Last Updated on March 12, 2026 by Black Sunshine Media
It’s hard to imagine life in 1975 unless you were there, but let me try to paint a picture—from an eight-year-old’s perspective.
Family of four. Dad works, a stay-at-home mom, a three-bedroom house in the suburbs, with one color television set in the family room and one in the master bedroom, two landline telephones, and two cars in the garage. The cornerstone conversation piece of my bedroom is a combination AM/FM, 8-track stereo system with a turntable that allowed for 33 and 45 RPM. Made by Panasonic or whatever.
You went to Kmart and record stores and bought physical copies of new records by your favorite artists. You listened to the radio whenever possible because music wasn’t a huge part of television programming. Occasionally, an artist would appear on the Tonight Show, but staying up on a weeknight was out of the question. I absolutely had to be in bed at 8:00 p.m. on weekdays. One show, The Midnight Special, came on Saturday nights at 9:00 p.m. and ended at midnight.
My parents weren’t savages, so they let us stay up to see The Midnight Special if it was somebody we liked. These are the performances I remember seeing in 1975: Barry Manilow, Captain & Tennille, Kiss, Rod Stewart & The Faces, Glen Campbell, Helen Reddy, KC and the Sunshine Band, Ohio Players, Olivia Newton-John, Orleans, and Peter Frampton. Sometimes, the Midnight Special sucked, and I’ll get to that later on (see: Helen Reddy).
Since I was eight and had no chance of seeing any of these bands live, I thought it might be interesting to see what their set lists looked like in 1975. Interesting to me. Y’all are on you’re own.
Barry Manilow at the Mosque, Richmond, VA, USA
| Date: | September 27, 1975 |
| Tour: | Tryin’ to Get the Feeling |
I’m stretching the definition of “rock music” to include Barry Manilow on this list, but that’s what makes it “interesting” instead of “great.” At any rate, Barry was busy in 1975, touring in support of Barry Manilow II and Tryin’ to Get the Feelin’, playing 126 dates on the year.
What’s interesting is the early version of his famous commercial medley, “I Am Stuck on a Band-Aid / Like a Good Neighbor”, which would later become “A Very Strange Medley (V.S.M.)”, a massive hit from Barry Manilow Live (1977).
“A Very Strange Medley (V.S.M.)” consists of:
- “Kentucky Fried Chicken” (Al Gorgoni, Bob Nolan)
- “State Farm Insurance” (Barry Manilow, Jerry Gavin)
- “Stridex” (Barry Manilow)
- “Band-Aids” (Barry Manilow)
- “Bowlene” (Barry Manilow, Lois Wise)
- “Dr. Pepper” (Jake Holmes, Randy Newman)
- “Pepsi” (Ellen Starr, Jor McNeil)
- “McDonalds” (Kevin Gavin, Sid Woloshin)
So, Barry didn’t write half of those jingles. Hmmm.
| Barry Manilow at the Mosque, Richmond, VA, USA September 27, 1975 |
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| Setlist |
| Set 1: Beautiful Music I Wanna Be Somebody’s Baby One of These Days I Am Stuck on a Band-Aid / Like a Good Neighbor Tryin’ to Get the Feeling Again Cloudburst Something’s Comin’ Up Set 2: It’s a Miracle Sweet Life I Am Your Child Could It Be Magic Friends Mandy / Could It Be Magic My Baby Loves Me / Dancin’ in the Streets It’s a Miracle (Reprise) |
Captain & Tennille at Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| Date: | August 17, 1975 |
| Tour: | Love Will Keep Us Together |
Listen, in my defense, if you Google “most popular rock bands of 1975,” Captain & Tennille show up among the usual suspects like ELO, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd, et al.
I couldn’t find a set list for this C&T appearance at the Indiana State Fair, but I can piece together what’s happening with this group.
Their debut album, Love Will Keep Us Together, was released in June and peaked at #2 on the LP charts on August 2 (it had slipped to #9 by August 16). [The single] “Love Will Keep Us Together” spent four weeks at #1 between June and July.
Based on their touring schedule and television appearances, C&T’s repertoire consisted of the debut album and maybe a couple of tracks from their next album, Song of Joy, which was released in February 1976. Let’s imagine they had “Shop Around” and “Muskrat Love” in the can.
Here’s what a hypothetical C&T set list would look like in August 1975:
| Captain & Tennille at Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN, USA August 17, 1975 |
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| Setlist |
| Love Will Keep Us Together (Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield) Disney Girls (Bruce Johnston) The Way I Want to Touch You Cuddle Up The Good Songs God Only Knows (Brian Wilson, Tony Asher) Muskrat Love Honey Come Love Me Feel Like a Man Broddy Bounce Gentle Stranger I Write the Songs (Bruce Johnston) |
Interestingly, Barry Manilow would add “I Write the Songs” to his set near the end of 1975.
Kiss at Cleveland Music Hall, Cleveland, OH, USA
| Date: | June 21, 1975 |
| Tour: | Dressed to Kill |
This is one of the shows they supposedly used on Alive!, released in September 1975. It should be common knowledge that very little is “live” about Kiss live records.
