Pat Travers Newcastle City Hall 30th March 1980
Canadian guitarist Pat Travers was one of the hardest working guys in the music business during the late 70s and early 80s. He took the power trio concept of Cream and Hendrix and developed it further, playing in his own unique style which mixed technical flash with hard rock, blues and jazz. And this guy just gigged and gigged. He seemed to pop up everywhere at the time, always full of energy, and guaranteed to grab an audience by the scruff of the neck. I remember seeing him at Reading Festival in 1976 and 1980, supporting Journey at the Mayfair, at Redcar Coatham Bowl, and I’m sure I saw him support one or two people at the City Hall too. By 1980, Pat Travers was touring in support of his seventh album “Crash and Burn” and the three piece format had been expanded by the addition of a second guitarist. Support for this gig at Newcastle City Hall was Diamond Head. The concert was poorly attended, which was a shame, because Pat and his band delivered a blistering and loud set, which showed what a great guitarist and showman he was. Pat Travers live was fast, loud and rocking. Very under-rated, he often seemed on the brink of massive success, but it never quite materialised. He was, of course, gigging away at the time of punk, which won’t have helped, and his brand of bluesy jazzy rock’n’roll didn’t quite jell with NWOBHM fans. He continues to play to this day and has been over to the UK in the last year or so. Writing this reminds me how great his music is. Another guy I really should catch up with again.
Just watched him playing “Snortin’ Whiskey” from “Crash and Burn” on Youtube. Awesome. Reminded just how electric rock can be. Have a look if you get the chance.
Setlist from Reading August 1980: Rock ‘n’ Roll Suzie; Your Love Can’t Be Right; Life in London; Born Under a Bad Sign; Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights); Snortin’ Whiskey; Hooked On Music; Hammerhead; It Makes No Difference
“Snortin’ whiskey, drinkin’ cocaine
Got this feelin’ I’m gonna drive that girl insane
Insanity!”
(Snortin’ Whiskey, Pat Travers, 1980)
Posts Tagged ‘concert’
8 Oct
Pat Travers Newcastle City Hall 30th March 1980
7 Oct
Robin Trower South Shields Customs House 17th April 2005
Robin Trower South Shields Customs House 17th April 2005
Roll forward 25 years, and I was seeing Robin Trower again. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and had all but forgotten many of the songs because, although I have a few of his albums on vinyl, the only one I played was “Bridge of Sighs” and to be truthful, I hadn’t played that for a long time. I needed have worried. Trower walked on stage, waved at the audience, and launched straight into “Too Rolling Stoned”. I immediately recognised the riff, and the years melted away. The guitar playing was as excellent as ever, with the familiar heavy use of wah-wah, and the usual twisting of the face, as Robin squeezed the notes out of his strat.
The singer was Davey Pattison, who I’d seen before many years ago in Ronnie Montrose’s band Gamma, and he did a great job, sticking closely to the original vocal. He has a soulful voice, which matched somewhat the original vocals of the late and very under-rated James Dewar. The mix was a little murky at the start of the set, with the vocals lost in the mix, but things improved as the set progressed. Trower and his band were great, playing a mix of tracks from throughout his career. It was great to see him again.
The gig was reviewed Rahul Shrivastava for the BBC website: “There are no gimmicks, no light show, just four men playing great, bluesy rock ‘n’ roll….there was no denying the passion with which he played his instrument.” The review sparked a few comments from others who attended the gig: “It’s over 25 yrs since I saw Robin at Hammersmith Odeon; always wanted to do so again. So good was this gig that both me and my wife were lost for words… Awesome” (SteV1Da).
“To experience Robin Trower is to be a witness to the mastery of true artistry created on the electric guitar. How rich in talent Robin, and a great few are part of an incredible music history…” (Michael Gibbs). “They used to say that this guy was a ‘Hendrix clone’ Well all I can say is that if Hendrix could play like that he must have been some guitarist! The control and pure artistry were a delight and I hope that this is the first of many returns to the North East.” (Chas Thomason).
