5 Jul

Steely Dan Edinburgh Playhouse June 28 2009

Posted by vintagerock in Steely Dan. Tagged: , , , , .

Steely Dan Edinburgh Playhouse June 28 2009

Steely Dan are a band that I have always fancied seeing. My friend Norm saw them at the Liverpool Pops last time they came to the UK a couple of years ago and told me how good they were.  So Norm and I decided to catch them at Edinburgh Playhouse this time around.

Drove up to Edinburgh on a hot Sunday afternoon and arrived in time for a snack before the show. We watched some of the support act who were a jazz quartet; OK; but straight jazz is not my cup of tea. Steely Dan started with the band playing an intro before Becker and Fagan took the stage to a great reception. They seemed in a good mood, quite a bit chattting to the crowd. The playing was excellent; the music that sort of lounge jazz / rock that they are so well known for. I enjoyed the show, but must admit I was quite disappointed at the lack of well known songs in the set.  In particular I wanted to hear Reelin in the Years and Do It Again (both of which they have been playing on some nights of this tour) and Ricky don’t lose that number (which I don’t think they have played for some time).  Also we only got one song for an encore; on other nights they seem to have been playing two. So although it was in itself a good show I did feel quite short changed (particularly at £55 a ticket for seats near the back). The crowd shouted for more and it looked like people weren’t going to leave; the lights came up and reluclantly we all went out into a warm scottish night (and a long drive home).

Setlist:

Intro – Jeri
Time Out Of Mind
Show Biz Kids
I Got The News
My Old School
Bad Sneakers
2VN
Aja
Hey Nineteen
Parkers Band
Babylon Sisters
Daddy Don’t Live In That New York City No More
Black Cow
Green Earrings
Love Is Like etc
Josie
Peg

Encore – Kid Charlemagne
Outro – Last Tango In Paris

ticket

ticket

27 Jun

Blur Newcastle Academy June 25 2009

Posted by vintagerock in Blur. Tagged: , , , , .

Blur Newcastle Academy June 25 2009

Review by cub reporter Laura

After reading dad’s recent Anthony and the Jonson’s review, I noted that his writings regarding the bands that David and I persuade him to see tend to be a little brief. Indeed, dad often claims to not know what to write about when it comes to more recent bands. Although Blur, with their nineties Britpop routes, a six year split and reunion shows under their belt, could hardly be described as a “recent band”, it was definitely David and I who suggested dad got tickets. So to ensure the band get a fair and thorough hearing, I have nominated myself to take over this gig’s entry.

I was too young to appreciate Blur during the nineties, only knowing them as a band my brother liked. It wasn’t until about five years ago I began listening to their music and David and I always said we’d love to see them if they ever reformed. So when a tour was announced, dad, my brother and I all got tickets: initially for the Hyde Park gig later this month, however when the Newcastle date was added, we decided to see them at the academy instead.

We arrived at the venue at around eight o’clock and were presented in the busy entrance foyer with a “Blur 25.06.09” transfer tattoo. We then made our way into the main hall where support band Jolene and the Jing Jang Jong were finishing their set. From the little I heard they sounded pretty good, nothing exciting or unique but quite a nice sound all the same. Whilst waiting for Blur to come on stage, I bought my customary t-shirt, this time depicting the milk carton from the Coffee and TV video.

It was around 8.45 when Blur arrived on stage, kicking things off with “She’s So High” which got a great reception. The crowd however erupted into new levels of excitement when the band then seamlessly broke into “Girls and Boys” which began a sing along not ceasing till the show’s conclusion. Everybody seemed word perfect to each number, hits such as “Country House”, “Park Life”, “End of a Century” and an extended version of “Tender” particularly rousing. This, combined with the audience jumping so hard as to make the floor bounce, made the gig particularly atmospheric.

As well as the crowd, the band too seemed to be enjoying themselves. Although on the whole he didn’t speak too much, Damon proclaimed to like the venue as it reminded him of a music hall. He also made several ventures into the audience, diving into the crowd during “Trimm Trabb” and again later on in the show. They finished with “This is a Low”, returning to perform two sets of encores including a particularly energetic version of “song2” and a wonderful performance of “The Universal.”

All in all, the gig was incredibly energetic and exciting. The band played and sung as well as I’d hoped they would, backed perfectly by a group of vocalists, string and brass musicians. The set list was great, encompassing the right mix of hits, album favourites and early songs (which all three of us agreed to sound very punk).

We all had a fantastic night; however this was dampened by the news of Michael Jackson’s tragic death which we heard on the radio on the way home.

