On October 22, 1976, Frank Zappa brought his new touring band to the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium for a Friday-night show presented by Festival East, with all seats reserved at $6.50 on the front floor and $6.00 in the rear. The lineup was only weeks old: Terry Bozzio on drums, Patrick O’Hearn on bass, Eddie Jobson on keyboards and violin, newcomer Ray White on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Bianca Odin on keyboards and vocals, who would leave the band within a month. Fan-documented setlists have Zappa opening with “The Purple Lagoon” and “Stink-Foot” before tearing into “The Torture Never Stops,” then closing with an encore that ran from “Stranded in the Jungle” to “Muffin Man.” The date fell one week before Zoot Allures reached stores, and fifty years later it stands as a snapshot of one of Zappa’s most short-lived bands playing the Aud.
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