Carpenters Concert Schedule

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

So I found this the other day googling...I want to give full credit to the source of which this came.
I have never seen a compiled list so detailed of the Carpenters Concert Schedule. So did anyone here attend any of these dates? Unfortunately, I did not attend any concerts of the Carpenters so this list is pretty exciting to see. I hope this is ok to post here.

Credit Source:
leadsister.com Karen Carpenter Website | A website dedicated to the late great Karen Anne Carpenter
Direct Link:
Carpenters Concert Tour Schedule | leadsister.com Karen Carpenter Website

CARPENTERS CONCERT TOUR SCHEDULE

Carpenters performed non-stop from 1971 to 1975

1971: 145 concerts

1972: 174 concerts

1973: 174 concerts

1974: 208 concerts

1975: 118 concerts plus 46 postponed dates

1971:
January 15-16 Pasadena, CA, Pasadena Civic Center
February 3 Des Moines, Iowa, KRNT Theatre
February 10 Cedar Rapids, IA, Coe College Auditorium
February 19 Greencastle, IN, DePauw University
February 26 Athens, GA, University of Georgia Coliseum
February 27 Johnson City, TN, East Tennessee State University
March 18 Las Vegas, Nevada, Sands Hotel
April 21 Waco, Texas, Baylor University
April 22 COMMERCE, Texas, East Texas State University
April 23 Lubbock Texas, Lubbock Municipal Auditorium
April 24 Abilene, Texas, Taylor County Coliseum
April 29 Monroe, LA, Monroe Civic Center
May 2 Knoxville, Tennessee, Stokely Athletic Center (Mark Lindsay – opening act)
May 4 Greenville, South Carolina, Greenville Memorial Auditorium
May 6 Columbia, South Carolina, Carolina Coliseum
May 9 Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte Coliseum
May 10 BOSTON, Mass, The Boston Music Hall
May 14 NEW YORK, New York, Carnegie Hall
May 16 Detroit, Michigan, University of Detroit
May 18 Lansing, Michigan, Lansing Civic Center
May 20 Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati Gardens
May 21 St Louis, Missouri, Kiel Opera House
May 22 Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha Civic Auditorium
July 8 FRESNO, California, Selland Arena
July 10 SEATTLE, Washingotn, Seattle Center Coliseum
July 16 Los Angeles, California, Hollywood Bowl
August 11 Cuyahoga Falls, OH, Blossom Music Center
August 26-27 Columbus, OH, Ohio State Fairgrounds
October 21 Stillwater, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University
October 22 College Station, Texas, G. Rolie White Auditorium
October 24 San Antonio, Texas, San Antonio Municipal Auditorium
November 10 Dayton, Ohio, University of Dayton Arena
November 13 Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville Municipal Auditorium
November 23, Rochester, New York, Rochester Community War Memorial

