By M.J. Greenwood
The News Tribune
November 5, 1974
A capacity crowd at the Seattle Center Coliseum warmly greeted ex Beatle George Harrison and a few of his friends in a Monday night concert. Not counting the concert for Bangladesh in 1972, this nationwide 27-city tour marks the first public concert appearance of Harrison in eight years.
Seattle was the second stop on the tour. Among Harrison's friends were Billy Preston, and Indian sitarist, Ravi Shankar. The concert opened with Harrison and his rock band performing such classic Harrison songs as the haunting "Something," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and a newer Harrison tune, "Sue Me. Sue You Blues."Then, to round off the first set, keyboard wizard Billy Preston played his million-seller, "Will It Go Round in Circles," to a highly appreciative audience.
After a brief break, the tone of the concert changed from wild, sporadic applause to one of quiet and apprehension for the upcoming set featuring the exotic sound of Ravi Shankar and his fellow musicians. The music in the way that it's played resembles somewhat the Western style of jazz and classical improvisations in that there are melodies within melodies and no established time lengths of the works. At the end of the Indian music set, the Western musicians joined them in a rare collaboration of a Ravi Shankar song with inspired results.
After another brief intermission, Harrison and his friends returned for such hits as" In My Life", "For You Blue,"" Give Me Love Give Me Peace on Earth," and a possible Harrison single, "Dark Horse," named after his Dark Horse Record label. Billy Preston sent the crowd to a new frenzy with "Nothing From Nothing" and the rocker of the night, "Outta Space", featuring Preston dancing a jig the length of the stage.
Harrison's finale, the song that was about all of us, was the moving "What is Life." After the thunder standing ovation, Harrison offered his encore. The song was probably most associated with his name, "My Sweet Lord." What also made the concert such a moving and impressive affair was the fact that all proceeds from the concert booklets that were sold during the show, plus a great amount of the money made from the concerts, will go to charitable organizations in the US as well as abroad.
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