Fleetwood Mac Glasgow Apollo 1977 Rumours tour
Support from Charlie
Fleetwood Mac returned to the UK triumphant, once again a major force in rock music following major success with the 1975 Fleetwood Mac album and 1977’s Rumours lp. This was the first time they had played the UK since Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks had joined the line up, and demand for tickets was huge. Fans were eager to see this new lineup; so far all we had seen was a clip or two on the Old Grey Whistle Test. I recall that a video of the Mac playing Rhiannon was played on TV a few times. As was often the case at the time, the tour missed out the North East of England completely. However, determined to see the new rejuvenated Fleetwood Mac, my friend Ian and I bought tickets for the Glasgow gig, which was to be held at the great Apollo theatre. By this time I had been to the Apollo a few times and was used to making the drive there and back in an evening. We arrived in time for a drink before the gig, and popped into the pub across the road from the Apollo, where we ran into John and Susan; John was studying in Edinburgh at the time. Support came from UK band Charlie, who toured a lot in the mid to late 70s and had some success in the USA. From the Charlie website: “1977: Charlie support a squabbling, stoned, but nonetheless spectacular Fleetwood Mac on their Rumours tour but the album meets with mediocre response in the UK now in the grip of punk. The band consider calling it a day.” I couldn’t have put it better, Charlie. Fleetwood Mac were truly spectacular that night. 
Rhiannon was my favourite at the time, and Steve Nicks was mesmerisingly beautiful in voice and looks; wearing her top hat and telling us of the mysterious lady in the song. Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar playing was also ace; songs like The Chain, and Go Your Own Way were just great, as was their treatment of the only “old” Fleetwood Mac song that they played that evening: Oh Well. I recall for an encore they played a song which was very different, strange, and laden with drum beats. I am sure that they introduced it as a new song which was going to feature on their new album, and think it must have been Tusk, but this doesn’t show on any published setlists from the day. A great night that I still look back on even today as one of the best gigs I have seen. Although all may not have been well within the band, they still delivered at their best; they were riding on the crest of a wave, and John and Christine McVie and Mick Fleetwood were no doubt pleased to come back to the UK and get such a great reaction from the crowds. Setlist: Say You Love Me; Station Man; The Chain; Dreams; Rhiannon; Oh Daddy; Never Going Back Again; Landslide; Over My Head; Gold Dust Woman; You Make Loving Fun; I’m So Afraid; Go Your Own Way; Oh Well; World Turning; Blue Letter; Second Hand News. Encore: Tusk
Posts Tagged ‘blues’
11 Nov
Fleetwood Mac Glasgow Apollo Mon 4th April 1977 Rumours tour
10 Nov
Fleetwood Mac Sunderland Top Rank January 1972
Fleetwood Mac Sunderland Top Rank January 1972
If you asked me to make a list of bands that I never saw, and wished I had done, pretty near to the top would be the original Peter Green version of Fleetwood Mac. I was just a little too young to catch them, although I have seen later versions of the band, and have also seen Peter Green in recent years. The first time I saw Fleetwood Mac was in early 1972 at a concert at Sunderland Top Rank. I went along on a cold January night some 40 (!) years ago with a group of school friends. We were all intrigued to see what Fleetwood Mac would be like, as we knew that the band had changed considerably from the blues oriented band of the late 60s. By this time Fleetwood Mac were fronted by Bob Welch, alongside Danny Kirwan, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood. This gig was very poorly attended, I recall a small crowd of 100 or so of us sitting on chairs on the dancefloor. The set was largely drawn from their recent Future Games album. As far as I remember the only old Fleetwood Mac tune they played was Oh Well, and possibly Black Magic Woman (although I am less sure about that). Much of the material was unfamiliar to me, but I do remember thinking that Bob Welch was impressive, but of course very different to Peter Green, and that the songs were refreshingly good. The band had moved from blues and rock n roll to much more melodic rock. It was to be a few more years before they would achieve great success again. Vocal duties were shared by Bob Welch, Danny Kirwan and Christine McVie. A bootleg recording from later in the same month shows the band playing the following songs: 1 Tell Me All The Things You Do; Future Games; Morning Rain; Woman Of A 1000 Years; Black Magic Woman; Get Like You Used To Be; Homeward Bound; Trinity; Child Of Mine; Oh Well; Drum Solo/Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On. I would imagine that the set I witnessed will have been similar. I think we walked home in the early hours. This is a gig that I am really pleased I attended, and I wish I had stronger memories of it. Another one where a time machine would be handy. The next time I saw Fleetwood Mac was at Glasgow Apollo, and there were returning to the UK at the start of their mega success which they achieved in the late 70s. I’ll blog on that gig shortly.