Setlist:

She’s so high
girls and boys
tracy jacks
there’s no other way
jubilee
badhead
beetlebum
out of time
trimm trab
coffee and tv
tender
country house
oily water
chemical world
sunday sunday
parklife
end of a century
to the end
this is a low
***ENCORE 1***
popscene
advert
song2
***ENCORE 2***
For tomorrow
the universal

programme

programme

ticket

ticket

laura's blur tattoo

laura's blur tattoo

23 Jun

Roger McGuinn The Sage Gateshead June 21 2009

Posted by vintagerock in Roger McGuinn. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Roger McGuinn The Sage Gateshead June 21 2009

Roger tells a good story. We get treated to the story of his life, wrapped around those great songs. And what a life he’s had. From working in folk bands to backing Bobby Darin, to song writing, through the Byrds and beyond. He explained how the Byrds concept was putting a “Beatle beat” to Dylan and folk songs. He played us Mr Tambourine Man, Turn Turn Turn, My Back Pages, All I really want to do, Chestnut Mare (Laura finds this amusing).  Just him on his guitar, swapping between acoustic guitar and his 12 string Rickenbacker, telling his stories and singing his songs to us. He finished with Eight Miles High, explaining that it was a mix of the Beatle beat, John Coltrane and Ravi Shankar. It was good to see him again. The last time I had the pleasure was in Hyde Park on a free show with Roy Harper and Julie Felix.

ticket

ticket

16 Jun

Zappa plays Zappa Edinburgh June 18th 2009

Posted by vintagerock in Frank Zappa, Zappa plays Zappa. Tagged: , , , , .

Zappa plays Zappa Edinburgh Picturehouse June 18th 2009

Went to see (Dweezil) Zappa plays Zappa on Thursday night in Edinburgh. I figured it would be interesting to see how Dweezil lives up to his dad’s legend; all reports suggest that he does so very well and that the show is great. I knew it would bring back some memories; the first time I saw Frank Zappa live was at Edinburgh Playhouse in the mid-70s. We’re  only in it for the Money was played a lot in our house in the late 60s; it was one of my favourites albums at the time.

Drove up to Edinburgh at around 4 o’clock. The journey took longer than usual because of traffic; I got into the city at around 7pm. I’d planned to drive through Princess Street, but found it closed due to road works so took a diversion up the Royal Mile, round by the castle, and after a few twists and turns I found myself in Lothian Road and opposite the venue. The Picturehouse is a lovely old cinema which has been recently converted into a rock venue. When I got in all the seats upstairs have been taken (to my dismay, I really do need to sit down these days) so I find a spot close to the front of the stage downstairs. I buy a Suzie Creamcheese t shirt for Laura (have to explain who Suzie is) and make my way back to the front of the stage and wait for the band to come on. 

Dweezil and the band take the stage to a great reaction. “We finally made it to Scotland” he says to a great roar. A lot of people have waited a long time for this. Straight into Black Napkins; great guitar; Dweezil’s playing could well be his dad.  The band is great, great singer, and Sheila on sax, flute and keyboards is a star. The band is tight and plays the Zappa music exactly as meant.

Some of the set list was quite unfamiliar to me. I was hoping for more 60s Mothers material which is the stuff that I know well. But the 2.5 hours went over quickly; the music was great even though I was hearing some of the songs for the first time. To me it was worth going to see them play Peaches en Regalia and Willie the Pimp from Hot Rats alone.
 The place was packed with hard core Zappa fans (both old and young) and they gave Dweezil and the band a great reception.

At the end Dweezil and the band stayed at the front of the stage to shake hands and sign things. It was a bit of a crush, but I managed to get his autograph and a plectrum. The guy next to me was shouting (in a strong Scottish acent) “Dweezil, I’ve got your dad’s autograph and I need yours”. He turned to a young lad by us and said “I’m 56 you know and I saw his dad a few times”. There were several people telling him that his dad would be proud of him. Quite emotional to see really.

Drove back and got home around 1.30am. Very stiff the next morning and have to drag myself out of bed for work  (mental note; always get a seat if I can).

Setlist : Black Napkins-Magic Fingers-Wind up working in a Gas Station-Montana -Pygmy Twilite-Village of theSun-Echindas Arf-Outside Now-Bamboozled by Love-Inca Roads-King Kong (solos incl Careless Whisper on sax!) – Zombie woof -Encores Peaches En Regalia – Bobby Brown  (with music from the band and vocals by the crowd!) – Willy the Pimp

Website: http://www.zappaplayszappa.com/

my ticket signed by Dweezil

my ticket signed by Dweezil

plectrum given to me by Dweezil

plectrum given to me by Dweezil

zappaflyer

14 Jun

Oasis Sunderland Stadium of Light 10 June 2009

Posted by vintagerock in Oasis. Tagged: , , , , , .

