Duane Eddy Sage Gateshead May 27 2012
A great gig last night by a true legend of a man, Duane Eddy in Hall 2 of the Sage. An appreciative crowd of a certain age saw Duane and his band run through a night of classic tracks and songs from Duane’s latest album. Duane was backed by Richard Hawley’s band and a tremendous sax player. Many guys from the past have slipped into playing cabaret versions of their songs, or can only manage pale versions of the originals. Not Duane Eddy. He looked and played great last night. The set included rock n roll classics like ‘Forty Miles Of Bad Road’, ‘Shazam’, ‘Yep!’, ‘Cannonball’ and ‘Ramrod’. Duane Eddy has been having a resurgence of his career lately. Its twenty five years between the release of his last record, and his most recent “Road Trip”. Produced by Richard Hawley and Colin Elliot, ‘Road Trip’ “showcases everything that is unique about his guitar playing. When it rocks, it rocks hard but above all it is an album that is defined by the man’s elegant playing and the space within its sound.” (Sage website). “Richard (Hawley) really wanted me to make a record that covered all the different moments from my career so that’s what we did. So there are things that are rocking with a wailing sax, and there are some pretty things too. There are echoes of the past, but it sounds new.” says Duane. “Duane’s sound as a guitar player is unbelievably unique. If you hear one note played by him you know that that’s Duane. His sound is so low and deep. And there’s an elegance and sophistication to what he does that is really very special.” (Richard Hawley).
Posts Tagged ‘blues’
28 May
Duane Eddy Sage Gateshead May 27 2012
24 May
Guns N Roses and Thin Lizzy Newcastle Arena 23 May 2012
Guns N Roses and Thin Lizzy Newcastle Arena 23 May 2012
My friend John and I saw a marathon, but amazing, gig by Guns N Roses in Newcastle last night. They came on stage around 10.40pm and played until 1.40am. John has been over from his home in the USA, and suggested we go to the gig. We got there quite early, bought our programmes, and John bought a poster, and we took our seats to see support act Thin Lizzy. They came on stage around 8.30pm and delivered a set of all the classic songs, finishing with The Boys are back in Town. The latest line up of Thin Lizzy is pretty true to the original, however the sound wasn’t wonderful in the big area. The venue was around three quarters full, and Lizzy got a warm reception, although everyone was there to see the headline band. We had read report of Axl and crew coming on stage very late on this tour, and Ticketmaster had emailed me to warn that they would be on stage at 10pm. On the night Guns N Roses actually took to the stage at 10.40pm, around an hour after Lizzy had finished their set. This wasn;t as long a wait as we had feared, and the crowd didn’t seem too restless. The band literally exploded onto the stage, with lots of flares and explosions, which continued at various points throughout the gig. Their performance was much much better than I had expected. Axl has assembled a band of excellent musicians, all of whom showed just how good they are. Although the set came in at around 3 hours, it didn’t drag at all. Its a long time since I’ve seen a band play this long, yet I didn’t get bored. The timings were perfect. A great mix of classic GNR tracks, well chosen covers and impressive solos that were just the right length made this a class rock show. 
And Axl still has all the energy that he did when he was a much younger guy; his voice is also as strong as it ever was. All in all John and I both agreed that this was a pretty neat gig. Impressive stuff, even if I am still tired today. Setlist: Chinese Democracy; Welcome to the Jungle; It’s So Easy; Mr. Brownstone; Sorry; Rocket Queen; Estranged; Better; Richard Fortus Guitar Solo; Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney & Wings); This I Love; Motivation (Tommy Stinson lead vocals); Instrumental Jam ; Dizzy Reed Piano Solo (based on The Who’s Baba O’ Riley); Street of Dreams; You Could Be Mine; DJ Ashba Guitar Solo; Sweet Child O’ Mine; Instrumental Jam; Another Brick In The Wall (Pink Floyd); Axl Rose Piano Solo; November Rain; Glad to Be Here (Bumblefoot lead vocals); Don’t Cry; Civil War; Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan); Nightrain.
