Face The Music Tour

Electric Light Orchestra -- Face The Music Tour

An in-depth look at the 1975/1976 tour

Comments and Observations

The tour in support of the Face The Music album is arguably ELO's hardest working tour. It was the longest schedule of any of their tours as well as having the longest (and most variable) setlist. It ran from August 1975 to September 1976, spanning the world and including stops in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. The start of the tour coincided with the worldwide release of the Evil Woman single in late 1975, which was ELO's first worldwide hit reaching the top ten in many countries in which it was released, including both the UK and USA. It was this tour that helped move ELO up a level to superstar status and they began regularly being the headline act, rather than the supporting act.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since this page launched, it was determined that the portion of the tour from June to September of 1976 was probably in support of Olé ELO rather than Face The Music. Therefore, a page for that tour will be created in the future and any comments on this page about the shows from those dates are suspect.

It's difficult to pinpoint a single setlist used on the tour as apparently the band may have changed up the setlist many times. Some performances are known to have used a medley of the Rolling Stones' Let's Spend The Night Together, Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 and The Beatles The End, as well as the On The Third Day tracks (in a different arrangement). The primary evidence for the tour setlists is based upon released and bootleg material, which may or may not be complete. As such, it's not entirely clear if the variable setlist is a result of the band changing it during the tour or incomplete information from available materials. The only performances that undoubtedly offer complete setlist are the March 3, 1976 performance in Detroit, Michigan and the March 19, 1976 performance in Boston, Massachusetts, both of which have slightly different setlists.

Truth is, it's difficult to classify this as the Face The Music tour per se, as the band was simply touring continuously from as early as the release of the On The Third Day album (winter 1973) to the beginning of the recording for the Out Of The Blue album (summer 1977). Each concert was simply to promote their latest works and would incorporate the songs from the latest release. Because Face The Music was released in September 1975, Olé ELO was released in June of 1976, and A New World Record was released in October 1976, all concert dates between that period are classified here as part of the Face The Music tour. It should be noted that the 1975 performances bear closer resemblance to the performances from the prior Eldorado tour and the late 1976 performances bear closer resemblance to the upcoming A New World Record tour and the setlist and performances evolved over the course of the tour.

Audio from this tour is one of the most widely available, with official, albeit incomplete, releases of three concerts and bootlegs of three additional concerts.

As in previous shows, Mik Kaminski and Hugh McDowell performed solo violin and cello pieces respectively during the show. Mik performed a self-written and unnamed solo piece that sometimes used passages from Edvard Grieg's In The Hall Of The Mountain King as well as heavy echo effects as the solo part progressed. This violin solo part merged with a selection from of Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5 and Orange Blossom Special when the drums, bass and keyboards joined in. The self-written first part varied from show to show and it is likely that Mik improvised the performance at each show. Hugh performed his own self-written and unnamed solo piece which similarly merged with Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight Of The Bumblebee where bass and drums joined in, although this was not improvised and was the same self-written song at each performance. It is curious that on all of the official releases, these solos were not released. It is probably due to contracts and/or copyright reasons that these solo performances have never been officially released, although they have been bootlegged from various sources.

Band and crew members

The band and crew on this tour were:

Jeff Lynne: vocals, guitar
Bev Bevan: drums
Richard Tandy: keyboards
Kelly Groucutt: bass, vocals
Mik Kaminski: violin
Hugh McDowell: cello
Melvyn Gale: cello
John Downing: tour manager (unconfirmed)
Don Arden: Business and personal management
Dave Arden: Business and personal management

Other crew is uncertain, although probably Jake Commander, Brian Jones and Phil Copestake were involved as engineers or technicians as they were known to be good friends with the band and involved in most of their tours.

Tour dates

This tour ran in from August 1975 to September 1976, with a short break over December 1975 through January 1976, another break in July 1976 and a set of cancelled gigs in May of 1976. These dates are approximate only, based upon limited information. It is known that the band had completed recording of the Face The Music album by June of 1975 and began work on the A New World Record, the follow up album, in July of 1976, so those dates appear generally accurate.

