Saturday 13 October 2012

Elton John and Rod Stewart at Watford FC, 1974

May 1974. Elton John was already an international star and had recently been appointed as a director of Watford Football Club, my home team.

These were the days before Watford were even close to getting into the top division (Division 1 as it was then) of the football league. They were in need of a boost financially, so Elton agreed to put on a benefit concert. Tickets were £1 and it was billed as Elton John and guests. 

Nazareth opened the concert. My mates and I were fans of their album 'Loud 'N Proud' which included the hit single version of Joni Mitchell's 'This Flight Tonight' as well as a  cover of the Little Feat song 'Teenage Nervous Breakdown'. 

We held back during Nazareth's set but then a couple of us moved right to the front of the stage for Elton's show. 

This was the classic EJ band, with Dee Murray, Nigel Ollson and Davey Johnstone, plus Ray Cooper on percussion.  

Watford are known as The Hornets and so Elton naturally arrived on stage in a hornet (well, more like a bee) costume. You can see from the footage of the concert here that Elton's colourful outfit was a contrast with the long hair and denim of most of us in the crowd (I'm down there at front centre). It was a good-natured crowd and I remember at least one streaker. There were a few glammed-up Rod-alikes and by the sound of the screaming, quite a few girls.   

Elton's set included recent classics like Candle In The Wind and Daniel. They also debuted a new single, a cover version of The Beatles' Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.  

Rod Stewart’s appearance certainly added an extra element of star quality. 

He strode on stage wearing a white silk suit and matching scarf and his trademark haircut - every inch the rock star. This was pre-Atlantic Crossing, the point at which he focussed on making it big in America. He sang a mix of Elton material that he had covered on his early solo albums. 
Melody Maker's front page about the Watford gig and rock's football fans
The second video clip shows Rod's entrance and the run-through of Country Comforts. It's just a shame the sound balance has his vocals way down. There are no official release clips from this concert, so this is all we have to go on. 

I remember the Elton John Band being really professional and excellent musicians. It was a treat to see them up-close. I remember thinking I had never seen a drummer wearing headphones on stage, the way Nigel Ollson did. 

The photo here, taken from the front page of the following week's Melody Maker, is pretty much the view I had down at the front. 

The article in the MM - 'How rock gets its kicks' was about how people like Elton, Rod, Ian Hunter, Rick Wakeman, Dave Gilmour and Roger Waters were "confirmed soccer freaks". 

This was 10 years before Watford had their period of success in the old first division under the management of Graham Taylor. At this point, they had made it up from the third to the second division and were holding their own without ever really looking like being promoted to the first division. They had a brief glory period in the 1969-70 season, beating Liverpool 1-0 in the FA cup quarter finals before being trounced 5-1 by Chelsea in the semis.

The Liverpool manager Bill Shankly said bitterly they had never lost to a worse team, but to judge from the clip below, Watford could have won three or four - nil. Anyway, Chelsea went on to win the cup that year, beating Leeds United in a replay at Old Trafford. Watford continued in lower league mediocrity for several years until Taylor was appointed and took them right up to the First Division.

Having stood on the terraces as a 12 year-old through my mid-teens, I drifted away in adulthood. And now I live overseas I don't get to the football much, but I keep track of the team's fortunes. 

The ground is looking much better now, enclosed on all sides. And for the past few seasons, despite a revolving door of managers, the team have held their own in the Premier League. 

Here's a photo of my son and I at a recent game.
Rod Stewart joins Elton John on stage at Watford Football Club, May 1974

See also: From Pinner To L.A. - Elton's Big Breakthrough
https://bangnzdrum.blogspot.com/2013/07/from-pinner-to-la-elton-johns-big.html


Elton John playing '60 Years On' live in 1971 - rare clip
https://bangnzdrum.blogspot.com/2017/05/my-most-viewed-youtube-clips-1-elton.html
 


18 comments:

  1. An excellent overview of the day back in 1974 ; I was there , sat on left of stage in front of speakers. great to see the footage to bring back the memories.

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    1. Do you remember the set list? I have a recording of "Curtains" from the concert (must be the encore or close to the end) after which he talks about the night and raising money for the club and then says "Here's a Pete Townsend song, . . . it's one of the best songs you'll ever 'ear; it goes something like this" and then it stops. I am dying to find out what the song was.