Setlist: Too Rolling Stoned; Sweet Angel; What’s Your Name; Rise Up Like The Sun; Daydream; Living Out Of Time; Breathless; Day Of The Eagle; Bridge Of Sighs; Close Every Door; I Want You To Love Me; Please Tell Me; Another Time, Another Place; Little Bit of Sympathy
Encore: Come To Me; Secret Place
Thanks to John for the poster image and for the photo which he got signed for me at a Trower gig in the States.
I’ve seen Trower once more since, and have already written about that gig.
6 Oct
Robin Trower Newcastle City Hall 12th February 1980
Robin Trower Newcastle City Hall 12th February 1980
In 1980 Robin Trower released his seventh studio album “Victims of the Fury”, and went out on tour to promote it. Support for the tour was NWOBHM band Samson. I saw the tour was it called at Newcastle City Hall. It was a few years since I’d seen Robin Trower in concert and I was really looking forward to seeing him again. It was the last night of the tour and the band were on their usual amazing form.
It is unfair to draw too many comparisons between Trower and Hendrix. Although Trower has undoubtedly been influenced by the master, and has said so himself on several occasions, he has his own unique guitar style, and is himself a true master of the guitar. Sadly whenever conversation turns to classic guitar greats the names of Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Richie Blackmore, Alvin Lee and Peter Green will be mentioned, but it isn’t that often that Trower gets a mention. That’s a shame because his playing stands up their with those greats.
Robert Fripp, another guitar great, recognises this and says so in the liner notes on the reissues of one of Robin’s solo albums (1996): “Robin Trower is one of the very few English guitarists that have mastered bends and wobbles. Not only has he got inside them, with an instinctive knowing of their affective power, but they went to live inside his hands. It is the rare English guitarist who has been able to stand alongside American guitarists and play with an equal authority to someone grounded in a fundamentally American tradition. Trower has been widely criticised for his influences. This has never bothered me. I toured America in 1974 with Ten Years After top of the bill, King Crimson second, and Robin Trower bottom. The chart positions were the opposite….. Nearly every night I went out to listen to him. This was a man who hung himself on the details: the quality of sound, nuances of each inflection and tearing bend, and abandonment to the feel of the moment. He saved my life. Later, in England, he gave me guitar lessons.”
Back to the City Hall concert. It was classic Trower drawing for throughout his solo career and starting with the beautiful “Lady Love”. They also played my favourites “Bridge Of Sighs” and “Too Rolling Stoned”. Great stuff.
I found a review of the concert on Robin Trower’s official site, by Alan Howard, who drove with his friend from London especially to see the last night of the tour, having already seen the show at Hammersmith a few days before: “The good people of Toon town just went absolutely mental, so delighted they were to see the band. What a great start! So it continued. For some reason, this audience were much more appreciative and vocal than their southern counterparts….It was a great show featuring once again the ‘Victims’ lightshow visuals with their distinctive neon barbed wire icon, as featured on the album cover.”
Set List: Lady Love; The Ring; Day Of The Eagle; Bridge Of Sighs; Jack And Jill; Too Rolling Stoned; The Shout/Hannah; Daydream; Victims Of The Fury; Only Time; Madhouse; Little Bit Of Sympathy.
Encores: Messin The Blues; Rock Me Baby.
Thanks to John for the image of his Trower “flash”.
Tomorrow I’ll roll forward and write about a more recent Trower gig.
5 Oct
Robin Trower Newcastle City Hall 22nd Feb 1976
Robin Trower Newcastle City Hall 22nd Feb 1976
Come 1976 and Robin Trower was one of the most popular acts in the country. He toured the UK in February and March calling at the City Hall for two nights this time, and closing the tour by playing to 8,000 fans at Wembley Empire Pool. Support for the tour was local north east pop rock act John Miles. I remember driving through to the City Hall to buy tickets the day they went on sale. It had been snowing heavily and the roads were quite treacherous. My mate and I watched in horror as the car in front of us slid off the road and into the trees at the side of the carriageway. We made our way safely to the box office and bought tickets for the first night.
