Herman flew in Saturday (17th) for a week of talks, shopping and visiting before the rest of the Hermits join him for their Christmas tour....

In the last few days the tour fun has begun. Herman's Hermits and the Who flew into Calgary for their opening date at the Stampede and were met by the private plane taking them on the rest of their 55-day tour.

SPOTTED among the star-studded audience at Herman's Hermits "Talk Of The Town" opening on Monday - Tremeloes Alan Blakley, Len Hawkes and Dave Munden with respective fiancées; Donovan, Marmelade Alan Whitehead, Colin and Joanne Petersen, Herman's wife Mireille Strasser and Most brothers Mickie and Dave.

HERMAN came in next for whom MGM hosted an enormous lunch at the Americana Hotel this week. The tour kicked off July 1 at Hawaii, and over the long distance phone, the promoter assured me that the advance on tickets was the highest he'd ever experienced.     The opening date finished as a complete sellout.     For about ten hours, I sat with Herman in his agent's office, while he called about 50 radio stations doing promotional tapes and live, on-the-air interviews - something which very few British acts, if any, have attempted to do in the past.