Sep 23 2009
British Rock Meetings — Revisited
Rock Festivals have always held a fascination for me, probably because I’ve never been to one, or at least, not to a large one — and there have been some incredibly large ones. Ever since the summer of ’69 when a half a million hippies descended on Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York, people have used the Woodstock festival as the yardstick for all other festivals. Some festivals have been larger, two that come to mind are the 1970 Isle of Wight festival and the 1973 Watkins Glenn Summer Jam festival both of which had in excess of over 600,000 people, but it is Woodstock that draws the most comparisons. Everyone seems to have their own version of “Woodstock”: Lisdoonvarna was called the Irish Woodstock; Pinkpop Festival was the Dutch Woodstock, and in Germany the ’71-’72 British Rock Meetings in Speyer and Germersheim wore that moniker.
Although Rory Gallagher wasn’t present at Woodstock, he played in many of the Woodstock-like festivals, including the 1970 Isle of Wight, the Macroom and Lisdoonvarna Festivals, the Bull Island Soda Pop Festival, the British Rock Meetings, and a host of other large outdoor rock concerts. He may have liked the intimate atmosphere of a 300 seat club better, but he was also a proponent of the large festivals:
I’m pro-festivals because, from a musician’s point of view, they give you a chance to play to audiences who might not normally hear you. And, of course, they are very good exposure for up-and -coming bands -… Some bands are very nervous about festivals because they’re afraid the sound won’t be right and they don’t have their lights. But I wouldn’t be without them. They’re a good challenge. — Melody Maker, Sept 9, 1975
And Rory was always up to the challenge! His performance at the Isle of Wight festival was monstrous, purportedly giving 5 encores. Who knows how much popularity he would have gained if he had played Woodstock — and he almost got his chance:
I remember sitting on the street in New York, the musicians [on the Blind Faith tour] discussing whether they would go up and play Woodstock or not. We kept saying, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ Clapton said, ‘Yeah, it sounds like fun.’ But Winwood wouldn’t do it. And the Delaney and Bonnie band said, ‘Aw, we’ll never get paid.’ So we didn’t. And it was a shame. — quote from Donal Gallagher from ‘Gallagher, Marriott, Derringer, Trower’ by Dan Muise
It was indeed a shame that those “half a million strong” that Joni Mitchell spoke of could not have witnessed Rory and the Taste perform at that legendary festival, but there have been countless other festivals, other “Woodstocks” in different lands that hold testament to Rory’s legacy. One particular festival, the British Rock Meetings, are the subject of this post. Recently I’ve received several newspaper articles, ticket stubs, and other information regarding this German festival and have added the information to a previous write-up I did of the event. Below is my updated write-up.
The British Rock Meetings
This month’s “Boot of the Month” is Rory’s performances at the 1st and 2nd British Rock Meetings. These outdoor concerts were the promotional brainchild of Marcel Avram and Marek Lieberberg, the founders of MAMA Concerts, and showcased for the european audience a large number of British rock bands including: Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, Fairport Convention, Stone the Crowes, Rod Stewart, and a host of other notables. The first “Rock Meeting” took place on September 4th, 1971 in Speyer, Germany, and the second “Rock Meeting” took place in Germersheim, Germany on May 22, 1972. A 3rd “Rock Meeting” was planned for the following year in Ludwigshafen, Germany but was later cancelled.
The First British Rock Meeting
The first British Rock Meeting was originally planned for the Amphietheatre Thingstatte in Heidelberg, West Germany, and the early posters and tickets reflected this venue. However, the venue was changed to the new port in Speyer in anticipation of a crowd of over 25,000 people. The first British Rock Meeting was part of a 2-day, 2-city event, with half the bands playing in Speyer, Germany, and the other half playing in Vienna, Austria. The next day the bands would swap locations and play at the other venue. The Vienna portion of the event was officially called the “Sensational British Superstar Festival.”
