The Yardbirds at the Detroit Lakes Pavillion on August 8, 1966 (submitted photo)
Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – Detroit Lakes has always been a hotspot for music and concerts: from the days of Bobby Vee playing the Pavillion to the countless Country Music Hall of Famers to grace the stage at WeFest to the Bash On The Beach featuring recent headliners like Smash Mouth and John Michael Montgomery in recent years.
But, rewind to August 8, 1966, and Detroit Lakes was a launching pad for a future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group’s American tour.
The Yardbirds, featuring the late Jeff Beck, future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, vocalist Keith Relf, bassist Chris Dreja and drummer Jim McCarty., played their first show in the US at Dayton’s Auditorium in Minneapolis on August 5th, 1966. Three days later, after shows in Chicago, IL, and Mentor, MN they were headlining an evening with The Uglies at Pavillion on August 8th. The Yardbirds toured in the US until September 10th when they went back to the UK to open for the Rolling Stones on their UK tour from late September to mid-October.
After their UK tour concluded, the Yardbirds returned to the US for shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco, and a spot on Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars. In November, Beck announced he was leaving the group.
The Beck/Page Yardbirds lineup only played 31 shows in the US before Beck left the group.
And one of those shows was on the shores of Lake Detroit at the legendary Pavillion.
The Yardbirds broke up in 1968 and were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. In 2004, they were ranked #89 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
*Thanks to the Detroit Lakes 50-60s Memories Facebook page for the heads up on this story. If you love Detroit Lakes history, you should definitely give them a follow!*