1972:
January 14th PROVO, Utah, Brigham Young University, George Smith Fieldhouse
January 15th LOGAN, Utah, Utah State University, Assembly Center
January 18th ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, Civic Auditorium
January 19th EL PASO, Texas, County Coliseum
January 20th TUCSON, Arizona, Convention Center
January 21st TEMPE, Arizona, Arizona State University, Grady Gammage Auditorium
January 22nd ANAHEIM, California, Convention Center
January 23rd SAN DIEGO, California, Convention Hall
March 31- April 8th – Miami Beach, Florida, Eden Rock Hotel
April 9th Gainesville, Florida, University of Florida
April 10th Hollywood, Academy Awards, TV appearance
April 11th Savannah, Georgia, Coliseum
April 12th Fayetteville, NC, Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium
April 13th Greenville, NC, East Caroline College Coliseum
April 14th Richmond, Virginia, Coliseum
April 15th Oxford, Ohio, Miami University
April 16th Cincinnati, OH, Music Hall
April 18th Bowling Green, KY, Western Kentucky University
April 19th Pittsburgh, PA, Civic Arena
April 20th Huntington, West Virginia, Marshall University, Memorial Fieldhouse
April 21st Philadelphia, PA, Academy of Music
April 22nd Syracuse, NY, Onodaga County War Memorial Auditorium
April 23rd College Park, Maryland, University of Maryland-Cole Fieldhouse
April 25th Washington, DC, Record Industry Annual Awards Dinner, Hilton Hotel
April 29th Atlanta, Georgia, Municipal Auditorium
May 4th Honolulu, Hawaii, International Center
May 8-20th Sydney, Australia, Chevron Hotel
May 22nd Adelaide, Australia, Apollo Sports Center
May 24-25th Melbourne, Australia, Festival Hall
May 27th Brisbane, Australia, Festival Hall
May 30 Hong Kong
June 1-11th Japan, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto and Tokyo
July 7th Houston, TX, University of Houston, Hofheniz Pavilion
July 8th Shreveport, Louisiana, Hirsch Memorial Coliseum
July 9th Tulsa, OK, Assembly Center
July 11th Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Blossom Music Festival
July 12 Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Cambria County War Memorial
July 13-15th Holmdel, New Jersey, Garden State
July 16th Saratoga, New York, Performing Arts Center
July 20th Indianapolis, IN, Convention Center
July 21-23rd Chicago, IL, McCormack Place
July 26-29th Detroit, Michigan, Pine Knob
July 30th Saginaw, Michigan, Civic Auditorium
Aug. 1-3rd Columbia, Maryland, Merriweather Post Pavilion
Aug. 4-5th Allentown, Pennsylvania, State Fair
Aug. 9-15th Los Angeles, CA, Greek Theater
August 18th Morrison, CO, Red Rocks Amphitheater
Aug. 22-28th Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Sahara Hotel
September 20th – October 3rd, Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas
Oct. 4th Salt Lake City, University of Utah
Oct. 5th Boise, ID, Boise State College
Oct. 6th Seattle, WA, Center Arena
Oct. 7th Spokane, WA, Coliseum
Oct. 8th Portland, OR, Coliseum
Oct. 11th Lincoln, NB, Pershing
Oct. 12th Sioux City, IA, Muni. Auditorium
Oct. 13th Omaha, NB, Civic Auditorium
Oct. 14th Fargo, ND, Civic Auditorium
Oct. 15th Bismark, ND, Civic Arena
Oct. 16th Rochester, MN, Mayo Civic
Oct. 18th Duluth, MN, Arena
Oct. 19th Waterloo, IA, McElroy Auditorium
Oct. 20th Sioux Falls, SD, Arena
Oct. 21st Des Moines, IA
Oct. 22nd Davenport, IA, Masonic
Oct. 24th Milwaukee, WI, Auditorium
Oct. 25th Charleston, IL, Eastern IL Gym
Oct. 26th Owensboro, KY, Sports Center
Oct. 27th Peoria, IL, Bradley University
Oct. 28th Terre Haute, IN, Indiana State College
Nov. 10th Ft. Wayne, IN, Mem. Coliseum
Nov. 11th Lafayette, IN, Purdue
Nov. 12th Charleston, West Virginia, Civic Center
Nov. 14th New Haven, CT, War Memorial
Nov. 15th Boston, MA, Music Hall
Nov. 16th Utica, NY, Memorial Auditorium
Nov. 17th Scranton, PA, Catholic Youth Center
Nov. 18th Norfolk, VA, Scope
Nov. 19th Greensboro, NC, Coliseum
Nov. 20th Raleigh, NC, Dorton Arena
Nov. 21st Charleston, SC, Muni. Auditorium
Nov. 22nd Macon, CA, Coliseum
Nov. 23rd Jackson, MS, Memorial Auditorium
Nov. 24th Lake Charles, LA, Auditorium
Nov. 25th Shreveport, LA, Hirsch Memorial Coliseum
Nov. 26th Little Rock, AR, Robinson Theater
December – Christmas Vacation!

