Ian Hunter Stockton Arc March 26th 2013
Ian Hunter is currently touring the UK with an acoustic show, featuring himself and guitarist Andy York (Ian’s producer and guitarist for John Mellencamp) and double bass player David Roe (who has played with Johnny Cash). Special guest for the tour is Jason Ringenberg of Jason and the Scorchers. I’d had a busy day and arrived late, just before Ian took to the stage, missing Jason’s set. The Arc was packed, the show having sold out some time ago. This was a seated concert, which was good for me, as I need to sit down at gigs these days. I saw a face I recognised in the next row. I am pretty sure it was Janick Gers from Iron Maiden, who lives locally. Good to see that he had turned out to see Mr Hunter. The three piece acoustic line up works well. I was in the second row, directly in front of Andy York, who is an excellent guitarist, and David Roe plays a pretty mean double bass. A lot of the songs were unfamiliar with me, but I really enjoyed the gig. Hunter was on good form, and in good voice although he was sucking throat lozenges. The set included Shrunken Heads; Ships (which Ian explained was a hit for Barry Manilow); Once Bitten Twice Shy; Wild Bunch; When I’m President; Sweet Jane (a great cover of the Velvet Underground song with some nifty guitar from Andy). For the encores it was the hits: Roll Away the Stone; Life; All the Young Dudes (with Jason on backing vocals); and to close the evening s very short excerpt from Goodnight Irene. Good to see Ian again. Still snowing as I drove home. I will scan my ticket and load it later today.
Posts Tagged ‘classic rock’
27 Mar
Ian Hunter Stockton Arc March 26th 2013
25 Mar
The Black Crowes Manchester Academy 24th March 2013
The Black Crowes Manchester Academy 24th March 2013
This was the first night of the Black Crowes’ “Lay Down with No 13” world tour which sees them taking to the road again after a short hiatus. I’ve only seen the Crowes once before, when they appeared low down the bill at a Donington Monsters of Rock festival (which was headlined by AC/DC) in 1991. My friend John is a massive Crowes fan and goes to see them regularly in the USA, where he lives, and I figured it was about time that I went to see what all the fuss was about. I must admit to being a little nervous about driving to Manchester again, after the difficult drive that Laura and I had across the M62 when we went to see Johnny Marr at Manchester Ritz on Friday. And two long night drives in three days is a bit much for me now. But hey I had a ticket and really wanted to see this band, so I set off around 4pm to make sure that I arrived on time. As it happened the roads were clear and the drive was problem and event free, so I arrived at the venue early at 6.45pm after a short stop off at a service station. I joined a massive queue outside the Academy which is situated in the heart of the University quarter of Manchester. After a short and very cold wait I was in the venue which soon filled to capacity. The Academy is an all standing venue with no public balcony. I made my way to the front of the hall and got myself a spot pretty close to the stage. There was no support act and the Black Crowes came on stage, to a great roar from the crowd, around 8.15pm; shortly after the advertised time of 8pm. I must admit to knowing very little of their material although John gave me a DVD which I’ve watched and enjoyed. The first number was Jealous Again, which seemed familiar, and I recognised some of the better known songs such as She Talks to Angels and Thorn in My Pride. Apart from that much of the rest of the set was unfamiliar to me, but pretty enjoyable none the less. I lasted the first few songs in my spot near the front before I decided to have a coke and take in the view from the back of the hall. Black Crowes’ music shows lots of 70s influences; I could see shades of the Faces, the Stones, Humble Pie, the Allmans and Free in there, which can’t be bad. The band were on great form, with some great guitar work from Rich Robinson and newcomer Jackie Greene (this was his first gig with the band). Singer Chris Robinson has a wonderful soulful rock voice and seemed genuinely pleased to be back in the UK. The crowd, who were a mix of old hippy types and heavy rock fans lapped it up and sang along to many of the songs. There was a short acoustic set in the middle of the show. I enjoyed them as I knew I would, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen an American rock n roll act like this, but I would have liked to know more of the material. I was pleased to see Hard to Handle (which I remember seeing them play in 1991) and Hush as part of the encore. The set was around 2 hours, finishing at approx 10.15pm. I picked up a setlist online this morning, and see that the fourth song was Traffic’s Medicated Goo. To my shame I didn’t recognise it last night. A great gig. Thanks go to John for alerting me to the Black Crowes. The drive back was also uneventful; I got home around 1am. Setlist: Jealous Again; Thick N’ Thin; Hotel Illness; Medicated Goo; Sister Luck; Wiser Time; She Talks to Angels; The Last Place That Love Lives; Whoa Mule; My Morning Song; High Head Blues; By Your Side; Thorn in My Pride; Remedy; Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution; Soul Singing. Encore: Descending; Hard to Handle; Hush; Willin’
24 Mar
Steve Hackett Newcastle City Hall 1979 and 1980
Steve Hackett Newcastle City Hall 1979 and 1980
Steve Hackett left Genesis in 1977, somewhat frustrated with the level of input he was having to the band’s album and shows. Steve was composing his own songs, and released his first solo album Voyage of the Acolyte in 1975 while he was still with Genesis. His first post Genesis album was Please Don’t Touch in 1978. In 1979 Steve put together a touring band, consisting of his brother John Hackett on flute, guitar and bass pedals, long-time collaborator keyboardist Nick Magnus, bassist/vocalist Dik Cadbury, drummer John Shearer and vocalist Peter Hicks. I saw Steve in concert at Newcastle City Hall in 1979 when he was promoting the Spectral Mornings album and again in 1980, when he was promoting the Defector album. 