Even as a hater, this looks like a solid set, and eight-year-old me would have lost my mind during the encore.
| Kiss at Cleveland Music Hall, Cleveland, OH, USA June 21, 1975 |
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| Setlist |
| Deuce Strutter Got to Choose Hotter Than Hell Firehouse She C’mon and Love Me Nothin’ to Lose Parasite Bass Solo 100,000 Years Drum Solo Black Diamond Encore: Let Me Know Rock and Roll All Nite Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll |
Glen Campbell at Tokyo Kousei Nenkin Kaikan, Tokyo, Japan
| Date: | May 29, 1975 |
| Tour: | n/a |
I keep hearing Glen Campbell was underrated and underappreciated, but I was there, man, and he was a massive star. He had his own TV show. He was talented beyond the sun. I think we gave him the props he deserved.
This show in Japan is odd because it’s sandwiched between appearances in England (April 26, 1975) and Terre Haute, Indiana (June 15, 1975). Somebody paid him a ton of money to show up for one gig in Tokyo. Or maybe he owed somebody a debt.
The titular lead single from Rhinestone Cowboy was released on May 26, 1975. The album wouldn’t be released until July. It seems weird that he didn’t play “Rhinestone Cowboy” at this show, but the song never charted in Japan.
This isn’t a bad set list. We get the Jimmy Webb songs. A month later, he was on Midnight Special. At the 1:09 mark, he says, “They short mic’d me,” referring to the position of the microphone, which wasn’t where he expected it to be or something like that.
| Glen Campbell at Tokyo Kousei Nenkin Kaikan, Tokyo, Japan May 29, 1975 |
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| Setlist |
| I Believe in Music (Mac Davis cover) Galveston (Jimmy Webb cover) It’s Only Make Believe (Conway Twitty cover) Turn On Your Love Light (Bobby “Blue” Bland cover) I Honestly Love You (Olivia Newton‐John cover) Annie’s Song (John Denver cover) Song for Y’All Comin’ Home (To Meet My Brother) Try to Remember / The Way We Were Medley > By the Time I Get to Phoenix (Jimmy Webb cover) Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover) Try a Little Kindness Honey Come Back Gentle on My Mind (John Hartford cover) My Way (Claude François cover) Guillaume Tell Ouverture (Gioachino Rossini cover) Amazing Grace (John Newton cover) |
Helen Reddy at Empire Court, New York State Fairgrounds, Syracuse, NY, USA
| Date: | August 28, 1975 |
| Tour: | No Way to Treat a Lady |
People don’t know how big Helen Reddy was in 1974-75 because she disappeared in the 1980s, and we never heard from her again. She had 15 hits in the top 40. Three went to #1 and six went top 10. She won a Grammy for “I Am Woman”. She appeared constantly on American TV programs like The Don Rickles Show (Mr. Warmth) and The Flip Wilson Special. She had an unbroken string of hosting Midnight Special from July 18, 1975, to January 23, 1976. That meant you had to sit through at least three Helen Reddy songs before you got to the good stuff.
Like many red-blooded American eight-year-old boys, I wanted to punch Helen Reddy in the face every time I heard her voice or saw her on TV.
Somehow, Ms. Reddy found time to tour in support of her new album, That’s No Way to Treat a Lady, which, let’s be honest, kinda flies in the face of her feminist “I am woman, hear me roar” persona. It’s comforting to know she wasn’t above playing the state fair circuit.
So, I was talking earlier about how some episodes of The Midnight Special weren’t worth the hassle of bartering with my parents to stay up late. Here’s a great example.
S04E03 Helen Reddy / Roger Miller / Keith Carradine
October 3, 1975
Helen Reddy (host): “Mrs. Robinson”, “Songs”, and “No Way to Treat a Lady”
-Larry Beezer (comedy segment)
-Keith Carradine: “I’m Easy” and “Honey, Won’t You Let Me Be Your Friend”
–Keith Carradine and Helen Reddy: “It Don’t Worry Me”
-The Crusaders: “Creole” and “Soul Caravan”
-Janis Ian: “In the Winter” and “Bayonne Blues”
-Roger Miller: “All I Love Is You”, “The Day I Jumped from Uncle Harvey’s Plane”, and “Fraulein””
–Roger Miller and Helen Reddy: “In the Summertime”
No fucking way I’m staying up late to see that bullshit.
| Helen Reddy at Empire Court, New York State Fairgrounds, Syracuse, NY, USA August 28, 1975 |
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| Setlist |
| Sing Me Think I’ll Write a Song You and Me Against the World Love Song for Jeffrey Best Friend Bluebird (Leon Russell cover) You Don’t Need a Reason No Way to Treat a Lady Time Angie Baby Leave Me Alone / I Don’t Know How to Love Him / Delta Dawn Long Time Looking Showbiz I Am Woman I’ll Be Your Audience |
KC and the Sunshine Band at Onondaga War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, NY, USA
| Date: | October 17, 1975 |
| Tour: | KC and the Sunshine Band (second album) |
“Get Down Tonight” and “That’s The Way I Like It” were dueling for the title of Biggest Dance Hit of 1975. What’s interesting is they still have several hits coming: (“Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty”, “I’m Your Boogie Man”, and “Keep It Comin’ Love”, before scoring their last hit in 1979, “Please Don’t Go”.
