Rockin' Folsom with the Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers in 1975 in Folsom Field.
The summer of 1975, the Doobie Brothers lit up Folsom Field in a concert that has become a legendary piece of CU Boulder’s musical history. Photographer Dan Fong (Mktg’70), who documented the show, recalled Boulder’s then-mayor introducing the group, setting the stage for a performance that brought the entire crowd to its feet.
“Even the kids in the audience went crazy,” Fong said. “Age didn’t matter. It was good music.”
At the time, Fong was working full-time for the Doobie Brothers and had assumed a new role as the band’s media coordinator. He was in charge of their worldwide photo requests and oversaw interviews and promotional events. He knew how to capture their spirit both on and offstage.
“This concert was the Michael McDonald [lead vocalist] era, and I was in charge of the album cover for ‘Takin’ It To The Streets,’ absolutely their most famous album to date,” Fong said proudly.
But the concert wasn’t just about the Doobie Brothers. The Memphis Horns — an American horn section who played with artists ranging from Elvis Presley to Stephen Stills — were traveling and playing exclusively with the Doobie Brothers, making it an unrivaled experience.
Today, Fong’s photographs from that night are part of a collection he has worked to preserve with the help of CU Boulder archivists. The collection documents his career as a photographer beginning in 1962, with a special emphasis on his photography of the Colorado music scene. When he attended CU from 1966 to 1970, he worked for a company that specialized in photographing fraternity and sorority parties.
“Most of the collection has images no one’s ever seen,” Fong said.
In recent years, CU Boulder has brought a few concerts back to Boulder. Dead & Company played Folsom for several summers starting in 2016 and, most recently, Phish came to Folsom in July. The band was the first to play on the field’s new artificial turf, which CU installed in mid-June.
CU plans to feature more concerts at Folsom Field. On Oct. 18, DJ and songwriter John Summit played the first concert of the academic year.
Photo courtesy Dan Fong