The first half of the 1965 P.J. Proby Show was excellent entertainment with fantastic performances by Melbourne duo Bobby and Laurie, New Zealand's Dinah Lee, and Sydney group The Easybeats.

P.J. Proby stayed at the Sheraton Hotel, (above), whilst in Sydney on his 1965 tour.

(Many thanks to Lee and Leanne Thomas for providing excerpts from the official concert programme).

During the intermission the sense of anticipation was electric as no one knew quite what to expect in the second half, particularly as when Proby had learned of the stadium's boxing history in the lead up to the concert he  publicly offered to take on all comers on stage. As the lights dimmed, the crowd hushed and then screams came from the audience as a lone spotlight suddenly focused on the entrance. Shortly after, P.J. Proby's incredible voice filled the stadium before being drowned out by a deafening welcome from the crowd who were on their feet. The audience went wild as he made a run towards the comparative safety of the centre stage, out along a barricaded aisle which was lined by policemen and security personnel who did their best to shield him from the clutches of his fans. Not all of the crowd responded so favourably to Proby immediately, for some near me had obviously attended just out of curiosity, suspecting that something out of the ordinary could possibly happen and initially offered subdued applause. But by the end of his third song, backed by his 10 piece orchestra, and chorus, Proby had cast a spell on the entire audience and was totally in charge and the crowd was going berserk.

I saw many local and overseas artists perform live at Sydney Stadium and elsewhere and I can honestly say that I have never seen anyone who went anywhere near matching the incredible performance by P.J. Proby at Sydney Stadium that Saturday night, 4th September, 1965.   He was absolutely sensational. A brilliant performer with a voice to match, a non-stop shaker and mover, with a stage act and stage presence the likes of which had never been seen before.   Proby majestically prowled the stage like a superb untamed mauve panther and made the stage his own domain, mincing and grinding his way around every inch of it in perfect rhythmic co-ordination, as multi-coloured streamers, thrown by the audience, rained down on him from every angle.   .

Wearing a mauve velvet jump suit with a matching bow in his pony tailed hair,  mauve buckled shoes and with his right hand cupped to his ear, he delivered the most mesmerising and physically exhausting performance I have ever seen. He certainly had an amazing effect on his audience.

Alternating from frantic paced rock songs to beautiful ballads, he would drop to his knees and hang over the edge of the stage as he sang love songs to the girls in the audience, teasing them and working them into a state of hysteria as they reached out to try to touch him, while all the time his magnificent voice remained faultless. Police and attendants repeatedly repelled teenage girls from climbing onto the stage, however, during the concert many managed to get on stage and wrap their arms around him before being forcibly restrained and returned to the audience.

Pandemonium broke out when Reverend Roger Bush took to the stage, stopped the show and began to denounce Proby before finally being forced to give up as he was loudly heckled off the stage by the crowd.

A bemused Proby went to all four sides of the stage in turn, calling for support from each section of his audience; "Am I clean?, ...Am I clean?"....he asked repeatedly. The response was an uproar as we screamed our agreement before he was eventually satisfied and resumed singing and again was in total control. Sure, P.J.'s stage act was sexy and suggestive for those times, and totally wild, but it certainly wasn't lewd or obscene as the good Reverend had claimed. How Proby's pants didn't split that night I'll never know, because he certainly punished them. Had his trouser seams been designed to split as had been suggested by some, it would have happened that night for sure. To me, that concert was the ultimate performance, delivered by a master showman who worked himself virtually to the point of collapse.  How he could sing so perfectly, whilst moving so fluently, for so long, defied belief.  The only time he stood still was when Rev. Roger Bush stopped the show by taking the microphone from him.

Prior to that night I had never seen a solo artist or group perform continuously on a show in excess of half an hour, with most performances in those days lasting around 15 to 20 minutes. P.J. Proby performed tirelessly for more than one hour in a workout that would have found most athletes of the day wanting, and with his incredible talent and stage presence he converted doubters in the audience into his disciples.  When the show ended, an exhausted Proby was mobbed by hysterical teenaged girls who climbed onto the stage from all directions, outnumbering police and attendants they knocked him over and pounced on him. It was some time before he could be rescued by police and attendants and the audience remained standing and continued screaming, whistling and applauding as he was half carried as they gradually battled their way through the swarming crowd to the exit in chaotic scenes, resembling a riot.

Once we were outside the stadium, I still recall people were in awe at what they had seen. Guess you just had to be there, but it was simply amazing.

That 1965 P.J. Proby Show was by far the best and most action packed concert I ever saw and surely it had to be the most sensational ever staged at Sydney Stadium.   The concert was front page news the following day.

             

If you were there, or attended another P.J. Proby concert, I would be interested in your recollections, and, if you indicate that it is ok to do so, I may publish your recollections on this site.

Check out Jack Seymour's 1965 concert photos.                                                                                                           Jack Seymour

FOOTNOTES: 1 I was reluctant to include on these pages the news article in which Rev. Bush called Proby "The Merchant Of Obscenity", as I recall feeling that it was rather harsh at the time and also I thought that P.J. might not appreciate it all these years later. However, I mentioned it to P.J. Proby, (Jim to his fans and friends), when we caught up with him at Littlecote House, Hungerford, U.K., in August 2006, at the commencement of his Ring Of Fire Tour. Jim laughed and said it was fine to include the article on these pages as far as he was concerned, as it didn't worry him at all. And he fondly recalled his run ins with the late Rev. Roger Bush in Australia and implied that the Reverend had actually given him some assistance with his quest to empty a bottle of bourbon and was rather worse for wear by the time he left Jim's suite at The Sheraton Hotel after the interview. From Jim's reflections it was obvious that by the time they parted company they had a mutual respect for each other. 2 Some years ago, prior to commencing this website, I provided copies of articles from my "Aussie Scrap Book" to my friend the late Auke Middell for inclusion on his P.J. Proby website based in The Netherlands. I have decided to now use these articles on my Australian Pages also, in order to expand and in an endeavour to make my pages more interesting and Auke's widow Sylvia has agreed to me doing this. Thanks Sylvia and also U.P, (Joep Kilkens), for assistance in making these arrangements. Please visit Auke's P.J. Proby site via the Links Page on this site. 3 There is a recording by The Earl Slick Band that some Proby fans may be unaware of, simply called "P.J. Proby" about Proby's wild stage performances and virtually the only part that I can distinguish (it's heavy metal), is that repeated question, Am I clean? which Proby asked his Sydney audience back in 1965. Do a Google search and you can probably listen to it. 4 Check out Bonnie's Laurie Allen Tribute Site, (which you can find from my Links page), for details about Bobby and Laurie who were one of the great support acts on the 1965 Australian P.J. Proby tour. They were big Proby fans and also recorded "Hold Me".