1970s Rock was Classic

I left home in 1973 after completing my psych degree and it seems one goal I had was to go to Auckland, N.Z. where I could experience a maximum number of rock concerts. 1970s ROCK was a real blast. I remember seeing Jethro Tull and later, Carlos Santana in the Auckland Town Hall. How was it? Off the planet with Caravanserai and Song Of The Wind. Their absolute peak.

At Western Springs Stadium I saw Stevie Wonder, and earlier I had seen the great Led Zeppelin back in 1971 or was it 1972? I think Elton John was there at that venue and I remember sneaking in through a hole in the fence. Fleetwood Mac.. also, same venue? Or were they indoors? Wonderfully tight act, as was the Little River Band. After the Led Zeppelin act I made sure of going to a Robert Plant concert at One Tree Hill and I must admit I preferred his songs like Little By Little, to most of the improvised stuff that Jimmy Page was churning out. Robert Plant had Robert Blunt on guitar and the music was really tight and disciplined compared with the crazy, creative looseness of Zeppelin!

Talk about creativity I really wished I had witnessed Jimi Hendrix Experience’s genius because the whole trio were brilliant. Jimi Hendrix, with Mitch Mitchell on drums - wow!

Aha, yes. I saw Santana again then Blood, Sweat and Tears twice.. where I went up to chat with their drummer in the Town Hall. Outside again I remember watching Uriah Heep and later I caught Deep Purple and Neil Diamond down in Christchurch in 1975.

So I really enjoyed my twenties in the 70s era of popular rock. Back in the 60s I went to a Wellington concert of The Who with Pete Townshend and they played with The Small Faces of Itchy Coo Park drug fame! My brother had seen The Beatles at Wellington Town Hall although he said the girls screamed so madly that no one could hear the Beatles’ music then! Amplifiers simply weren’t powerful enough at 40 to 50 watts RMS output back then in the sixties.

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