The concert was excellent, with Trower on top form, his feet surrounded by an array of effects pedals which enabled him to create some unbelievable sounds with his trusty Fender Strat. 
The Trower band had changed slightly with a new drummer Bill Lordan playing alongside Trower and Dewar. They were tight and loud, and delighted the City Hall crowd with classics like “Bridge of Sighs”, “Lady Love” and my fave “Too Rolling Stoned”, tracks from their current, third, album “For Earth Below” and a couple of new songs which would feature on the fourth album “Long Misty Days”. Brian Harrigan reviewed the Wembley gig for Melody Maker: “There ain’t nothing like Robin Trower at full blast……in the 
cavernous Wembley Empire Pool, they thundered like a three-man blitzkrieg.”
Typical 1976 setlist: Day of the Eagle; Bridge of Sighs; Sailing; Lady Love; Long Misty Days; The Fool and Me; Too Rolling Stoned; Daydream; Same Rain Falls; I Can’t Wait Much Longer; Alethea; Little Bit of Sympathy; Rock Me Baby; S.M.O.
Many thanks to Mitch for his photo of Trower which was taken at this concert and to John for his image of the poster for the concert the following night.
4 Oct
Robin Trower live 1973, Newcastle City Hall 11th Feb 1975, and Reading 1975
Robin Trower live 1973, Newcastle City Hall 11th Feb 1975, and Reading 1975
I first became aware of Robin Trower in Procol Harum and then when he played Sunderland Poly’s Wearmouth Hall in the band Jude. Jude also featured Frankie Miller, ex Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker and bassist Jimmy Dewar who had just left Stone The Crows. I have very vague recollections of that gig, and can’t be certain I was present or whether I simply heard about it from mates, but I’m pretty sure that it happened. Jude didn’t last long, and Trower soon formed his own band, retaining Dewar as his bassist and lead vocalist, and drummer Reg Isidore. The first time I can definitely recall seeing Trower live was when he supported Nazareth at Sunderland Locarno in June 1973. My mates and I were big Nazareth fans and went to see the tour at Newcastle Mayfair a couple of weeks later, and saw Trower again. We watched Trower on both occasions; this was at the time of his first album “Twice Removed from Yesterday”. I was impressed by his Hendrix-like guitar playing and the faces which he pulled, which looked like he was in pain, as he squeezed riffs out of his Stratocaster. You could tell that the guy was playing from the heart. 
Trower speaking to Steven Rosen (Los Angeles Free Press, November 1973): “It’s not just a trio, it’s the right trio with Reggie and Jimmy. It’s not just because I’m the lead guitarist that it’s gonna happen; I mean I’m not just into guitar, I’m into making good music . . . great music. And I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think it was a lot better than what I’d done before……I’m very influenced by Hendrix, and I’m the first to admit it; everything I do is inevitable and I can’t not be influenced by him. Anybody who’s got any ears and plays the guitar or who’s got any musical sense at all could not but be influenced by Hendrix. It’s like you can’t write unless you learn A-B-C. Everybody else was just f***ing about. He made real music on guitar and not just licks on top of somebody else’s music.” Robin Trower took Hendrix’s music and moved in to the next level. He blended Hendrix’ guitar style and technique with moody blues-rock and a little funkiness. It was as if we were witnessing the music that Hendrix might have played if he hadn’t passed away so early. And Jimmy Dewar had a great soulful voice. Trower’s most famous album is, of course, Bridge of Sighs, which he released in 1974, and the title track is a classic of atmospheric rock. 