1973:
February 9th Sacramento, California, The Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
February 11th Anaheim, California, Anaheim Convention Center
April 13th Lubbock, Texas, Lubbock Municipal Auditorium
April 17th San Antonio, Texas, Convention Center Arena
May 3rd Tacoma, Washington, Pacific Lutheran University
May 4th Corvallis, Oregon, Gill Coliseum, Oregon State University
May 5th Pullman, Washington, Washington State University
May 6th Portland, Oregon
May 11th Bozeman, Montana, State Fieldhouse
May 12th Missoula, Montana, University of Montana State Fieldhouse
May 13th Twin Falls, Idaho, University of Southern Idaho
May 18th San Diego, California, Sports Arena
May 19th Claremont, California, Claremont College
May 20th Bakersfield, California
May 23rd Fresno, California, Selland Arena
May 24-28th San Carlos, California, Circle Star Theater
June 22nd Lake Charles, Louisiana Auditorium
June 23rd Shreveport, Louisiana, Hirsch Memorial Coliseum
June 24th Birmingham, Alabama, Municipal Auditorium
June 25th Atlanta, Georgia, Civic Center Auditorium
June 26th Chattanooga, Tennessee, Memorial Auditorium
June 27th Knoxville, Tennessee, Civic Coliseum
June 28th Roanoke, Virginia, Civic Center
June 29 – July 1st – Columbia, Maryland, Merriweather Post Pavilion
July 3-7 Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
July 10-15th Wallingford, Connecticut
July 16-21st Garden State, New Jersey
July 22nd Saratoga Springs, New York
July 24th Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Blossom Music Fair
July 25-29th Detroit, Michigan, Pine Knob
Aug. 10th – Santa Barbara, CA
Aug. 13-19th Los Angeles, California, Universal Studios
Aug. 21 – Sept 3rd – Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Sahara Hotel
Sept. 26 – Oct. 9th – Las Vegas, Nevada, Riviera Hotel
Oct. 9th – Las Vegas. Nevada
Oct. 10th – Ogden, Utah, Weber State College
Oct. 11th – Rexburg, Idaho, Ricks College
Oct. 12th – Provo, Utah, Brigham Young University
Oct. 17th – Portland, Maine, Exposition Building.
Oct. 18th – Bangor, Maine, Municipal Auditorium
Oct. 19th – SpringField, Massachusetts, Civic Center
Oct. 20th – Troy, New York, RPI Fieldhouse
Oct. 21st – Singhampton, New York, Broom City Vets Memorial
Oct. 22nd – Buffalo,. New York, Kleinhans Hall
Oct. 23rd – Kitchener, Ontario, Memorial Auditorium (Canada)
Oct. 24th – London, Ontario, Treasure Island Auditorium
Oct. 25th – Kalamazoo, MI, Western Michigan University
Oct. 26th – Muncie, IN, Ball State University-Emens Auditorium
Oct. 27th – South Bend, IN, University-Convocation
Oct. 28th – Evansville, IN, University of Evansville
Nov. 9th & 10th – Chicago, Illinois, Arie Crown Theater
Nov. 11th – Rockford. Illinois, Rock vE1lsy College
Nov. 12th – Lahkosh, Wisconsin, Wisconsin State University
Nov. 13th – Macomb. Illinois, Western III University
Nov. 14th – Columbus. Ohio, Mershon Auditorium
Nov. 15th – Louisville, Kentucky, Convention Center
Nov. 16th – St. Louis, Missouri, Kiel Opera House
Nov. 17th – Nashville, Tennessee, Auditorium
Nov. 18th – Memphis, Tennessee, Mid South College
Nov. 19th – Starkville, Mississippi, Mississippi State University
Nov. 20th Jackson, Mississippi, Coliseum
Nov. 21st Moblie, Alabama, Municipal Auditorium
Nov. 22nd Macon, Georgia, Coliseum
Nov. 23rd Savannah, Georgia, Convention Center
Nov. 24th Orlando, Florida, Sports Stadium
Nov. 25th St. Petersburg, Florida, Bayfront Center

