Now this time the arrangements were all new, there was a new Frankie Valli album (Heaven Above Me) some terrific new songs, Where Did We Go Wrong, Soul, Passion For Paris) and Frankie was sounding superb, as good as ever. Our access was better than ever as well, and everyone was in a Good Mood. One of the best shows I have ever heard (technically) was at Hull during this tour. It was all at a peak.
The tour was actually a rehearsal for a live album, long overdue. All was set, but in the July on the weekend before the recording, disaster struck. In the USA leg of the tour, a freak tornado devastated the venue and wrecked the stage and equipment. Some band members were hurt, although not badly. Keyboard player Jerry Corbetta broke a finger, everyone was shaken badly.
Within that one week synthesisers were re-programmed, original Four Season Bob Gaudio was brought onto stage to help out, Jerry Corbetta played one-handed and the recording was made. Unfortunately the whole effort was (understandably) below par, and despite re-recording some vocals later on, the end result is not a good representation of the peak of this tour. To make matters worse, Frankie's record company pulled all the new Valli material because the album was going out on Warner and they didn't want competition for the studio version, so a lot of superb stuff could not be included. It's still available on CD, but it is not the peak of Four Seasons live performance.
However, as regards this tour in the UK, the rating is a solid