The next time I saw Trower live in concert he was headlining at Newcastle City Hall and it was February 1975. This was classic Robin Trower, the guy was at his best during this period, and the set will have included “Day of the Eagle” (often the opening song, and a track that features in his live sets to this day), the excellent rocker “Too Rolling Stoned” (another great live classic), “Lady Love” and of course “Bridge of Sighs”. My unofficial programme contains a flyer for Rainbow Cottage, so I suspect they may have been the support act for the City Hall concert.
John’s memories of the City Hall gig: “Even though I only saw Robin Trower once in the 70’s I was fortunate to witness a fantastic gig with Robin at the height of his prowess and playing the Bridge of Sighs material with passion and power. 
I was siting downstairs fairly near the stage and was overwhelmed by the material and his talent. The set opened with Day of the Eagle, featured Bridge of Sighs, Too Rolling Stoned, Lady Love and Little Bit of Sympathy which I think closed the set. While I am less certain I think he also played Rock Me Baby and a slower blues number which might have been I Cant Wait Much Longer. I also remember that he wore a green jumpsuit with the pants tucked into some fringed brown suede boots which I was not sure was too cool at the time. James Dewar’s vocals were also a highlight and the show and his performance on About to Begin remains one of my favorites to this day.”
I saw Trower again at the Reading festival in August 1975, where he delivered a blistering set and was called back for several encores.
Typical Trower setlist from 1975: Day of the Eagle; Bridge of Sighs; Gonna Be More Suspicious; Fine Day; Lady Love; Spellbound; Too Rolling Stoned; I Can’t Wait Much Longer; Alethea; Little Bit of Sympathy
Many thanks to Mitch for his photo of Trower onstage at the City Hall on 22nd February 1976, and to John for the image of his poster from the period.
3 Oct
Talking Heads Newcastle Poly 27th Jan 1978 and Newcastle City Hall 27th Nov 1979
Talking Heads Newcastle Poly 27th Jan 1978 and Newcastle City Hall 27th Nov 1979
I first saw Talking Heads at a concert at Newcastle Poly in January 1978. They were touring with Dire Straits as support at the time. Dire Straits were starting to become known as a result of their single “Sultans of Swing” and Talking Heads were the darlings of the US new wave, with rave reports of their concerts in the States coming through the UK music press. I watched Taking Heads on TV performing “Psycho Killer” on the Old Grey Whistle Test and was hooked. The quirky jabbing rhythms and the strange lyrics (who would write a song about a psycho killer?) intrigued me. By the time they came to play at Newcastle Poly they were performing songs from their first album and the yet-to-be-released “More Songs About Buildings and Food”. Live Talking Heads were excellent. There was a feel of an art school band about them; very different to the punk of the Ramones or to any of the UK new wave. David Byrne was the eccentric school teacher, whose manic stage manner held us all transfixed, and Tina Weymouth bobbed away playing a bass that looked bigger than she did. I remember there being mutters that Dire Straits would outshine them; not so, Talking Heads were great and the crowd loved them.
Roll on a year or so and Talking Heads were back in Newcastle playing to a packed City Hall. By now they had released their third album “Fear of Music” and were massively successful, their popularity transcending the new wave tag. Human League were billed as support but I think they were pulled from the tour because they wanted to play a recorded set? I think A Certain Ratio were support in the end. It was another great performance by Talking Heads, with the packed hall giving the band a great reception.
