Billy Preston Takes the Spotlight form a Hoarse Harrison

Billy Preston Takes the Spotlight From a Hoarse Harrison

By Punch Shaw

The Memphis Press

November 28, 1974

     Former Beatle George Harrison may have had top billing in last night's sellout concert at the Coliseum, but the crowd belonged to Billy Preston.

     Harrison, hopelessly hampered by a hoarse voice, was overshadowed by the crowd-pleasing performance of Preston and the high-quality velocity of his all-star backup band, featuring Preston on organ, Willie Weeks on bass, Robben Ford on guitar, Jim Keltner performing for the first time on the tour, and Andy Newmark on drums and Jim Horn, Tom Scott and Chuck Finley on brass. 

    Harrison and the band began the show with an instrumental, "Harri's On Tour" from his new album Dark Horse, which established the band style for the remainder of the evening, incredibly together, driving rock, with all performers excelling equally.

     The usual impact of Harrison's next number, the title of which Harrison changed from "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" to "While My Guitar Gently Smiles," and a statement of tone for the concert fell flat from his inability to reach and hold notes through his hoarseness. "Something" met the same fate, taking on a harsh Dylanesque quality instead of its normal lyrical smoothness.

     Preston then temporarily brought the crowd to life with his "Will It Go Round in Circles", which was followed by Harrison's best lead guitar work of the night on "Sue You, Sue Me Blues."

     At this point, Harrison apologized for his voice and then brought out Ravi Shankar, saying, "I'd like to bring on a man who changed my life." The audience was well-behaved and receptive the entire evening.  They gave Shankar and his 16 fellow Indian musicians a warm reception on each of their numbers. The high point of Shankar's 50-minute set, however, was the exceptional flute work of Tom Scott, who played rock and Indian equally.

    After intermission, Harrison did John Lennon's "In My Life" and two new numbers, "Maya Love", and "Dark Horse", which were, as before, musically brilliant and vocally disastrous. 

    Then came Billy Preston.

     Preston sang, played, danced, and clapped, the audience to its feet for the first time of the evening with "Nothing From Nothing", and kept them there with "The  Space Race".

     Harrison followed perfectly with his best version ever of "What Is Life", which succeeded largely because of Robben Ford's lead guitar work and the burying of Harrison's vocals under the driving rock backup.

     The encore, a totally electric "My Sweet Lord," which was half song and half prayer meeting, was weakly done and anti-climatic, but it made little difference. Billy Preston and the rest of the band have snatched the concert from mediocrity. George Harrison's concert, hoarseness notwithstanding, was a success.