Grand Funk Railroad

[fuzzy beard]

Grand funk and sevarel other bands will all be playing free aug 20th at the Ohio state fairgrounds. This is in support of the unions in Ohio!

 

[martinmcfly]

1970: Police arrest 84 people in a riot that erupts at a Grand Funk Railroad rock concert at the Anaheim Convention Center.

I went to this concert and we didn't have tickets. It was sold out and their were tons of people just hanging out who didn't have tickets either. My friend found an envelop on the ground with two tickets. Since there were three of us, we sold the tickets,left, and used the money to add to our party inventory material. The concert never happened because the people without tickets rioted and broke huge windows in the Convention Center and I heard Police from 6 different Cities had to help control the Fans.

 

[Fender74]

What is the story why Mark won"t play with Mel and Don. I remember Mark played at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach w/o them as long as 20 years ago.

I think you're referring to their "Bosnia" tour which only lasted a couple years, I think. (which supported the live album of the same name)
As far as them playing together...."creative differences"?

 

[leemelone]

Mel was the reason I learned to play bass. I must have listened to the live album and Mark, Don & Mel on headphones hundreds of times as a kid. The second album has one of the best covers in rock n roll BASS history IMO.

 

[BaditudeDude]

What is the story why Mark won"t play with Mel and Don.

Mark explained what happened here ... ‪Mark Farner - The Breakup of Grand Funk (6 of 9)‬‏ - YouTube

More details here: http://www.classicbands.com/MarkFarnerInterview.html

Don and Mel had grown weary of Mark's "preaching" during GFR concerts (he's born-again Christian). Also heard that they didn't like it when Mark took his own band on the road solo and would do GFR tunes. (Probably realized that they couldn't compete without the band's main face, voice, and primary creative force of Mark Farner.)

Regardless of the reasons, its a shame the egos and differences can't be put aside. As a power trio, they made some absolutely great music, live and on vinyl, to rival any other rock trio in history.

 

[jerry]

Mark explained what happened here ... ‪Mark Farner - The Breakup of Grand Funk (6 of 9)‬‏ - YouTube

I've also read that Mark and Don had grown weary of Mark's "preaching" during GFR concerts (he's born-again Christian). Also heard that they didn't like it when Mark took his own band on the road solo and would do GFR tunes.

Regardless of the reasons, its a shame the egos and differences can't be put aside. As a power trio, they made some absolutely great music, live and on vinyl, to rival any other rock trio in history.

Pretty funny, Brewer pulled a Axle Rose.

 

[JimmyM]

Know what's really weird? Mark went on Howard Stern in like 2007 or 2008 to promote those Rock and Roll Fantasy Camps and did I'm Your Captain with some of those guys who do it, including Bruce Kulick.

 

[Jawbone]

+ a Trillion!!
It is a joke. If you look at the list of people and bands not in it and look at some of the people and bands inducted into it that will prove it right there. It really enraged me they didn't induct the DC5 until right after Mike Smith died, and he's just one of a huge list

4sure!! it is a joke or it would be much more publized and promoted. Plus think about all the sleazy award shows we're exposed to annually and the RRHOF show aint one of them. When you have "one" vote that rules, it aint a hall of fame, it's a hall of shame.

GFR was close by but I didn't go out of my way to see them. Without Mark they're just another old rock band trying to make a living on the walking dead state fair rock tour.

 

[tearalong]

I think that's the first pic or video I've seen of Mark with a shirt on. Used to just be wearing an arm band