On March 24, 1976, glam rock icons Sweet performed the final show of the US leg of their Give Us A Wink world tour at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California, which held 3,000 people. This concert took place less than six weeks after the album’s release.
The event occurred just five days after the passing of former Free guitarist Paul Kossoff, who had been scheduled to open for Sweet with his band Back Street Crawler. Kossoff tragically passed away during a flight from Los Angeles to New York, and Sweet used the occasion to honor his memory.
During the encore, Sweet performed their song “Sweet F.A.” before pausing to introduce a surprise guest: Ritchie Blackmore, guitarist for Rainbow. Blackmore had recently finished recording Rising, an album that would go on to become a classic. His appearance held special significance for Sweet’s lead guitarist, Andy Scott, who had long admired Blackmore. In their early days, Sweet often covered Deep Purple hits like “Hush” (originally by Joe South), “Kentucky Woman” (by Neil Diamond), and “Black Night” while playing at dance halls, where cover songs were expected by the crowd.
Scott described the moment as completely unplanned. “We had met Ritchie a few nights before the show, and he told our tour manager Mick Angus, who had once worked for Deep Purple, ‘You better get me into the gig this time!’ The last time Blackmore tried to attend one of Sweet’s shows in Los Angeles, it had sold out before he could secure a ticket. This time, we made sure he got in. Someone joked, ‘If you want to get up on stage, just bring your guitar.'”
When Blackmore accepted the offer, the band scrambled to find him an amp. According to Scott, “The only amps available on my side of the stage were the ones monitoring the synthesizers, which gave him a sharp and loud tone. But, as always, Ritchie made it work.” The impromptu jam became a highlight of the evening and a memorable tribute to both rock legends onstage and the one who was lost.
