Fleetwood Mac Manchester Arena 3 Dec 2003
Say You Will Tour
By 2003 it had been a long time since I had last seen Fleetwood Mac, and I was keen to do so again. I was a little frustrated when they announced a UK tour and I saw that they were playing Newcastle, which was a local gig for me, on the same night as I had tickets to see David Bowie at The Point in Dublin. Not to be put off, I quickly decided to buy tickets for David and I to go and see the Mac at the MEN Arena in Manchester. David was studying in Leeds at the time, so I arranged to meet up with him and we went off to Manchester together.
I remember the tickets for this gig were pretty expensive, and we decided to buy cheaper seats, which meant we were at the back of the arena and our view wasn’t great. Nevertheless we both enjoyed the gig which was a true greatest hits set. By this point Christine McVie had retired, which meant that some of the songs which she sang were dropped from the set, but the Mac train rolls on. Sadly for me this time round there were no songs from the early Mac days. The thing that we both remember most from that gig was the drum solo that Mick Fleetwood did, part of which involved him playing his waistcoat which had electronic drum pads built in; I kid you not! Its funny what sticks in your mind. 
I was to see Fleetwood Mac again 6 years later at Sheffield Arena, which I have already blogged on. There are rumours (no pun intended) of a Mac tour next year. Hope it happens. Setlist: The Chain; Dreams; Eyes of the World; Peacekeeper; Second Hand News; Say You Will; Never Going Back Again; Rhiannon; Come; Gypsy; Big Love; Landslide; Say Goodbye; What’s the World Coming To; Beautiful Child; Gold Dust Woman; I’m So Afraid; Silver Springs; Stand Back; Tusk; Go Your Own Way. Encore: World Turning; Don’t Stop. Encore 2: Goodbye Baby
Posts Tagged ‘classic rock’
14 Nov
Fleetwood Mac Manchester Arena 3 Dec 2003
13 Nov
Gong, Hatfield and the North & Tubular Bells film Newcastle City Hall 1974
Gong, Hatfield and the North, Tubular Bells Newcastle City Hall 25th April 1974
Virgin Records Crisis Concert
Ticket price 44p
As I’ve just seen Gong, and blogged about them yesterday, I thought I would have have a little break from covering bands beginning with the letter F and cover the only other time I saw the crazy Gong guys in concert. It was in 1974 as part of the Virgin Records Crisis (can’t remember what the crisis was at the time!) tour, which featured Gong, Hatfield and the North, and a film of Mike Oldfield performing Tubular Bells. To be honest, my friends and I went along largely to see the Tubular Bells film, as it was the only chance at the time to see a performance of this great album. We were also attracted by the very reasonable 44p ticket price! Although Mike Olfield did tour a few years later, at that time he was resisting offers to take his masterpiece on the road. The film was very good, and featured footage of Mike performing the entire album as I recall, in the studio I think. I also recall Viv Stanshall being part of it. The sound wasn’t great and the film was projected onto a small screen, which wasn’t too woderful, but I still recall enjoying it. I wonder if you can get a DVD of this? Gong and Hatfield and the North rotated headlining status on the tour; I don’t remember who closed the gig at Newcastle. I do remember finding both bands quite hard going, but that we enjoyed Gong’s silliness, and loved Squeezing Sponges Over Policemen’s Heads, from Camembert Electrique, which I am pretty sure they played. There were lots of wooly tea cosey hats and flying teapots in evidence.
11 Nov
Fleetwood Mac Glasgow Apollo Mon 4th April 1977 Rumours tour
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
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.
27 Oct
Electric Light Orchestra gigs 1972 – 1976
Electric Light Orchestra gigs in the 70s
I first saw ELO at the Reading Festival in 1972. This was their first gig after the departure on Roy Wood. Roy was also on the bill with his new band Wizzard. At the time ELO were an intriguing mix of prog/psychedlia, orchestral/classical music and rock n roll. The only song I really knew was 10358 overture, which I loved at the time. I then saw them a few times at gigs in the North East. I remember one gig as part of the Harvestmobile tour, where they shared the bill with Babe Ruth and Spontaneous Combustion at Sunderland Top Rank. I also have a vague memory of seeing them play on the same bill as Status Quo in the same venue, but can’t be certain of that. ELO gigged a lot in the early 70s and started to build up a strong following. 
The set was drawn from their first album with a cover of two included. I recall them playing a great version of The Beatles Day Tripper, Jeff Lynne showing his obvious Beatles influences. I also remember Hall of the Mountain King as a stage favourite at the time. The encore would always be Roll Over Beethoven. I first was ELO at Newcastle City Hall in 1972. The gig was not particularly well attended as I recall, but the band impressed the crowd. By the time I saw them again at the City Hall in 1976, ELO had hit the charts on a few more occasions and were on the verge of greater success. By this time they also had a few albums under their belt, the programme of the time promotes the Face The Music album. 