Date City, Country Venue Opening Act(s) Comments
August 28, 1975 Brisbane, Australia Unknown Unknown
September 1, 1975 Sydney, Australia Unknown Unknown
September 2, 1975 Melbourne, Australia Unknown Unknown
September 5, 1975 Adelaide, Australia Unknown Unknown
September 6, 1975 Perth, Australia Unknown Unknown
?, 1975 Dunedin, New Zealand Unknown Unknown
?, 1975 Christchurch, New Zealand Unknown Unknown
?, 1975 Wellington, New Zealand Unknown Unknown
?, 1975 Auckland, New Zealand Unknown Unknown
November 27, 1975 Glasgow, UK Unknown Unknown
November 28, 1975 Edinburgh, UK Unknown Unknown
December 6, 1975 London, UK New Victoria Theatre Unknown
December 8, 1975 Birmingham, UK Unknown Unknown
January 17, 1976 Manchester, USA Free Trade Hall Unknown
February 3, 1976 ?, USA Unknown Unknown
February 12, 1976 Sacramento, California, USA Memorial Auditorium Little Feat
February 13, 1976 San Francisco, California, USA Winterland Ballroom Little Feat
February 14, 1976 San Francisco, California, USA Winterland Ballroom Little Feat
February 15, 1976 San Jose, California, USA Civic Auditorium Little Feat
February 16, 1976 ?, USA Unknown Unknown
February 17, 1976 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Civic Arena Unknown
February 18, 1976 San Diego, California, USA Sports Arena Little Feat
February 22, 1976 Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA The University Of New Mexico's Johnson Gym Kingfish
February 23, 1976 Denver Colorado, USA Denver University Arena Unknown
February 26, 1976 Kansas City, Missouri, USA Kemper Arena Bachman Turner Overdrive (headliner)
February 27, 1976 La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA Mary E. Sawyer Auditorium Unknown
March 4, 1976 Detroit, Michigan, USA Cobo Arena Unknown
March 5, 1976 Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Cobo Arena or Riverfront Coliseum Journey, Elvin Bishop Sources contradict as to the venue, however it it thought that Cobo Arena is the correct venue
March 13, 1976 Louisville, Kentucky, USA Louisville Gardens Roxy Music
March 14, 1976 Charleston, South Carolina, USA Unknown Unknown
March 17, 1976 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Stanley Theater Journey
March 19, 1976 Boston, Massachusetts, USA Orpheum Theatre Unknown
March 20, 1976 New York, New York, USA Beacon Theater Journey
March 21, 1976 Waterbury, Connecticut, USA Unknown Journey
March 23, 1976 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA The Spectrum Journey, Wishbone Ash
March 29, 1976 Landover, Maryland, USA The Capital Centre Unknown
April 18, 1976 ?, USA Unknown Unknown
April 26, 1976 Kansas City, Missouri, USA Cowtown Ballroom Suzi Quatro
April ?, 1976 New York City, New York, USA Unknown Unknown
April ?, 1976 New York City, New York, USA Unknown Unknown
April ?, 1976 Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA Unknown Unknown
April ?, 1976 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Unknown Unknown
May 7, 1976 Ipswich, UK (CANCELLED) Unknown Unknown
May 8, 1976 London, UK (CANCELLED) Unknown Unknown
May 10, 1976 Birmingham, UK (CANCELLED) Unknown Unknown
May 11, 1976 Oxford, UK (CANCELLED) Unknown Unknown
May 13, 1976 Liverpool, UK (CANCELLED) Unknown Unknown
May 14, 1976 Hanley, UK (CANCELLED) Unknown Unknown
May 15, 1976 Manchester, UK (CANCELLED) Unknown Unknown
May 16, 1976 Newcastle, UK (CANCELLED) Unknown Unknown
May 17, 1976 Glasgow, UK (CANCELLED) Unknown Unknown
May 18, 1976 Hull, UK (CANCELLED) Unknown Unknown
June 15, 1976 Bristol, UK Colston Hall Unknown
June 17, 1976 Birmingham, UK Town Hall Unknown
June 18, 1976 Oxford, UK New Theatre Unknown
June 19, 1976 Manchester, UK Free Trade Hall Unknown
June 20, 1976 London, UK New Victoria Theatre Unknown
June 22, 1976 Portsmouth, UK The Guildhall Unknown
June 24, 1976 Hanley, UK Victoria Hall Unknown
June 26, 1976 Glasgow, UK The Apollo Unknown
June 27, 1976 Newcastle, UK Newcastle City Hall Steve Gibbon Band
June 28, 1976 Liverpool, UK Liverpool Empire Theatre Unknown
August 9, 1976 Los Angeles, California, USA Unknown Unknown
August 10, 1976 Los Angeles, California, USA Unknown Unknown
August 11, 1976 Los Angeles, California, USA Unknown Unknown
August 12, 1976 Los Angeles, California, USA Unknown Unknown
August 14, 1976 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Unknown Unknown
August 16, 1976 San Diego, California, USA Unknown Unknown
August 18, 1976 Oakland, California, USA Oakland Coliseum Jethro Tull (headliner), Rory Gallagher (opener), Camel (opener)
August 19, 1976 Seattle, Washington, USA Unknown Unknown
August 21, 1976 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Unknown Unknown
August 22, 1976 Calgary, Alberta, Canada Unknown Unknown
August 24, 1976 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Unknown Unknown
August 25, 1976 St. Louis, Missouri, USA Kiel Auditorium Mahogany Rush, Pure Prarie League
August 26, 1976 Chicago, Illinois, USA Unknown Unknown
August 30, 1976 Cleveland, Ohio, USA Unknown Unknown
September 1, 1976 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Unknown Unknown
September 4, 1976 Montreal, Quebec, Canada Unknown Unknown
September 7, 1976 Detroit, Michigan, USA Unknown Unknown
September 8, 1976 Detroit, Michigan, USA Unknown Unknown
September 14, 1976 Toronto, Canada Maple Leaf Gardens Unknown

