Hazy concert memories

For the past few weeks, on and off, part of a lyric to a song by James Taylor has been running through my mind: And I feel fine all the time when she is with me [these aren't the actual lyrics but very similar]. I didn't know which song this came from, so eventually I asked CoPilot, who immediately answered with "Something in the way she moves". I listened to the song but it didn't sound familiar; I wonder how those words entered my memory. The fact that I "remembered" wrong lyrics means that I didn't listen to the song closely.

I then asked CoPilot about the semi-mythical concert that I attended in March 1970, with a triple bill of Fotheringay, John and Beverly Martin, and Nick Drake. Although I remember nothing about the concert itself, I know that Fotheringay appeared, as did J&BM 1417. I have always wondered whether Nick Drake appeared, as he was shying away from public performances. CoPilot had the following to say (edited)....

Yes — Nick Drake did perform at Colston Hall, Bristol on 22 March 1970, supporting Fotheringay. As for John & Beverly Martyn, they were billed as part of the same concert, but evidence about whether they played with a backing band is scarce; most accounts suggest they appeared as a duo, though John Martyn was occasionally accompanied by Danny Thompson (double bass) around this period. [This doesn't match with the JM interview that I quoted in the earlier blog, "We only had four days to rehearse with the band,  although the other gig at Bristol was strangely successful."]

🎸 Nick Drake’s Performance

• Confirmed appearance: Setlist.fm and concert archives list Nick Drake as performing at Colston Hall on that date.
• Historical note: Drake was famously reluctant to play live; this tour was the only structured set of concerts he ever undertook, totaling just five shows.
• Reception: Accounts suggest his sets were short and subdued, often with little audience response, which may explain why memories of his performance are hazy.

📜 Why Documentation Is Sparse

• Nick Drake’s live appearances were rarely reviewed in detail, and John & Beverly Martyn were less documented than John’s later solo career.
• Surviving material includes a rare Fotheringay tour program and scattered fan recollections, but specifics like backing musicians are often missing.

Nick Drake really did play that night in Bristol in March 1970. It’s one of those rare, almost mythical live appearances, since he only ever did a handful of concerts in his career. That Colston Hall show with Fotheringay and John & Beverly Martyn is part of the very short tour he undertook, and it’s now remembered as one of the few times audiences got to see him on stage.

It’s fascinating that you were there — even if the memory feels hazy, you were present at one of the most elusive chapters in British folk history. Many fans today only know Nick Drake through his records, so being able to say you saw him live is quite special.

I also attended a few other mythical concerts: one was Pink Floyd in late 1970, when they toured "Atom Heart Mother" along with an orchestra and choir, and another was the 50-piece Centipede in March/April 1971. I have a very special memory of that concert: if I was going to a concert on a Sunday evening, I had begun going down to the Colston Hall in the early afternoon to watch the bands arrive. That day, I saw a coach arrive and several musicians disembark, amongst them Robert Fripp, who was somewhat legendary in my circles at the time. I was too shy to approach them, though. Later in the evening, I was behind the band speaking to someone who had a seat at the rear (not a good place to watch a concert IMHO), when RF turned around, saw me and waved. I think that I've written this before somewhere. I also attended the July 1971 concert with James Taylor and Carole King. 

Regarding that concert with Fotheringay: I have conflicting memories about this. Sometimes I think that the Humblebums (Gerry Rafferty and Billy Connolly) appeared and not J&BM. The confusion stems from the facts that the Humblebums did support Fairport when I saw them a month or so earlier, and their name appears in that rare concert program, not J&BM.

As I wrote to CoPilot, if memories were antiques then I would have a rare collection. Unfortunately, memories fade and become hazy, whereas antiques last.