This Gig List, the most comprehensive ever compiled for the original Mahavishnu Orchestra, has been put together with the help of many, including Elliott Sears, Ted McCallion, Rod Sibley, Jeff Frank and others. If you would like to question an entry or add one, please contact me through this site. (Note: I did not have editing control over this list for the last couple of years. If you sent me proof of a new listing, and do not see it added, please contact me again. Regards, Walter)

1971

July 21-26 Gaslight at the Au Go Go New York City, NY First Mahavishnu Gigs
July 28-Aug 2 Gaslight at the Au Go Go New York City, NY Extended Run
August? University of Marquette Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First Outdoor show.
Aug 4-9 Gaslight at the Au Go Go New York City, NY Held Over Again!
Sept 14-15 Beacon Theatre New York City, NY Supporting Steve Miller Band and Cannonball Adderley
Oct 22 Brown University Providence, RI  
Nov 4 Jabberwocky Club Syracuse, NY  
Nov 18 University of New Hampshire Durham, NH Supporting Blue Oyster Cult and The Byrds Nov 19 unknown    
Nov 20 SUNY- Lusk Field House Cortland, NY Supporting Blue Oyster Cult and The Byrds
Nov 26 unknown    
Nov 27 unknown    
Nov 28 SUNY – Pritchard Gymnasium Stony Brook,NY Supporting Yes and the Kinks
Dec 3 University of Maine Bangor, ME Supporting Blue Oyster Cult and The Byrds
Dec 4 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI Supporting Blue Oyster Cult and The Byrds
Dec 9 Clarkson College of Technology Potsdam, NY Supporting Blue Oyster Cult and The Byrds
Dec 10 University of Vermont – Patrick Gymnasium Burlington, VT Supporting Blue Oyster Cult and The Byrds
Dec 11 SUNY – Pritchard Gymnasium Stony Brook,NY Supporting Blue Oyster Cult and The Byrds – Two Shows
Dec 21-24 Quiet Knight Chicago, IL  
Dec 29 Carnegie Hall New York City, NY Supports Its A Beautiful Day…then off to the races!  

1972

Jan 22 Union College – Chapel Schenectady, NY  
Jan 23 Villanova University Philadelphia, PA Supporting Jerry Garcia and Howard Wales
Jan 26 Symphony Hall Boston. MA Supporting Jerry Garcia and Howard Wales
Jan 28 Palace Theatre Providence, RI Supporting Jerry Garcia and Howard Wales
Jan 29 University of Buffalo Buffalo, NY Supporting Jerry Garcia and Howard Wales
Feb 21 Northwestern University Chicago, IL  
Feb 27 Guthrie Theatre Minneapolis, MN MO Road manager Elliott Sears questions accuracy Mar 2   Portland, ME  
Mar 16 Orpheum Theatre Boston, MA  
Mar 21 Denver Coliseum Denver, CO Supports Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Mar 22 Long Beach Auditorium Long Beach, CA Supporting Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Mar 23 Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Santa Monica, CA Supporting Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Mar 24-25 Winterland San Francisco, CA Supporting Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Mar 27-28 Whiskey A Go Go Los Angeles, CA  
Apr 1 Princeton University – Alexander Hall Princeton, NJ John Prine supports
Apr 3 Mar Y Sol Festival Vega Baja, PR. Band’s set begins at Sunrise! Quickly wakes festival crowd!
Apr 7   Trenton, NJ  
Apr 8 Sunshine In Asbury Park, NJ   
Apr 9 Philharmonic Hall New York City, NY MO Road Manager Elliott Sears questions accuracy
Apr 14 Dickinson College Carlisle, PA  
Apr 16 Orpheum Boston, MA McKendree Spring supports
Apr 17 Cobo Hall Detroit, MI Supporting Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Apr 19 Miami University of Ohio Middletown, OH  
Apr 20 Antioch College Yellow Springs, OH  
Apr 21 Cleveland Music Hall Cleveland, OH West, Bruce & Laing and Procol Harum also appear
Apr 22 Marietta College – Ban Johnson Field House Marietta, OH  
Apr 23 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH Allman Brothers cancel, Spirit fills in
Apr 24 Town Cinema Theatre Bloomington, IN Caroline Petton and the Screaming Gypsy Band support
Apr 25 The Ritz Theatre Indianapolis, IN  
Apr 29 Syracuse University-Skytop Lounge Syracuse, NY Outdoor daytime show. Ravi Shankar opens. Concert filmed by College TV station
Apr 29 Kodak Building Rochester, NY Same day as University of Syracuse show
Apr 30 Kleinhans Music Hall Buffalo, NY  
May 5 Yale University New Haven, CT  
May 6 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL  
May 7 Sports Arena Atlanta, GA  
May 12 Indiana University – College Lodge Indiana, PA  
May 13 Camden Community College Blackwood, NJ  
May 14 Alfred University Alfred, NY Afternoon show
May 15 Hunter College New York City, NY Radio Broadcast
May 20 The Capitol Passaic, NJ Harry Chapin also appears
May 21 Auditorium Theatre Chicago, IL Alex Taylor (brother of James) and Seatrain Open May 27 Hollywood, FL   MO Road Manager Elliott Sears questions accuracy
Jun 9 Memorial Auditorium Dallas, TX Dr. John supports, MO is the middle act supporting The Allman Brothers Band
Jun 10 Armadillo World Headquarters Austin, TX  
Jun 11 Hofheinz Pavillion Houston, TX Dr. John supports, MO is the middle act supporting The Allman Brothers
Band Jun 12 The Funky Quarters San Diego, CA Two shows
Jun 14-17 Whiskey A Go Go Hollywood, CA  
Jun 18 Berkeley Community Theatre Berkeley, CA Supporting the comedy team of Cheech and Chong!