1 Nov
60s Gold Show The Sage Gateshead 31 Oct 2012
60s Gold Show The Sage Gateshead 31 Oct 2012
Steve Ellis, The Animals, P J Proby, Gerry and the Pacemakers
I’m not a big fan of 60s shows. They tend to be a bit too cabaret for me, but this line up was so strong I just couldn’t miss it. This time the 60s Gold tour featured two of my favourite artists: Steve Ellis and P J Proby. I’ve blogged about P J before and have the greatest respect for the man; his voice is astounding and he is one of the best performers I have ever seen. But tonight I was particularly looking forward to seeing Steve Ellis who I haven’t see since the 70s when he fronted Widowmaker, along with Ariel Bender. To me Steve is still the cheeky young cocky cockney mod who exploded on my TV screen on Top of the Pops and blew me away with his performance of Everlasting Love in Love Affair all those years ago.
The show was introduced by compere Ally Bally (told you these shows are cabaret) and Steve Ellis was first up, backed by The Pacemakers. Steve looks great; from where I was sitting I swear he looked no different to how he did in the 60s. He still sports some pretty sharp gear, very much the mod, and his vocals were really strong. His performance was great, but I felt he could deliver so much more. He has one of the best soul voices, and commands respect for keeping the mod flag flying. I’d love to see him do a full set, as I know he performs soul classics as well as the Love Affair hits. For me, Steve Ellis is up there with Steve Marriott, and other 60s mod legends. Setlist: Day without love; Bringing on back the good times; All or nothing (dedicated to Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane); a version of The Beatles’ Please please me which was performed as a slow ballad; Rainbow valley; Everlasting love.
Ally Bally returned to tell us some facts about 1963, such as our favourite TV show at the time was Steptoe and Son. He then introduced The Animals. I’ve seen this version of the band a few times now and they do a very respectable job of playing the old hits. The band features original drummer John Steel and keyboard player Micky Gallagher who replaced Alan Price in 1965. Singer and frontman Peter Barton has a deep voice which sounds a lot like Eric Burdon and does justice to the songs. Setlist: Baby let me take you home; It’s my life; I put a spell on you; Bring it on home to me; Don’t bring me down; Don’t let me be misunderstood; We’ve gotta get out of this place; House of the rising sun.
After the interval it was P J Proby’s turn to take the stage. P J always puts on a strong show, and tonight was no exception. He was backed by the Pacemakers, along with a sax player. Setlist: Price of love; My love; Hold me; Three steps to heaven; If I can dream; The night has a thousand eyes; Somewhere. Ally Pally then returned with more facts from 1963. Did you know that Dr Who first appeared on our TV screens during that year? Or that a new Ford Cortina would cost you £670? As I said earlier, I’d come along largely to see Steve and P J, but was pleasantly surprised by Gerry Marsden. I’ve seem him once before on a 60s show, around 20 years ago, and also enjoyed him on that occasion. He really is a total pro, and his old hits still sound good. Setlist: How do you do; I’m the one; The way you look tonight; It’s gonna be alright; The rose (the Bette Midler song); Midnight hour (sung by the bass player); I like it; Don’t let the sun catch you crying (just beautiful; a classic and one of my all time favourite songs); Shot of Rhythm and blues; Ferry cross the mersey; You’ll never walk alone (lots of crowd singing along, and arm swaying). All in all this was a good evening with some top class performers, who still know how to entertain. And Steve the mod is still a cool guy. On my way out I bought a great psych/mod repro poster from a 60s Love Affair gig, and signed by Steve for £7. Bargain!
25 Oct
Dave Edmunds Redcar Bowl 1977 and Newcastle City Hall 1979
Dave Edmunds Redcar Bowl 1977 and Newcastle City Hall 1979
When I was a young kid, I was just amazed by a version of “Sabre Dance” by a band called Love Sculpture. I tried and tried (and failed) to learn the guitar part, which was super fast and very difficult to copy. I watched the guitarist on Top of the Pops, me eyes glued to his fingers running up and down the fretboard. At the time I didn’t realise that the guitarist was Dave Edmunds. The next time I heard of Dave Edmunds was when I Hear you Knocking was a massive hits and was played at all of the school dances at the time. 
Roll on 7 years or so, and I finally got to see Dave Edmunds in concert, fronting his band Rockpile along with Nick Lowe on bass, Billy Bremner on guitar, and Terry Williams on drums. Dave Edmunds is often called the Welsh Wizard, and he sure is a wizard of rocn ‘n roll, and Rockpile were one great rock band. They had some great songs: Here Comes the Weekend, I knew the Bride, Girls Talk, Queen of Hearts, and they all seemed so cool at the time. I recall the Redcar Coatham Bowl gig well. 
