Question on mid-'68 tour - maybe Jeremy can help?

[sharksfan2000]

I recently made it through Christopher Hjort's book "Strange Brew: Eric Clapton & the British Blues Boom 1965-1970".....well, not the whole thing, but at least the parts related to Peter Green and Fleetwood Mac. Great book, and I'll have to get into more of it when I have more time.

Anyway, maybe the biggest surprise to me as far as Mac-related info was Hjort's assertion that the band's first trip to the US in mid-1968 was delayed and did not actually begin until near the end of June. I'd never heard this before. There are some very well-circulated bootlegs of shows that are supposed to be from shows at the Carousel Ballroom in San Francisco, from 7-9 June (supporting Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead) and also 20, 22, & 23 June (supporting Dr. John and Big Brother). Hjort says that the band's departure from the UK was delayed and that the early dates from the tour (several dates in San Francisco and Los Angeles) were cancelled. He says the first US show was probably on 28 June at the Shrine Auditorium in LA, supporting the Who and Arthur Brown.....or that they may have played on 23 June at the Carousel Ballroom in SF. He puts the dates with Paul Butterfield sitting in for some numbers (as heard on the well-known bootleg) as being from a return to San Francisco on 5-7 July, for dates when Fleetwood Mac was not even billed to appear. Sounds as if the band was originally supposed to return to the UK at the end of June but actually came back in mid-July.

Hard for most of us to know if Hjort's version of events is correct - Jeremy, or anyone else who might have been there, any insight on this? Was the tour delayed as he writes.....and what was the first US show? Any comments much appreciated - thanks!