Superfest, Summer of ’76, and Peter Frampton

Happy 716 day to all who celebrate!

In the summer of 1976 the biggest rock star in the world was Peter Frampton. He released his double live album, Frampton Comes Alive in January and it spawned three huge hits, Show Me the Way, Baby I Love Your Way and Do You Feel Like We Do?. Although I was only ten that summer, I definitely recall these all being very popular and I’m sure that popularity is why the next year I got a copy of the album I’m In You from my Columbia House record club. Peter Frampton headlined a show at Rich Stadium on July 10 that year as part of a rock music festival that also included Johnny and Edgar Winter, Todd Rundgren and Natural Gas.

In the mid-seventies huge rock concert festivals held in stadiums were a big thing and Belkin Productions from Cleveland brought amazing artists to both Cleveland, The World Series of Rock festivals at Cleveland Stadium and Buffalo. There were a number of these festival shows at Rich Stadium billed as SuperFests. There were two in the summer of ‘76, SuperFest 8 on July 10 and SuperFest 10 on August 7. Not sure if or where there was a SuperFest 9?????

Even though SuperFest 8 was on the 10th, I want to talk about it in honor of 716 day. Buffalo used to be a stop for the biggest, most popular performers. Every big name came through B’lo in the 70s. Frampton, The Stones, Grateful Dead, Elton John, Billy Joel, The Outlaws, Santana, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Bob Seger, you name it, they played Buffalo.

At the time, Peter Frampton’s Show Me The Way was one of the biggest hits of the summer of ‘76. Not my all time favorite Frampton song, but it’s still a perfect song.

Frampton, late of Humble Pie, had released a few solo albums but it wasn’t until Double Live that his solo career really hit the stratosphere. The tracks on the album, recorded at several shows, The Winterland Ballroom, Marin Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium- (remember when arenas were named and dedicated to the municipalities who paid for them, or in honor of veterans rather than corporations? That’s a topic for another post.) Long Island Arena and SUNY Plattsburgh (back when SUNY schools were fully funded and offered phenomenal rock concerts, another topic for a future post).

Show Me the Way peaked at number 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100. This was another song that upon first being released in 1975, it was a track on his fourth studio album entitled Frampton, went absolutely nowhere. Until recorded live the next year, and well the rest was history.

Show Me the Way opens with Frampton’s beautiful guitar and then segues into that famous talk box riff. U2’s Bono once told Frampton that he viewed the song as a prayer, and U2 would perform the song in their very early days. Such a beautiful way to think of a song. I firmly believe that deep listening to music is or can be transformational, like a spiritual or religious experience.

If you’re feeling the need to transcend, to get higher, put on some headphones, time travel to the summer of 1976 and let the music show you the way. Show Me the Way by Peter Framptom is the perfect song.