Video: 'The Doors - Live @ The Hollywood Bowl 1972'

(Sunday, September 10, 1972, following the 7:30 p.m. EDT scheduled start time for opening act Tim Buckley but before headliner Frank Zappa) — 26 months and one week after lead singer Jim Morrison was found dead in a bathtub in Paris, the surviving members of the American rock group The Doors — keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore — performed tonight at the Hollywood Bowl in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California

Jazz musician Charles Lloyd joined The Doors on stage for “The Piano Bird” and remained there for the rest of the show for five songs.

While introducing the final number, “Light My Fire,” Manzarek delivered what in retrospect could be considered a eulogy for the band:

“When we first started out there were four of us and one of the guys is missing now. I don’t know whether you know that or not. But he met with a little unfortunate accident and he’s not here right now. But he’ll be back. He’ll be back next time we play the Bowl! And we’re going to try and do this whether or not he’s just hanging around digging it. We’re going to do this one for our own Jimbo! Okay, Jim get ready! I know you’re out there somewhere man so get ready for it cause here it comes!”

The Doors proceed through their finale with gusto and at the conclusion, Ray loudly exclaimed their farewells with ‘Thank you very much, thank you, Jim. We’ll see you.”

The Doors continued to record throughout 1973 as a trio, but after two albums it seemed they had exhausted the possibilities of a band without a commanding lead singer.

Manzarek had hoped to reconstitute the group with Iggy Pop, whose avowed chief influence was Morrison, but plans fell through.