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| photo of Rory Gallagher at the First British Rock Meeting in Speyer, Germany |
| German TV report about the First British Rock Meeting in Speyer, Germany |
The Second British Rock Meeting
The second British Rock Meeting was suppose to take place on Friesenheimer Island in Mannheim, Germany; however, the Mannheim city council opposed it and MAMA Concerts had to change the venue. The early posters still show Mannheim as the festival location. As can be seen on the left, the original poster was done in blue, with Mannheim as the venue, new posters were printed in red after the promoters found an alternate site to hold the festival. MAMA Concerts first tried to relocate the festival to Korsika and then to the racetrack in Hockenheim but strong reaction from the city councils made these sites unacceptable.
After much searching, the concert promoters were finally able to relocate the festival to Insel Grün (Green Island) in Germersheim. Even then, it looked like the festival would not happen as Germersheim city officials began having second thoughts about allowing such a large festival to be held on Insel Grün and issued a police order against the festival the day prior to its start. City officials relented however after eleventh hour talks with the festival organizers, the mayor of Germersheim, and a top Rheinland Pfalz state official. Over 70,000 people attended this 4-day festival and 35 bands performed there, including Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep, Status Quo, Lindisfarne, and of course, Rory Gallagher.
By Saturday evening more than 72,000 – rock fans had crowded onto Insel Gruen… All told, the island, hugging the west bank of the Rhine between Mannheim and Karlsruhe looked like a cross between a muddy beach of drowsy sunbathers and a wartime refugee exodus…(read more)– David Iams, Stars & Stripes (*Thanks to Timothy Boss for sending this article and ticket stub!)
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| fisheye view of the festival at Insel Grün courtesy of J.Wagner |
Rory played on the final day of the festival and was one of only 2 bands to be broadcast over the radio, the other being Lindisfarne. Rory was also the only artist to give 3 encores.
“People from other countries hardly could imagine, how popular Rory was here in the earlyer 70’s. I saw him there for the first time, and he really did a great and intense performance! He was so good, we couldn’t hardly wait for his next show…”–Doc’s Diary
The British Rock Meetings showcased incredible talent from the United Kingdom, and none more talented than Irish legend, Rory Gallagher. Have a listen as Rory hits the stage in Speyer and Germersheim.
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Download an mp3 of Rory’s shows at the British Rock Meetings,
HERE. - Receive notification when a new bootleg is uploaded, HERE.
- Listen to the concert on your computer right now, HERE
(You must have Adobe Flash Player 9 installed) - Read the “Berlin Observer” festival article HERE.
- Read the “Stars & Stripes” festival article HERE.
- Miscellaneous Photos of festival (pic 1, 2, 3, 4)
Gateshead International Stadium is widely famed as a venue for top level international athletics. Built in 1955, the original Gateshead Stadium is a far cry from the one currently home to the Gateshead Thunder, the Gateshead F.C., the Senators, and many other football and rugby clubs. The facility saw major expansion work done in the 60’s and 70’s as the stadium’s reputation grew as a major sporting venue. In 1986, in honor of Gateshead prowess on the field, sculptor Mike Winstone unveiled his “Sports Day” statue. At the time of its unveiling “Sports Day” was thought to be one of the largest outdoor sculptures in Britain, and its bulk still dominates Gateshead’s main street.
Gateshead International Stadium has also been used as a venue for outdoor concerts, and in 1981 Gateshead City Council approved use of the stadium during August Bank Holiday for an annual rock festival to be called, “Rock on the Tyne”. 
Rory hadn’t played in Great Britain for well over 6 months prior to the festival, save for a surprise warm-up gig at the Canning Town Bridge House several days earlier. In the interim Rory had been completing work on his latest album, Jinx, at Dierks Studio in Germany. His performance at the “Rock on the Tyne” festival was his first show with new drummer, Brendan O’Neill. Also joining Rory onstage for the first time were two saxophone players, Ray Beavis & Dick Parry. In a Melody Maker interview by Carol Clerk, Rory admitted to being a bit “jumpy” prior to his first big concert with new bandmates and new material from his latest album, but he needn’t have worried. Despite a news media focused on the more contemporary “New Wave” “flavor of the month”, it was Rory’s brand of blues-rock that got the biggest reception.