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    2. I presume it was 'Pinball Wizard' as Elton recorded that for the movie of 'Tommy'

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    3. I was there and still have my ticket and, SIGNED programme!

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  2. I was also there that day with my dad, we were both stewards on the turnstiles and got to see the gig for free. The ticket you have is for the cheap seats (i.e on the pitch!), there were also the posh seats (in the then new stand) for £2. No booking fees! Just for interest the signature on the ticket is that of Ron Rollitt, a lovely man who was club secretary at the time.

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  3. it all looks so old and shabby by today's standards. I went back to Vicarage Road recently to watch WFC for the first time in many years. The ground development is still not finished. In fact the old 'new' stand has been condemned and is awaiting a rebuild. But the Rookery end is a lot posher than it was in 74 and the Vicarage Rd end is now covered. The Hospital stand has posh bars (incl 'Elton's').

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  4. While I was watching the Grammy tribute to Elton last night with my grandson, I was telling him about going to this concert in 1974. After a short google search, I found the "Country Comfort" clip on youtube. We watched it (pity about the sound balance) and to my astonishment, near the end, there is my ex wife and I clearly shown in the close up crowd shot near the end. - What is even more incredible is that my grandsons father was born in London 3 weeks before this concert and we are from Tasmania Australia and were living in London at the time. We returned to Tasmania a few months later and opened a jeans shop like we had seen in Oxford St, etc. The name of that shop was Country Comfort, which operated for over 30 years. Amazing true story, you can't make this stuff up. Cheers Denis
    PS I remember the streaker lol

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    1. The wonders of the internet. Stuff you never imagined you would see suddenly appears. My Youtube post of Elton playing 60 Years On in 1970 has now had over 100,000 views. I came upon it watching an old news programme and edited it from that.

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  5. Interesting topic for a blog. I have been searching the Internet for fun and came upon your website. Fabulous post. Thanks a ton for sharing your knowledge! It is great to see that some people still put in an effort into managing their websites. I'll be sure to check back again real soon.
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    1. Thanks for the feedback Haider. I have periods of more active posting followed by long silences, as I'm often travelling.

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  6. I also went to this concert can't believe it was 46 years ago and the cost was only £1 I had gone from Stoke by train and was still back at home for 7PM Rock on!

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  7. thank you so much for sharing this... I was there on that day (the day after my 14th birthday) with my sister and her then to be husband... Rod arrived by St Johns Ambulance.... and got out of the back right in front of us... Its a day I will NEVER forget.... I just wish the sound was better, and wonder where the rest of the concert is on tape in Eltons vaults??

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  8. Oh my goodness! What a find this is!
    Thank you so much!
    I too was there as an 8 year old.
    My grandfather ran all the bars at Vic Rd and my parents used to work on match days - mum begins the bar in the VP's bar, dad doing the door for the same bar.
    I was in the enviable position of having access all areas in the whole stadium - everyone knew I was Syd's granddaughter and, crazy as it might sound, I was on first name terms with Elton back then!
    I say in the Director's box that day, asking with the likes of Ron Rollitt, "Uncle" Jim Harrowell (as I called him) and various other club directors.
    I remember Rod appearing in the Director's Bar before he went on stage and ask he washed was a cup of tea! Molly was the lady that did all the refreshments for the directors and vice presidents and she gladly obliged.
    While Rod was sipping his tea, my mum was chasing with him and at some point and said something like "Go on, Rod, show us your hairy chest!" He parted his white silk shirt to reveal a hairless torso and said "I'm so sorry to disappoint you!"
    He was exactly as you see him in interviews - very down to earth, no aids and graces..... as, in fact, was EJ in all the years I "knew him".
    Thanks again for this post - I've really enjoyed the memories!

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  9. Wonderful memories Syd's granddaughter - thanks for sharing them. What a treat being on first name terms with Elton. And good to know he and Rod were down to earth sorts.

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  10. I was there and still have my ticked an signed (EJ) programme!

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  11. My first ever concert,aged 15, I was mesmerised. Paid 2 pounds for a ticket. Last time I saw Elton it was here in Australia and paid quite a bit more! Such wonderful memories. So glad I found this post. Thank you

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