Photos of the meeting of Beryl Longuet with Barbara and Barry Gibb after many years.
2013, copyright David Longuet.
Walking Down Memory Lane
The Spirits Tour 79
nother morning during this exhausting Bee Gees Tour.Still tired like mostly in the mornings.
We went some shopping and when we returned to our hotel in the afternoon the first fans were already waiting at the front door.
We went straight to the ticket office and asked at the Will Call Window for our three extra tickets.
And yes, there they were, three more tickets for again a wonderful concert.
While walking back to our room we came across Gloria, Sylvia and Myrna: The Sweet Inspiration.
Had a short chat, wished them luck tonight and went back to our own room.
The Spirit, the plane the Bee Gees used to fly from city to city during this tour hadn’t received permission to depart from New York in time because of very bad weather of there.
What would happen now??!!
Hopefully they’d come after all but on the other hand wasn’t it too risky to fly in such bad weather.
We just didn’t know what to think for a while.
We just waited , what more could we do.
Finally it was a quarter past nine when The Sweet Inspiration started their program and the Gibb Family had phoned they’d safely arrived after all and at the same time promised the audience no matter how late it would be, they are intending to do a full concert tonight.
Their show finally started after ten in the evening and lasted until almost 12 o’clock.
We said goodbye to the other fans we had been with and went straight to bed for a change.
Time to travel by bus for this time.
We took the bus to Boston and from there went on to Burlington and up to the north to the Canadian border.
Our destination: Montreal.
Again there’s an extra show, so again we’d to book another night at the hotel , but who cares when you get a chance to see so many Bee Gees concerts in a few weeks time!!
It started to become one big dream!
But for a change the whole dream came true.
We did enjoy Montreal and really had some time to do sightseeing before the Gibb would arrive again.
We went down town to find a: …cake shop! Why?
Well because of Barry’s birthday and we’d present him a lovely cake.
eptember First
While walking outside we came across Hugh, had a short chat and he suggested we’d call Dick for information about the coming shows and for making some arrangements to see the family before and after the shows.
So when we got back at our hotel we called Dick at their hotel The Four Seasons.
He gave us all the latest information and told about again more extra shows.
He offered us tickets for the extra concert of tomorrow, told us where to get the back stage passes and arranged to meet Barry at his birthday.
Oh well, I was really dreaming or wasn’t I ??
Early in the afternoon we picked up a huge birthday cake and on we went to the Forum after we’d first had a bite to eat with some friends at a restaurant.
The rest of the day we’d stay at the Forum until after the concert.
Our friends had just arrived in Montreal as well but didn’t have tickets.
This was not a good sign as mostly the halls were sold out anyway they’d try and get some after all.
But I had a plan.
We decided to see each other that evening at 7 p.m. at the Forum entrance.
(I planned to give them our tickets then as we in fact didn’t need them because of the back stage passes which gave us the opportunity to see the show without tickets).
In the afternoon we awaited The Gibbs and Dick again at the back stage door and together we went in the Forum to stay there for the rest of the day and evening.
Linda hadn’t arrived yet. She’s probably arranging some last things for Barry’s birthday.!
We enjoyed the sound test while sitting with Dick and Barry’s assistant.
During rehearsals Barry stopped and came up towards us for a while.
We congratulated him and gave him the cake and presents.
A took his time to sit and chat with us for a while and then went back to Robin and Maurice to finish the rehearsals.
Later that afternoon we indeed saw our friends again at the front entrance of The forum and could give them the tickets we didn’t need.
They were sooooo happy being able to see the concert after all!!!
During the show that night we joined the family and were seated next to the stage with them and some other guests which had been invited because of Barry’s birthday.
It became a very special evening and concert.
Every once in a while some people in the audience started to sing: happy birthday and there were lots of banners with lovely birthday wishes etc. etc.
After Barry had done his performance of Words Robin and Maurice came back on stage as usual but now they suddenly started to sing: happy birthday to you, we and the family and of course the audience sang with them.
Afterwards the twins presented Barry a bunch of flowers.
And then the show went on and the rest of the evening was like one happy party again.
ime again for another extra concert!
Why not the tour is so successful and the planned shows are simply not enough to let all the fans enjoy the Bee Gees performances.
We’d planned to eat something at the Four Seasons and joined Hugh who was there too.
Dick had reserved the extra tickets for us which we had to pick up late in the afternoon.
The rest of the day we finally had time to enjoy a bit more of Montreal.
In the evening there was yet another wonderful Bee Gees concert to go to.
Can you ever get an overdoses of these Bee Gees performances ?! I don’t think so…
No way we couldn’t get enough of it, all these weeks of traveling during the Spirits tour and all these shows…
And it wasn’t a dream although you’d sometimes believe it was…
It was simply an experience never to forget.
One of the other highlights during the Spirits tour I certainly think was the performance of the group in Pittsburg at the Civic Arena.
Another lovely show with fantastic atmosphere.
When the limos arrived we all went in again for yet another wonderful evening.
Tonight Hugh was accompanied by George (Linda’s dad) and Stevie again was playing around back stage.
Nice to know that Linda’s parents have joined the family again in New York so I decided to call George tomorrow.
He and I were corresponding a lot in those days and he really helped me with all the fan work so I was looking forward to see him again and hopefully visit him and May when we were in New York too.
After the show some people of the crew asked us again to join them at their hotel for some drinks and a talk again but we finally decided to go straight back to our own place this time, to pack our bags again etc.
Visiting the Gibb Family at their hotel
ew York, New York
Last stop during our trip and Spirits Tour.
First of all I decided to call George and we had a nice and long talk.
It was so good to hear him again!!
We decided to call back each other and to meet one of the next days.
