Procol Harum in Bern, Switzerland

15 January 1977 : Alfred Noll

I did not quite know what to expect from tonight’s Saturday gig in Bern’s Kursaal. Not having seen the group performing for the last two years I was wondering what kind of song material they would play. Their new record Something Magic had just come out two days ago.

Inside the venue there was a heated discussion going on. Due to the unexpected and sudden demand created in the last minute by concertgoers the venue was not able to meet that with its seated capacity. Agreement was made to remove all the chairs in order to create more room for additional audience. Should this arrangement not be complied with the band would refuse to play. I still see Keith Reid in the entrance arguing with cold blood.

But everything turned out fine. The show started at 8.00. We witnessed a revitalised and tight-fit unit playing very well consisting of Gary Brooker, BJ Wilson, Chris Copping, Mick Grabham and Pete Solley (July 1976 saw a departure and a lateral shift in the group’s lineup, as Alan Cartwright left the band and Chris Copping took over on bass, while Pete Solley joined as keyboard and violin player (formerly with Snafu, founded in 1973 by Bobby Harrison))

The group played with two exceptions nothing but stuff from their own, relying entirely on the extreme wealth of accumulated song material from the last years. Every song from Something Magic was presented, Mick Grabham’s first Procol Harum song The Mark Of The Claw, The Worm And The Tree performed in its full length. Gary was in excellent spirits and translated the lyrics in French. Furthermore he chatted and flirted with the exhilarated audience. Wizard Man came over very strong with a Latin touch. Non-original songs were Eight Days A Week and Jambalaya.

Procol Harum improvised and played extended versions from last records, Nothing But The Truth, Butterfly Boys, Drunk Again, Whisky Train, A Christmas Camel to name but a few. The set was dominated by a professional and highly motivated musicianship. It lasted 3½ hours having an interval of 30 minutes, a concert strategy initiated by the band in mid 1975 allowing themselves to play three-hours-sets.

Leaving the venue I was sure that the future would hold good things in store for this fantastic group but history sadly proved us all wrong. May 1977 would see the demise of one of the world’s best and most influential groups.

A farewell concert at New York’s Academy of Music would take place on May 15th, 1977. And only five months later the band was back together for a one-off performance of A Whiter Shade Of Pale which had taken on a life of its own separate from the group – the song was named joint winner (along with Bohemian Rhapsody) of the Best British Pop Single 1952 – 1977 at the Britannia Awards to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee – and the band performed it live at the awards ceremony.

You can’t keep an excellent band down, can you! Beanstalkish regards from Zurich, Switzerland and all the best!

Thanks, Alfred