Jul 6 Carnegie Hall New York City, NY Newport Jazz Festival. Follows solo piano of Oscar Peterson. The MO scares many in crowd!
Jul 8 Lenox Arts Center Lenox, MA  
Jul 19 Reflections Cinncinnati, OH  
Jul 20 Agora Theatre Columbus,OH  
Jul 21 Victoria Opera House Dayton,OH  
Jul 22 Ritz Theatre Indianapolis,IN Caroline Peyton and the Screaming Gypsy Band supports – 2 shows
Jul 23 Milwaukee SummerFest Milwaukee,WI
Jul 31 Shady Grove Music Fair Gaithersburg, MD
Aug 4 Wildwood Central Center Wildwood,NJ Taj Mahal also appears
Aug 5 Schaefer Music Festival- Central Park New York City,NY  Taj Mahal also appears
Aug 7 The Painter’s Mill Music Fair Reisterstown,MD  
Aug 9 Ravinia Music Festival –Ravinia Park Hillside, IL Billy Preston Opens
Aug 10 Ford Auditorium Detroit, MI  
Aug 11 The Rubber Bowl Akron,OH Yes and the Eagles also appear
Aug 12 University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI  
Aug 13 Tyrone Guthrie Theater Minneapolis, MN  
Aug 17 Deutsches Museum Munich, Germany Filmed by German Television – venue questionable
Aug 20 Montreux Jazz festival Montreux, Switzerland  
Aug 21    Unknown  
Aug 25 BBC Theatre – “Sounds for Saturday” London, England  
Sep 2 Crystal Palace London, England  
Sep 16 Windham College Putney, VT  
Oct 13 Lisner Auditorium Washington D.C.  
Oct 14 Cinncinnati Gardens Cinncinnati, OH  
Oct 15 University of Miami Miani, FL   ? Kiel Auditorium St. Louis, MO  
Oct 28 Princeton University – Alexander Hall Princeton, NJ  
Nov 3 Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL The Siegal-Schwall Blues Band Opens
Nov 4 Hoch Auditorium Lawrence, MA  
Nov 9 Community Theater Berkeley, CA  
Nov 10 Civic Auditorium Santa Monica, CA  
Nov 11   Seattle, WA  
Dec 2 Palace Theatre Providence, RI Mott the Hoople also appears
Dec 5   Loretta, PA  
Dec 8   Poughkeepsie, NY  
Dec 9 University of PA – Irvine Auditorium Philadelphia, PA  
Dec 10   New Britain, CT   Dec 27 Speedway Miami-Hollywood, FL    

1973

Jan 19 Yale University – Woolsey Hall New Haven, CT Aerosmith supports – Elliott Sears questions accuracy of Aerosmith appearance
Jan 21 Philharmonic Hall New York City, NY  
Jan 24 Le Grande Theatre Quebec City, Canada  
Jan 25 Palais D’Arts Montreal, Canada  
Jan 26 Convocation Hall Toronto, Canada  
Jan 27 Century Theatre Buffalo, NY King Bisquit Flower Hour radio program probably taped at this show
Jan 28 Albany State College Albany, NY
Feb 2 Bloomsburg State College Bloomsburg, PA Aerosmith supports
Feb 9 Dartmouth College – Hopkins Center Hanover, NH 2 shows
Feb 10 Trinity College – Ferris Athletic Center Hartford, CT Aerosmith supports
Feb 11 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT Leo Kottke supports
Feb 14 Ford Auditorium Detroit, MI  
Feb 15 University of Toledo Toledo, OH  
Feb 16 Kenyon College Gambier, OH  
Feb 17 Case Western Reserve University – Adelbert Gym Cleveland, OH Aerosmith bumped because their equipment was late
Feb 18 Kinetic Playground Chicago, IL Aerosmith Opens
Feb 20 NEC Convention Cincinnati, OH Showcase 20 minute set for concert bookers
Feb 23 Cornell University Ithaca, NY  
Feb 24 Franklin Pearce College Rindge, NH  
March 3 LeMoyne College Ithaca, NY Supported by Tarika Blue
Mar 9 Franklin and Marshall University – Mazer Center Lancaster, PA  
Mar 10 Constitution Hall Washington, D.C.  