Setlist

Based upon released and bootlegged material, the setlist shown below is the most consistent setlist, although variations did occur. The early part of the tour in Australia, New Zealand and the UK used a slightly different song order, swapping the placement of Showdown for the placement of Poker and Nightrider; this early part of the tour also excluded Strange Magic completely from the setlist, presumably because it was not yet a single; and a live performance of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (First Movement) rather than the familiar taped Fifth Symphony was used to intro Roll Over Beethoven. Thus the setlist for the early part of the tour is somewhat reminiscent of the Eldorado tour. Beginning with the June 1976 European part of the tour, the arrangement for Showdown changed slightly with a long piano part replacing the guitar solo; the arrangement for Ma-Ma-Ma Belle also changed slightly, with a long drum intro used to get the audience excited and clapping along. There are three bootlegged performances from the USA leg of the tour and if one is to assume they are complete, then it appears that the suite of On The Third Day songs were not performed at all shows. Of the three USA show bootlegs, only the Detroit performance includes the rare Let's Spend The Night Together/Piano Concerto No. 1/The End medley.

Song Title Arrangement Song comments
Fire On High This is the Face The Music album arrangement, but all the acoustic guitar parts are replaced with a heavy electric guitar. Also the intro is played from tape and is not performed live.
Poker This is the Face The Music album arrangement, but Jeff sings all the lead vocals rather than trading lines with Kelly Groucutt. Also the ending is extended slightly, giving the song a bigger finish.
Nightrider This is the Face The Music album arrangement, but with a different keyboard on the intro.
Ocean Breakup/King Of The Universe Based upon the On The Third Day album version, this one is quite different. Kelly Groucutt sings most vocal parts with Jeff adding harmony, except the last verse which Jeff sings alone. The humming parts are cut altogether. And the string plucking ending is greatly extended with a violin taking over most of the string plucking part before moving into a unique solo part. Not performed on all shows
Oh No Not Susan (Part 1) Only a short section of Oh No Not Susan, the guitar and moog part from the song's end, is played. Not performed on all shows
Bluebird Is Dead Almost the same as the On The Third Day album version, this arrangement includes Kelly Groucutt on backing vocals and a more prominent piano part at the end of the instrumental bridge. Not performed on all shows
Oh No Not Susan (Part 2) A repeat of the short guitar and moog part is included after Bluebird Is Dead. Not performed on all shows
New World Rising/Ocean Breakup Reprise This song is shortened from the On The Third Day album version in that it completely cuts all the vocal sections and only includes the song's instrumental bridge and all instrumental parts following the final verse. The ending is also slightly extended, allowing for a bigger finish to the song and the entire suite of On The Third Day songs. Not performed on all shows
Hugh's Cello Solo N/A The performance starts with a long cello solo by Hugh alone, but near the end it morphs into Flight Of The Bumblebee with Bev, Kelly and Jeff joining in on drums, bass and guitar respectively. Unlike Mik's violin solo, the cello solo was not improvised and was the same melody at each performance.
Showdown This is the standard single arrangement except everything after the "Y'know I need you child" is cut and replaced with a guitar outro. Starting with the late European part of the tour, about half of the guitar solo was replaced with a piano part.
Eldorado Overture Eldorado album version This is a taped intro from the Eldorado album.
Can't Get It Out Of My Head This is the Eldorado album arrangement except the keyboard is different on the bridge.
