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Splatt Gallery's History of Michigan Music Posters
MC5 - Page Ten
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Concert program for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York with an appearance by the MC5 on May 8, 1970, a show that is missing from the timelines.
Inside of the concert program for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York with an appearance by the MC5 on May 8, 1970.
The MC5 were part of a bill that included Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead at the Temple Outdoor Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 16, 1970, but they had to cancel and were replaced by the band Cactus.
The Festival of Man/Earth, May 30, 1970 through June 1st, at Thunderbird Beach, outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Michigan bands included Alice Cooper, Amboy Dukes, Bob Seger, Brownsville Station, John Lee Hooker, and the MC5.
A review of the Festival of Man and Earth published in the NOLA Express in New Orleans, Louisiana, praising the set by the MC5.
Inside photo from Issue #5, June 1970, of Big Fat magazine with a photo of Rob Tyner and Scott Morgan during a musician’s baseball game. The Fifth Estate newspaper in Detroit reported that the MC5 beat the SRC by the score of 14-7.
The MC5 made their first trip down to Texas, June 21, 1970, appearing at the Sunken Garden, a natural amphitheater in San Antonio, where, according to archeological evidence, humans had gathered to party more than 11,000 year ago.
The poster is by San Antonio artist John Witherspoon.
A promoter named Dapa/Dore planned a series of concerts at the Michigan State Fairgrounds for the summer of 1970. Originally, the opening night, June 26, 1970, was to feature The MC5, Brownsville Station and Tacklebox, then it was changed to The Stooges, Wesslefox and Tacklebox. Internet sources still confuse the two line-ups, but according to The Detroit Free Press, the night was cancelled due to rain, so neither actually played.
Poster by Darlene Pond for the Detroit-Windsor Pop Festival, June 27, 1970, with a massive line-up of Third Power, Rationals, MC5, Frijid Pink, Blues Train, Shakey Jake, Wesselfox, All The Lonely People, Virgin Dawn, Poison Oak, Mighty Quick, UP, Springwell, and Sunday Funnies. The MC Jesse Crawford was denied entry into Canada
The MC5, back in New York, at Stoneybrook University, opening for Ten Years After on July 3, 1970, with two versions of the rather strange “Ringcycle” logo.
An ad with the MC5 at Ungano’s in NYC for four nights, July 6-9, 1970.
A flyer for the Middle Earth in Indianapolis, Indiana which looks like had a last-minute line-up change to add the MC5 on July 16, 1970. Alice Cooper performed the following night.
A day trip to Chicago for The MC5, the Stooges, and “the ridiculous funk of” Funkadelics, the WCFL Radio Summer Music Festival, July 18, 1970. The festival started off with fireworks at sunrise (yes, sun RISE). They called it the Incredible Good Morning Good Morning Ceremony.
A review of the festival appeared in Billboard magazine:
“The only thing close to trouble arose during the set by the MC5. The crowd, which had been behind the fence about 40 feet from the stage, broke through to rush the stage area. Several persons tried to climb onto the stage but were asked to leave. They complied and no injuries or bad feelings resulted.
“Atlantic’s MC5 was a surprise. Their set was dynamic and kept the crowd moving throughout. The group’s stage act is a joy to behold as vocalist Rob Tyner jumped, cavorted and musically seduced the crowd. Guitarist Wayne Kramer, using the slide-step popularized by James Brown to move around the stage, kept the instrument level at a loud pitch.
“The 12-hour festival also featured the Illusion, Happy Day, Bush, Dreams, Stooges, Pig Iron, Funkadelics and others.”
It was at the third WABX free concert of the season, July 19, 1970, that the MC5 performed and were captured on tape for TV. This three-song clip is fairly well-known by now, some call it the Five’s greatest performance, some call it the greatest performance in all of rock and roll.
The MC5 – Live at Tartar Field Detroit (1970)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74jS3dW0DtE
The MC5 made their first overseas trip, to England, at the insistence of Mick Farren, British journalist, musician, and head of the UK chapter of the White Panthers to appear on the second day of the Phun City Festival, which Farren had organized, on July 25, 1970.
A beautiful poster for the Phun City festival in England, July 24-26, 1970. The MC5 are shown in the large green triangle above the lettering for the other groups.
Flyers for the Phun City festival in England, where the MC5 made their first overseas appearance on July 25, 1970.
London’s underground newspaper, The International Times, announcing the appearance of the MC5 at the Phun City festival, July 25, 1970.