I remember those gigs as some fine, beautiful music; largely instrumental. It was clear from the concerts just how much Steve had contributed to the Genesis sound. I haven’t been to see Steve Hackett in concert since those days, and I am tempted to go and see him again. He is touring this year with a Genesis Revisited set. He is returning to the 70s Genesis catalogue, playing some of the classic songs which he contributed to. The tour calls at the North East twice, at the Sage Gateshead in May (which is now sold out) and back at the City Hall in October. It must be some years since he has played the City Hall; I think I’ll go along and see him back at that great venue, which needs us to support it to secure its future. Setlist from the 1980 Newcastle gig: Every Day; The Red Flower Of Tachai Blooms Everywhere; Tigermoth; Kim; Time to Get Out; The Steppes; Narnia; Acoustic Set; Sentimental Institution; Jacuzzi; Spectral Mornings; A Tower Struck Down; Clocks – The Angel of Mons; Please Don’t Touch; The Show; It’s Now Or Never; Hercules Unchained
23 Mar
Johnny Marr Manchester Ritz 22 March 2013
Johnny Marr Manchester Ritz 22 March 2013
Laura is a big Smiths fan. She has seen Morrissey several times and saw Johnny Marr play with the Cribs, and loves anything to do with the Smiths. This was our first opportunity to see Johnny solo, so as soon as tickets went on sale, we bought a couple for this home coming gig, which sold out quickly. We drove down to Manchester yesterday afternoon with plenty of time to spare, to allow for bad weather. Diving wasn’t too bad, although it was very slow going across the M62 because of snow and long queues. We arrived in Manchester around 5pm and went for a pizza in Revolution. Manchester Ritz is a great, quite small, venue in the centre of the city. Laura and I have been there once before to see Suede, a few years ago. We entered the venue around 7.15pm, in time to catch support act Furs, a London-based band who played some pretty good 60s tinged music. Laura bought a signed vinyl copy of Johnny’s new album; The Messenger, and I bought a set of badges. Johnny Marr took to the stage at 8.30pm to a great roar from his home crowd. The Ritz looms large in Smith history, as it was the first venue they played back in the early 80s, a fact that Johnny made reference to. The set was a mix of songs from the new album, Smiths songs and songs from his time with Electronic, the dance supergroup that he formed with Bernard Sumner of New Order. 
The new songs are good, with a few pretty strong tunes, but it was (of course) the Smiths tracks that got the best reception from the Manchester crowd. Laura was particularly pleased that he chose to play London, as it is a relatively unknown Smiths song. Standouts for me were a great version of I Fought the Law ala the Clash (took me back), and an astounding version of How Soon is Now? Johnny handles vocal duties himself, and did a great job too. There was mega singing along and dancing to How Soon is Now? and There is a Light. A pretty special night, which we both really enjoyed. Johnny Marr finished at 10pm prompt; there was a curfew as the Ritz turns into a club night at 10.30pm on a Friday. The snow was coming down quite heavily as we drove back across the M62 and the journey was pretty scary; thankfully we got home safe around 1am. Setlist: The Right Thing Right; Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before; Upstarts; Sun And Moon; Forbidden City; European Me; London; Lockdown; The Messenger; Generate! Generate!; Say Demesne; Bigmouth Strikes Again; Word Starts Attack; New Town Velocity; I Want the Heartbeat. Encore: I Fought The Law; Getting Away With It; How Soon Is Now?; There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.