| KC and the Sunshine Band at Onondaga War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, NY, USA October 17, 1975 |
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| Setlist |
| Shotgun Shuffle Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong Boogie Shoes I Get Lifted Rock Your Baby (George McCrae cover) That’s the Way (I Like It) Get Down Tonight |
Ohio Players at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| Date: | March 29, 1975 |
| Tour: | Fire |
The Ohio Players appeared on The Midnight Special five times in 1975. It’s impossible to say what they played at this show except for the hits. Fire was their sixth studio album since 1969.
| Ohio Players at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, USA March 29, 1975 |
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| Setlist |
| Love Rollercoaster Sweet Sticky Thing I Want to Be Free Jive Turkey Pain Honey Skin Tight Fire Funky Worm |
Olivia Newton-John at Garden State Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ, USA
| Date: | July 29, 1975 |
| Tour: | Have You Never Been Mellow |
I loved ONJ in 1975. I daydreamed about her. She looked good and sang like a bird, so I’m still down with it.
| Olivia Newton-John at Garden State Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ, USA July 29, 1975 |
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| Setlist |
| The Fool on the Hill (The Beatles cover) Let Me Be There I Honestly Love You If You Love Me (Let Me Know) Have You Never Been Mellow You Are My Sunshine (Jimmie Davis cover) Brotherly Love Honey Pie (The Beatles cover) The Air That I Breathe (Albert Hammond cover) You’ve Got a Friend (Carole King cover) Fire and Rain (James Taylor cover) Sadie and the Devil |
Just watch the video.
Orleans at Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA, USA
| Date: | July 29, 1975 |
| Tour: | Let There Be Music |
Orleans appeared on The Midnight Special twice in 1975, and I saw both episodes, but not because I liked Orleans.
Season 3, Episode 40 was hosted by Frankie Valli, aired July 4, 1975 on NBC—Channel 5 for people in Chicago. Frankie did four songs: “Swearin’ to God”, “My Eyes Adored You”, “I Got Eyes for You, Ruby”, and “Can’t Take My Eyes off of You”, another two songs with the Four Seasons (“Who Loves You” and “Silence Is Golden”.)
Freddy Fender came out and did “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” and “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights”. The fuckin’ Hollies show up and do “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress”, “Another Night”, and “Sandy”.
Finally, Orleans does “Let There Be Music”, “Dance with Me”, and “Tongue Tied”.
| Orleans at Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA, USA July 29, 1975 |
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| Setlist |
| Trenchtown Rock (Bob Marley cover) Cold Spell Ending of a Song Mountain Please Be There Dance With Me Two Faced World If (Bread cover) Let There Be Music Big Fat Mama Half Moon One-Sided Love Tongue-Tied |
Peter Frampton at Commack Arena, Commack, NY, USA
| Date: | August 24, 1975 |
| Tour: | Frampton |
Another one of those shows that’s supposed to be on the live album, Frampton Comes Alive! (1976), but it’s not live. He plays all the jams, though.
| Peter Frampton at Commack Arena, Commack, NY, USA August 24, 1975 |
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| Setlist |
| Baby (Somethin’s Happening) Doobie Wah Lines on My Face Show Me the Way It’s a Plain Shame Wind of Change Just the Time of Year Penny for Your Thoughts All I Wanna Be (Is by Your Side) Baby, I Love Your Way I Wanna Go to the Sun Nowhere’s Too Far (For My Baby) (I’ll Give You) Money Do You Feel Like We Do Shine On (Humble Pie song) White Sugar Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Rolling Stones cover) Day’s Dawning |
Rod Stewart & The Faces at McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO, USA
| Date: | September 17, 1975 |
| Tour: | n/a |
These guys had such a messy relationship, it’s hard to figure out what’s happening on their final tour, even though they’re billed as Rod Stewart & The Faces. They hardly play anything from their last four albums, including Ooh La La (1973), and only one song from Rod’s new album, Atlantic Crossing (“Three Time Loser”). It looks like a fun set, but it seems like a bunch of covers and a couple of hits.
| Rod Stewart & The Faces at McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO, USA September 17, 1975 |
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| Setlist |
| The Stripper (David Rose and His Orchestra song) Memphis, Tennessee (Chuck Berry cover) It’s All Over Now (The Valentinos cover) Three Time Loser (Rod Stewart song) Miss Judy’s Farm I’d Rather Go Blind (Etta James cover) Sweet Little Rock & Roller (Chuck Berry cover) (I Know) I’m Losing You (The Temptations cover) Big Bayou (Gib Guilbeau cover) Angel (Jimi Hendrix cover) Bring It On Home to Me / You Send Me (Sam Cooke cover) You Wear It Well (Rod Stewart song) Maggie May (Rod Stewart song) Stay With Me Twistin’ the Night Away (Sam Cooke cover) |
What do you remember from 1975? Drop me a note in the comments!