Poor Boy (The Greenwood) This is the Eldorado album arrangement except there is an additional string riff at the song's start. Additionally Kelly Groucutt sings lead on all choruses and the first two lines of the first two verses.
Illusions In G Major This is the Eldorado album arrangement except it has a slightly different and harder guitar on the intro and end. Kelly Groucutt sings lead on the second verse and adds harmony vocals throughout. Additionally, the song is played slightly faster than the album version.
Eldorado This is the basic Eldorado album arrangement but it cuts the third verse ("Say goodbye, the city's heroes sing...") and the second chorus. Also, Kelly Groucutt sings lead on the choruses.
Eldorado Finale Eldorado arrangement, but cuts the vocal line at song's end.
Mik's Violin Solo N/A This is an unnamed solo piece written by Mik that sometimes used passages from Edvard Grieg's In The Hall Of The Mountain King as well as heavy echo effects as the solo part progressed. This must have been improvised as the melody varied from show to show. This violin solo part merged with a selection from of Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5 and Orange Blossom Special with the drums, bass and keyboards joining in.
Strange Magic This is the Face The Music album arrangement, but the lead guitar parts are played on keyboard, there are no female backing vocals, and it has a non-fading end. This song was not performed at all shows.
Medley: 10538 Overture/Do Ya This is an interesting medley that merges the first half of 10538 Overture with the first half of Do Ya. On 10538 Overture, it is the basic arrangement from ELO's first album except: Kelly sings all lead vocals except the "did you see him run, did you see him fall" and "did you see him hide, did you see him crawl" lines, which Jeff sings; there is an added keyboard part that plays over most of the instrumental parts; and only the first three minutes of the song is played before merging into Do Ya. On Do Ya, it is the basic original Move single version except: it has the extra "and I heard the police playin' with their guns" line from the as-yet unrecorded ELO version, Kelly sings the long "but I... part that starts the choruses; it includes string parts; and only the first verse and chorus are performed. Following the Do Ya chorus, the song returns to the 10538 Overture guitar riff to end the song.
Evil Woman This is the Face The Music album arrangement, but without the orchestral intro and a non-fading end.
Ma-Ma-Ma Belle This is the Ma-Ma-Ma Belle single arrangement with added piano throughout; Kelly Groucutt sings lead on the second verse and the "ma-ma-ma belle" parts on the choruses with Jeff singing the "or I will get you" (and similar) parts on the choruses; the end has an additional chorus and a lengthy instrumental part running nearly 1:20 before a big ending. On the later UK performances, the song had an approximately 20 second drum intro with Kelly encouraging the audience to clap to the beat.
Let's Spend The Night Together/Piano Concerto No. 1/The End Although this song was never known to have been recorded by the band, this arrangement is mostly of the song Let's Spend The Night Together. At about four minutes into the song, there is an approximately 30 second inclusion of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, then a return to Let's Spend The Night Together. The last 30 seconds or so is the end section of the Beatles' The End ("and in the end, the love you take..."). This song was not performed at all shows.
Roll Over Beethoven This is the ELO 2 UK album arrangment, but cuts the mellotron intro; also, the third and fourth verses and second chorus are cut, replaced by a long instrumental jam and picks up at the repeated "Roll Over Beethoven" part; the ending is extended, drawing out the last notes in a long jam.

Releases

Three performances from this tour have had official release. Two of these releases are audio only and one is both audio and video, although none are complete performances. There have also been a number of bootlegs, many which fill in the gaps from the official releases.

