Full Show Friday | Traffic In Santa Monica 1972

For our money, the best era of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act Traffic’s legendary career took place in the early ’70s. At the time Traffic was made up of Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, Rebop Kwaku Baah, Roger Hawkins and David Hood. The band released their seminal album The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys in 1971 and soon thereafter visited Santa Monica, CA in 1972 for a show that has circulated among fans and on sketchy, unofficial releases for a long time. This performance shows off the majesty of early ’70s Traffic, so we’ve picked it for this week’s Full Show Friday selection.

In the video below, which features 62 minutes of the powerful concert, Traffic starts off with kickass renditions of “Low Spark” and “Light Up Or Leave Me Alone” before moving on to the more mellow “John Barleycorn” and “Rainmaker.” “Glad” shows off the phenomenal skills of Winwood and features sexy sax work from Wood. “Freedom Rider” and “40,000 Headmen” bring us into a smoking “Dear Mr. Fantasy” finale.

Here’s the song listing for the video:

Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys
Light Up or Leave Me Alone
John Barleycorn
Rainmaker
Glad
Freedom Rider
40,000 Headmen
Dear Mr. Fantasy