Splatt Gallery
Double click here to add text.
Splatt Gallery's History of Michigan Music Posters
MC5 - Page Thirteen
***********************************************************
One of the final shows by the four-man, two original members version of the MC5 at the Epsom Baths Hall in Epsom, England, December 2, 1972. A planned fifteen-date tour of Italy was cancelled once the promoter learned that Rob Tyner was no longer in the band. There was one last show in England on the way back home, on December 9th.
Newspaper ad for the MC5 at the London School Of Economics in London, England on December 9, 1972, the final show of the final UK tour by Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith, performing as the MC5.
Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith returned to Detroit, they had performed eight or nine shows over the one month period.
Also on the bill is Doctor Ross, the “one man blues band” who was a resident of Flint, Michigan since 1955, when he moved there to take a job in the General Motors factory to support his young family, while still playing gigs at night.
In 1961, he recorded some tracks at Fortune Records in Detroit, including an original song called “Cat Squirrel”. The British rock group Cream included the song on their 1966 debut album, as did Jethro Tull on their debut album in 1968, both albums credited “Cat Squirrel” as “Traditional” while taking credit for the arrangements, which was a life-long infuriation for Doctor Ross.
Ross told the story of when a limo pulled up to his home in Flint and Eric Clapton unexpectantly came up to his porch, offering Ross front row seats to his concert (may have been when Clapton performed in nearby Saginaw in 1979). Ross went back inside and re-emerged brandishing a pistol, and Clapton and the limo made a hasty retreat.
Doctor Ross - Cat Squirrel (1961)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX5GYmGhnRk
New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1972, the final day of the year, the final show ever* at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan, and the ignoble final appearance ever by the MC5. Support bands were Jett Black and Roy Buchanan. Unfortunately, no posters exists, that we know of.
Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith had been back from the ill-advised tour of Europe for three weeks, and nothing was happening with the band. They were offered $500 to play the show and needing the money, they agreed to do it. Michael Davis, Dennis Thompson, and Rob Tyner rejoined Smith and Kramer on the stage of the Grande Ballroom, there were only a couple hundred people in attendance. About twenty minutes into their set, Kramer told Smith he couldn’t play anymore, they’d been paid in advance so he had his money, he unplugged his guitar, jumped off the stage, and, in his own words, “drove over to the dope house”.
The End.
Back to main History Page - HERE
The events column in the Ann Arbor SUN for New Years Eve, December 31, 1972 lists Lightnin’ and Detroit at the Grande Ballroom. The late addition of the MC5 is undocumented. The Database and the Gateway have Roy Buchanan and Jett Black opening.
The fifth show on the MC5 tour of Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith with hired British drummer and bass player, billed as the MC5, in Gladsaxe, Denmark, November 23, 1972. The bootleg recording “Kick Copenhagen” comes from this show.
Still image of Fred “Sonic” Smith from the video of the French TV show “TV Pop 2”, recorded at the Bataclan club in Paris on November 29, 1972. It turned out to be an abrupt end to the “MC2” England / Scandinavia tour that had lasted about two weeks with about six or seven shows at this point. The following 15 days in Italy were cancelled when the booking agents learned that the group was not complete. It looks like the group picked up two more UK shows before Smith and Wayne Kramer headed back home to the USA in early December.
MC5/MC2 – Live at the Bataclan Paris (11/29/72)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YOzVHC48Yw
The movie “Gold” was released in the UK on November 30, 1972, opening at the Classic Cinema in London’s Piccadilly Circus. As we recounted earlier, the MC5 had recorded the tracks in February, shortly after firing bassist Michael Davis, and just before their five-day tour of France. Wayne Kramer played bass on the three new songs for the film, “Gold”, “Train Music”, and Inside Out”.
MC5 – Gold (1972)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqyvkwmwogc&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0K2BjmxtEuXdUHg7-ZwfHvPGd2P-iaEiPVdzyxfFGgYmFES_4DOcgCiZs
Meanwhile, overseas, the MC5were scheduled to kick off their tour with this show in Zurich, Switzerland, November 11, 1972, promoted by these two posters, but the show was cancelled. The band was still in the US arguing over doing the tour and resulting in Dennis Thompson and Rob Tyner quitting the band.
Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith went to the UK, hiring a British drummer and bass player, to fill in.
A third version of the poster for the cancelled MC5 show in Zurich, Switzerland, November 11, 1972.
The first show for Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith with hired British drummer and bass player, billed as the MC5, at the Sundown Mile End E3 in London, England, November 16, 1972, with opening band Kingdom Come.
The second show on the MC5 tour of Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith with hired British drummer and bass player, billed as the MC5, in Helsinki, Finland, November 17, 1972. The show was filmed for TV, and we have some clips.
MC5 – Live in Helsinki (part one) (11/17/72)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc-GuXPAqjA
MC5 – Live in Helsinki (part two) (11/17/72)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYNK2pIFWHU
Poster/ad for the fourth show of the MC5 tour, in Karlstad, Sweden on November 19, 1972. The day before, the band had performed at the Kino-Palatsi in Tampere, Finland on November 18.
A photo from an unknown source that clearly indicates the MC5 at the Grand Ballroom, November 10, 1972, with bass player Derek Hughes. The Dogs are believed to have been the opening band.