Oasis Sunderland Stadium of Light 10 June 2009

So Oasis came to the Stadium of Light. This is the second concert at the Stadium after Take That kicked things off earlier in the week. A very different crowd (of course) for this one. Oasis are exactly the right working class heroes sort of band to come to Sunderland; and fit well with the ethos of the city. The stadium is chocca and trying to get to the bars for a drink proves an impossible obstacle course. We arrive as the Enemy are finishing and don’t get a chance to see them properly. Kasbian go  down well but the sound is pretty ropey from where we are sitting in the east stand.

Oasis take the stage just before nine and seem really up for it. The sound is loud but very clear. The set is the same as that which Laura and I saw at Sheffield last year. A good mix of old songs and new ones from the recent album. The crowd on the pitch looks pretty wild but there is no trouble (which many were fearing). Some beer and other things getting thrown around, but not a lot actually.  Oasis really were on top form tonight. We (me, Marie, Laura) enjoy it. It don’t get much better than this. Oasis remind me of the Who at their best in the 70s; it brings back memories of the two Charlton shows when the Who were on pretty top form. Same sort of solid guitar-based rock and great songs.

So a great start to concerts at the Stadium of Light. There is talk of more next summer. I can’t wait.

programme

programme

ticket

ticket

14 Jun

Take That Sunderland Stadium of Light June 6 2009

Posted by vintagerock in Take That. Tagged: , , , .

Take That Sunderland Stadium of Light June 9th 2009

Great to see concerts coming to the Stadium of Light. I can’t pretend to be a fan of Take That, but I couldn’t resist going along to this, the first concert at our own Stadium of Light. Marie quite fancied it, so we  both went along to the concert on Saturday. And what a show it was. The album and the tour are called The Circus and the circus concept runs right through the whole experience. I’ve never seen so many dancers, acrobats, and such an impressive stage set up. The lads had the massive crowd in the palm of their hands from the moment that they took the stage.  We all sang along to the songs and marvelled when they went through the crowd from one stage to the other on the back of a giant robotic elephant. The Sunderland crowd did them proud; you couldn’t have had a better start to their tour. So a great kick-off for concerts at the Stadium; we’ll looking forward to Oasis on Wednesday.

 

programme

programme

ticket

ticket

31 May

Lynyrd Skynyrd Manchester Apollo 30th May 2009

Posted by vintagerock in Lynyrd Skynyrd. Tagged: , , , .

Lynyrd Skynyrd Manchester Apollo 30th May 2009

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this. I saw Skynyrd three times in the 70s; once at Newcastle City Hall supporting Golden Earing (they blew them offstage), supporting the Stones at Knebworth in 76 (they were the better band on the day) and headlining the City Hall (was it 77? I remember they were unbelievably loud). I thought that this (re)incarnation of the band could’t possibly match those early shows, and wasn’t sure what to expect.

Support came from Ansley Lister who was pretty damn good, and went down well with the Manchester crowd. The place was packed to the walls. I had a standing ticket downstairs; it was really hot and sticky (mental note to myself: I am too old for this; always buy seats if you can). The crowd was of all ages; some kids who clearly couldn’t have seen the old band and some old timers like me who obviously had. Lots of cowboy hats on grey haired heads and lots of flags; people had waited a long time for this show and had come from far and wide. Saw a few familiar faces from Newcastle and Sunderland.

I took a place near the front towards the side of the stage. Skynyrd took the stage to a great reception and launched into a set mainly drawn from their 70s albums. So were they as good as in 70s? Actually yes; and the show seemed quite similar to those 70s shows as I remember them. They were still very very loud, with great guitar from Gary Rossington and the other guitarists. Johnny Van Zant does his brother proud. Standouts for me were That Smell, Simple Man, and Tuesday’s Gone. They finish with Sweet Home Alabama and encore with (of course) Freebird. Awesome. So those of you who think this is a cover band and not as good as the old band are wrong in my view. These guys have the same passion, spirit and values as the guys we all saw in the 70s. Tonight renewed my faith in old rock bands and reminded what it used to be like (mental note: yes I should try and make it to see Deep Purple in November even if it does mean a 150 mile drive on a weekday night). And my ears were still ringing when a got home at 1am! It really was like the 70s.

Setlist was something like:
Workin for MCA
I ain’t the one
Saturday night special
Whats your name
Simple man
That Smell
Whisky rock-a-rol ler
Medley – Down south Jukin, needle and the spoon, Double trouble and Tuesdays Gone.
Gimme three steps
Call me the breeze
Sweet Home Alabama
Encore
Freebird

website: http://www.lynyrdskynyrd.com
skynyrd

lynyrd

31 May

Antony and the Johnsons The Sage Gateshead 29th May 2009

Posted by vintagerock in Antony and the Johnsons. Tagged: , , , .

