.
But there was another reason. The Eden Park capacity was 22,000 and for David’s concert
only about 3000 tickets were sold. Two shows at the Town Hall meant only 4000 fans.
One
of the reasons for those poor sales was that David wasn't the only star to play in New
Zealand at the time. Elton John had a big concert too - just a few days after David.
Many musicians respected David’s talent, and Elton John was one of them. He made a
surprise appearance for the last 10 minutes of the second of David’s show. He played piano,
and they sang together a medley of classic rock & roll standards. Later there was a party at
the hotel, more singing and playing, and the next day David couldn’t speak.
The first Australian concert was on March 2 at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. It was an
outdoor, no seated gig with not enough security. What worse the stage was too low, and the day was extremely
hot and windy. The concert was to start at 4pm, fans were allowed in at noon. While waiting and during the concert they were throwing toys, flowers, shoes and many other things on stage.
There was a lot of pushing and
fighting for the best places. Near the end of the show, the front wall was pushed so hard that
the front of the stage started to collapse. The stage was reinforced, and David finished the
show. 12,500 attended the concert and about 60 girls were slightly injured. Some girls
pretended to faint to be taken on stage and be closer to David.
On March 6, David played a concert in Brisbane. On March 7, he gave a press conference in
Melbourne. There were a lot of journalists, and he was asked many questions, also what he
was like. He answered: ‘I’m never quite sure what I am like. I’m constantly on the move. (..) I
would say I’m a shy, nervous person.’
The next day David took part in the TV Week Logie Awards, and he met there a famous movie
star and talented photographer, Gina Lollobrigida, who took some famous pics of him.
The biggest Australian concert was on March 10 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with
about 30,000 in audience. Again it was dangerous. Some of the fans were pressed against
steel barriers. Unconscious girls had to be passed over the heads of the crowd. At one point,
police threaten to close the show. About 350 girls were treated for injuries and hysteria. The
next day Victoria State Health Minister announced that David Cassidy must be viewed as a
health hazard.
There were three more concerts - two in Adelaide and one in Perth, and on March 16 David
flew to Japan.
On April 22, Australian TV aired the documentary about the tour, called ‘David Cassidy. To
Australia With Love’. The footage of the press conference, David meeting his fans, the
interview conducted at the Sydney Harbour, and fragments from his Sydney show.
From March 16 to March 28, David, his band and his entourage were in Japan where he played seven
concerts. Japanese security was very efficient and David could go to parties, discos and meet
more beautiful ladies. It was the end of the first part of the tour.
David returned to Hawaii, but not for long. In April he arrived in Paris, and guest starred on
two French programs. One of them was called Melody Varietes, and David sang ‘Rock Me
Baby’. The cameraman didn’t know what to film - David’s face, his very long hair, his top with
shimmering patterns and a very deep cleavage, white pants or his amazing silver boots on
high platforms.
He looked like a beautiful, androgynous creature, the epitome of a glam rock
star..
The World Tour resumed in May. He was to play in Norway, but the authorities were afraid for
the fans’ safety. On May 8, after the concert in Stockholm four girls were hospitalized, forty
fainted or fell into hysteria. Next, David played in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Rotterdam,
Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Munich. New elements appeared during his performances. While singing “I Am A Clown’, he put a clown mask on his face, which looked rather ghastly. For
some songs, he changed into a tailcoat with a shiny collar and a shiny bow tie.
On May 23 David arrived in the UK..
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