While we were in New York for again a Bee Gees concert, the last one for us during this tour, we also met David: Hurricane David who was just visiting New York however it wasn’t real bad but we noticed his presents very well!!
Many shops in the City showed us The Bee Gees were’ hot’ at the moment as lots of shop windows were covered with all kinds of Bee Gees items including big screens with promo films of the group.
That really felt super!
During another talk with George Gray we decided to visit him and May tomorrow at their hotel.
So the next afternoon we went to St. Regis where we had to pass several security people before we could finally enter the Gibb suites.
We had a great time and it was so good to see them all again: George, May, Barbara, Hugh and then there was Stevie playing with the son of Bee Gees photographer Bob Sherman and little Ashley who had grown so much since the last time I saw him and he walked and talked a lot!!
The boys were getting ready for the show and we had tea with the family and talked about anything and everything while the kids were playing around.
Ashley was kissing a photo we gave him showing himself and to another one showing Barry he kept calling ; daddy, daddy.
Linda was busy getting a party organized for Ashley’s birthday.
We stayed all afternoon and before leaving we knocked at room 709 of course to say hello to Dick and have a chat with him too.
He gave us back stage passes again for the evening.
In the lobby we kept talking with Hugh for a while who suggested us to come to the huge Bee Gees party after the concert.
We loved that idea and things were arranged with Dick right away and so we did.
That sounded terrific an invitation for the party!
We had to be at the 20th floor of the hotel that night after the show around 11.30 p.m..
While coming out of the St. Regis Hotel it suddenly had become very crowded in front of the building with many, many fans gathered.
And some minutes later the limo’s arrived to bring the group and the family to the Madison Square Garden for again a wonderful show.
Lots of artists decided to visit one of the Spirits concerts of The Bee Gees.
In this famous Madison Square Garden there were people like Al Pacino, Billy Joel, Neil Sedaka, Diana Ross and also Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of Kiss, in the audience.
Also people like for instance Olivia Newton John, Barbra Streisand, The Jacksons, Karen Carpenter, John Travolta and K.C. of The Sunshine Band had visited one of the shows.
Some days earlier we’d decided to see some of our friends again after this concert in New York to have a drink and a chat but as we were invited to come to the big RSO party after the show we had to cancel the other meeting.
We had great seats in the M.S.G. and we enjoined the show again like always only this time we thought it would better to leave the hall just before the end of the concert to be sure to catch a cab and be at the St. Regis back in time for the start of the party. (during tours in years to come we even arranged to drive back after the concerts with the escorted bus of the band or one of the limo’s of the guys but during this tour we arranged our own transport back to the hotel after the shows).
We were even in time to see the boys coming back from the concert hall.
That became the start of a very special and great night: a party with the Bee Gees and their family!!!
e went up to the right floor and Dick was waiting for us to give the special passes to enter the party.
It was a very big hall with lots of beautifully laid tables and a great cold and warm buffet was waiting for the guests and then there was of course lots of music and indeed many Bee Gees music as well and a great dance floor.
All was ready for a wonderful party.
The Gibbs started to arrive at the hall as well as all the people from RSO, Ahmet Ertegun, the assistants and managers the friends of the boys amongst others several artists like Neil Sedaka etc. etc.
Molly and Robin were the first ones of the Bee Gees family to arrive and I noticed that Molly had lost weight.
Then Barry and Linda came Maurice and Yvonne followed by for instance Betty and Ron, May and George, Barbara and Hugh, David English and last but not least Robert Stigwood.
We found ourselves a nice table not far from the family and not far from the dance floor either.
That evening we danced and made fun and had a great time together with The Bee Gees and their family. A night never to forget.
Between dancing we enjoyed the lovely buffet.
During the dancing on the floor we had chats with a lot of the others and Linda for instance introduced me to David English whom I once had met before by the way in London which I told her.
We had a nice chat and everyone seemed to enjoy the party and was very relaxed.
When we were on the floor together with the guys the first time that night they said: ‘ hi girls nice you could have made it too’.
It started to become morning already when the first ones left the party and we’d become rather tired ourselves as well.
Robin and Molly were the first ones who left and quite some time later Barry and Linda decided to go.
Maurice and Yvonne stayed almost until the end like we did.
It was already early in the morning when we finally took a cab from St. Regis to go back after we’d said goodbye to the Gibbs.
Next day we bought a small something to give to the boys and of course a present for Ashley’s birthday which we later on brought to them.
However we had to fly back home the tour went on and I kept receiving lots of correspondence of fans who enthusiastic wrote me about the wonderful shows they had visited in the last part of the tour.
Like for instance the letters I received from fans who went to the Philadelphia show where the boys were in a very funny mood specially because in the beginning there seemed to be some technical problem so it all took some time before the boys could start and they were joking around on stage.
Barry later on that evening even started to sing First Of May after a fan in the audience had begged him to do so etc. etc.
And then of course Miami where they did their final performance of this very successful tour.
Anyway for us it was time to pack our bags to go back home.
We were rather exhausted when we finally found our seats in the plane to fly back but we were loaded with wonderful memories and we had enjoyed a wonderful Spirits Tour.
I herewith have tried to tell you some of the events during these weeks with the Gibbs in this special report:
Walking Down Memory Lane.
I hope you’ve enjoyed walking back with us as well and that you liked reading some of those many moments we shared with the Gibbs during this Tour.
With love,
Marion Adriaensen: GSI
(With also thanks to Agnes Corstjens, Eva Maarschalk, Marie Barba, Shirlee Faur, The Gibb Family and many more)
© Story: Marion Adriaensen 2002
© Photos: Bob Sherman, Agnes Corstjens, Eva Maarschalk, Marie Barba, Marion Adriaensen, GSI-Archive
Read more on Part 3