I went with my mate Will and we were standing right at the front, a few feet away from Dave and Nick. I can’t remember much about the City Hall gig, but I’m sure that it was also good fun. I found a weblink which suggests that Lew Lewis was support for that 1979 tour. But my favourite is still I Hear You Knocking, which takes me back to those school dances…..Postcript. I just found a programmme from the City Hall gig, which I’d forgotten I had. It confirms that Lew Lewis was the support act. Lew was a friend of the Feelgoods and a member of Eddie and the Hot Rods in their early days. The programme advertises the latest albums by both Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe.
24 Oct
Bob Dylan Newcastle Arena 12 April 2007
Bob Dylan Newcastle Arena 12 April 2007
This was the the most recent gig by Bob Dylan at Newcastle Arena, and my last posting on Bob for now. Although I have seen him since 2007 (two gigs; both in Scotland; one in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow) I have already blogged on those concert experiences. David and I went to this gig and had good seats in the fourth row. The big suprise of the evening was an excellent version of House of the Rising Sun, which of course features on Dylan’s first album. He presumably did so in tribute to The Animals, and because he was plaing in their home town. Great stuff, and worth the entrance price for that song alone. 
From The Journal: “Rock legend Bob Dylan is thought to have acknowledged a 40-year-old debt to Tyneside band The Animals when he played in Newcastle this week. The singer-songwriter thrilled thousands of North-East fans when he played a version of House of the Rising Sun at the Metro Radio Arena on Thursday night. Dylan had recorded a version of the traditional folk song for his debut album in 1962, only to see The Animals score a massive hit both in Britain and America when they released a rock ‘n’ roll version of it two years later.” Setlist: Cat´s in the well; House of the rising sun; Watching the river flow; It´s alright, ma (I´m only bleeding); The levee´s gonna break; When deal goes down; I don´t believe you (She acts like we never have met); Masters of war; Rollin´n and tumblin´; Desolation row; Spirit on the water; Highway 61 revisited; Nettie Moore; Summer days; Like a rolling stone. Encore: Thunder on the mountain; All along the watchtower
23 Oct
Bob Dylan Manchester Arena 16 Nov 2005
Bob Dylan Manchester Arena 16 Nov 2005
David and I drove to Manchester and stayed in the Travelodge just up the road from the arena. We had floor seats about half way back the massive MEN, which is a vast venue. The place was packed and there was a definite buzz in the air; the crowd were really up for seeing Dylan, and he didn’t let them down. This was one of the best Dylan concerts that I have attended in recent years. Dylan spent much of the evening from behind the piano, as on the previous couple of times we’d seen him. 
His singing was much stronger and there was less evidence of the strange up-singing that had featured a lot in performances of that time. The whole arena sang along to Like A Rolling Stone. Highlights for me were I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight and Lay Lady Lay. Jack White was in the crowd and walked passed us just before Dylan took to the stage. Setlist: Maggie’s Farm; She Belongs To Me; Cry A While; Lay, Lady, Lay; Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine); Million Miles; Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again; I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight; Man In The Long Black Coat; Down Along The Cove; Girl Of The North Country (acoustic); Highway 61 Revisited; A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall; Summer Days. Encore: Like A Rolling Stone; All Along The Watchtower.
22 Oct
Bob Dylan Newcastle Arena 22nd June 2004
Bob Dylan Newcastle Arena 22nd June 2004
I’ve got a couple more Dylan concerts to cover after this, and then I will have blogged on all of my Dylan concert experiences. I figured Dylan is of such legendary stature that I really need to say something about each time I have experienced him in concert, but to be honest I’m finding it difficult, as the concerts have started to blend together in my memory. This is particularly true of the Newcastle Arena gigs, as I’ve seen Bob 5 time at that venue. Anyway here goes: Dylan was back at Newcastle Arena in 2004. David and I had good seats, in the second row, but a little too much to the side. 
This was a classic Dylan concert, one of the best times I’ve seen him. He was singing great, and the sound was really clear. I remember that the highlight for me was This Wheels on Fire, which I hadn’t seen him sing before, and it was a truly great rendition of the song. Setlist: Seeing The Real You At Last; Tell Me That It Isn’t True; Lonesome Day Blues; Under The Red Sky; Cold Irons Bound; Ring Them Bells; Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum; This Wheel’s On Fire; Highway 61 Revisited; The Lonesome; Death Of Hattie Carroll; Bye And Bye; Honest With Me; Masters Of War; Summer Days; If Not For You; Like A Rolling Stone; All Along The Watchtower
21 Oct
Bob Dylan Sheffield Arena 20 November 2003
Bob Dylan Sheffield Arena 20 November 2003
David and I drove down to Sheffield to see Dylan on this cold autumn evening in 2003. David was studying in Leeds at the time so I picked him up first. We got stuck in a massive traffic jam between Leeds and Sheffield and arrived at the venue just a few minutes before Dylan came on stage. We were meeting David’s friend Joel at the venue, as he was studying in the city; we quickly met up and then took our seats. We were sitting in the upper tier to the side, quite far away from the stage, so Bob was a small dot so far away from us. 