The February 14, 1976 performance at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom (which has since closed down and been destroyed) was released in 1998 in both the US and UK on a collection called Live At Winterland '76 from Eagle Records. Although this is the first official release of this concert, the concert had been widely available for many years in a variety of radio shows and bootlegs and it warrants special attention. The recording was first used for the Rock Around The World show #85 radio show produced by Westwood One and broadcast on March 21, 1976. This radio show included the complete concert minus the cello and violin solos and the On The Third Day suite. For Rock Around The World show #120 broadcast on November 21, 1976, Westwood One repackaged the songs Showdown, Strange Magic and Evil Woman from this concert and released it to radio as a highlight show that included similar excerpts from concerts by Orleans, Marshall Tucker Band and Genesis. The concert performance was repackaged again for Rock Around The World show #142, this time interspersed with interviews with Bev Bevan and broadcast on April 24, 1977. This broadcast, was over a year after the concert performance and well after A New World Record was released. Because it was used to promote the then current ELO album, the radio show included the studio versions of Shangri-La and So Fine from the new album at the end of the show. The show was repackaged yet again for Rock Around The World show #200 under the title Rock Around The World Bicentennial Show that was broadcast on April 6, 1978. This was a "best of" type show and included the ELO songs Roll Over Beethoven and Ma-Ma-Ma Belle while including similar concert excerpts from bands such as Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Buffet, Supertramp and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Although all these broadcasts were not available for purchase by the general public, they were heavily used on radio and were readily available on the bootleg market for many years. The concert performance was most commonly available on the Freedom City Pandemonium bootleg vinyl (TARKL 1994), although this release further excluded Fire On High, Showdown and Ma-Ma-Ma Belle. In 1998, although incomplete, it was officially released on an album called Live At Winterland '76 put out by Eagle Records. Most recently, a mostly unedited version of the concert, complete with stage banter, has been available for download at the Wolfgang's Vault website. (Click http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/dt/electric-light-orchestra-concert/2664-10182.html for purchase and download information.) This download includes the missing cello and violin solos, however, it still does not include the On The Third Day suite. As such, it remains unclear if the suite was actually performed at this show. Evidence of some editing of the Wolfgang's Vault recording is notable from a long audience cheering part between Ma-Ma-Ma Belle and Roll Over Beethoven that is present on the 1998 Eagle release but is missing from the Wolfgang's Vault release.

The June 20, 1976 performance at the New Victoria Theatre (now called the Apollo Victoria) in London saw official release as the Fusion Concert - Live In London video. This was released in 1990 on VHS video only in the UK on Pickwick Video Ltd (PTR 2152). The concert video is apparently one of the first concert films directed by Mike Mansfield, who went on to fame as a well-known producer and director. The film was broadcast on television in the UK in the 1970s, although it's not entirely clear on exactly which date or channel it was broadcast. Quite a few songs were missing from the broadcast and video release, including Fire On High, Eldorado, Eldorado Finale and both the cello and violin solos. It is quite likely that these missing songs were filmed, but it is unknown if they survived the editing process. This video has not been available since the initial 1990 release.

The remaining official release from this tour is the Portsmouth, UK performance on June 22, 1976 which was recorded for broadcast on BBC radio for their BBC Transcription Service series. Which tracks that were broadcast on BBC radio are currently unknown. The Portsmouth performance was later broadcast in the USA on August 23, 1981 for London Wavelength's BBC Rock Hour program, but cut several songs, including Fire On High, Poorboy (The Greenwood), Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, Roll Over Beethoven and the cello and violin solos. The concert was commercially released on the 1999 Live At The BBC CD (along with live selections from previous year's BBC performances) on Eagle Records. Unfortunately, this audio also is incomplete and cuts 10538 Overture/Do Ya, Roll Over Beethoven and the cello and violin solos. The concert was bootlegged in the 1970s on an Atomic Records LP (AR 723) under the title America Sees The Light. This bootleg features all songs from the concert, including the elusive cello and violin solos, but excludes Poor Boy (The Greenwood). An enduring mystery is the exclusion of Eldorado and Eldorado Finale from the concert. These songs are not available in any form anywhere, so it is unclear if they were even performed at this concert.

