Judy Sings! In Concert
New Section!
JUDY GARLAND
THE CONCERT YEARS
Judy Garland in concert was an event like no other. Fans and show business veterans spoke of them with awe. Even now, as the 100th anniversary of her birth nears, her concerts are still legendary. “Legendary” is a word that’s used a lot these days, but in her own time, the word was used to describe her concerts and Judy herself. She truly was a living legend.
Judy Garland – The Concert Years features comprehensive details about Judy’s amazing concert years from 1951 – 1969. Included in the pages are photos, audio files, videos, newspaper articles & reviews, plus information about other projects Judy worked on (films, her TV series, etc.).
Judy Garland enjoyed one of the greatest of all stage careers. After her split with MGM in 1950 she was back to her Vaudeville stage roots with her appearance at the London Palladium followed by her legendary revival of Vaudeville at The Palace Theatre in New York. From then until her death in 1969, seeing Judy Garland in concert was an event and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Judy gave thousands of concerts. Sadly, these were in the days prior to the recording of a performer’s every move so we don’t have as many professionally recorded concerts as we would like. Luckily, some recordings were made of Judy in concert, Judy at Carnegie Hall being the most famous. Enterprising fans were able to record some concerts and while they’re at times crudely recorded with really poor sound quality, some sound quite wonderful.
This page features Judy in concert throughout her career. Enjoy!
A HUGE THANK YOU to all the folks out there who have so generously shared various audio files with The Judy Room – especially those on Facebook. Thanks again!!
April/May 1951
JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS
LOVE IS SWEEPING THE COUNTRY
MEDLEY: EMBRACEABLE YOU/BUT NOT FOR ME/EASTER PARADE
AT LONG LAST HERE I AM
These performances are from Judy’s 4-week run at the Palladium in April/May of 1951 which was a part of her British Isles Tour. These are a joy to listen to, as Judy is clearly enjoying her unique connection with the British audiences who, as we know, were crazy about her!
Here is the complete (?) April 1951 concert in zip file format.
February 24, 1952
LIZA
Closing night at The Palace Theater.
Complete Concert (zip file)
BONUS: A QUICK INTERVIEW WITH JUDY
(and Lucy & Desi) when Judy brought her Palace show to the L.A. Philharmonic April 21, 1952.
ANOTHER BONUS – Two recordings from Judy’s Palace tour (exact dates unknown):
AFTER YOU’VE GONE
OVER THE RAINBOW
June 22, 1952
From Judy’s concert at San Francisco’s Curran Theater. Judy is obviously having a ball here. Download a zip file of the entire show below.
Complete Show (zip file)
July 11, 1955
THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW (zip file )
Judy took her show to the Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California. The process of the show went to benefit special needs children. Judy was a member of the original “Rat Pack” and many of its members including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Humphrey Bogart attended the show.
September 26, 1956
JINX ‘N JUDY BACKSTAGE AT THE PALACE
Jinx Falkenburg was the first “Supermodel” long before the term was coined (sorry, Janice Dickinson). Jinx was a very successful model in the 1940s even appearing in a few films, most notably as herself in Gene Kelly’s 1944 Cover Girl where she’s gorgeous in glorious Technicolor. She and her husband Tex McCrary were early innovators of the talk show genre on radio and television beginning in the ’40s.
This particular interview was conducted by Jinx, with her husband introducing them, backstage at The Palace with Kitty Carlyle and Moss Hart.
July 16, 1956
From Judy’s engagement at The New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was Judy’s nightclub debut and it was so popular 7,000 people had to be turned away on opening weekend. Judy was scheduled for just four weeks but due to this overwhelming popularity, she was extended for a fifth week. Judy performed a total of seventy (!) shows that lasted 68 minutes. She was paid $275,000 for the engagement. A recording made of this first night via the sound system still survives although this is the only known track to have been released.
Side note: It was during this time that Judy was offered two film roles: The lead in a remake of Alice Adams for RKO and the lead in The Three Faces of Eve. The latter starred Joanne Woodward who won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance.
May 11, 1958
HERE I AM
JUDY’S OLIO
ROCK-A-BYE YOUR BABY
OVER THE RAINBOW
Judy returned to her home state, performing at the Minnesota State Centennial Celebration in Minneapolis, singing to a crowd of 20,000. This was the last time Judy performed in Minnesota. She was backed by the 32-piece Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra.