The official poster for the Phun City festival in England, July 24-26, 1970, by British cartoonist Edward Barker, with the MC5 listed at the very top.
Two more flyer/ads from the Phun City Festival. At first glance, we thought that the Friday night was free admission, then realized it was the name of the British band who’d just scored a world-wide Top Ten hit.
As it happened, however, the local officials slapped an injunction against the festival just ten days before the event, causing the financial backers to back out, and then lifted it with just three days left, leaving no time to finish fencing the grounds, turning it into free admission. When the bands arrived, they were informed that they could not be paid, all of them agreed to perform anyway, except for one. Free refused to play for free and so they cut out.
Free – All Right Now (1970)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT-0us1Dyqg
An ad for the MC5 at the Marquee in London, England on July 31, 1970. It was the third dhow of the UK tour. In between this show and the Phun City debut, the band performed at the Roundhouse in London on July 26, with an expected appearance by Humble Pie.
Meanwhile, over in England, following well-received shows in London, the MC5 became a late addition to the Popanalia Festival in Le Biot, France on August 5, 1970. The MC5 were not listed on the poster due to their late addition. Ambitiously planned to last 36 hours, the poorly managed grounds, just as in the case of Phun City, allowed 30,000 out of the 34,000 people to simply walk in for free.
Again, as with Phun City, the promoters implored the groups to play for free but this time the bands were not as accommodating. When the band Soft Machine refused to go on, the crowd rioted, burning down the stage. The only acts that actually got to play were Joan Baez, Country Joe and Rare Bird. It was subsequently dubbed by the French as "Festival Maudit de Biot" (The cursed festival of Biot)
The highly-anticipated weekend finally arrived, August 7-9, 1970 for the Goose Lake Festival near Jackson, Michigan. Poster by Terry Robeson. Surprisingly few line-up changes, the way these things went, but Savoy Brown, Joe Cocker, and Alice Cooper did not appear, and the last minute additions were Rod Stewart & the Faces, and the MC5.
A sunny ad for a “Far Out Rock Concert” with Chuck Berry supported by three Michigan bands, the MC5, Amboy Dukes, and the Stooges over two shows, August 14-15, 1970, at the Sunshine-In in Asbury Park, New Jersey. MC5 performed two shows on Saturday, August 15, 1970.
There is a single line in the book “Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed”, that reads, “…the Stooges headlined over the MC5 in Asbury Park, went on last, and demolished their one-time big brothers.” Some Stooges’ timelines show the August 15 show in Asbury Park, but do not mention the MC5, and they also list an August 14 show at Boston College Stadium, which as we’ve previously posted was cancelled.
But the best evidence for the Asbury park show is a show review that was published in the August 17, 1970 issue of the Asbury Park Press newspaper, which we’ve put in the comments below for those who are interested. No mention, however, of Chuck Berry or the Amboy Dukes.
Show review of Iggy and the MC5 from their appearance at the Sunshine In, Asbury Park, New Jersey on August 15, 1970 in the August 17th issue of the Asbury Park Press newspaper.
Little artistic value, but packed with information, this flyer has the details of the two shows by the MC5 at the Sunshine In, Asbury Park, New Jersey, clarifying the details of two shows on August 15, 1970.
Ben Gunn and David Peel & the Lower Eastside opened both shows, with the Amboy Dukes included in the first show, and the Stooges included in the second show.
What would have been a killer festival just outside Austin, Texas, September 5-7, 1970, featuring seven Michigan bands, Alice Cooper, MC5, Rare Earth, Amboy Dukes, Stooges, Third Power, and Brownsville Station, was cancelled due to objections by the locals.
The MC5 continued their sporadic trips to the East Coast, here appearing in Springfield, Massachusetts, September 11-12, 1970. Also of note, that by this time, two Boston bands, the Hallucinations and Snoopy & the Sopwith Camels, had merged to become the J. Geils Band, a group that would come to regard Detroit as their second home.
A night of Michigan bands at The Warehouse in New Orleans, September 19, 1970. Some accounts say that the Stooges did not appear, but others, including some that were at the show, say that they were there.
An ad for the MC5 at the Action House in Long Island, New York, opening for Rhinoceros on October 2, 1970, with “Continuous Shows from 9 PM till 3 AM” – not sure what that means.
The MC5, booked at Ungano’s in NYC, October 28-31, 1970, although on the 31st, Halloween night, they would appear across down at the Ritz Theater with the Stooges instead. But notice the name of the band coming in after the Five, the US debut of “Black Sabbagh”.