Other bootlegged performances, which are all audience recordings, include a March 4, 1976 performance in Detroit, Michigan, a March 19, 1976 performance in Boston, Massachusetts, and a December 6, 1975 performance in London, England (which is not the same performance as the Fusion Concert - Live In London video performance). All of these bootlegs are the complete concert. Luckily for fans, the Detroit performance includes the very rare Let's Spend The Night Together/Piano Concerto No. 1/The End medley and the London concert includes the equally rare use of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (First Movement) to intro Roll Over Beethoven, rather than the usual Fifth Symphony.

These recordings are evidence that during this tour, ELO were performing their longest setlist ever, running as long as an hour and 45 minutes and including as many as 29 different songs (with several as medleys).

The chart below summarizes the available recordings from this tour, bootleg or otherwise.

Date Location Source Quality Comments
December 6, 1975 London, UK Unknown Unknown The intro to Roll Over Beethoven uses a live performance of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (First Movement) rather than the Fifth Symphony. The show does not include Strange Magic, probably because it was not yet a single at the time of this concert. It also includes a slightly different ordering of the songs at the beginning of the show with the order being Fire On High, Showdown, On The Third Day suite, Hugh's solo, Poker, Nightrider and Eldorado Overture with the rest the same as other concerts.
February 14, 1976 San Francisco, USA Sound board Excellent No version of this concert includes the On The Third Day suite and it remains unclear if it was actually performed.
March 4, 1976 Detroit, USA Audience Good This is the only show that includes the rare Let's Spend The Night Together/Piano Concerto In A Minor/The End medley.
March 19, 1976 Boston, USA Audience Good
June 20, 1976 London, UK Sound board Very Good Taken from the Fusion Concert - Live In London video, this performance exlcudes Fire On High, the On The Third Day suite, and both Hugh and Mik's solos. These missing tracks are not available anywhere, official or bootleg.
June 22, 1976 Portsmouth, UK Sound board Excellent The official release on this show on the Live At The BBC CD, it is incomplete, however, the complete concert (minus Eldorado and Eldorado Overture which may not have been performed) is available as a bootleg.

Headlining/Opening Acts

This was clearly a transition time for the popularity of the band. During the tour, sometimes they were the opening act and at other times they were the headline act. The other bands they opened for or had open for them varied greatly from performance to performance. In at least two known cases, they opened for Bachman Turner Overdrive and Jethro Tull. Where ELO was the headliner, opening acts included mostly Little Feat and Journey, with occasionally openings by Kingfish, Elvin Bishop, Roxy Music, Wishbone Ash, Rory Gallagher, Camel, Mahogany Rush, Pure Prarie League, Suzi Quatro and Steve Gibbon Band.

Promotions

This section is TBD as more information becomes available.

Photos

ELO on tour (taken from the 2006 Face The Music remaster CD) Face The Music tour programme
Image kindly provided by Graham Bennett
 		Ticket stub for December 6, 1975 show
Image kindly provided by Graham Bennett
 		Ticket stub for January 17, 1976 show
Image kindly provided by Graham Bennett
 		Backstage pass for February 17, 1976 show
Image kindly provided by Graham Bennett
Ticket stub for February 23, 1976 show
Image kindly provided by Graham Bennett
 		Ticket stub for March 29, 1976 show
Image kindly provided by Graham Bennett
 		Poster for April 26, 1976 show
Image kindly provided by Graham Bennett
 		Ticket stub for June 19, 1976 show
Image kindly provided by Graham Bennett
 		Ticket stub for June 27, 1976 show
Image kindly provided by Graham Bennett
Ticket stub for August 18, 1976 show
Image kindly provided by Graham Bennett
 		Ticket stub for September 14, 1976 show
Image kindly provided by Graham Bennett
 		Magazine ad for UK tour
Image kindly provided by Graham Bennett
 		Live At Winterland '76 (March 28, 1998) * UK * Eagle Records EAMCD0038
Live At Winterland '76 (September 8, 1998) * USA * Cleopatra CLP0354
The USA CD is the same as the UK issue, but with a sticker with the new label and stock number
 		The Complete ELO Live Collection CD album (October 3, 2000) * USA * Cleopatra CLP0932)
Fusion Concert - Live In London VHS videotape (1990) * USA * Pickwick PTR 2152) Live At The BBC CD album (1999) * USA * Eagle Records EAMCD097) Freedom City Pandemonium LP bootleg album (circa 1977) * USA * TARKL 1994) America Sees The Light LP bootleg album (circa 1977) * USA * Atomic Records AR 723)
No other photos from this tour are currently available. If you have any to share, please contact me at the email address at the bottom of this page.