Talking Heads Newcastle City Hall 27th Nov 1979
Setlist for the Newcastle Poly show: Love-> Building on Fire; Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town; Don’t Worry About the Government; Take Me to the River; The Book I Read; New Feeling; The Big Country; Artists Only; Tentative Decisions; Stay Hungry; Thank You for Sending Me an Angel; Who Is It?; Psycho Killer
Encore: No Compassion; Pulled Up; I’m Not in Love; 1, 2, 3 Red Light
Setlist for the City Hall show: Artists Only; Stay Hungry; Cities; Paper; Mind; Heaven; Electric Guitar; Air; Animals; Love-> Building on Fire; Found a Job; Memories Can’t Wait; Psycho Killer
Encore: Life During Wartime; Take Me to the River
2 Oct
T Rex Newcastle City Hall 10th March 1977
T Rex Newcastle City Hall 10th March 1977
1977 was, of course, the year of punk rock. Marc was well aware of this and, in an interview in The Sun (February 1977) said that he had been waiting ‘for something like punk rock to come along…..I consider myself to be an elder statesman of punk” and declared himself “The Godfather of Punk.” Unlike many stars, he wasn’t afraid to put his money where his mouth was and “picked The Damned to tour with me because I wanted to put the best of the established bands against the best of the new wave bands, so we‘ll see who can out-punk the other every night” (The Journal, March 1977). A new T Rex album “Dandy in the Underworld” was released to fan and critical acclaim, and the band went out on tour with, as alluded to above, punk rock band the Damned as support. The tour was our chance to see a new, rejuvenated, slimmer Bolan, sharp-suited with smooth elfin looks, and a new band featuring Dino Dines (keyboards), Tony Newman (drums), Herbie Flowers (bass) and Miller Anderson (guitar). Although not every show was quite sold out, attendances were good, and the UK tour gained positive reviews. Bolan and T Rex were back on form and the future looked bright. From the tour programme: “Bolan today is a genuine star – the man who put magic back into pop music; seldom heavy and most often playful….Marc is a global super-star who has toured over 500,000 miles in the last two years….I am a teenage idol I suppose”. Big statements, but actually Bolan could live up to them.
I saw the tour at Newcastle City Hall on 10th Macrh 1977. The Damned were their usual crazy manic selves; it was quite brave of Marc to invite them on tour with him, as it could so easily have back-fired. In fact, the pairing worked well, with the Damned warming the audience up, and T Rex playing a set containing a good mix of old and new and which showed just how good a live act Bolan and his band could still be. Bolan was enjoying a new surge in popularity, and he even talked about the possibility of performing again with Finn and Took, as well as reuniting with producer Tony Visconti.
Set List: Jeepster, Visions Of Domino, New York City, The Soul Of My Suit, Groove A Little, Telegram Sam, Hang-Ups, Debora, I Love To Boogie, Teen Riot Structure, Dandy In The Underworld, Hot Love, Get It On
While driving home early on the morning of 16th September 1977, Marc Bolan’s purple Mini crashed into a tree, after failing to negotiate a small bridge near Gypsy Lane, Barnes, in southwest London, a few miles from his home. Bolan was killed in the crash, which took place two weeks before his 30th birthday.
Thanks to Michael and his excellent http://www.dandyintheunderworld.co.uk/ site of the tour for helping refresh by memories and providing pointers to some of the reference material of the time.
1 Oct
T Rex Sunderland Empire 15th Feb 1976
T Rex Sunderland Empire 15th Feb 1976
Two years on and T Rex were touring again, this time to promote their new album “Futuristic Dragon”. The truth was that the T Rex star was waning, and they weren’t hitting the charts in the way that they used to. But in Marc’s head he was, of course, as big a star as ever, and if you read the programme you would believe that the band were as popular as ever: “Marc Bolan is back in Britain and set to lead T Rex on their first major UK tour since 1973….Today when Marc Bolan declares he is a ‘rock and roll phenomenon’ it is no wild exaggeration… he has become a legend to millions of fanatically enthusiastic young people. It was with T Rex that Marc brought back the screamage excitement which had not been seen since the halycon days of the Beatles….With a little help from his lady Gloria Jones (vocals and keyboards), Steve Curry (bass), Dave Lutton (drums), Tyrone Scott and Dino Dines (both on keyboards) the ‘little bopper’ is about to put the bounce back into rock. Look out!” Usual Bolan under-statement 🙂 
The tour called at Sunderland Empire on 15th Feb 1976, and support came from Lennie MacDonald. For the people of Sunderland that evening, it was T Rex mania all over again. The venue was packed and the crowd went crazy for Marc; we were back in 1972 again. A huge (futuristic) dragon stood at the back of the stage breathing flames towards us. The crush at the front resulted in some seats being smashed; and at one point during the acoustic set a guy jumped on stage to hug Marc. Unfortunately he grabbed Marc around his neck causing him to choke and he had to leave the stage for a little while. Luckily Marc was ok and T Rex returned to continue their set. The concert featured a selection of the hits and a few nods back to the early days. Life’s a Gas has always been one of my favourites. I can’t believe the ticket price was only £1.25 !