1974:
Feb. 1st – Phoenix, Arizona
Feb. 2nd- Tucson, Arizona
Feb. 3rd – El Paso, Texas
Feb. 7-27th – European tour
February 18 – Apollo Theater, Glasgow, Scotland
February 24 – Hammersmith Odeon Theatre, London, England
February 27 – Odeon Theater, Birmingham, England
March 2nd – Grammy Awards. LA
April 4th – Bowling Green, KY
April 5th – Pittsburgh. PA
April 6th – Philadelphia. PA
April 7th – Utica, NY
April 8-14th – Westbury Music Fair, NY
April 15th – Raleigh, North Carolina.
April 16th – Richmond, VA
April 17th – Beckley, West VA
April 18th – Wheeling, West VA
April 19th – Hershey, PA
April 20th – Syracuse, NY, Onondaga War Memorial
April 21st – Niagara Falls, NY.
April 30th – Boston MA, Symphony Hall
May 8-21st Riviera, Las Vegas
May 27-June 12th – Japanese tour
June 14-15th – Honolulu, Hawaii
July 11th – Eugene, OR, McArthur Court
July 12th – Seattle, WA
July 13th – Portland. OR
July 14th – Spokane. WA
Aug. 14-27 – Sahara/Lake Tahoe
Oct. 9-22nd – Riviera. Las Vegas
Oct.24.- Davenport/Iowa
Oct. 25th – Minneapolis, EN
Oct. 26th – Champagne, IL
Oct. 27. – Carbondale/Illinois
Oct. 28. – Indianapolis/Indiana
Oct. 29. – Muskegon/Michigan
Oct. 30 – Milwaukee, WI
Oct. 31. – Naperville/Illinois
Nov. 1-3rd – Chicago, IL
Nov. 14th – Boise, ID
Nov. 27th – Dec.1 Circle Star, San Carlos, CA

1975:
January 11-15 Stateline, Nevada, Harrahs Lake Tahoe
April 5th Ames, Iowa State
April 4th Hayes, Kansas, Kansas State
April 5th Denver, Colorado, Auditorium
April 7th Colorado Springs, Colorado, Air Force Academy
April 15th West Palm Beach, Florida, Auditorium
April 16th Lakeland, Florida, Arena
April 17th Jacksonville, Florida, Auditorium
April 18 & 19th Atlanta, Georgia, Civic Auditorium
April 20th Columbia, South Carolina, Coliseum
April 21st – Fayetteville, N.C. at the Cumberland County Memorial Arena
April 22-27th Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Music Theater
May 9th – Topeka, Kansas – Municipal
May 10th & 11th – Kansas City, Kansas – Memoria1 Hall
May 12th – Sioux City, Iowa – Municipal Aud.
May 13th – Bismark, ND – Civic Arena
May 29th to June 11th Las Vegas, Nevada, Riviera Hotel
July 11th Toronto, Canada
July 12-15th Toronto, Canada, O’Keefe Center
July 14-15th Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
July 16-19th Independence, Michigan, Pine Knob
July 20th Erie, Pennsylvania, County Field House
July 21-26th Wallingford, Connecticut, Oakdale
July 27th Saratoga Springs, New York, Performing Arts
July 28-Aug. 5th Ararwick, Rhode Island, Music Theater
Aug. 4-9th Holmdel, New Jersey, Garden State Arts
Aug. 10-11th Columbia, Maryland
Aug. 12-13th Chicago, Illinois-Ravinia
Aug. 15th – Duluth, Minn. – Arena
Aug. 16th – Omaha, Neb. – Civic Auditorium
Aug. 17th – Minneapolis, Minn. – Auditorium
Aug. 19th thru 25th – Westchester, N.Y. – Premiere Theater
Aug. 21-Sep. 5th Las Vegas, Nevada-Riviera

The 1975 Japanese and European Tour Dates have been canceled.