22 Mar
Steve Howe in concert 1994 and 2010
Steve Howe in concert 1994 and 2010
Steve Howe is an excellent guitarist with his own, very individual style. He cites several guitarists as influences including Les Paul, Barney Kessel and Chet Atkins. When I first saw Steve in Yes in 1971 I was struck by the Gibson ES-175D that he was playing. About this guitar, Howe said: “No one was playing archtop, hollowbody guitars in a rock band. People laughed at me and thought I was really snooty. To me, it was an object of art, it wasn’t just a guitar”. I was blown away by his performance of “The Clap” that night, and have remained a fan ever since. The way that he blends jazz and classical influences with rock defines his uniques style. A few years later I was equally impressed by “Mood for a Day”. I spent ages trying to learn to play it, and never got past the first few minutes. 
I have seen Steve twice in solo concert, both times with my mate Will. The first time was a concert in a small room in South Shields Temple Park Leisure centre, with support from Isaac Gullory. The second was at the Sage more recently when he performed with the Steve Howe trio which features his son Dylan Howe on drums and Ross Stanley on Hammond organ. The trio is very jazz oriented, but still perform versions of some Yes classics. For me a Steve Howe concert isn’t complete without “The Clap” or “Mood for a Day” (and ideally both!).
21 Mar
Sammy Hagar Newcastle City Hall 1982
Sammy Hagar Newcastle City Hall 1982
Support from Grand Prix
This was the last time I saw Sammy Hagar in concert. By 1982 he had released 7 solo albums, and was continuing to have success both in the UK and the USA. His solo career was to come to an end a couple of years later when he joined Van Halen. I saw Halen a couple of times with Dave Lee Roth as lead singer, but I never saw them with Sammy Hagar. Support for this tour, the Standing Hampton tour, came from Grand Prix who were 
“A British Pomp Rock band of high repute; coming to prominence during the NWOBHM era, but purveyed a slicker, AOR tinged melodic Rock that gave the act distinction amongst their more rustic counterparts.” (from ww.rockdetector.com). Grand Prix featured ex-Sad Cafe keyboardist Phil Lanzon, who is now in Uriah Heep (and who I saw last week at Stockton). Setlist from the Glasgow gig of the tour: Heavy Metal; This Planet’s on Fire (Burn in Hell); Plain Jane; Baby’s on Fire; I’ll Fall in Love Again; Trans Am (Highway Wonderland); Sweet Hitchhiker; Love or Money; Inside Lookin’ In; Can’t Get Loose; Rock ‘n’ Roll Weekend; I’ve Done Everything for You; Rock Candy; Space Station #5. Encore: Whole Lotta Love; There’s Only One Way to Rock; Turn Up The Music; Red / Satisfied
20 Mar
Sammy Hagar Newcastle City Hall 1980
Sammy Hagar Newcastle City Hall 1980
Support from US heavy metal band Riot
This tour was billed as the Loud and Clear tour. The original billing listed April Wine as the support act. If my memory serves me right (and it often doesn’t 🙂 ) April Wine dropped out as they elected to do their own headline tour, and they were replaced by US heavy metal merchants Riot. Sammy Hagar live was a full-on, raucous, high energy rock experience. Sammy had boundless energy and would run around the stage, slamming riffs out of his guitar. He would always give 110% and was great fun to see live. 
I found a setlist from 1980. I guess that the set at Newcastle will have been similar to this: Trans Am (Highway Wonderland); Love or Money; Miles From Boredom; Reckless; In the night; Young Girl Blues; Plain Jane; 20th Century Man; The Iceman; This Planet’s on Fire; Turn Up The Music; Red; Bad Motor Scooter. Encore: Bad Reputation; Space Station #5; Cruisin’ and Boozin’; Growing Pains. A live album exists from this period, which also includes some of the above songs. By the time of this tour Hagar had released 5 albums in 4 years, which is pretty good going. It was to be another couple of years before I saw him again at the City Hall.