Antony and the Johnsons The Sage Gateshead 29th May 2009

A strange one this. Antony’s voice is like no other. Laura says it is the most musical concert she has been to. His songs are quite jazzy and have a strange quality to them. He is backed by a band with sring players as well as drums, guitar etc. Antony was very chatty and the audience loved him. He told us how he was conceived in Sunderland (!) and told the story of Jesus as a Girl coming down from the mountain.

website: http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com

Setlist:
Where Is My Power?
Her Eyes are Underneath the Ground
Epilepsy
One Dove
For Today I am a Boy
Kiss my Name
Everglade
Another World
Shake that Devil
Snake impro.
Crying Light
I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy
Fistful of Love
You Are My Sister
Hope Mountain
Twilight
Aeon
Encore
Cripple and The Starfish
Hope There’s Someone

antony

24 May

Morrissey 50th Birthday Concert Manchester 22 May 2009

Posted by vintagerock in Morrissey. Tagged: , , , , .

Morrissey Manchester Apollo 22 May 2009

Laura and I went to wish Morrissey a Happy Birthday at Manchester Apollo on Friday.

Laura had been waiting for this one for some time. The thought of seeing the great man in his home town on his 50th birthday was pretty exciting I must admit.

We left early on the Friday evening to drive to Manchester, as it was bank holiday weekend and we feared that the traffic could be busy. And busy it was. The drive normally takes us just over 2 hours. This time it took around 4 hours; the A1 south from Durham was OK; but we crawled along the M62 from Leeds to Manchester. Still we arrived on time and got into the Apollo before the support act Doll and the Kicks took to the stage. Saw the mother from Shameless outside, and heard afterwards that half of the cast of that show were there.

We took our seats upstairs. We were in the fourth row at the side overlooking the stage; a pretty good view. Doll and Kicks were OK; the singer danced around the whole stage; reminded me a little of Clare Grogan and Altered Images, though the music reminded me of Pauline and Penetration.

The atmosphere in the Apollo was electric. The place was full of hardened Morrissey fans from all over the place, and everyone was keen to make sure that he got a great birthday. He had cancelled a few shows the week before due to a sore throat; so this show was all the more special. The interval featured the usual Morrissey video show with his own (quite bizarre) selection of favourites: Anthony Newley, Shirley Bassey, The New York Dolls, and Vince Taylor (theres a lotta twisiting going on: have a look at it on YouTube and you’ll see where Morrissey gets his quiff from!).

Soon the lights go down and the birthday boy takes to the stage to an innovation that I swear I have never seen the like of before. I thought the crowd were never going to stop cheering. Morrissey is clearly moved and kneels down in front of us all. The set is the same as the rest of tour; no big surprises. We do get a chance to sing happy birthday to him, and a couple of shirts are thrown out. The crowd downstairs look pretty wild; lots of people are dragged out and a few get the chance to shake Morrissey’s hand. He gives the mike to a few people at the front who wish him happy birthday. He’s clearly enjoying it and is on good form.

One note of disappoitment. Laura had promised herself a signed lp. They sell them at the end of each gig, and are limited to around 20 copies. So I went down to the merchandise stand in the foyer during The Loop; a couple of songs before the end of the set; and join a queue of less than 10 people waiting to buy the signed vinyl. As he leaves the stage they start selling the lps; but the first 3 or 4 people in the queue buy 4 or 5 each and the rest of each don’t get a chance! A few unhappy people start to argue with the guy on the stall, but nothing can be done. I do think it would have been fairer if they had limited sales to one each! So we have to settle for the special laminate pass which they were giving out free to everyone.

All in all a great experience; and a wonderful night. Laura declares it the best concert she has ever been to!! Two hours later we arrive home at around 1am.

Setlist : This Charming Man / Irish Blood, English Heart / Black Cloud / How Soon Is Now? / All You Need Is Me / How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel? / Girlfriend In A Coma / I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris / Let Me Kiss You / Ask / Something Is Squeezing My Skull / One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell / Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself? / The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores / I Keep Mine Hidden / When Last I Spoke To Carol / Best Friend On The Payroll / Sorry Doesn’t Help / Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others / The Loop / I’m OK By Myself // First Of The Gang To Die

website: http://www.itsmorrisseysworld.com/

ticket
ticket
birthday laminate pass given out at the concert

birthday laminate pass given out at the concert

24 May

Al Stewart The Sage Gateshead May 18th 2009

Posted by vintagerock in Al Stewart. Tagged: , , , , , .

QAl Stewart The Sage Gateshead May 18th 2009

I’m not sure if I have ever seen Al Stewart in concert before. I think I may have seen him in the early 70s in his folk days before Year of the Cat; but can’t swear to it. So I figured it was time to put that right and went to the Sage last Monday. The downstairs hall was 3/4 full; while upstairs was almost empty; I understand on previous visits it has been better attended.

Al’s show was OK. He had a pretty good guitarist with him and the songs were pleasant enough. The only ones I knew were Year of the Cat and on the Border. As an eveing out it was quite enjoyable, but nothing particularly memorable.

ticket

ticket

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