August 5, 1958
DAY IN, DAY OUT
I CAN’T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE
DO IT AGAIN
WHEN THE SUN COMES OUT
AFTER YOU’VE GONE
Here are previously unreleased 2010 remasters of selections from Judy’s final night of her two-week run at The Coconut Grove in Hollywood, California. The Capitol LP of this performance was the very first “Judy Garland in Concert” album.
September 9, 1958
From Judy’s seventh and final night at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall. Judy had the biggest advance sale in their history, with the top ticket price being $7.50. 17,500 people came to see her, with another 6,000 being turned away. Judy performed the same act she had performed a month earlier at The Coconut Grove in Hollywood (see above).
Judy’s charming rendition of “Purple People Eater” is always fun to listen to. We’re so used to the version from “Garland at the Grove” that it’s nice to have this alternate rendition.
The dreadful “Judy in San Francisco” LP. That LP oddly enough only had one number from this concert in San Francisco. Go figure. But the cover art is great and has been a fan favorite.
May 11, 1959
JUDY AT THE MET
These recordings are all from Judy’s 1959 appearance at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House.
ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE/THIS CAN’T BE LOVE (this is a recording from Judy’s 1959 opera house tour, although it’s unclear at which venue this was recorded. It could be from this Met appearance.)
LOVE MEDLEY
THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY
(I’M IN LOVE WITH) A WONDERFUL GUY (newly upgraded sound provided by Nick Zebrowski – thank you Nick!)
WHEN YOU’RE SMILING
October 28, 1960
LIVE IN PARIS (zip file)
Judy took her new one-woman show to the Olympia Theater in Paris, France for two nights. This night’s concert was recorded and broadcast by the radio station “Europe 1” on November 3, 1960.
The concert has been released on CD in 1994 and 2005, the former titled “Judy Garland a Paris” and the latter titled “Judy Garland Live in Paris.”
April 25, 1962
SOME PEOPLE (Rehearsal)
DO WHAT YOU DO (partial)
WHY CAN’T I?
Here are some rare recordings from Judy’s rehearsals for her appearance at the Manhattan Center in New York. The idea was to make a follow-up to the enormously popular “Judy At Carnegie Hall” with a new live album entitled “Judy Takes Broadway.” Capitol invited fans and celebrities to make up the late-night audience.
Unfortunately, Judy was suffering from laryngitis and although she soldiered on, she could not complete the “concert.” She wasn’t able to get to “Seventy-Six Trombones” and “Tonight.” Later that night, after the audience left, she completed “Why Can’t I?” and attempted “Do What You Do”, but halted it after singing just the verse. Judy was incredibly hoarse by this point (who wouldn’t be?) and her keen musical sense told her that she couldn’t go on.
A recording session is listed as being held at Capitol Records in Hollywood on October 2, 1963, which was an attempt to get completed takes for Judy’s unreleased album “Judy Takes Broadway.” However, the single reel of tape only contained orchestra tracks of “Do What You Do,” “76 Trombones,” and “Why Can’t I?” with no vocal track. Judy can barely be heard in the background, perhaps saving her voice the upcoming taping of the latest episode of her TV show.
The tape is noted as being a “dub (original in England),” so it’s possible that it was derived fro a session in England, or mixed from other takes made in April 1962. The master numbers are the exact same for the three songs from this session as they are from the April 1962 sessions, so it’s possible that a session wasn’t held on this date at all, and it’s an error with Capitol Records.
Most of the existing recordings only saw the light of day on the 1989 CD release “Judy Garland – Live!”
Download that out-of-print CD here (zip file).
“Why Can’t I” was subsequently released on the 2002 compilation “Classic Judy Garland – The Capitol Years 1955 – 1965.“
This rehearsal of “Some People” has never been officially released. Too bad, as Judy’s in better voice than the actual concert.
September 18, 1962
JUDY INTERVIEWED BACKSTAGE AT THE SAHARA
Judy opened an initial four-week engagement at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was paid $40k per week and the four weeks were extended to six due to the huge success and demand to see her.
Mort Lindsey conducted the twenty-seven piece orchestra. Showtime was 2:30 a.m.! Even at that hour, she packed the house. The show’s running time was 65 minutes. Judy opened with “Hello, Bluebird” and closed with Chicago.