1976:
Feb-March – Japanese Tour
May 29th, CALIFORNIA; Fesno, Selland Arena
June 10-23th NEVADA; Lake Tahoe, Sahara
July 1-7th NEVADE; Las Vegas, Riviera
July 27th CANADA; Edmonton, Coliseum
July 29th MINNEAPOLIS; Northrup, Auditorium
July 30th WISCONSIN; Madison, Cane County Auditorium
July 31st ILLINOIS; Chicago, Arie Crown Theater
AUGUST 1st ILLINOIS; Chicago, Arie Crown Theater
August 2nd INDIANA; Indianapolis, Convention Center
August 3rd INDIANA; Fort Wayne, Coliseum
August 4th MICHIGAN; Kalamazoo, Wings Stadium
August 5,6,7th CANADA; Toronto, O’Keefe Center
August 8th NEW YORK; Binghampton, Broome County Memorial auditorium
August 9th MASSACHUSETTS; Fitchburg, Wallace Civic Center (Tentative)
August 10th NEW YORK; Saratoga Springs, Performing Arts Center
August 11th PENNSYLVANIA; Johnstown, Cambria War Memorial Arena
August 12&13th MICHIGN; Pine Knob, Pine Knob Theater
August 28th through Sep. 8th NEVEDA; Las Vegas, Riviera
Oct. 13th Rexburg, Idaho, Ricks College
Oct. 14th Saltlake City, Utah, University, of Utah
Oct. 15th Logan, Utah, Utah State University
Oct. 16th Pravo, Utah Brigham Young University
Oct. 19th Searcy, Arkansas, Harding College
Oct. 20th Longview, Texas, Longview H. S. Auditorium
Oct. 21 Nocogdoches, Texas, Stephen Austin Coliseum
Oct. 22 Huntsville, Texas, Sam Houston State University
Oct. 23rd Norman, Oklahoma
Oct. 24th Austin, Texas, University of Texas
Oct. 25th Lake Charles, Louisiana, Civic Auditorium
Nov. 10th Munich, Germany, Deutches Museum
Nov. 12th Dusseldorf, Germany, Philipshalle
Nov. 13th Hamburg, Germany, Congress Centrum
Nov. 14th Amsterdam, Holland, Eden Hall
Nov. 15th Frankfurt. Germany-Jahrhunderhalle
Nov. 16th Edinburgh, Scotland U.K.
Nov. 18th Manchester, U.K., A.B.C.
Nov. 19th Blackpool, U.K., Opera House
Nov. 20th Birmingham, U.K., Hippodro
Nov. 22-27th London, Palladium
Nov. 25th London, BBC TV Special

1977:
August 2nd-15th, Harrah’s Club, Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
October 12th-2lst, Tour of Japan.
November 2nd and 3rd, Manila, Philippines.
November 5th-l7th, Tour or Australia
November 24th and 25th, Sheraton Ballroom. Honolulu, Hawaii.
December 24 through January 4, MGM Grand – Las Vegas, Nevada

1978:
March 2-15, MGM Grand – Las Vegas, Nevada
June 29 through July 12, MGM Grand – Las Vegas, Nevada
August 31 through September 13, MGM Grand – Las Vegas, Nevada
December 3 – The Terrace Theatre, California State University Long Beach – Long Beach, CA

1981:
September-October – European Tour, England, Germany, France, Holland (This tour was a tour of television appearances)
October – Brazil (This tour was a tour of television appearances)

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

What's interesting is that the album Horizon was released in June 75 right? It appears they had concerts after this time so wouldn't they have performed some live cuts from their new album?

 

[newvillefan]

This set of dates, from 1973, is absolutely punishing. 17 days back to back, with the travel as well. There's absolutely no reason why they should have been made to do this, other than management and booking agents were making a lot of money off the back of it. The label should have stepped in and stopped this. I'm actually surprised they didn't burn out much sooner than they did.