Mar 11 Orpheum Theatre Boston, MA  
Mar 16 Felt Forum New York City, NY Gentle Giant Supports – Jerry’s Birthday. James Taylor brings cake on stage.
Mar 17 SUNY at New Paltz New Paltz, NY Larry Coryell supports. 2 shows
Mar 18 Tyrone Guthrie Theater Minneapolis, MN
Mar 19 University of Wisconsin – Stock Pavillion Madison, WI Mr. Brown supports
Mar 20 Wisconsin State University – Albee Hall Oshkosh, WI  
Mar 21 Beloit College Beloit, Wisconsin Sick Man of Europe supports
Mar 23-24 Winterland San Francisco, CA Captain Beefheart supports
Mar 25 Paramount Theater Portland, OR Taj Mahal supports. (Back-up singers are The Pointer Sisters)
Mar 26 Paramount Theater Seattle, WA Taj Mahal supports. (Back-up singers are The Pointer Sisters)
Mar 27 Civic Auditorium Santa Monica, CA The Section supports. (Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, Danny Kortchmar, Craig Doerge)
Mar 30 Celebrity Theatre Phoenix, AZ Theater used a revolving stage that caused havoc to the MO’s sound
Mar 31 Palo Verde High School Tucson, AZ  
Apr 2-3 Ebbets Field Denver, CO Supported by John Martyn. Radio broadcast. (KFML)
Apr 5-6 Amardillo World Headquarters Austin, TX  
Apr 7 (ABC?)Majestic Theater Dallas, TX  
Apr 8 ABC Theatre AKA Santa Rosa Theatre Houston, TX  
Apr 13 Morris A. Mechanic Theatre Baltimore, MD  
Apr 14 American University Washington D.C late afternoon gig (school’s “Spring Concert”)
Apr 16   East Lansing, MI  
Apr 18   Milwaukee, WI  
Apr 20 Hampton Coliseum Hampton Roads, VA John Hammond supports
Apr 21 Charlotte Memorial Stadium Charlotte, NC Festival show
Apr 25 Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium Columbus,OH  
Apr 26 Thiel College Greenville, PA  
Apr 27 The Capitol Passaic, NJ John Hammond Supports
Apr 28 The Spectrum Philadelphia, PA Shared bill with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
Apr 29 Ahmanson Theatre Los Angeles, CA Benefit show
May 1 Kent State University Kent, OH Shared bill with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
May 2 The Coliseum Indianapolis, IN Shared bill with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
May 4 Maple Leaf Gardens Totonto, Canada Shared bill with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Elliots Sears questions accuracy.
May 5 War Memorial Auditorium Rochester, NY Shared bill with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
May 6 Syria Mosque Pittsburgh, PA Shared bill with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Elliott Sears questions accuracy
May 8 The Music Hall Boston, MA Shared bill with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention May 9 Morris A. Mechanic Theatre Baltimore, MD Urchperch supports
May 11 Milwaukee Arena Milwaukee, WI Shared bill with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, also appearing was Townes Van Zandt. Elliott questions accuracy. May have been John Hammond
May 12 Cobo Arena Detroit, MI Shared bill with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, also appearing was John Hammond
May 13 University of Cinncinnati Cinncinnati, OH Shared bill with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention,also appearing
was Sandy Nassan
May 17 Palace Theatre Albany, NY John Urbantrow supports
May 18 Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, Long Island, NY Shared bill with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, also appearing was Leo Kottke
May 19 Palace Theatre Waterbury, CT Leo Kottke supports
May 20 Providence Civic Center Providence, RI  
May 25 University of MA at Lowell Lowell, MA  
Jun 2 Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Holland This was a midnight concert
Jun 3 Rheinhalle Dusseldorf, Germany  
Jun 5 Musikhalle Hamburg, Germany  
Jun 6 Philharmonie Berlin, Germany  
Jun 7 Kongresshalle Stuttgart-Boeblingen, Germany  
Jun 8 Kongresshalle Frankfurt, Germany  
Jun 9 Circus Krone Bau Munich, Germany Building housed the circus in winter -music in summer – smelled like animal dung
Jun 11-12 Kongresshaus Zurich, Switzerland  