Encore: Madagascar; Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC); Patience; Paradise City
23 May
The Brothers Johnson Newcastle Poly 30 September 1977
The Brothers Johnson Newcastle Poly 30 September 1977
A few of my friends were heavily into disco and funk in the mid to late 70s. Not being one to frequent the dance floors myself, I never quite got into that particular genre of music. However Marie and I regularly went to the Friday night dances at Newcastle Poly around that period, and saw many great bands there such as The Clash, The Damned, Taking Heads and others. So we were there when The Brothers Johnson played, along with some friends who had come specially to see them. This was the first night of their first UK tour, and by this time they had reached almost legendary status as a result of their work with Bobby Womack, Billy Preston and Quincy Jones. I remember that they arrived very late for the gig. They had flown in via London, I think, and had been delayed. However they did arrive and play a shortened set, which went down with a packed crowd which was a mix of the usual Friday night students, and soul and disco aficionados who had come especially for the occasion.
22 May
Eric Burdon Newcastle Tyne Theatre 2002
Eric Burdon Newcastle Tyne Theatre 2002
This was Eric’s first home town gig back in the Toon for around 20 years, and anticipation was very high. He was originally booked to play one night at the Tyne Theatre, which sold out very quickly and a second night was added. Marie and I went along to the Thursday night show, which was the first gig to be announced. 
I was really looking forward to the gig; it had been around 20 years since I’d seen Burdon and I was very excited about seeing him again. I remember that I had an event to attend at work earlier in the evening, but managed to slip away in time to get through just as Burdon and the band took to the stage. Eric was on top form at this gig, and belted out the old hits. I’d almost forgotten just how hood he was, and was knocked out by his performance that night. The set was largely old classics from both versions of the Animals, including Its My Life, We Gotta Get Out of this Place, House of the Rising Sun, When I was Young, San Franciscan Nights, Sky Pilot, Don’t Let me be Misunderstood. A DVD called Yes you can go home includes some footage from the gig.
21 May
Eric Burdon Newcastle 1976
Eric Burdon Newcastle 1976
Eric Burdon is a bit of a hero to me. His blues/soul voice is second to none, he has written some great songs (particularly in the late 60s, at the time of his hippy/San Francisco new-Animals phase), and he hails from the North East of England! I’ve seen him in concert quite a few times over the years, with several incarnations of his band, and with the reformed original Animals in the early 80s. I saw him a couple of times in the mid 70s, once at Newcastle Mayfair ballroom, and also at this gig at Newcastle City Hall in 1976 as part of the Newcastle Festival. Eric has had many line ups backing him over the years and his albums in the mid 70s were in a hard rock / funk vein. However I am pretty sure that the band and set for this gig was straight blues and included material such as Bring It On Home To Me; We Gotta Get Out Of This Place; Paint it Black; Tobacco Road and House Of The Rising Sun. I’ve never seen Eric do a bad performance. I have seen one or two times where he looked pretty worse for wear, but he has always delivered and his voice remains strong and soulfull to this day.
18 May
The Blues Band Redcar Coatham Bowl
The Blues Band Redcar Coatham Bowl late 70s or early 80s?
It’s hard to believe that The Blues Band have been around for over 30 years. I’ve seen them a few times over that period, although not recently. The ticket and programme pictured here come from different gigs. The programme is from their 1981 tour which I caught at Sunderland Polytechnic Students Union in Wearmouth Hall (now sadly demolished) and the ticket is from a gig at the Coatham Bowl which I suspect was a year or two earlier.
Fronted by Paul Jones, The Blues Band always delivered a great night, and did exactly what it says on the tin, playing a set of traditional blues standards and some of their own (blues) compositions. Its interesting to see that the Coatham Bowl gig featured Stonebridge McGuinness as a support act. Stonebridge and McGuinness were both members of McGuinness Flint, another great band who I recall seeing supporting Humble Pie in the early 70s. Stonebridge and McGuinness were also members of the Blues Band, and of course the real genesis of these bands hails from Manfred Mann, which deserves a blog post of its own on another day!