Setlist: 20th Century Boy; Jeepster; Solid Gold Easy Action; Children of the Revolution; Debora; Conesuala; One Inch Rock; Life’s a Gas; Dreamy Lady; London Boys; Teenage Dream; Hot Love
“As the years pass by” he said at one point “I’m still only 16, and so are you baby. You’re my stars….”
30 Sep
T Rex Newcastle City Hall 21st January 1974
T Rex Newcastle City Hall 21st January 1974
1974 was a year of big change for Marc Bolan and T Rex. Marc announced that “glam was dead” and that “T-Rex no longer exists.” He released the album ‘Zinc Alloy and The Hidden Riders of Tomorrow – A Creamed Cage in August’ and declared that his new band was called ‘Zinc Alloy and The Hidden Riders of Tomorrow’, an idea clearly borrowed from Bowie and his Ziggy persona. The record company was having none of it, and insisted that the T Rex monicker was retained. In January T Rex began their first British tour in over a year. The short six date tour started at Newcastle City Hall, and featured a new nine piece line-up. The new band still included previous members Steve Currie on bass and Mickey Finn on bongos, and added wife-to-be Gloria Jones and Pat Hall on backing vocals, two sax players and two new drummers Davey Lutton and Paul Fenton, replacing Bill Legend. A new single ‘Whatever Happened to the Teenage Dream’ was released, but it’s chart success was moderate. The tour sold well, although demand was nowhere near the heights of the 1972 outings.
Marc emerged onstage lying on a massive hydraulic star which raised him from the floor so that he was facing the audience. Behind him was “T Rex” in massive lit stars. Marc had gained weight, and had his hair cut short (apparently his ex-wife June Child had cut his hair just before they split). The new larger band gave the songs a fuller sound, and was beginning to resemble a soul review, but in doing so it lost some of the raw rock’n’roll edge of the previous T Rex. Although some screamers were in attendance, the crowd reaction was much more subdued, and there was none of the mad craziness of their 1972 shows at the City Hall. The T Rex star was definitely starting to fade. I don’t recall who the support act was; I have a feeling that there may not have been one (although the ticket says otherwise).
An enjoyable gig, but it didn’t reach the heights of the previous time I saw T Rex.
29 Sep
T Rex Newcastle City Hall 24th June 1972 6pm and 8.30pm
T Rex Newcastle City Hall 24th June 1972 6pm and 8.30pm
It is early 1972 and it all started with a question. “Who is the best live band?” The silly questions that kids ask each other, and that seem so important at the time. “Who is the best live band?”. The answers were usually Led Zeppelin (we had all seem them live a few months before and they totally blew us away), Free, Family (both bands were big favourites with rock fans in the North East), Deep Purple, The Stones, oh and T Rex. Eh? Yes one guy was insistent that the best band he had ever seen live was T Rex. We scoffed at this. T Rex? Hadn’t they “sold out” and become teenyboppers? Now if he had said Tyrannosaurus Rex (we would all nod sagely and knowingly when that name was mentioned) we might agree. Tyrannosaurus Rex were cool, progressive, hippy and all those cool things. But T Rex?
It’s funny how such trivial things are so crucial when you are young.
My friend posed a challenge to me. I had to go and see T Rex with him the next time they came, so that I could see for myself. I agreed.
