The Roadhouse Blues Tour was a 1970 tour undertaken by rock band the Doors. The group recorded many of the concerts which have been subsequently released through Elektra Records, Rhino Records and Bright Midnight Records.
Background Following the Doors' controversial concert in Miami, Florida, in 1969 where lead singer Jim Morrison performed while he was intoxicated (and led to the majority of their concerts being cancelled for the rest of the year) the band started touring in 1970 to promote their upcoming album, Morrison Hotel. The tour began in January 1970, and ended in August of the same year.
Throughout the first half of 1970, the Doors played 20 dates in the United States and Canada and one date at the Isle of Wight Festival. Two of the tour's concerts were held on January 17 & 18, 1970 in New York City at the Felt Forum, which marked the start of the tour as well. Some of these recordings were later captured on the live album Absolutely Live. One such performance of that concert included an extended version of "The End" in which Morrison incorporated the line "Bring out your dead". The Doors were accompanied by Harvey Brooks on bass, the only time the Doors performed with a bass player live.
The tour's last concert was performed on August 29, 1970 at the Isle of Wight Festival. The band played alongside Jimi Hendrix, the Who, Joni Mitchell, Jethro Tull, Taste, Leonard Cohen, Miles Davis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Sly and the Family Stone. Two of their songs from the show were featured in the 1995 documentary Message to Love.
Tour dates Per sources: +DateCityCountryVenueNotesJanuary 17, 1970New York CityUnited StatesFelt Forum2 showsJanuary 18, 19702 showsFebruary 5, 1970San FranciscoWinterland Arena February 6, 1970February 7, 1970Long BeachLong Beach ArenaFebruary 13, 1970ClevelandAllen Theatre 2 showsFebruary 14, 1970February 15, 1970ChicagoAuditorium Theatre2 showsApril 10, 1970BostonBoston Arena2 showsApril 12, 1970DenverUniversity of Denver ArenaApril 18, 1970HonoluluHonolulu International CentreMay 1, 1970PhiladelphiaSpectrumMay 2, 1970PittsburghPittsburgh Civic ArenaMay 8, 1970DetroitCobo ArenaMay 9, 1970ColumbusVeterans Memorial AuditoriumMay 10, 1970BaltimoreBaltimore Civic CenterJune 5, 1970SeattleSeattle Center ColiseumJune 6, 1970VancouverCanadaPacific ColiseumAugust 21, 1970BakersfieldUnited StatesBakersfield Civic AuditoriumAugust 22, 1970San DiegoInternational Sports CenterAugust 29, 1970Afton DownUnited KingdomIsle of Wight Festival
See also Outline of the Doors
References