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Rating: "I am a dark-coated horse
running along a dark track"
On November 26, 1974, George Harrison's tour arrives in Baton Rouge, a series of concerts in North America to promote both the new upcoming album, "Dark Horse", and the new eponymous independent label by George, which, amidst various difficulties, will manage to release its first title in 1976: "33 & 1/3".
This tour is remembered in Beatles history for several reasons, not all good. It is particularly noted for the laryngitis that struck the guitarist, forcing him to sing with a hoarse voice at all concerts, unfortunately negatively affecting the entire live project. Even Lennon would comment "it certainly wasn't the greatest event in rock history". This annoying aspect for George would overshadow the memory of a particularly positive moment after the release of "Living In The Material World" in 1973; the American tour should have celebrated the blending of various musical genres and a reinterpretation of Harrison's more recent works.
A superband was put together for the occasion which combined Shankar's Indian musicians with George's historical collaborators: Billy Preston on keyboards, Jim Horn and Tom Scott on winds, Andy Newmark on drums, Emil Richards on percussion, Willie Weeks on bass, and Robben Ford on second guitar. No other Beatle would ever again tour with such a large number of musicians, not even the Wings during the '75-'76 world tour. The setlist chosen for the occasion raised eyebrows, with classic tracks like "For You Blue" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" being given funky shades not always appreciated, but it was the distortion of "Something" that outraged: George allowed himself to change its beloved verses, much to the dismay of the fans. The reinterpretations, aside from that of "Something", are not bad and especially "For You Blue" gains new life with a central bass solo by Weeks.
The concert starts with the instrumental "Hari's On Tour (Express)", the opening track of the new LP "Dark Horse". This piece is notable for a magnificent slide guitar part by Harrison, followed by the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". From the 1973 album, there is space only for "Sue Me Sue You Blues" and "Give Me Love", and from "Dark Horse", the excellent title track and the bland "Maya Love". A lot of space is granted to Billy Preston with a series of his tracks in which George enjoys playing without singing, while "Tom Cat" is the fine contribution of saxophonist Tom Scott to the concert. From the triple "All Things Must Pass", George performs only an unrecognizable funky version of "My Sweet Lord" and a "What Is Life" sung with Preston due to his poor vocal condition. The most surprising is the curious version of the Lennon-McCartney classic "In My Life" which loses its original poetry in favor of dirtier and rougher sounds, but surprisingly the final result doesn't clash.
Despite all this, the tour is an excellent example of Harrison's philosophy and talent. While it's obligatory to criticize his vocal performances, George's guitar cannot be contested, often shifting from sublime to overwhelming even without affording itself large solo spaces.
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