Newspaper ad for Iggy & the Stooges with the MC5 at the Ritz Theater in Staten Island, NYC on Halloween, October 31, 1970.
An ad for “Houston’s first appearance of Detroit’s MC5” at the club Of Our Own in Houston, Texas, October 31, 1970 and November 1st, however the shows were rescheduled for November 28-29, and the MC5 appeared with the Stooges at the Ritz Theater in NYC on Halloween night 1970.
Poster by Tedd Kromer for the MC5 at the Loretto-Hilton Center near St. Louis, Missouri, November 1, 1970. With band signatures (four of the five) for the show’s promoter Todd Kromer, but it’s strange that drummer Dennis Thompson would misspell his own name.
More evidence of the MC5 at the Loretto-Hilton Center near St. Louis, Missouri, November 1, 1970, with ticket and photo from the gig that would be used in the gatefold of the “High Time” album cover.
Nice poster by Texas poster artist Bill Narum and the Steampower Poster Co. in London for a Houston, Texas appearance of The MC5, November 28-29, 1970, their first Houston appearance, rescheduled from October 31 and November 1st.
An ad in the Houston, Texas newspaper Space City! for the MC5 at Of Our Own in Houston, November 28-29, 1970.
Looking like The Three Wise Men Plus One, this newspaper ad is for a Christmas night show, December 25, 1970, in Tampa, Florida by the Bob Seger System, with the MC5, Bloodrock and Steam. Seger and Bloodrock tour sites include this show, but the MC5 Gateway does not, so maybe the Five did not make it.
Stylish poster for an all-Michigan bands show in Atlanta, Georgia, December 29, 1970, with Amboy Dukes, MC5, and Bob Seger System.
Newspaper ad for the all-Michigan bands show in Atlanta, Georgia, December 29, 1970. “Detroit Rock is the Hardest, Loudest, Movingest Rock”. The sideways text states that radio station WPOL-FM would be broadcasting a “one hour special program on these groups” on Sunday night, two days before the concert.
Humorous (?) do-it-yourself concert review form for the all-Michigan bands show in Atlanta, Georgia, December 29, 1970, published in The Great Speckled Bird underground newspaper with a nice photo of the Seger System's drummer Pep Perrine's drum kit.
Rating choices for each group were:
MC5 – Bad, Poor, Awful
Bob Seger – alright, OK, killer, dynamite!
Amboy Dukes – sickening, atrocious, tasteless, all of the above
“All power to the people/Seize the Time/Kick Out the Jams”
MC5 Poster History - continues - HERE
A full-page ad in the October 24, 1971 issue of the British music magazine Melody Maker for a compilation album from Atlantic Records with the track "Tonight" from the MC5's second album. The record was released in the UK, Europe, and South Africa.
Two photos of the MC5 performing at the Phun City Festival, July 25, 1970.
Poster by an unknown artist for the MC5 with Third Power and Truck, at the Holland Civic Center in Holland, Michigan, May 2, 1970.
The MC5 performed at The Cellar in Arlington Heights, Illinois on April 24, 1970, their second appearance, at least, at the legendary suburban Chicago club. The only image we can find of the poster is not very good, so we include a picture of the joint.
The Cellar was opened in 1964 by record store owner Paul Sampson, who became the manager of his most popular house band, The Shadows of Knight. In addition to being the breeding ground for a host of area bands, including the Amboy Dukes, it was also one of those unlikely, small venues that managed to present bands like The Who and Cream in their first tours through the area.
The Cellar closed in 1970, probably shortly after the MC5 show, though not necessarily related.
Another potentially new show for the Gateway by the MC5, at the Holland Civic Center in Holland, Michigan, at a “Spring Rock Concert” sponsored by the Knickerbocker fraternity of Hope College on May 2, 1970. From a story in The Anchor newspaper:
“Featured at the concert will be the nationally known act, the MC5 who play a “high energy” style of music complimented by a selection of “oldies”. The MC5 has been called the Spawn of the Aquarian Age and the “master builders of a living wall of sound – relentless, irresistible, ear shattering, mind expanding.”
“Also included in the four hour show will be the Third Power, a hard rock group from the Detroit night club circuit, and the Truck, a local group whose music covers almost the entire spectrum of rock sound.
“Tickets are $2.50 with ID and may be purchased from members of the Knickerbocker fraternity or at the door.”
