It was 48 years ago this week that George Harrison launched his “George Harrison & Friends North American Tour” becoming the first solo Beatle to tour North America. Harrison opened the tour on November 2nd, 1974 at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum. The 30-date tour was particularly grueling for Harrison, who had blown out his voice in the rush to complete his Dark Horse album, resulting in some reporters mockingly referring to the dates as the “Dark Hoarse” tour.
Among his solo hits performed on the tour were “What Is Life” and the Number Ones “My Sweet Lord” and “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth).” Conspicuously absent from the tour was Harrison’s Beatles hit “Here Comes The Sun.”
Billy Preston performed show-stopping renditions of his hits “Will It Go ‘Round In Circles,” “Outta Space,” and “Nothing From Nothing.”
Harrison had his share of friends visit him throughout the tour, with Bob Dylan checking out both his afternoon and evening Los Angeles Forum shows, John Lennon and girlfriend May Pang catching one of the Nassau Coliseum shows on Long Island, and Paul and Linda McCartney attending one of the New York City shows at Madison Square Garden. McCartney tried to disguise himself in an afro wig and fake mustache, but was easily spotted by die-hard fans.
After the dates, Harrison was so turned off to performing that it was 17 years before he embarked on his next tour, a series of dates in Japan far away from the glaring Western media.
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