19 Mar
Sammy Hagar Newcastle Mayfair 1979
Sammy Hagar Newcastle Mayfair 1979
Support from Def Leppard
I first saw Sammy Hagar when he was with Montrose. They were a great hard rock band, and supported Status Quo at Newcastle City Hall on a tour in the early 70s. They delivered a strong set and actually gave the mighty Quo a bit of a run for their money. I also saw them in 1974 when they played at Charlton football ground, as one of the support acts for the Who. Their most famous song was Bad Motor Scooter which was apparently the first song that Sammy Hagar wrote. Hagar split from Ronnie Montrose in 1975 and pursued a solo career, going on to some considerable success in the late 70s and early 80s. One of his most well known songs from that solo period was Red, on which he built his own style, leading to his nickname of The Red Rocker. I remember red programmes, red clothing, and red guitars all became part of his shows around that time. Hagar live was a full-on high energy hard rock experience, fast and loud. He would always play Red, Bad Motor Scooter and Space Station No 5. Great stuff. This gig at the Mayfair had the added attraction of up and coming NWOBHM band Def Leppard as support act. More Def Leppard memories here https://vintagerock.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/def-leppard-newcastle-city-hall-1980/
18 Mar
Daryl Hall and John Oates Newcastle City Hall 1977
Daryl Hall and John Oates Newcastle City Hall 1977
Hall and Oates were back in the UK for another tour less than a year after their first full trek around the country in 1976. They were now a little more well known although their biggest success in this country was yet to come. Hall and Oates were massively successful between the mid 70s and mid 80s. From their official website: “From the mid-’70s to the mid-’80s, Daryl and John would score six #1 singles, including “Rich Girl” (also #1 R&B), “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) (also #1 R&B), “Maneater” and “Out of Touch” 
from their six consecutive multi-platinum albums—’76’s Bigger Than Both of Us, ’80’s Voices, ’81’s Private Eyes, ‘82’s H2O, ‘83’s Rock N Soul, Part I and ‘84’s Big Bam Boom. The era would also produce an additional 5 Top 10 singles, “Sara Smile,” “One on One,” “You Make My Dreams,” “Say It Isn’t So” and “Method of Modern Love.”” Although the previous paragraph refers to their success in the USA, Hall and Oates have also had over 20 UK chart entries. 
The facts that I find when I do a little research on acts for this blog often surprise me. I remember, of course, hits like “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)”, “Maneater” and “Family Man”, all of which reached the top 20, but I didn’t know that they had had so many hits in the UK. I enjoyed the two Hall and Oates concerts that I attended in 1976 and 1977, but haven’t seen them since those days. My friend John saw them more recently at on the Big Bam Boom tour in 85 at a concert in the Montreal Forum, and sent me a scan of the programme (see right). John says: “This was probably at the peak of their success, fueled by heavy rotation on MTV they became the best selling duo of all time with a succession of hit singles and albums. I actually liked them a lot and while I did not see them in the late 70’s I became a fan around that time with She’s Gone, Sara Smile and Rich Girl”
17 Mar
Daryl Hall and John Oates Newcastle City Hall 1976
Daryl Hall and John Oates Newcastle City Hall 1976
I first heard of Daryl Hall and John Oates in 1976, when there single “She’s Gone” was released. They seemed to quickly become a very trendy band and those who were in “the know” told me how good this band were. Those who were into the disco movement, and frequented local clubs like Annabel’s, were raving about the blue-eyed soul of these guys. So when they toured and came to the City Hall, Marie and I went along to see what all the fuss was about. Hall and Oates were still relatively unknown to the general public and most concert-goers at the time, however they still managed to attract a reasonable crowd. Support came from the Chanter Sisters. Note the misspelling of “Oakes” rather than “Oates” on the ticket, another pointer to the fact that Hall and Oates were not that well known. 
Hall and Oates had played a well received UK debut concert at the New Victoria Theatre in London in 1975, but this was their first full UK tour. She’s gone rose to Number 7 in the UK chart and the band were starting to grow their own audience in the UK. My memories of this are of a great gig, with strong vocals by Daryl Hall. I didn’t know any of the material other than She’s Gone, so found it a little hard going at times, but overall I felt it was a good show. A DVD of the guys live from that period exists. They perform some of their greatest blue-eyed soul hits from their early hit albums “Bigger Than The Both Of Us”, “Abandoned Luncheonette” and “War Babies”. Track Listing: Rich Girl; Do What You Want, Be What You Are; Is It a Star; Abandoned Luncheonette; Ennui on the Mountain; Gino the Manager; Sara Smile; Room to Breathe; Johnny Gore and the C Eaters. I guess the set at the City Hall in 1976 will have consisted of some of those songs, although I am certain that they also plated She’s Gone. I hadn’t realised that Rich Girl was so early; I certainly hadn’t heard it at the time, but it looks like they may well have played it at the gig I attended in 1976.
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