Growing up in the 70s with the charts full of music my older sister (16) had her side of the room covered in Slade, Sweet, Showaddywaddy, and David Bowie.
My side of the room was covered in Alan(26), Wayne(24), Merril(22), Jay(20), Donny(18), Marie(16), and Jimmy(12).
The Osmonds weren’t stuck in a musical rut in the same way as other groups as there was a range of ages (all ages given are their birthdays in 1965), a range of music, and they played a range of music.
Here I am age 63.5 remembering my 13.5 year old self buzzing. My dad was taking myself and a school friend into London.
We would be going to Earl’s Court on Thursday 29th May 1975 and The Osmonds would be performing just for me (and the thousands of others).
For all I know now we might have flown into London on a cloud scattering petals and glitter as my memory of that night is a wall of sound. The Osmonds were using Led Zeppelin’s sound system, and the fans including myself were screaming, shouting, and singing ourselves hoarse.
What a show to be my first experience of an Osmond concert.
The fact we were higher than the moon (certainly felt that way), at the side of the stage so we couldn’t see the big screen (one of the first times a big screen was used in concerts), and that we could see the “ants” backstage easier than the “ants” onstage stopped being a disappointment once the show began.
They were there on stage, singing, dancing, playing their instruments, sending Donny swinging out on a wire over the audience (from my perspective he looked like a knot on a string).
How quickly the show went by- I’ve no idea how my dad found us in the masses of people leaving the arena. I later learned he’d spent his time outside watching the fainting fans being brought out and tended to by the St John’s Ambulance Service.
Oh I can see all the 21st century parents ready to condemn this bad parenting move however you’re very much looking through the telescope backwards- I had shared responsibility with my older sister for looking after my 3 younger siblings and cooking our dinner for when our parents returned home from work when we all ate as a family.
Oh that Album cover?
The Osmonds had recorded the first show at Earl’s Court (what I call the rehearsal *wink*) the night before and released as a vinyl double album 14th September 1975. Yes I had that LP and played it often remembering the first concert I attended. I now have it on Apple Music so no longer need to play it one side at a time on my turntable.
Until next time
Was that a dinosaur? 2.0 
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