On opening night, Capitol Records presided Glenn Wallichs presented Judy with a Gold Record for her 2-LP set “Judy at Carnegie Hall.” However, he had to wait for the two-minute-and-eighteen-second standing ovation to be over before making the presentation.
During this engagement, Judy gave an interview backstage and chatted about daughter Liza Minnelli. You can listen to that interview above or listen to it below while watching vintage footage of Vegas in 1962, including the marquee for this appearance.
September 5, 1963
THE BIRTH OF THE BLUES (with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin)
Judy joined Sinatra and Martin on stage at the Cal-Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, for this impromptu performance. Sinatra was a part-owner of the lodge from 1960 – 1963. Just weeks after this performance, Sinatra sold the resort on October 7, 1963, due to federal pressure from his ties to the famous mobster Sam Gianaca. The lodge was also the spot for a famous turning point in Judy’s early career. She and her sisters, as “The Garland Sisters,” were performing there when the agent, Al Rosen, saw them and would secure an audition at MGM for Judy. It was also during this engagement that Judy, still going by her birth name Frances, chose “Judy” as her first name. Judy Garland was “born” at the Cal-Neva Lodge.
May 16, 1964
Rare recording from Judy’s second concert in Sydney, Australia. Although the sound quality isn’t the best, it’s worth listening to for Judy’s banter with the audience when she makes a mistake with the song. Thanks to Kim L. for sharing!
Complete Show (zip file)
Photo: Judy at a press conference in Sydney on May 11, 1964.
July 23, 1964
From the “Night of 100 Stars” benefit at the London Palladium. Judy was scheduled to only take a bow but after three ovations and demands from the audience that she sing something, she performed both “Over the Rainbow” and “Swanee.” It was a triumph for Judy. She received the biggest reception of all the stars that night, included The Beatles.
Unfortunately, this recording cuts out at the end. If anyone has a complete version please let us know and we’ll post it!
November 1964
JUDY AND LIZA LIVE AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM
The recording of this concert has become a controversial symbol of the bickering and infighting inherent in the Garland fan “community” (especially online), going back decades. In 2002 a “complete” version was set for release. Certain factions objected to the release under the pretense that the recordings did not present Judy at her vocal best – ignoring the dozens of other CD releases and/or files shared online that present Judy in an infinitely worse light (see the 1967 Detroit performance below). In reality, it was petty bickering and jealousies that got in the way resulting in the 2002 version being kept from release at the 11th hour.
In the years since, advance copies popped up on eBay and were traded among fans. In 2009 the Collector’s Choice label was set to release the complete version (presumably the 2002 version, but this has not been verified), until word leaked out, again resulting in an 11th hour pulling of the plug.
Finally, on April 20, 2010, DRG Records released an expanded edition of the original LP. It wasn’t the complete concert or recordings, but it was the first CD release and was better than nothing. Click here for details about that official CD release.
To read a detailed account of the “plagued history” of this recording, download Lawrence Schulman’s excellent article first published in the ARSC Journal XL / ii 2009.
The following files represent as complete as we can get (thus far) of the recording, plus extras:
ACT 1 (zip file)
ACT 2 (zip file)
EXTRAS (Includes rehearsals, radio interview, & new remasters) (zip file)
MIDNIGHT CONCERT NOVEMBER 16, 1964 ACT 1 (zip file)
MIDNIGHT CONCERT NOVEMBER 16, 1964 ACT 2 (zip file)
NEVER WILL I MARRY (2nd Night – Improved Sound Quality- MP3 file)
IF I WERE IN YOUR SHOES (Liza Solo – Remastered Version – MP3 file)
MAYBE THIS TIME (Liza Solo – Remastered Version – MP3 file)
February 8, 1965
IN CONCERT AT THE O’KEEFE CENTER, TORONTO, CANADA
Judy opened with The Allen Brothers, at The O’Keefe Center, Toronto, Canada. Judy was actually filling in for Nat “King” Cole, who had to cancel due to illness. Judy performed through February 13th, canceling the shows on the 10th due to her own illness (a severe cold and laryngitis).
NOTE: The recordings are from audiotapes taken by fans in the audience. The sound quality isn’t the greatest, but they’re all we have!