Jun 13 Olympia Paris, France  
Jun 14 French Television Studio Paris, France Whereabouts of tape unknown
Jun 17 Free Trade Hall Manchester, England  
Jun 18 Kelvin Hall Glasgow, Scotland  
Jun 19 City Hall Newcastle,England  
Jun 20 Town Hall Birmingham, England  
Jun 21 Colston Hall Bristol, England  
Jun 30 Rainbow Theatre London, England  
Jul 13 Montreal Forum Montreal, Canada Section supports
Jul 14 Civic Center Ottawa, Canada Section supports
Jul 15 Pavillion de la Jeunesse Quebec City, Canada Section supports
Jul 21 Lenox Arts Festival Lenox, MA John plays Rex Bogue double-neck guitar for the first time in concert
Jul 23 Schaefer Stadium Foxboro, MA Supporting J. Geils Band
Jul 27 Sportsdrome Jeffersonville, IN Camel and J. Geils also appear
Jul 28 Alpine Arena Pittsburgh, PA  
Jul 29 Staples High School Westport, CT Supported by Taj Mahal
Aug 1   Albuquerque, New Mexico  
Aug 3 Ellis Auditorium Memphis, TN The Marshall Tucker Band supports
Aug 4 War Memorial Auditorium Nashville, TN  
Aug 10 Civic Center Saginaw, MI  
Aug 11 Civic Auditorium Grand Rapids, MI  
Aug 12 Civic Auditorium South Bend , IN  
Aug 13 Memorial Auditorium Kansas City, MO  
Aug 14 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, IL  
Aug 17-18 Schaefer Music Festival – Central Park New York City, NY The live album Between Nothingness & Eternity is recorded
Aug 25   Columbia, MD  
Sep 19 Shibuya Kokaido Tokyo, Japan  
Sep 20-21 Kosei Nenkin Kaikan Dai Hall Osaka, Japan  
Sep 22 Shimin Kaikan Dai Hall Nagoya, Japan  
Sep 24 Kaikan Daiichi Hall Kyoto, Japan  
Sep 26 Yubin Chokin Hall Hiroshima, Japan  
Sep 28 Budokan Dai Hall Tokyo, Japan  
Oct 7 Queens College Flushing, NY  
Oct 10 University of North Carolina – Carmichael Gym Chapel Hill, NC  
Oct 11 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC Mark-Almond supports
Oct 12 Spectrum Philadelphia, PA Paul Butterfield supports
Oct 19 The Music Hall Boston, MA  
Oct 20 The Capitol Passaic, NJ  
Oct 25 Bowdoin College Brunswick,ME Duke and the Drivers support
Oct 28 Yale University New haven, CT  
Oct 30 Auditorium Theater Chicago, IL James Montgomery Blues Band supports
Nov 1 State College St. Cloud, MN  
Nov 1 Hallenbeck Hall T.S. Henry Webb supports – (Tom Webb of The Flock!)
Nov 2 Orpheum Minneapolis, MN T.S. Henry Webb supports. 2 shows
Nov 4 University of Colorado at Boulder – Makey Auditorium Boulder, CO 2 shows
Nov 7 Palace Theatre New York, NY Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert taping
Nov  9 Celebrity Theatre Phoenix, AZ  
Nov 10 University of California at La Jolla La Jolla, CA Section supports. 2 shows
Nov 11 Long Beach Arena Long Beach, CA Section supports
Nov 12-13 The Roxy Los Angeles, CA Thousands turned away as MO is booked into the Roxy nightclub. Those
who do get in include David Crosby, Jackson Brown, Herb Alpert, Angela Bowie …
Nov 15 Del Mar Theatre Santa Cruz, CA  
Nov 16 Community Theater Berkeley, CA 2 Shows
Nov 17 Paramount NW Theater Seattle, WA  
Nov 18 Paramount Theater Portland, OR  
Nov 21 Municipal Auditorium Atlanta, GA Papa John Creach and Argent support
Nov 22 Bayfront Center St. Petersburg, FL Papa John Creach and Argent support. Food Fight!
Nov 23 Seminole Turf Club Casselberry, FL Papa John Creach and Argent support
Nov 24 Jai Lai Fronton Miami, FL  
Nov 28 Hofstra University Hempstead, NY Raun McKinnon supports
Nov 29 Cornell University – Barton Hall Ithaca, NY Weather Report supports!
Nov 30 Princeton University Princeton, NJ Chick Corea and Return to Forever supports!
Dec 1 State University of New York at Oneonta Oneonta, NY  
Dec 2 Constitution Hall Washington, D. C. 2 shows
Dec 8 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT Papa John Creach supports
Dec 9 Columbia Music Hall West Hartford, CT  
Dec 26 R & R Festival Hollywood, FL  
Dec27-28 Philharmonic (Now Avery Fisher Hall) New York City, NY  
Dec 29 Toledo Sports Arena Toledo, OH  
Dec 30 Masonic Temple Auditorium Detroit, MI The last concert given by the greatest band that ever was