Support came from fellow Brummies, The Steve Gibbons, who I have blogged on separately. I recall this as being a great gig, by then ELO had built up a strong set. A favourite of mine at the time was Do Ya, partly because I remembered it as the B side of The Move’s California Man. This was the last time I saw ELO; I didn’t go to any of their mega concerts with the spaceship, although one of mates did, and was hugely impressed. Whether we will ever see Jeff Lynne take ELO out on the road again, who knows. I for one would be in the queue to see them, if he ever does. Setlist from 1976: Fire on High; Poker; Nightrider; Ocean Breakup / King of the Universe; Oh No Not Susan; Bluebird Is Dead; New World Rising / Ocean Breakup Reprise; Showdown; Eldorado Overture; Can’t Get It Out of My Head; Poor Boy (The Greenwood); Illusions in G Major; Eldorado; Eldorado Finale; Violin Solo; Strange Magic; 10538 Overture / Do Ya; Evil Woman; Ma-Ma-Ma Belle. Encore: Roll Over Beethoven
26 Oct
Eagles Glasgow Apollo Sunday 1 May 1977
This was the Hotel California tour and The Eagles were returning to the UK as a massive sell out act. I’d seen them twice before, once supporting Neil Young at Newcastle City Hall in the early 70s, and secondly on a bill with Elton John and The Beach Boys on a long hot day at Wembley Stadium. They were great on both occasions so I was looking forward to seeing them as a headline act. Their UK tour took in a few dates, and the nearest was in the wonderful, and sadly missed, Glasgow Apollo. They played two nights, Saturday and Sunday and we went to the second of the two gigs. I drove up with my mate Ian, and we were both excited about seeing The Eagles. We had seats reasonably close to the front, but not too close, as the Apollo stage was very high and the view from the first few rows sometimes wasn’t great and you were guaranteed to leave with a stiff neck. According to the ticket support came from Dan Fogelberg, although I believe this was changed and the actual support was Valerie Carter. A published setlist (from the Apollo website) shows them opening with Hotel California, which would now seem a strange choice for a first song, but the album was new at the time and therefore not well known at all. My memories are of a great concert, and of the band returning for an encore wearing kilts and accompanied by a lone Scottish piper. 
We drove home through the night playing a cassette of the Hotel California album, constantly rewinding and replaying the title track. Great memories of a great band in a legendary venue. Setlist: Hotel California; Take it easy; Life in the fast lane; Take it to the limit; New kid in town; Victim of love; James Dean; Witchy woman; Lyin’ eyes; One of these nights; Doolin’ Dalton; Desperado; Best of my love; Already gone; Rocky mountain way; Turn to stone
15 Oct
The Who play Quadrophenia with Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Alanis Morissette Hyde Park 29th June 1996
The Who play Quadrophenia with Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Alanis Morissette Hyde Park 29th June 1996
This was a great gig, with a very strong line-up. The concert was in support of the Princes Trust and was the first time that The Who had played in the UK for some years. I went with Marie, largely to see The Who; however the presence of Dylan and Clapton on the bill made the event all the more attractive, and the price of £8 seemed a bargain. We spent the weekend in London, staying at a Hotel close to Hyde Park Corner. Around 150,000 people were at this concert, and the weather wasn’t great; it was quite a cold day. I don’t remember much about Alanis Morissette, but do recall seeing Dylan who played a short set. His normal band was augmented by Ron Wood and Al Kooper; we were sitting on the grass somewhere in the middle of the park, and the sound was murky, blowing around in the breeze.
Bob Dylan’s setlist was: Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat; All Along the Watchtower; Positively 4th Street; Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues; Tangled Up in Blue; Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right; Silvio; Seven Days; Highway 61 Revisited 
Quadrophenia has grown on me over the years, and I’ve seen The Who perform it three times; once on the original tour, this show in Hyde Park, and more recently at the Albert Hall Teenage Cancer Trust gig. The Hyde Park show featured a cast of special guests playing the various parts of the rock opera: Phil Daniels (Narration), Trevor McDonald (Newscaster), Ade Edmundson (Bell Boy), Gary Glitter (Rocker), Stephen Fry (Hotel Manager), and Dave Gilmour (Guitar on Dirty Jobs, Love Reign O’er Me). The band was introduced by Jools Holland. It was a fun show, although I was a little disappointed that they didn’t pay any Who classics; I thought we might get one or two as an encore, instead we got a reprise of 5.15. The Who setlist was: I Am the Sea; The Real Me; Quadrophenia; Cut My Hair; The Punk and the Godfather; I’m One; The Dirty Jobs (with David Gilmour); Helpless Dancer; Is It in My Head?; I’ve Had Enough; 5:15; Sea And Sand; Drowned; Bell Boy; Doctor Jimmy; The Rock; Love, Reign O’er Me (with David Gilmour). Encore: 5:15. After The Who, we watched some of Clapton’s set, but left before the end. At the time I’d lost a little faith in Eric and was somewhat tired of seeing him play live. However my interest in him has become renewed in recent years, and I also feel that he has returned to form.