A short mention in the “Rock & Roll Shorts” column in the November 17 issue of the Ann Arbor SUN confirms the approximate date and declares that the MC5 are finished. It was not quite, but essentially correct.
“…speaking of history, the MC5 played their ultimate concert at the Grande last weekend. The group finally decided to call it quits and now the MC5 are a group that will be talked about during the “legendary days of 1967 – 1970” conversations.”
Poster for the MC5 at the Wisconsin International Raceway, September 15, 1972.
The MC5 had returned to Detroit at the end of August, after three months in the UK and Europe, performing twenty shows with British bass player Derek Hughes. We don’t know why they were back in the states, when they had come home in April, it supposedly was merely to put things in order for a permanent move back to England. And as we’ll see, they were still booked for shows in England in September that they had to cancel, being back here.
The group was trying to find a permanent bass player but weren’t finding anyone that all four could agree on. The show in Wisconsin is odd, given the circumstances, and it’s possible that it never actually happened, as we know festival line-ups were notoriously subject to change.
The next two months are pretty blank, there are only two shows on the timeline. MC5 are listed as appearing at the “Re-Opening of the Grande” at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit with the Amboy Dukes and The Mutants on September 30, 1972, and then again at the Grande Ballroom with the Dogs on November 10th. But neither of these can be confirmed in the Calendar sections of either the Fifth Estate or the Ann Arbor Sun newspapers. Further adding to the question of whether any of these shows actually happened, who would have been playing bass, and who would have made the bookings?
But, what is known is that just before the band departed back to England in mid-November, both Rob Tyner and Dennis Thompson decided to finally call it quits. Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith went to the UK without them, re-joining with bassist Derek Hughes again and picking up British drummer Richie Dharma.
Two more posters for the Wisconsin Fall Fest, September 15-17, 1972, with the MC5 misspelled as the “NC5” on the one on the right.
A new music magazine called Let It Rock was launched in the UK in September 1972, using a rather dated Leni Sinclair photo of the MC5’s Rob Tyner in its inaugural ad.
A newspaper listing (unfortunately, no poster) for the re-opening of the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan on September 30, 1972, the first show at the Grande in over five months, with a great line-up of the Amboy Dukes, MC5, and the Motor City Mutants.
A great poster for the Windsor Arts Festival in Windsor, England, September 23, 1972. The MC5 are listed but did not appear as they were back in the US.
Gary Grimshaw poster, and a second poster by an unknown artist, for the second week of the second season at The Park in North Baltimore, Ohio, August 19, 1972. The MC5 would not have appeared as they were still in Europe at the time. Other Michigan bands were Catfish and Mojo Boogie Band (with ex-Stooge Steve Mackay on sax, and Zenta high priest and ex-MC5 MC Jesse Crawford on drums).
On August 19, 1972, the same day that they were advertised for The Park in North Baltimore, Ohio, the MC5 appeared along with Capability Brown, Brian Auger's Oblivion Express, Bond & Brown, Stray; Brewers Droop, and Roy Wood’s Wizzard at the "Bilzen Jazz Festival" 8th Edition,in Bilzen, Belgium.
Two ads for the MC5 in St. Albans, England, July 1, 1972, the opening band from London, Supertramp, already had two album releases, but would not gain their worldwide fame for a few more years.
The MC5 took a brief leave of England to play four shows in Holland, the Netherlands, and Belgium. This is the poster for the July 13, 1972 show in Amsterdam, “M.C.5. American Rock”.
The MC5 played their largest, and perhaps strangest, show on the current UK tour at Wembley Stadium, August 5, 1972 as part of a giant Rock ‘N’ Roll Show. They unfortunately were trying out a new look, centered around Fred Smith's sonic spaceman costume and were allegedly chased from the stage by a barrage of beer cans. Later, they realized that had they worn leather jackets and jeans they would have probably gone over great.
Two more posters for the MC5 at Wembley Stadium, August 5, 1972.
In contrast to the unwelcoming response the MC5 received at Wembley Stadium, their next show, in Turku, Finland, as a substitute for Humble Pie at the Ruisrock Festival, August 12, 1972 was extremely well received, Rob Tyner said it was the best audience they’d had in years.
An ad for a seven night engagement at Bumpers in Picadilly Circus in London, England, July 3-9, 1972. Following these shows, the band departed England for ten days in the Netherlands.
A show preview for a Pop Festival in Ostend, Belgium on July 22, 1972, with MC5, Matching Mole, If, Jericho, Brainbox, Sweet, Mungo Jerry, Pebbles, Speed, and Dizzy Mans Band.
An ad for the MC5 at Bedford College in London, June 30, 1972.
An ad for the MC5 at Hornsea Rock in Hull, England on June 24, 1972. Their next show is at Merton College in Oxford, England on June 27th.
An ad for the MC5 at The Greyhound in London on June 28, 1972, a free admission show as all were, apparently, at The Greyhound. A newspaper events listing has the free show at the Greyhound on June 28th, and the following night, June 29, 1972 at Kingston Polytechnic in London on June 29, 1972.
Two more shows by the MC5 in England, June 16, 1972 in Liverpool, and June 18th in Epping.
A newspaper listing for the MC5 at York City Rowing Club in Lendal Bridge, York, England on June 19, 1972. Still looking for an ad to confirm their next show, at the Penthouse in Scarborough on June 23rd.
Ticket for The Park with MC5 listed for August 19, 1972.
