Edmonton has always been a semi-regular stop for most major acts of all genres, especially for Rock n Roll. The 1967 Summer Tour of the U.S. and Canada by Herman's Hermits, The Who, and The Blues Magoos was a highly anticipated event in Edmonton, with tickets going fast at the newly renovated Edmonton Gardens to the concert, to be held Monday August 21, 1967.
Herman's Hermits were still going strong and earned the title of Headliner, even though their polite Musical Hall take on Rock n Roll clashed greatly with the undercard. Still, their latest big hit in North America "A Kind Of Hush" had been recently released and was a top 10 hit:
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The Who were literally smashing at the Monterrey Pop Festival earlier that summer, where the performance had made the band famous in the US. Their mind-blowing (and classic) song "I Can See For Miles" was fresh in the minds of AM radio stations, and their "The Who Sell Out" LP was coming later in the year.
The Who in 1967 at Monterrey:
The garage/psych/blues rock of Bronx sons The Blues Magoos and their catchy (and lifted from the bass line of Ricky Nelson's 'Summertime") "We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet" were openers, with a steady career both on the charts and on music/variety shows like Shindig and American Bandstand.
The Blues Magoos in 1967:
Edmonton Journal entertainment/nightlife columnist Barry Westgate took special attention of the upcoming show:
Tickets were given away for a good cause:
Westgate continued to mention the upcoming show and it's surging ticket sales, as well throwing a hundred kinds of shade at all the noise and screaming the kids of today were making instead of listening at concerts:
On Monday of the 21st, over 8000 souls packed the New Gardens to see the Teen Show Of The Year including Westgate, whose disapproving eye and feelings about both the crowd and The Who and Blues Magoos were firmly on display. Barry did think Herman''s Hermits were nice young lads, though:
Westgate was more forgiving later on about the whole proceedings:
One intriguing item in the Journal's Teen column the next day was The Who's approval of 2 local bands that opened the show, and Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey's run-in with a small group of fans at their hotel the day of the show:
The last word came a few days later in a letter from a Blues Magoos fan to Barry Westgate, taking umbrage on Barry's take:
The Who would come back to Edmonton as Headliners in March 1968 (which you can read about HERE) for a raucous concert.
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