Roll on to June 1972. T Rex have announced a short tour and are coming to Newcastle City Hall. They are playing two shows, at 6.00pm and 8.30pm. Now being a man of my word I have to keep my promise. I’ve never see T Rex live. I missed out on seeing Tyrannosaurus Rex, which I regret, and at the time I secretly fancied seeing T Rex, but it had become too uncool to admit to that, or so I thought. Any way, I had accepted the challenge, so I had to go, and secretly I was quite looking forward to it. But first there was the task of getting tickets. T Rex were the hottest ticket (with teenage girls) at the time. The tickets went on sale on a Saturday morning, and my friend and I agreed to meet early in the morning and get the train through to Newcastle, in time for the box office opening. When we arrived at the City Hall the queue was across the road and right down the street. A couple of policemen were trying to organise and control the crowds, but as soon as the box office opened its doors, there was a massive dash and the line of the queue descended into chaos. This gave us an opportunity to take our chances. We rushed to the front and managed to get close to the doors. We were planning to buy tickets for the late show, but as we found we were able to buy good seats, we decided to go to both shows. We ended up with seats in the middle of the third row for the early show and towards the side in the fifth row for the late show.
Roll on to the night of the concert. We turned up at the City Hall early, as the first show started at 6.00pm. Support were Quiver (soon to join forces with the Sutherland Brothers) who played a short, excellent, set which was lost on the screaming Bolanites. The City Hall was packed with girls in their early teens, all decked out in satin clothes, with T Rex scarves, and glitter on their cheeks. Several were wearing a top hat, mimicking the hat that Marc was wearing on the front cover of the recently released “Slider” album. To call the show pandemonium is an under statement. The screaming started from the minute the house lights went down and didn’t let up until T Rex had finished their short set. Marc was resplendent, an elfin rock god in a glitter jacket. He camped it up to the delight of the crowd. Everyone around was screaming “Marc! Marc!” and crying, tears running down their faces. I swear we were the only boys in the front block. T Rex were incredible. Very LOUD, and you could feel the energy flowing out of Marc and Mickey. The set included a few of the hits, I think they started with their current single “Metal Guru”, some album tracks, and a short acoustic set where Mark and Mickey sat cross-legged on a rug; Marc with acoustic guitar, and Mickey with small bongos between his knees, harking back to the Tyrannosaurus Rex days. Great stuff. Marc played the part of the rock god perfectly, pouting and prancing around the stage. Wonderful. The set was very short, less than an hour, and then by 8pm it was over, and we back out on to the street to join the queue for the late show.
Roll on to 8.30pm. If I’d thought the early show was crazy, the late show was total chaos. This time the fans were just that little bit older and that little bit more determined to get to the front and touch Marc. We had girls climbing over us, and were crushed from all sides. We ended up with girls on our shoulders (“Can I get on your shoulders, Mister?”), both (the girls, that is) screaming “Marc! Macr!” at the top of their voices. And is seemed even louder. My ears were ringing for days afterwards. At the end we had to run down to the station to catch the last train home.
So, returning to my initial question: “Who is the best live band?”. My friend was even more convinced that no-one could match T Rex. And in some ways I could see where he was coming from. I’d certainly never been to a gig quite lack it for craziness and energy, from the band and the audience. But it’s like comparing the proverbial “apples and pears”. T Rex and Zeppelin were, of course, completely different bands. So we agreed to disagree, and although I 100% enjoyed my T Rex experience, I also remained 100% committed to Zeppelin, The Stones, Purple and others. But I did cross a line that night, and realised that “cool” wasn’t everything and that there was serious fun in seeing pop bands like T Rex, and serious merit in their music. From then on I stopped worrying about whether a band was cool, and if I fancied going to see them, I went.
Setlist: Metal Guru: Cadillac; Jeepster; Cosmic Dancer; Telegram Sam; Debora; Spaceball Ricochet; Girl; Get It On; Hot Love; Summertime Blues
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