Thursday Throwback: Marvin Gaye Live in Oakland

On December 14, 1974 Marvin Gaye sang the National Anthem at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before the Raiders beat the Dallas Cowboys 27-23 in front of a national television audience. Marvin donned his iconic red beanie in the Bay Area’s temperate 53-degree weather and blessed America with its self-affirming anthem. He looked at ease, but earlier that year, on the very same field, Marvin Gaye had confronted some of his biggest demons by returning to the national spotlight… live in Oakland, CA.

When Gaye’s frequent collaborator, Tammi Terrell, collapsed on stage in 1967, Marvin began suffering from stage fright. And when she died of a brain tumor two and a half years later, he refused to tour despite pressures from his label. But with money problems and the huge success of 1973’s Let’s Get It On, Gaye was forced to return to the stage. And so it was that on January 4, 1974 he treated 14,000 fans (paying as little as $5 for entry) at the Oakland Coliseum to a beautifully orchestrated 52-minute set.

Whatever fears he had weren’t apparent as he blessed those in attendance with a melancholy, soulful and sultry set of his more recent work (and a medley of his older hit tunes). A transcendent spirit swept over the Coliseum that night as Gaye not only remerged from the shadows, but also recorded a live album. Marvin Gaye Live! would go on take the #1 spot on the R&B charts and pique at #8 on the pop charts. It also birthed a slow-burning version of “Distant Lovers” that elicited Beatles-esque shrieks from the female fans in attendance. Thanks to that response, that rendition of “Distant Lovers” became a staple in Gaye’s repertoire until his death in 1984.

Download “Distant Lovers,” but do yourself a favor by purchasing the whole Marvin Gaye Live! album. It provides an amazing glimpse into the spirit of a troubled man with soaring gifts from above. Oakland knew he was back that night, and the rest of the world would soon be let in on the secret.

DL: Marvin Gaye: "Distant Lovers Reprise (Live in Oakland)"

Rest In Peace Marvelous Marvin Gaye. It’s still on.