June 22, 1969 EXPRESS and NEWS

The Magic Circus, New Rock Ballroom

By Kathy Orloff

Chicago Sun-Times News Service

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles finally has a real rock ballroom. Calling itself The Magic Circus, it is in the Hollywood Palladium, ironically the "home" of Lawrence Welk. Welk plays only on Saturday nights, but is on the road and vacationing for much of the summer. Magic Circus concerts will be held on most available summer Friday and Saturday nights.

Unlike Kaleidoscope, last year's abortive attempt at a rock environment, Magic Circus is comfortable, air conditioned and attractive.

The first show, truly a super-bill, featured the Booze Dog Band, Poco and The Who. Future acts include Delaney & Bonnie, Joe Cocker and the Grease Band, Charles Lloyd, Albert Collins, Johnny Winter, the Chambers Brothers, Spirit, Canned Heat, Ike & Tina Turner and John Mayall.

Dancing is restricted to those 18 and over, who collect on the Palladium's two balconies. As far as internal security goes, I saw only one uniformed officer and he was guarding the entrance to the dressing rooms.

THERE WERE several plainclothesmen, however, and a handout at the door stated: "The walls, floors, ceilings and even an occasional lampshade will have eyes and ears. Help stamp out paranoia by leaving your combustibles at home."

Opening night was minus the confusion usually associated with such event, but there still were excessive delays between acts and some kinks will have to be worked out. The sound is excellent, despite the fact that it was usually just too loud, not an uncommon thing when it comes to rock groups.

Someone must realize that after volume reaches a certain point it damages quality. There seems to be enough room for the audience. In the huge mid-section, where most people were seated, the view was fine, except when everyone jumped up and rushed the stage after The Who's first number. If you're at all claustrophobic, this isn't the place to be.

The show itself was superb. The Bronze Dog (Booze Dog) Band, whose Imperials LP "Gorilla" was one of 1968's underground masterpieces, did a fine job of warming up the audience. They seem to me a bit of an English jock nitty gritty dirt band, with their clowning, vaudeville style.

POCO, WHOSE Epic LP "Pickin' Up the Pieces" is selling heavy in L.A., is hurting slightly from the loss of bassist-vocalist Randy Meisner. Jim Messina is now playing bass and singing, but I miss his fine guitar work and the voices are obviously a bit shallower. But they are still on top of the country-soul pile.

Britain's The Who is touted as "one of the most creative and visually exciting acts in music." I figure that is an understatement. Performing some of their earlier hits and then swinging into hits from their rock opera "Tommy," the four (Roger Daltry, Peter Townshend, John Entwhistle and Keith Moon) had the crowd on its feet, feeling the wait—they didn't go on until midnight—was well worth it.

"Tommy," is a masterpiece. The Decca LP probably will be the album of the year and should be the one to challenge "Sgt. Pepper's" hegemony. But listening to the album is really not enough. You have to see The Who.

BACKSTAGE, Janis Joplin arrived to visit with The Who, complaining to Roger Daltry about her "15-piece rock 'n' roll orchestra" that just wasn't together. David Crosby was being hailed on all sides for his new Atlantic LP, "Crosby, Stills and Nash," which includes Steve Stills and Graham Nash, of course.

Magic Circus is the first enterprise by Watermark Inc., a recently formed entertainment and communications complex run by five men whose collective experience in films, radio, finance, booking and promotion is enormous.

The five (Tom Rounds, Thomas Driscoll, Tom Moffatt, Ron Jacobs and Mitchell Fisher) jointly produced last winter's enormously successful Miami Pop Festival (another is in the works). Watermark has interests in broadcasting, film production, concert promotion and advertising. And Magic Circus will make summer even more worthwhile for Los Angeles music fans.