19 Sep
The Doors (of the 21st Century) Manchester Arena 2004
The Doors (of the 21st Century) Manchester Arena 2004
Line-up Ray Manzarek – keyboards, vocals; Robby Krieger – guitar, vocals; Ian Astbury – lead vocals; Ty Dennis – drums, percussion; Angelo Barbera – bass guitar.
More than 30 years after I saw The Doors at Newcastle City Hall, David and I went to see them at Manchester Arena. This version of the band featured original members Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger, with new singer Ian Astbury of The Cult fame. Drummer John Densmore declined to take part in the project and sued the other band members over their use of the name. I had mixed views about going to the gig. The last time I saw the band Ray and Robby took vocal duties and the set was largely new material. This time it was clear that the set would be classic Doors and Ian was almost mimicking Jim Morrison. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about that, and how appropriate it was. However we did attend, out of interest as much as anything. The 20,000 capacity venue was nowhere near full, I would say it was a quarter full, if that. We had great seats a few rows from the front. There was no support act and the band were onstage for a couple of hours, the set consisting of a selection of Doors classics. Looking at setlists from the time it is clear that the band changed their set significantly from night to night. One disappointment for me was that they didn’t play Riders on the the Storm. But putting that aside, this was a great gig, which Ian carried off well. He looked like Jim, was dressed like him, and must have studied videos of his movements. But it worked well. We have the old songs, a psychedelic light show, and a band with two original members. It was just great and made me realise how amazing The Doors must have been in the day. David and I both enjoyed it. Setlist: Break On Through (to the Other Side); Not to Touch the Earth; Love Me Two Times; Alabama Song (Whisky Bar); Back Door Man; Love Her Madly; The Changeling; Hyacinth House; Spanish Caravan; Five to One; The Unknown Soldier; Peace Frog; Roadhouse Blues; L.A. Woman. Encore: Touch Me; Light My Fire
17 Sep
The Doors Sandy Denny & Hawkwind Newcastle City Hall 1972
The Doors Newcastle City Hall 1972
Support from Sandy Denny and Hawkwind
This was a pretty impressive line-up when I look back on it. I went along with my friend John, largely to see The Doors. This was post-Jim Morrison, at a point where the three remaining members were touring without any replacement singer. The line-up was Ray Manzarek – keyboards, vocals; John Densmore – drums, percussion; Robby Krieger – guitar, vocals; plus touring musicians Jack Conrad – bass guitar, and Bobby Ray Henson – rhythm guitar, back vocals, percussion. Ray and Robby took vocal duties, and they were promoting their recent album Other Voices. The advertised support act was Sandy Denny, who was touring as a solo artist, having left Fairport Convention a few years earlier. Hawkwind weren’t advertised at all, and were a nice surprise on the night. We arrived at the show not late but were suprised to find a band on stage that was obviously not Sandy Denny. At first we had no idea who they were, but were impressed by them and realised we were watching something which was quite weird and pretty special. Then they played Master of the Universe, which was in heavy rotataion at the local Mecca at the time, and we realised who we were watching. This was the classic Hawkwind, with naked dancer Stacia, Lemmy, Dik Mik, Dave Brock, Nik Turner, Del Dettmar, Simon King, and possibly Robert Calvert. There were certainly lots of them on stage. I recall great lights, a strong smell of joss sticks in the hall (the band were giving them out to the audience) and a set of great songs, which blended from one into the next. This was pre the release of Silver Machine, but I suspect the song will have featured in the set at that time. We were both blown away by Hawkwind and remain life long fans of the band to this day. Sandy Denny sat at a grand piano centre stage; I can’t remember what she played, but I suspect it was taken from her solo album Sandy which was released in 1972. The Doors were OK, but many of the songs were new and unfamiliar to us. The only old songs they played were Light My Fire and Love Me Two Times. We were both disappointed that they didn’t play Riders on the Storm. A great gig, and a great introduction to Hawkwind, who were at their height at that time. And all for 75p!
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