"DENVERITES DAZZLE THEIR JOHN-BOY WITH ELECTRONIC FLASHES AND 
LOVE"   by Linda Owen, Staff Writer

St. Paul Pioneer Press
St. Paul, MN
4-24-76


Photo of the auditorium with crowd seated. 
Caption reads:

"Denverites jammed the St. Paul Civic Center arena Friday 
night as their hero, John Denver, performed at two sold-out 
concerts. It was Denver's first concert "in the round" and the 
new setup allowed Denver to sing to listeners on all sides of 
the arena. It was Denver's sixth consecutive sold-out concert 
in the Twin Cities and his fans ranged from young children to 
middle-aged parents."

Synthetic golden sunshine streaming down on his shoulders, 
John Denver stood alone on a dais in the center of the Civic 
Center arena Friday night.

Hundreds of electronic flashes lit the arena stroboscopically, 
despite a pre-concert plea from someone on the stage, but the 
fireworks didn't interrupt Denver's conversation with an 
adoring audience.

"Relax, ease back in your seats and let the music take you 
wherever it does" he said, inviting listeners to sing along if 
they felt like it.  

"I love you, John Denver" called a faint female voice.

Denver's sixth consecutive sold-out concert in the Twin Cities 
had just begun. Another performance following at ll PM also 
was sold out.  Concert traffic was bumper to bumper along 
Kellogg Blvd., Wabasha Street and Shepard Road, and extra 
police officers were called to supplement police reservists 
directing traffic.

Denver's audience ranged from young children to middle-aged 
parents. "Everybody loves him, people of all ages" said Russ 
Grimes, Civic Center assistant manager.

It was Denver's first concert "in the round" Friday.  Six tons 
of sound and light equipment were suspended from the ceiling 
over his head and a crew operated the controls from the mail 
floor.

"We spent two or three days in engineering studies" to 
determine whether the building structure could support the 
apparatus, Grimes noted.

The new setup allows Denver to sing to listeners on all sides 
of the arena. The arrangement was undoubtedly appreciated by 
the dozens of people who brought binoculars for a better 
glimpse of the star.

For his part, Denver appeared delighted to be back in the Twin 
Cities, where he has relatives and friends.

"Indeed, it's like being home again", he said.