Nov. 9th & 10th – Chicago, Illinois, Arie Crown Theater
Nov. 11th – Rockford. Illinois, Rock vE1lsy College
Nov. 12th – Lahkosh, Wisconsin, Wisconsin State University
Nov. 13th – Macomb. Illinois, Western III University
Nov. 14th – Columbus. Ohio, Mershon Auditorium
Nov. 15th – Louisville, Kentucky, Convention Center
Nov. 16th – St. Louis, Missouri, Kiel Opera House
Nov. 17th – Nashville, Tennessee, Auditorium
Nov. 18th – Memphis, Tennessee, Mid South College
Nov. 19th – Starkville, Mississippi, Mississippi State University
Nov. 20th Jackson, Mississippi, Coliseum
Nov. 21st Moblie, Alabama, Municipal Auditorium
Nov. 22nd Macon, Georgia, Coliseum
Nov. 23rd Savannah, Georgia, Convention Center
Nov. 24th Orlando, Florida, Sports Stadium
Nov. 25th St. Petersburg, Florida, Bayfront Center

 

[newvillefan]

What's interesting is that the album Horizon was released in June 75 right? It appears they had concerts after this time so wouldn't they have performed some live cuts from their new album?

Yes - they did perform Only Yesterday and Please Mr Postman in some of their post 1975 concerts. To my knowledge, that's it: Desperado, Solitaire, Happy and the album's other ballads were never performed live.

 

[Portlander]

In 1976 at the height of the Carpenters stardom, why was Sherwin still booking them in smaller and outdated venues across the country? Longview High school Auditorium in Longview TX, Ricks College in Rexburg ID and Harding College in Searcy, AR are a few that surprise me. Their concert schedule was too loaded with colleges and third tier cities like Erie, PA, Binghamton, NY, Lake Charles, LA, Fitchburg, MA, and Johnstown, PA which would all be acceptable during their early days of touring. No wonder Karen and Richard finally wore down and focused more on TV specials and Vegas.

The afternoon and evening shows Sherwin had them doing at some venues were also ridiculous. One concert at an 8,000 seat arena would have served them much better than two shows at a 4,000 seat theater which is what they were doing when I saw them at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago in 1976.

 

[Harry]

From that list I would have attended these:

1972 April 21st Philadelphia, PA, Academy of Music
1973 July 3-7 Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
1974 April 6th – Philadelphia. PA
1975 April 22-27th Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Music Theater

And I swear that I saw them in one other show in the summertime outdoor venue of the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, but it's not on the list (thus it's incomplete). That would have likely been in 1976, prior to when I met the lady who became my wife, since she knows that she'd never seen the Carpenters live. I recall that they did a lot of the stuff that's on the Palladium album.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Are these live versions from the Horizon concert on the tube?

 

[ars nova]

i.n the early '70s, they also appeared at smu in dallas

 

[GaryAlan]

Portlander writes:
"In 1976 at the height of the Carpenters stardom, why was Sherwin still booking them in smaller and outdated venues across the country?"

I would note two things:
(1) Sherwin Bash was not booking the duo in 1976.
(2) Carpenters were not at the height of their career in 1976.

Also, say, Newsletter#52, March 1977, lists concerts in USA for June.
But, Newsletter#53, for May 1977 writes "they have cancelled all tours for June."

 

[newvillefan]

Nov. 22-27th London, Palladium
Nov. 25th London, BBC TV Special

I take it this one just means the BBC cameras were there to record the concert that night, rather than a “TV special”, which is an altogether different thing.

 

[GaryAlan]

Also, take note, as we read from Carpenters Fan Club Newsletter #55 (September 1977)
These tours were cancelled:
"October 12th-2lst, Tour of Japan
November 2nd and 3rd, Manila, Philippines.
November 5th-l7th, Tour or Australia
November 24th and 25th, Sheraton Ballroom. Honolulu, Hawaii."

 

[Portlander]

Gary, my bad, forgot that Sherwin was fired after the Sedaka incident in 1975 but hopefully you got my point concerning touring. The Carpenters still had two Top 40 hits (#12 and #25) with both reaching #1 AC, sold out concerts, cover of People magazine and their first TV special in 1976 which still kept them relevant as far as "stardom" goes. I do agree that it was the beginning of the downward slide for them "career" wise, especially when it involved chart success and record sales.

 

[GaryAlan]

^^I was careful not to make any judgement regarding touring, so, I understand what you are saying.
I wanted to reinforce (my opinion) that the height of their career did not occur 1976.