Complete Concert, February 8, 1965 (zip file)
Complete Concert, February 11, 1965 (zip file)
Complete Concert, February 13, 1965 (zip file)
May 7, 1965
IN CONCERT AT THE ARIE CROWN THEATER (zip file)
Judy’s return to the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago, Illinois. She had previously appeared at the venue in 1962. Although she was plagued with vocal issues she still received good reviews and the show was a success. It was scheduled for 10 pm and the top ticket price was a whopping $10 (!!). Judy was paid $29,000 for this performance. The Allen Brothers provided an 18-minute opening act before Judy’s one-hour show.
June 15, 1965
IN CONCERT AT THE THUNDERBIRD (zip file)
Judy’s opening night at The Thunderbird Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. This two-week engagement outdrew every other hotel on the strip and garnered, again, amazing reviews.
Judy’s shows started at 10:30 p.m. and she was backed by the Allen Brothers and a 31 piece orchestra under the direction of Nick Perito. NOTE: The version of “Over the Rainbow” included here cuts out at the very end. Unfortunately, it’s the only version from this show that I have.
While Judy was in Vegas, she called into a radio show hosted by Jack Wagner and gave a quick promo/interview about the “Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli ‘Live’ at the London Palladium” album. Listen to that radio spot here.
July 17, 1965
IN CONCERT AT FOREST HILLS, NEW YORK (zip file)
Another zip file of a complete concert. This time Judy’s wowing the crowds in Forest Hills, New York (Queens) at the tennis stadium. This is the same stadium used to great effect years earlier in Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train.”
The zip file includes a post concert interview with Judy conducted by Peter Lind Hayes.
September 1965
TWO NIGHTS OF JUDY AT THE GREEK THEATRE, LOS ANGELES
GREEK THEATRE 09-13-1965 (zip file)
The first night of a proposed week-long engagement at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Judy received raves for this opening night. Mort Lindsey conducted the 33-piece orchestra, 13 of which were strings. She was guaranteed $35,000 for the week, plus 65% of the gross above $70,000; there was an advance sale of $40,000.
This recording was made from the soundboard and not from the audience. The result is that the sound quality is better than what we’re used to from the usual audience recordings of this era.
GREEK THEATRE 09-14-1965 (zip file)
Judy’s second night at The Greek theater in Los Angeles was also her last. The rest of the engagement was canceled because she had tripped over her dog and broken her arm. In spite of this, she did this second show with help from Mickey Rooney, Martha Raye, and Johnny Mathis. Judy only sang five songs: “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands”; “Just In Time”; “San Francisco”; “Together” (with Raye); and “Over The Rainbow.”
June 13, 1967
From Judy’s opening night at the Westbury Music Fair, Westbury, New York. This is the only known recording of Judy singing a song from the hit musical “Mame” which starred her The Harvey Girls co-star Angela Lansbury. Judy had seen the show and expressed interest in playing the title role.
June 18, 1967
IN CONCERT AT THE WESTBURY MUSIC FAIR
This is the closing night of Judy’s run at the Westbury Music Fair in Westbury, New York. She performed from June 13th through the 18th.
The sound quality isn’t the best as it’s a recording made from the audience, but it’s still fun to listen to and she’s in wonderful voice.
June 27, 1967
IN CONCERT AT THE STORROWTON MUSIC CIRCUS (zip file)
Judy, along with Lorna and Joe, performed at the Storrowton Music Circus, Springfield, Mass., from June 26 through July 1, 1967. The shows were very successful with Judy garnering some great reviews.
After the opening, at the press reception held at the Old Storrowton Tavern, Judy told a reporter “People are my life.” She also revealed that she would love to do a Broadway musical on the life of the legendary stage actress Laurette Taylor, “It’s something I would like to do and I hope I get a chance to do it.”
This is another from the audience recording with poor sound quality. It’s included here, again, for those completists out there.
July 31, 1967
JUDY AT HOME AT THE PALACE (OPENING NIGHT)
Opening night of Judy’s final run at the Palace Theater. This night was featured on Side One of the last original Garland LP, “At Home At The Palace” (which is also the last waiting to be released on CD). Side Two of the album is comprised of recordings made from the second and third nights.
A few highlights:
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT! (2015 remaster)
I LOVED HIM (BUT HE DIDN’T LIKE ME) (2015 remaster)
Download the 1967 album – remastered in 2015 by John Haley – here:
JUDY GARLAND AT HOME AT THE PALACE (zip file)
July 31, 1967
This is also from Judy’s opening night at The Palace Theater. The version heard above is from the ABC Records release in which Side 2 of the album is comprised of recordings made during the second and third night’s performances.
