A year ago, Pink Floyd surprised fans by releasing 18 concert bootlegs on streaming platforms, capturing the era before “The Dark Side of the Moon.” These weren’t part of the band’s official 50th-anniversary releases but were sanctioned bootlegs of shows held between January and December 1972. The group opted for this strategy to prevent the expiration of rights after fifty years, a tactic previously employed by the English rock legends and others, such as Bob Dylan.
Now, Pink Floyd has repeated the feat for 1973. While the 1972 bootlegs chronicled the on-stage evolution of “Dark Side” before its official release, the 18 live recordings quietly dropped on platforms in December 2023 narrate the 1973 tour post-album launch.
Spanning from the March 6, 1973 concert in St. Louis to the November 4 shows at London’s Rainbow, including the May 18 and 19 performances at Earls Court, these recordings primarily cover American dates. However, there are also shows in Munich and Vienna, in addition to the mentioned UK venues.
Each concert lasts over two hours, and the sound quality mirrors typical bootleg standards – mostly poor, sometimes (as in the case of Jersey City) nearly unlistenable. The repertoire includes not only renditions of the 1973 concept but also earlier classics like “Echoes” and lesser-known tracks like “When You’re In.” This series of official bootlegs might be less captivating than its predecessor, both in terms of repertoire and sound quality.
Listen while you can, perhaps starting with New York or Vienna due to the consistently poor but relatively better sound quality of those bootlegs. They might disappear from streaming platforms soon. European law dictates that recordings over half a century old must be published, either in streaming format or on physical media, even in limited editions, to retain copyright. However, it doesn’t guarantee permanent circulation of these records. In fact, the 1972 concert bootlegs, previously covered here, are no longer available.
Here are the published titles, along with excerpts from “Money” from the St. Louis date, “Careful With That Axe, Eugene” from the New York concert, and “Echoes” from Vienna.
Live at Kiel Opera House, St Louis, USA, 6 March 1973
Live at Chicago International Amphitheatre, USA, 7 March 1973
Live at University of Cincinnati, USA, 8 March 1973
Live at Kent State University, USA, 10 March 1973
Live at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada, 11 March 1973
Live at Boston Music Hall, YSA, 14 March 1973
Live at Radio City Music Hall, NYC, USA, 17 March 1973
Live at Earls Court, London, UK, 18 May 1973
Live at Earls Court, London, UK, 19 May 1973
Live at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, USA, 17 June 1973
Live at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, USA, 18 June 1973
Live at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, USA, 20 June 1973
Live at Sportatorium, Hollywood, USA, 28 June 1973
Live at Tampa Stadium, USA, 29 June 1973
Live at Munich Olympiahalle, Germany, 12 October 1973
Live at Vienna Stadthalle, Austria, 13 October 1973
Live at The Rainbow Theatre, Early Show, London, UK, 4 November 1974
Live at The Rainbow Theatre, Late Show, London, UK, 4 November 1974