Even as late as August 2nd, 1976, in that People Magazine article, we get this:
"... unfortunately, dirty is in these days. Movie porn queen Andrea True moans an explicit piece of trash—
More, More, More—and it becomes a gold record. She will almost certainly never have another one;
yet, Andrea is getting more, more, more attention than the Carpenters..."
Source:
/people.com/archive/cover-story-brother-sister-act-vol-6-no-5/

The entire 1976 People article seems to arise out of an act of desperation.
Compare it to the July 1974 Rolling Stone article:
"Twenty-five million singles and albums sold.
(Even their atypical debut LP, Offering, is headed for the million-dollar mark.) Three Grammy awards,
phenomenal concert attendance in all countries, with concerts bringing them up to $30,000 a night. "
Source:
www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-carpenters-up-from-downey-189063/

 

[Portlander]

^ I said they were at the height of their stardom which is the status of being famous in 1976, never said career. The Carpenters were as well known nationally and internationally in 1976 as they were in previous years and their concerts continued to sell out through their last show at the MGM Grand in 1978. I do agree with you that their recording career peaked earlier than 1976. Would you say late 1974 after Postman hit #1 or maybe early 1975 after Only Yesterday charted at #4?

 

[GaryAlan]

^^I agree, I use the word "career," in a rather broad sense.
It is interesting that Please Mr. Postman peaked #1 and sold one-million units.
(Please Mr. Postman peaked #1 after 10-weeks on the charts, per Billboard)
Only Yesterday, even by the late 1970's, in comparison, had sold only about 600,000 copies.
(peaked at #4 after 10-weeks on charts, per Billboard).

I have always maintained that 1975 was the turning point in their "career."
Now, I do differentiate between USA and non-USA, as things exploded outside of America-- starting 1975.
In fact, that is the doctoral dissertation I want to research on:
Carpenters career 1970-1975 in USA contrasted with Carpenters career outside of USA, 1976-1981.
The A&M Records Press Kit for release of album Made In America even highlights that particular split.

 

[A&M Retro]

Pretty fascinating. Looks like this list was taken from original itineraries, so it’s not wholly accurate. The one show I attended on 4/21/73 in Kansas City, Mo., isn’t listed at all. They also performed another K.C. concert at the same venue on 10/27/71 (Municipal Auditorium), which is also conspicuously missing.

Lastly, there IS mention here of their concerts in Kansas City at Memorial Hall on May 10th and 11th, 1975, but those two shows were cancelled! I had tickets for the 10th and was pretty destroyed when it didn’t happen. So, this list is far from complete.

 

[Carpe diem]

I wonder of all these concert dates, how many required 2 shows per night?

 

[Portlander]

I think the double shows were normally in the smaller, more intimate theaters (4,000 seats or less) along with their Las Vegas engagements. Read some where that Richard actually liked performing in theater type settings due to better acoustics. They performed at many 6,000-10,000 seat arenas (mid sized for the 70's) and quite a few outdoor amphitheaters in the summer with capacities up to 14,000.

 

[Feadster]

I would have attended the October 13th, 1973 concert in Omaha, in fact I had about 12 tickets to that concert and gave away 3 pairs at my high school the rest were used by my family (I got the tickets from A&M - I previously stated in another thread that I had connections at A&M). Face value for those tickets, which were on the main floor in row 10 was $5.00 each. I also attended the August 16th, 1975 concert in Omaha, I took a girl that I really liked but nothing ever came of that but I remained friends with her and her family. I still have these ticket stubs around here somewhere. If I can find them I'll take a photo and post it.

Also missing in this list is a week long appearance in Omaha sometime in 1976 or 1977 at the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum. I managed to see four of those shows. It was in the "oldies" heyday supporting their "Yesterday Once More" LP. Ak-Sar-Ben which is a civic organization in Omaha that ran a horse race track until the mid 1980s put on "Family Shows" and had many, many stars appear for week long shows. Several years ago the auctioned off all of the old memorabilia including some Carpenters stuff (autographs, posters, photos etc). I found out about the auction after the fact or I would have been down there to bid on stuff.