This version is from the previously unreleased (excepting The Judy Room’s YouTube Channel Premiere of the song in July 2016, see below) opening night second act.
PREMIERING HERE: The COMPLETE SECOND ACT from the opening night’s performance (large MP3 file – 107 megs). As noted above, Act Two was not on the album. Only a few songs have surfaced over the years. Here is a first-generation recording of the complete second act. Some of the audio on this recording is not perfect due to the fact that it was made from an undesired vantage point in the theater. It works fine for the quiet “I Loved Him” but not so much for the numbers that elicit audience response, which is just about all of them! Still, it’s premiering here to give everyone a chance to have a complete Palace 1967 opening night.
August 1967
JUDY AT HOME AT THE PALACE – NATIONAL GUARD SESSIONS (zip file)
Judy was interviewed by Martin Block backstage at The Palace (the exact date is unknown) for the “National Guard Sessions” show. The interview was recorded in one session, but was divided into four parts and broadcast in November 1967. Judy is in great spirits, sounds wonderful, and doesn’t seem phased when the announcer repeatedly refers to Judy’s daughter Lorna as “Verna”! The interview is peppered with tracks from the “At Home At The Palace” LP.
August 8, 1967
JUDY AT HOME AT THE PALACE (zip file)
Another recording from Judy’s Palace engagement. It’s obvious this is one of the many recordings of Garland concerts made by fans “illegally” from the audience. At times you can even hear some laughter and mumbling from people in direct vicinity to the tape recorder. Even though it’s of very poor sound quality, it’s worth listening to if only to give one an idea of how the concert may have sounded from the audience (and through a little tape recorder).
August 23, 1967
JUDY AT HOME AT THE PALACE
Joan Crawford gets a bit of the spotlight during this night of Judy’s final run at the Palace Theatre.
The sound quality on this recording isn’t as good as some of the others from Judy’s Palace engagement being recorded from quite a distance in the audience, but it’s presented here for historical purposes.
Complete Show (zip file)
August 26, 1967
JUDY AT HOME AT THE PALACE
Judy’s final appearance at The Palace Theatre. Due to the number of tracks, the concert is split into two large zip files. They might take some time to download depending on your connection speed.
A couple of highlights:
WHAT NOW MY LOVE?
OVER THE RAINBOW
August 31, 1967
IN CONCERT AT THE BOSTON COMMON
Rare recordings from Judy’s appearance in Boston, MA at the Boston Common. Footage from this is seen in the A&E Biography about Judy.
OPENING COMMENTS & OVERTURE
I FEEL A SONG COMING ON
LOVE MEDLEY
JUST IN TIME
HOW INSENSITIVE
MOVIE MEDLEY
WHAT NOW MY LOVE?
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT!
HELLO, DOLLY!
OL’ MAN RIVER
ROCK-A-BYE YOUR BABY
SAN FRANCISCO
SWANEE
PRESENTATION & OVER THE RAINBOW
September 8, 1967
IN CONCERT AT THE MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION (zip file)
The first of a two-night engagement for Judy at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Judy played to capacity audiences in the 3,000-seat theater. “Variety” noted that she grossed $45,000 for the two nights.
This recording was made from the audience and while it’s not the greatest sound quality it’s all we have from this engagement.
September 14, 1967
IN CONCERT AT THE CIVIC OPERA HOUSE (zip file)
This is the opening night of Judy’s three-night run at The Civic Opera House in Chicago, Illinois. Judy was backed by a 25-piece orchestra conducted by Bobby Cole. Tickets went for the then-high-price of $12.50 each!
The show was basically the same as the previous Palace shows. Judy’s songs were: “I Feel A Song Coming On”; “Almost Like Being In Love/This Can’t Be Love”; “Just In time”; “How Insensitive”; “Movie Medley”; “Together” (with kids Lorna and Joe Luft); “Old Man River”; “That’s Entertainment!”; “I Loved Him”; “Rock-A-Bye You Baby”; “Swanee”; and “Over The Rainbow.”
September 29, 1967
IN CONCERT AT THE COBO ARENA IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN
This performance isn’t Judy’s best, but she still manages to dazzle as only she can.
