Lou Reed Liverpool Philharmonic Hall 22nd April 2005
It had been a long time since I last saw Lou Reed in concert, so when he came over to play a few dates in 2005, I bought tickets for David and I to see him at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. We traveled down to Liverpool by train, and stayed at the Adelphi Hotel, just up from Lime Street station, and a short walk from the Philharmonic Hall, which is a beautiful art deco concert hall. It was good to see Lou Reed in concert again after all this time. I must admit I was hoping for a few Velvet Underground classics, but it wasn’t to be. Lou devoted the set to tracks from his solo albums, most of which were unfamiliar to me. He also played a lot more guitar solos than I recall him doing in the ’70s, and showed us that he was a pretty neat guitarist. The encore was “Perfect Day’ which made the evening for David and me. For once we didn’t have to rush for a train, or have a 3 hour drive home, so we decided to see if we could get Lou’s autograph. We went around to the stage door and joined a line of Reed fans, all of whom had the same idea as us. A guy came out and told us to wait and that Lou would come out and see us all soon. After what seemed a long wait, the guy returned, and apologised to us all. He explained that Lou was feeling tired, and wouldn’t be coming out after all, but if we gave him something for Lou to sign, he would get it signed for us. David and I gave him our tickets, and we all waited again. Soon the guy returned and gave us back our items, now signed, apparently by Lou Reed (see scan). Did Lou really sign it? I like to think so, but who knows….? Its a pretty scribbly autograph š
Setlist: Adventurer; The Proposition; My House; Ecstasy; Guilty; Mad; Talking Book; Slip Away (A Warning); Charley’s Girl; Burning Embers; Vanishing Act; Why Do You Talk?; Guardian Angel; The Blue Mask. Encore: Perfect Day.
The next time I saw Lou Reed perform was when he came on stage for a short guest spot with Gorillaz at Glastonbury 2010 and performed their song “Some Kind of Nature”.
Lou Reed sadly passed away on 27th October 2013, and we lost a big talent.
9 Apr
Vintagerock's Weblog. 
Posted by Pete on April 9, 2014 at 7:46 am
looks genuine when compared to others on google – he’s just signed it “Lou”
Great blog BTW! I’ve been to loads of teh same gigs as you at teh city hall and your writing brings back memories…
Posted by vintagerock on April 9, 2014 at 7:48 am
Thanks Pete. Pleased you are enjoying it Best wishes Peter
Posted by lboogie81 on April 9, 2014 at 9:01 am
Reblogged this on The Student Becomes The Teacher and commented:
In light of Lou Reed’s untimely passing, I saw this post about one of his many performances and I thought this was exceptionally unique. This writer gives a poignant account of his experience attending a concert at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, England.
Music and its memories truly lasts forever.
Posted by vintagerock on April 9, 2014 at 9:12 am
Many thanks. Pleased you like it Best wishes Peter
Posted by lboogie81 on April 9, 2014 at 10:21 am
You’re welcome, Peter! Thank you for your amazing story. š
Posted by ian38018 on April 9, 2014 at 11:49 am
Goodness me, but that almost wilfully obscure setlist would test the patience of even an ardent LR fan like myself.
Posted by vintagerock on April 9, 2014 at 12:33 pm
Lou Reed was his own man, I suspect he played whatever he felt like playing. Although I was a little disappointed at the choice of songs, I also respect the guy for it Cheers Peter
Posted by Andy on April 27, 2015 at 6:31 pm
I too was at this concert and obtained the same autograph, plus band members autographs when they emerged from the dressing room and were waiting by the mini bus for Lou. They said Lou was not well and the set list and long guitar solos were chosen to save Lou’s voice. If my memory serves me well the first 3-4 songs were affected by poor sound and Lou’s lyrics could barely be heard.
Posted by vintagerock on April 27, 2015 at 7:12 pm
Many thanks Andy best wishes Peter
Posted by Craig Jackson on July 10, 2020 at 1:50 pm
I was toying with the idea of seeing him at the Sage in 2006 but forgot all about it and then it was sold out, and I wasn’t bothered enough in the end to go wrangling as I’ve often done in the past with sell out gigs! I did see the Velvets on their reunion in Edinburgh, but I never did see Lou solo live, so I’m not particularly heartbroken
Posted by vintagerock on July 10, 2020 at 6:33 pm
I regret not going to see the Velvet Underground reunion; I was very tied up with work and family at the time, Craig. Silly mistake. Cheers Peter
Posted by Craig Jackson on July 10, 2020 at 10:43 pm
It’s one of those gigs that seemed special at the time but feels very significant now, and nice to see them in a relatively intimate environment like the Playhouse rather than an arena. I went on the first night, which was I believe the first night of the entire tour, and although they were desperately sloppy in spots, I guess that’s just the nature of the band, I was probably more impressed with Cale than Lou if I’m honest, I remember he sang All Tomorrow’s Parties in tribute to Nico, which was a real highlight
Posted by vintagerock on July 11, 2020 at 11:52 am
Sounds great Craig makes me so jealous happy days Peter