FOCUS.

Description

June/July 1974 Japanese concert tour program 

Large original program book lavishly produced for Dutch progressive rock group Focus’ June/July 1974 Japanese tour, presented by Udo Artists, Inc. The brief 4-date tour kicked off with two consecutive shows at the Welfare Pension Hall in Tokyo on 30th June and 1st July, and ended at the City Public Hall in Nagoya on 3rd July, 1974. While their bizarre 1975 tour was marked by loose jazz-funk and growing tension, the 1974 tour captured the band at their absolute commercial and artistic zenith. This was the band’s very first visit to Japan, and they arrived fresh off the release of their massive, classically driven studio album, Hamburger Concerto, released in May 1974. Unlike the unstructured jams of the following year, the 1974 sets were highly rehearsed, thunderous, and symphonic. The shows featured towering renditions of the multi-movement title suite, “Hamburger Concerto”, alongside their brand new high-energy single, “Harem Scarem”. Original drummer Pierre van der Linden had left the group right before the album was recorded, and was replaced by Colin Allen, formerly of Stone the Crows. The soundboard audio from the show in Nagoya has been preserved as a legendary archive among classic rock fans, showcasing pristine live versions of “Focus II”, “Sylvia”, and an extended guitar masterclass from Jan Akkerman. The 1974 debut tour was a massive triumph, making Focus one of the very first continental European rock groups to completely sell out major theater runs across Japan and Australia. The reception they received on this tour was so immense that Udo Artists immediately booked them to return just one year later – setting up the starkly different, jazz-funk transition tour of 1975.

In original illustrated coated wrappers, staple bound, 25.6 x 36.3 cm, 28 pp. All text in Japanese. In excellent complete condition, tightly bound and clean.