October 7, 1967
IN CONCERT AT THE VETERANS MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM, COLUMBUS, OHIO (zip file)
Judy arrived at the Columbus Union Terminal at 8:30 a.m., admitting as she went into the press conference that she hadn’t slept well on the train. As this recording from the audience shows, Judy was in decent form but only in a fair voice.
October 20, 1967
IN CONCERT AT THE BUSHNELL AUDITORIUM, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT (zip file)
The sound quality here is unusually good for a recording made from the audience.
November 3, 1967
IN CONCERT AT SETON HALL, SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY (zip file)
Judy played two nights, this is the opening night’s performance. It’s another recording made from the audience but it’s not too bad. Plus, Judy sings “Get Off Looking Good” which is the song she wanted to sing in Valley of the Dolls (1967) rather than “I’ll Plant My Own Tree” which she pre-recorded for the film before her departure (that recording is on the “Judy Sings! Soundtrack Performances” page right here in The Judy Room.
December 25, 1967
IN CONCERT AT THE FELT FORUM (zip file )
Judy’s concert at The Felt Forum. The Forum was part of the “new” Madison Square Garden in New York City.
December 26, 1967
February 18, 1968
IN CONCERT AT THE BALTIMORE CIVIC CENTER (zip file)
Judy shared the stage with Tony Bennett at The Civic Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Judy was suffering from food poisoning so the concert was not completed. An audio tape of this performance was recorded through the sound system and Judy is in pretty bad shape. It’s a wonder she was allowed to go on at all.
Ticket prices ranged from $5 to $15 (which was considered high for the time. Imagine!) The show grossed $27,093.85 with a packed house of 9,990 audience members.
Image of ticket provided by Bobby Waters. Thanks, Bobby!
February 25, 1968
LIVE AT THE LINCOLN CENTER PHILHARMONIC HALL – UPGRADED SOUND (zip file)
Here is an updated version with better sound than the last one that was posted.
April 6, 1968
I FEEL A SONG COMING ON
JUST IN TIME – 2016 Restoration!
HOW INSENSITIVE
WHAT NOW MY LOVE?
ROCK-A-BYE YOUR BABY
FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE
OVER THE RAINBOW
From Judy’s appearance at a benefit at The Plaza Hotel in New York. For “Over The Rainbow,” Judy sat on the floor in the middle of the ballroom surrounded by 50 people.
Unfortunately, these recordings have very low fidelity. Judy sounds far away because the recordings were made from a distance. However, the 2016 restoration of “Just In Time” is wonderful!
May 24, 1968
FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE
I CAN’T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE
ROCK-A-BYE YOUR BABY WITH A DIXIE MELODY
From the opening night of Judy’s two-night concerts at the Back Bay Theater in Boston, Massachusetts. Judy was in a fairly good voice for the performance, which was over two hours long. Tickets ranged from $4 to $7. These recordings were made from the audience and are of varying sound quality. It’s been previously noted that Judy was the last performer to appear at the theater but in fact, the Four Seasons were the last, performing there on May 26, 1968, the night after Judy’s two-night appearance.
On a side note, the theater had originally been a Loew’s movie theater until it was converted into a live venue in 1959. It’s safe to assume that Judy’s MGM films most likely were screened there during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.
The Complete Concert (zip file). These are the unaltered original recordings taken from the audience.
June 25, 1968
IN CONCERT AT THE GARDEN STATE ARTS CENTER, HOLMDEL, NEW JERSEY (zip file)
The first night of a two-night engagement at the center. Judy was the first artist to play the new $10 million dollar indoor/outdoor theater. On the afternoon of the opening, she had someone hastily write an arrangement of Barbra Streisand’s “Free Again”; She sang it once that afternoon, then said “I’ll never sing it as good as she does,” and never sang it again!
July 20, 1968
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT! (remastered)
OVER THE RAINBOW (remastered)
From Judy’s concert at the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was Judy’s final concert in the U.S. Over 20,000 fans witnessed it, which was one of Judy’s last great concerts as she was in good voice and “medication”-free. It’s ironic that Judy’s final U.S. concert was in the same city has her first, in 1943.
The complete concert was expertly restored, remastered and released on the amazing 2015 3-CD set “Swan Songs, First Flights.”
November 17, 1968
ASCAP SALUTE TO HAROLD ARLEN – RESTORED AND REMASTERED!
THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY
IT’S A NEW WORLD
GET HAPPY
OVER THE RAINBOW
Judy performed at the ASCAP Salute to Harold Arlen, Vincent Youmans, and Noel Coward at New York’s Lincoln Center. She was in fine form, and sang “The Man That Got Away”; “It’s A New World”; “Get Happy”; and “Over the Rainbow.”
Judy’s performance was restored and remastered from the original tapes in 2016, and released on the fantastic JSP 2-CD set “Judy Garland Sings Harold Arlen.“
January 28, 1969
THE TALK OF THE TOWN (zip file)
The second night of Judy’s final week at the “Talk Of The Town” nightclub in London, England. Songwriter John Meyer was with Judy during these performances and had rented a “Nagra” reel-to-reel tape recorder (which used five-inch reels and a multidirectional Sehheiser microphone) to record some of them. The zip file linked here is from one of those recordings taped on January 28th. The sound quality isn’t the best, but it’s all we have!
Here is a nice compilation of performances, recorded by Meyer, from various nights during the week of January 17, 1969.
COMPILATION (zip file)
More performances from Judy’s “Talk of the Town” engagement, all remastered and restored, can be found on the amazing 2015 3-CD set “Swan Songs, First Flights.”
March 25, 1969
THE FINAL CONCERT & FINAL INTERVIEW
Copenhagen. March 25, 1969. Judy gives her final concert at the Falkoner Centret in Copenhagen, Denmark. This is followed by her final interview on that same date.
The tracks below are also presented as a “gapless album” in the zip file below, which may take time to download depending on your connection speed).
OVERTURE
GET HAPPY
JUST IN TIME
THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY
I’D LIKE TO HATE MYSELF IN THE MORNING
FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE
ROCK-A-BYE YOUR BABY
CHICAGO
SAN FRANCISCO
OVER THE RAINBOW
COMPLETE CONCERT (zip file)
March 25, 1969
In 2015, a recording of Judy’s concert at the Falkoner Center in Copenhagen was released in what was then believed to be complete, having been sourced from an excellent sounding radio station tape. The concert had been taped to be broadcast several days later.
Since the release of that CD set, amazingly, another tape of this same concert has surfaced, made by the concert hall itself. This second tape is unrelated to the broadcast and is in equally fine sound as that first tape. From this newly discovered hall tape, we know definitively that the first half of the evening was a performance by pop singer and Garland friend Johnnie Ray, with Garland appearing on the second half of the concert. We also now know that the radio station eliminated two duets, “Till The Clouds Roll By” and “Am I Blue,” in which Judy was joined by Ray, who also accompanied both himself and Garland at the piano. These duets occurred right after the number “Chicago” on the program, before Garland concluded the concert with “San Francisco” and “Over the Rainbow.” If there were any encores thereafter, they are undocumented and are not preserved on any known tape.
A 1993 CD release contains similar duets with Johnnie Ray, taken from other performances. “Am I Blue” on that set is identified as being from a rehearsal when in fact it was an impromptu performance by Garland and Ray at a piano with friends. “Till The Clouds Roll By” on that set is from the March 23, 1969, performance on the same tour in Malmö, Sweden.
A film was being made during the tour, some of which can be seen on YouTube. These video pieces present Garland and Ray performing “Till the Clouds Roll By” in concert in Malmö, despite some mislabeling as being from the Copenhagen concert.
The video of “Am I Blue” shows a piano bar setting (matching the audio noted on the previous screen) that is clearly not the Copenhagen performance. In these video clips the soundtrack to both duets is exactly the same as what is heard on that 1993 Legend CD. They are completely different from the two tapes of the Copenhagen concert. In other words, the CD also mislabels the Malmö recordings as Copenhagen.
The Judy Room is thrilled to confirm that these duets as performed in Copenhagen have never been released before and are in fact genuine new Garland discoveries. They are well performed, with the first duet, “Till the Clouds Roll By,” having the character of something like a spontaneous jam session. “Am I Blue” is sung mostly by Garland, beautifully and unforgettably, as Ray requested of her before they started. Both duets are enhanced by Ray’s beautiful piano accompaniments. The entertaining banter with the audience and between the performers before each duet is also included in full, making us feel even more like members of that 1969 audience as we listen.
These excerpts are part of the very last public performance that Judy Garland gave on any stage. Listen and be held again in Judy Garland’s hand as she works her magic spell on the audience, and by extension, us lucky listeners many decades later.