Dylan was playing a lot of piano during that period, and spend most of the show behind the keyboards. This was an ok performance by Bob, but his voice wasn’t strong and the sound mix was pretty murky. Dylan was still suffering from a throat infection, which has forced him to cancel a gig in Ireland a few days earlier. However we all enjoyed the event and seeing Dylan. David and I spent the night in a Travelodge near the venue and drove back the next morning. Setlist: Maggie’s Farm; It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue; Cry A While; Desolation Row; It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding); Girl Of The North Country; Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum; Man In The Long Black Coat; Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again; Highway 61 Revisited; Every Grain Of Sand; Honest With Me; The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll; Summer Days. Encore: Cat’s In The Well; Like A Rolling Stone; All Along The Watchtower
20 Oct
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown Fibbers York 19 Oct 2012
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown Fibbers York 19 Oct 2012
Laura had expressed interest in seeing veteran psych crazy guy Arthur Brown, so last night we took a trip to York to see our hero perform in all his splendour at Fibbers Club. The current Arthur Brown show returns to the “Crazy World of” moniker and concept, and thus focusses on his early material, drawing heavily from the 1968 album of the same name. Arthur has put together a band of young musicians who authentically replicate the 60s sound, with swirling keyboards reminiscent of the late great Vincent Crane (courtesy of Lucyy Rejchrtova), and lots of fuzz and wahwah guitar (from Nona Gromniak). Jim Mortimer is on bass, and was also introduced as the musical director of Arthur’s latest project, and on drums is Samuel Walker. Arthur was accompanied at the front of stage by dancer Angel Fallon, who wore a series of bright different costumes throughout the show. We arrived around 8pm and said hello to Charlie who was doing the sound. The set was a mix of covers (Kites, Green Manalishi) and tracks from the early days (Devils Grip, Spontaneous Apple Creation, I Put a Spell on You). Quite a few of the other songs in the set sounded familiar to me, but I’m not able to put a name to them. Arthur was as manic as ever and in good spirits, having a bit chat to us all, and indulging in some crazy, silly dancing. The new show is very theatrical and Arthur and the band have obviously put a lot into creating it. It features lots of costume changes, and great dance routines between Arthur and Angel. The band took to the stage wearing quite spooky bird masks with massive beaks, which set the tone for a quite dark night. The set ended with Fire with Arthur going mad, and Angel in a splendid costume with a massive silver cape and a large crown-like hat. Arthur’s voice is really strong, with screaming very much in evidence; not bad for a guy who entered his 7oth year in 2012. The encore was a super version of The Animals’ Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood. The crowd loved it, as did Laura and I. Support act The Moulettes are worth a special mention. They were very different and quite unexpected, playing acoustic instruments: violin, cello, autoharp, bassoon; their music being a blend of folk and elizabethan. They reminded me a little of Blackmore’s night, and are certainly worth watching out for. Apologies for the grainy photo, I am really going to have to practice using my iphone camera.
18 Oct
Bob Dylan Newcastle Telewest Arena 8 May 2002
David and I had great seats for this Dylan gig, in the front block and a few rows from the front. It was a real treat to have such a good view of our hero. The gig itself was ok; but my no means the best time I’ve seen Dylan in concert. Reviews afterwards were very mixed, which is often the case with Dylan concerts. Its almost as if some fans were at different concerts; its funny how different people see the same gig in so many different ways. Reviews on the Boblinks site showed both ends of the spectrum, with one guy saying “There are simply no bad Bob Dylan concerts these days.” and “Last night there were of course some songs I enjoyed more than other songs, but that does not give me the right to knock those other songs, for they still are multiple times preferable to anything else performed by any other band or artist out there.” 
Another fan declared the Newcastle gig “The Newcastle show was over, and so far Kait and I were immensely disappointed. The crowd was horrible, security was bad, Bob’s guitar solos were terrible, his harmonica was less than great, and he just wasn’t trying with his performance in general.” and “Anyway, this show was the worst Bob show I’ve seen and I’m not exaggerating: it was disappointing.” David and I enjoyed the gig, and being so close to Dylan was enough in itself. I do remember that his singing wasn’t great, and there was lots of his “up-singing”. Setlist: Wait for the Light to Shine; Song to Woody; It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding); Love Minus Zero/No Limit; Solid Rock; Just Like a Woman; Subterranean Homesick Blues; Cry a While; Mr. Tambourine Man; A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall; Tangled Up in Blue; Standing in the Doorway; Summer Days; Cold Irons Bound; Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat. Encore: Love Sick; Like a Rolling Stone; If Dogs Run Free; Honest With Me; Blowin’ in the Wind. Encore 2: Highway 61 Revisited
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