【October 1974】42 years ago today – Bee Gees playing to a capacity audience in Tokyo

Bee Gees in Tokyo (October 28, 1974)
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42 years ago today, October 28, 1974, the Bee Gees played to a capacity audience at Tokyo Koseinenkin Kaikan Hall in Tokyo.  That was their second show in Tokyo during the 1974 "Mr. Natural" tour.

After they kicked off the Japanese leg of the tour on October 19, 1974 with a concert at Nakano Sun Plaza Hall in Tokyo, the Bee Gees traveled to the southern and western parts of Japan, and came back to Tokyo on the famous bullet train after they played in Nagoya on 26th.  They only took a day’s rest before doing this second Tokyo gig on 28th.  It has been a busy, long tour, and probably the most unforgettable for the band’s Japanese fans for the sheer amount of time they spent in Japan as well as the number of concerts they gave.  From October 19 to November 7, the Bee Gees played almost daily or, to be more precise, nightly in Japan; and, despite the hard schedule, they were in optimum shape probably because they were all oh-so young.  

Set list for October 28, 1974:

The Bee Gees usually did not talk much onstage, and most of the talking was usually done by Barry when he introduced the songs or Maurice when he introduced the band.  However, during this particular concert, Barry needed to tune his guitar and Robin was forced to step forward and say something.   Quite fittingly, he said that they were tuning up and that they would like to sing a song because that’s what they were there for.

Toward the end, after Maurice introduced the band members and his brothers, he said, "My name is Maurice Gibb and the next song is dedicated to all of you," and they launched into ‘Massachusetts.’  The message he put across was that the song needed no introduction.  And a huge applauce went up from the audience, who were made up not necessarily of the group’s hardcore fan base, but more of general music fans, as it was a special event for members of music appreciation society called Onkyo which hosted occasional music events in Japan.  In that respect, the concert was different from any other concert the Bee Gees did in Japan, but was nonetheless just as successful.  The audience loved the boys.

And Maurice’s jacket was awesome!  He should have worn that when they did ‘Edge of the Universe’ live.

{BGD – October 2016}