 

[Feadster]

I need to clarify something from my earlier post, they were supporting the album "Now and Then" not "Yesterday Once More" as I mentioned above. They used quite a bit of oldies material from the "Now and Then" LP in that Ak-Sar-Ben show that I referred to. The oldies set from that concert was most similar to the "Live in Japan" CD. Sorry for the mix up there's so much stuff that went on that I have a hard time keeping it all straight (Old age I guess).

 

[Harry]

The first show on my list above was a two-show night. My friends and I drove into center city Philadelphia to buy tickets and the main 8PM show was sold out.

We contacted the radio station promoting the concert and told them our story, and they told us that they would be announcing a second show. So we ended up at the 10 PM show.

 

[byline]

1972:
Oct. 28th Terre Haute, IN, Indiana State College

I was at this show! My family surprised me with it for my birthday. Months before I had asked to go, but my mother said no. Little did I know the surprise in store for me! We had lived in Terre Haute for three years, while my father earned his master's degree, then doctorate at Indiana State University (not College, as it is incorrectly listed). By this time, we had moved farther south to Vincennes, Indiana, where my father was teaching at Vincennes University. We weren't that far away, and I already knew that Dad needed to go to Terre Haute that weekend to finalize his dissertation. So I didn't understand why we couldn't go to the concert. As I recall, Mom said we couldn't afford it.

So, when we went there that Saturday, we had a full day. We had shopped for solo/ensemble music for my sister and me, then went out to dinner at Louise's, a local Italian restaurant. Then Dad drove us to the stadium. I thought he was just driving us by the place to make me crazy. So near, and yet so far! So imagine my delight as Dad parked the car. "We're going to the concert?" "Yes, we're going to the concert!" They all laughed, enjoying my reaction. Needless to say, it was a magical night.

 

[newvillefan]

I was at this show! My family surprised me with it for my birthday. Months before I had asked to go, but my mother said no. Little did I know the surprise in store for me! We had lived in Terre Haute for three years, while my father earned his master's degree, then doctorate at Indiana State University (not College, as it is incorrectly listed). By this time, we had moved farther south to Vincennes, Indiana, where my father was teaching at Vincennes University. We weren't that far away, and I already knew that Dad needed to go to Terre Haute that weekend to finalize his dissertation. So I didn't understand why we couldn't go to the concert. As I recall, Mom said we couldn't afford it.

So, when we went there that Saturday, we had a full day. We had shopped for solo/ensemble music for my sister and me, then went out to dinner at Louise's, a local Italian restaurant. Then Dad drove us to the stadium. I thought he was just driving us by the place to make me crazy. So near, and yet so far! So imagine my delight as Dad parked the car. "We're going to the concert?" "Yes, we're going to the concert!" They all laughed, enjoying my reaction. Needless to say, it was a magical night.

Great story, I love surprises like that! I've done something similar for my parents in the past and to see their delighted reactions is always great

 

[GaryAlan]

Ah....speaking of concerts....there is one line, in one book, that has remained a puzzle to me
(as I have tried, and failed, to locate any other extant reference to this Concert performance):
The Carpenters' Reader (Schmidt, 2012, page 203) quotes a review by Ray Coleman of
Carpenters' 1976 Concert. That review ends thus: "...a wretched encore with two improbable songs,
Good Vibrations and--horror of horrors--Comin' Through The Rye."

You might inquire, why am I puzzled ?
Well, for me, the performance by Karen and John Denver (the 1976 First Carpenters Television Special)
is quite delightful to the eyes and the ears. Why would Ray Coleman write of
the Carpenters performance in concert of same songs, as "wretched" or "horror of horrors" ?

Did anyone see, or hear, that Carpenters' 1976 Concert performance, of which Ray Coleman writes?

 

[Portlander]

May have to do with the choice of songs for the encore. Most artists/bands save that one or two "hit" songs that they know the fans are waiting for in order to end the concert with an explanation point. When I saw them in August of 1976 I'm pretty sure they closed the show with We've Only Just Begun along with the video presentation. I don't remember them returning back to the stage like they did in Japan with "For all We Know" and I'm sure they didn't perform "Good Vibrations" at all. The mystery continues