17 May
Brand X and Peter Hammill
Brand X and Peter Hammill Newcastle City Hall 1978
This was a somewhat strange pairing, in fact the tour is known as “The Odd Couple Tour” on the Van Der Graaf Generator website. Brand X were a jazz rock fusion band, and were highly respected in the 70s. Phil Collins played with them at one point, although he wasn’t in the drum stool at this gig. I also saw them play at the Reading festival a year or so earlier. I recall the set as being largely (solely?) instrumental, with impressive musicianship. Setlist was apparently (I found this on a website): Access To Data; Black Moon; Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria; The Ghost Of Mayfield Lodge; The Poke. 
I went along with some mates for a couple or reasons. Firstly because of the Phil Collins and Genesis connection, and secondly to see Peter Hammill, who had recently left Van Der Graaf Generator to go solo. Peter wass in a pretty crazy phase, and had shaved half his beard (see programme). He was accompanied by violin and sax, and delivered a strange set to a pretty empty hall. 
Peter’s set was straneg, dark, quirky and everything you would expect of him. A review of the time proclaimed him the “Springsteen of Weird”. This was a memorable gig, although it was a shame that the City Hall was pretty empty. The tour was pretty ambitious in booking this pairing into largish concert halls.
16 May
Blackfoot Newcastle Mayfair 1982
Blackfoot Newcastle Mayfair 1982
Blackfoot made a few trips to the UK in the early 80s. I saw them as part of the 1981 Monsters of Rock bill, and I think I also caught them supporting the Scorpions at the City Hall. 1982 saw them headlining for the first time in the UK, off the back of the Marauder album which had been released the year before. Having come out of the Lynyrd Skynyrd school of southern boogie, the band moved towards a heavier rock style and regularly played alongside more straight metal bands.
At one point Ken Hensley of Uriah Heep joined the band. I think he may have been a member at this Mayfair gig in 1982. The one thing I remember about this gig was that Blackfoot were VERY LOUD INDEED. The Mayfair was packed and they rocked loud and hard and fast and a good time was had by all. The more I think about these old gigs the more I understand why my hearing ain’t too good these days…….I also saw Blackfoot as part of the 1985 Deep Purple bill at Knebworth. The setlist for that gig was: Can’t Be So Bad (great cover of the Moby Grape song which is one of my favourite songs); On The Run; Every Man Should Know (Queenie); Dry County; Wishing Well (Free cover: good choice); Morning Dew (another great song to cover; this band has good taste); Gimme, Gimme, Gimme; Train Train; Highway Song. I’ve just checked and see that Blackfoot are still around and toured the UK last year. I think I’ll aim to catch them next time they are over here.
12 May
Blue Oyster Cult Newcastle Tyne Theatre 2002
Blue Oyster Cult Newcastle Tyne Theatre 2002
I lost touch with Blue Oyster Cult for some time, after seeing them several times in the 70s and 80s. There was a 17 year period between my BOC experiences, between seeing them in 1985 at Newcastle City Hall and a gig at Newcastle Tyne Theatre in 2002. I went along with my mate Norm who is a big Blue Oyster Cult fan. The Tyne Theatre is a Grade 1 listed building, which opened in 1867 as the Tyne Theatre and Opera House. Its a lovely venue, and I have fond memories of going there in the 60s with my dad to see King Kong, which seemed a marvel to me at the time. The Tyne Theatre wasn’t full that night, but a respectable crowd had gathered to see BOC. The line up at that time featured old timers Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma, and Allen Lanier and the set contained a healthy mix of old favourites. It was great to see the band again, and the performance was as good as the old days, bringing back memories of those nights in the City Hall. BOC have been back once or twice since then, although I missed those gigs. Its about time I caught up with them again. Setlist: Burnin’ For You; OD’d On Life Itself; ETI; Pocket; Harvester Of Eyes; Teen Archer; Quicklime Girl; Perfect Water; Cities On Flame; Golden Age of Leather; See You in Black; Last Days Of May; Godzilla; (Don’t Fear) The Reaper; Dominance & Submission. It was great to hear Last Days of May again; it remains one of my favourites songs.