Fan Comments

Below are fan comments from fans who attended shows on this tour.

Insert your comments here. There currently are no fan comments.

If you attended one or more performances from ELO's Face The Music tour, send in your name, the date/venue, and your comments and I will add them to this page. I will only add your comments with your explicit permission.

Song Comments

Fire On High (Winterland February 14, 1976)
"In 1976 pre-recorded backing tapes were used for the first time to support the group, providing the intro's of Fire On High, Roll Over Beethoven and the prologue of Eldorado Overture."
Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 Unexpected Messages)

Poker (Winterland February 14, 1976)

Nightrider (Winterland February 14, 1976)

Hugh's Cello Solo/Flight of the Bumblebee (Winterland February 14, 1976)

Showdown (Winterland February 14, 1976)

Eldorado Overture (Winterland February 14, 1976)
The Live At Winterland '76 labels this song as Eldorado Suite (Including Can't Get It Out Of My Head), which runs 13 minutes and 14 seconds and includes several Eldorado songs other than this one.

"Only the U.S.A. shows [on the Face The Music tour] included Eldorado [and] Eldorado Finale... In 1976 pre-recorded backing tapes were used for the first time to support the group, providing the intro's of Fire On High, Roll Over Beethoven and the prologue of Eldorado Overture."
Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 Unexpected Messages)

Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Winterland February 14, 1976)
The Live At Winterland '76 labels this song as Eldorado Suite (Including Can't Get It Out Of My Head), which runs [13:14] and includes several Eldorado songs other than this one.

Poor Boy (The Greenwood) (Winterland February 14, 1976)

Illusions In G Major (Winterland February 14, 1976)
The Live At Winterland '76 labels this song as Eldorado Suite (Including Can't Get It Out Of My Head), which runs [13:14] and includes several Eldorado songs other than this one.

Eldorado (Winterland February 14, 1976)
The Live At Winterland '76 labels this song as Eldorado Suite (Including Can't Get It Out Of My Head), which runs [13:14] and includes several Eldorado songs other than this one.

Eldorado Finale (Winterland February 14, 1976)
The Live At Winterland '76 labels this song as Eldorado Suite (Including Can't Get It Out Of My Head), which runs [13:14] and includes several Eldorado songs other than this one.

"Only the U.S.A. shows [on the Face The Music tour] included Eldorado [and] Eldorado Finale..."
Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 Unexpected Messages)

Mik's Violin Solo/Hungarian Dance No. 5/Orange Blossom Special (Winterland February 14, 1976)

Strange Magic (Winterland February 14, 1976)

10538 Overture/Do Ya (Winterland February 14, 1976)
This medley has 10538 Overture from [0:00 to 2:56] and the remainder ([2:56 to 5:27]) as Do Ya.

Evil Woman (Winterland February 14, 1976)

Ma-Ma-Ma Belle (Winterland February 14, 1976)

Roll Over Beethoven (Winterland February 14, 1976)
"In 1976 pre-recorded backing tapes were used for the first time to support the group, providing the intro's of Fire On High, Roll Over Beethoven and the prologue of Eldorado Overture."
Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 Unexpected Messages)

Poker (London June 20, 1976)

Nightrider (London June 20, 1976)

Showdown (London June 20, 1976)

Eldorado Overture (London June 20, 1976)

Can't Get It Out Of My Head (London June 20, 1976)

Poor Boy (The Greenwood) (London June 20, 1976)

Illusions In G Major (London June 20, 1976)

Strange Magic (London June 20, 1976)

10538 Overture/Do Ya (London June 20, 1976)

Evil Woman (London June 20, 1976)

Ma-Ma-Ma Belle (London June 20, 1976)

Roll Over Beethoven (London June 20, 1976)

Fire On High (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)

Poker (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)

Nightrider (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)

Ocean Breakup/King Of The Universe (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)
This song is released on the 1999 Live At The BBC album under the title of Medley - On The Third Day which includes all tracks from the On The Third Day suite. Ocean Breakup / King Of The Universe is tracked on this song from [0:00 to 5:45].

Oh No Not Susan (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)
This song is released on the 1999 Live At The BBC album under the title of Medley - On The Third Day which includes all tracks from the On The Third Day suite. It is the guitar riff only (no vocals) of Oh No Not Susan running from [5:45 to 6:35]. A repeat the guitar riff (no vocals) of Oh No Not Susan runs from [10:35 to 11:10]

Bluebird Is Dead (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)
This song is released on the 1999 Live At The BBC album under the title of Medley - On The Third Day which includes all tracks from the On The Third Day suite. It runs from [6:35 to 10:35] on the track.

New World Rising/Ocean Breakup Reprise (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)
This song is released on the 1999 Live At The BBC album under the title of Medley - On The Third Day which includes all tracks from the On The Third Day suite. It is a version of New World Rising / Ocean Breakup Reprise missing the vocal portions from [11:10 to 12:43]. The remainder of the track as tracked on the Live At The BBC CD is Jeff Lynne speaking to the audience and introducing the next song (Showdown).

Hugh's Cello Solo/Flight Of The Bumblebee (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)
"Hugh's solo theme was Flight Of The Bumblebee by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakoff in which Kelly joined in on bass."
Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 Unexpected Messages)

Showdown (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)

Eldorado Overture (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)
The E.L.O. Live at the BBC CD incorrectly lists this song title as Eldorado and merges it with Can't Get It Out Of My Head as one track.

Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)
The E.L.O. Live at the BBC CD incorrectly lists this song title as Eldorado and merges it with Eldorado Overture as one track.

Poor Boy (The Greenwood) (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)

Illusions In G Major (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)

Mik's Violin Solo/In The Hall Of The Mountain King/Hungarian Dance No. 5/Orange Blossom Special (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)
"Mik's new solo theme [on the Face The Music tour] was Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms with drums and bass joining in. On other occasions he played Orange Blossom Special by E.T. Rousse and sometimes a violin version of his solo of In The Hall Of The Mountain King by Edvard Grieg."
Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 Unexpected Messages)

Strange Magic (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)

10538 Overture/Do Ya (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)
"The [1999 Live At The BBC] CD manages to leave off three tracks from those originally broadcast by the BBC - Ma Ma Ma Belle (from Golders Green Hippodrome) and 10538 Overture / Do Ya (from Portsmouth)."
Rob Caiger (July 19, 1999 - Showdown mailing list)
Editor's Note: Roll Over Beethoven, Hugh McDowell's cello solo and Mik Kaminski's violin solo were also left off this CD.

Evil Woman (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)

Ma-Ma-Ma Belle (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)

Roll Over Beethoven (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)

Let's Spend The Night Together/Piano Concerto No. 1/The End (Face The Music Tour)
This song is known only to have been played live. No known studio recording exists. It is an interesting mixture of several songs. First is a cover of the Rolling Stones Let's Spend The Night Together with cellos playing the main rift, then the instrumental break is Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto No. 1, followed by more of Let's Spend The Night Together, then finally a cover of The Beatles' The End is played.

"Only the U.S.A. shows included [...] Let's Spend The Night Together / Piano Concerto No. 1 / The End as first encore, which was a capital mixture of The Rolling Stones, Edvard Grieg and The Beatles."
Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 Unexpected Messages)

Moonlight Sonata (First Movement)/Roll Over Beethoven (Face The Music Tour)
This song is known only to have been played live. No known studio recording exists.

"During their first British concerts of that tour in 1975 E.L.O.'s string players Mik, Hugh and Melvyn performed [the usual intro to Roll Over Beethoven, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony,] as intro [...] live for the last time. They added another Beethoven track, Moonlight Sonata (First Movement), before Chuck Berry's guitar intro started and during the long instrumental part of it Melvyn Gale lay down his cello and and hammered with the string bow on Bev's cymbals. Then he sat down at the grand piano and played back to back with Richard, who sat at the electric piano."
Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 Unexpected Messages)

This page is intended to be a complete record of information on the Electric Light Orchestra Face The Music tour. If you notice any errors or omissions (which there are many), please contact me at elofan@juno.com and let me know. I strive for accuracy.

Robert Porter
August 2008