10 May
Dexy’s Midnight Runners Newcastle Exhibition Park 1982: Radio 1 in Concert from the Big Top
Dexy’s Midnight Runners Newcastle Newcastle Exhibition Park 1982
Radio 1 in Concert from the Radio One Big Top
I went to see Dexy’s on Monday, and this has encouraged me to reflect on my previous experiences of the band. This gig was the second time I saw Kevin Rowland and the band, and the last time until I saw them again this week, and it was just amazing. I’d seen Dexy’s once before at the time of Geno, in Newcastle Mayfair. They were good that night, but nothing could have prepared me for this gig. The concert was one of (I think) two which were held in a large marquee on Exhibition Park as part of a Radio One in Concert weekend. The other gig was The Boomtown Rats, and I decided to go along to one of the gigs. I’m so glad I chose this show, because it was a revelation. Part of the reason that it was so good was the surprise element. Neither Come on Eileen or the album Too-Rye-Ay had been released at this point, and the image of Dexy’s that I had in my head was of the soul rebels in their donkey jackets and wooly hats. This was the first performance of the new gyspy folk Dexy’s, and the entire crowd was just stunned when the band came on stage, Kevin dressed in a pair of dungarees and with his new curly hair cut. You could see that everyone was just speechless and totally shocked by the complete transformation that the band had undergone. They were straight into a set which drew heavily from the forthcoming Too-Rye-Ay lp with its hybrid of soul and Celtic folk. They also included Geno, and Jackie Wilson said. The rest of the band were dressed in dungarees, scarves, leather waistcoats, and what was described at the time as “a generally scruffy right-off-the-farm look”. Kevin Rowland said at the time of the new image: “These are my best clothes. Again it just feels right for the music. Everybody else is dressing up sort of straight-laced and we come in wearing these and it’s like, y’know here we are, a bit of hoedowning is even possible”. And hoedown they did.
Once I got over the shock of the new image and the new line-up, I just sat back and enjoyed the music. How could you not enjoy those infectious folk tunes. This was the first time the new lp, including Come on Eileen was played live and the only time that the line-up featured the Searching for the Young Soul Rebels-era horn section alongside the Too-Rye-Ay-era strings. I knew that night that the new lp and those songs were going to be massive. Come on Eileen hit the charts and soared to number one a few weeks later and the band were back to play to a sold-out City Hall, a gig which I missed in order to see The Jam’s final North East gig at Whitley Bay (which was the right choice, but I still regret missing Dexy’s that night!). I remember going home buzzing about the gig, still not being quite able to take in or believe what I had seen. I tried to explain to my friends how good it had been, but they didn’t get it until they saw them performing Come On Eileen on Top of the Pops a few weeks later. This was one of those gigs which I wish I could return to and relive. The show was released on CD 13 years later in 1995 and features the following tracks: TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia); Burn It Down; Let’s Make This Precious; Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile); Come on Eileen; Respect; Soon; Plan B; Geno; Old; The Celtic Soul Brothers; There, There, My Dear; Show Me.
Note. I’ve just found (30 Jan 2014) a programme for the Radio 1 Weekend, which this concert must have been part of. The weekend featured all the DJs (Tony Blackburn, Peter Powell, Keith Chegwin etc) plus personal appearances by Dexys, Haircut 100 and others. There was also a local band stage which featured among others The Toy Dolls. The programme includes a free flexi single by Lindisfarne (although they were not appearing as they were on tour at the time). Fascinating stuff. I’d forgotten all about this.
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