Crossfire Hurricane The Rolling Stones movie live event
Cineworld Boldon
Last night was the premier of the Rolling Stones new documentary Crossfire Hurricane, and we all got the chance to be part of the event, which was screened live from the Odeon Leicester Square to 300 cinemas around the world. I attended the screening at my local Cineworld cinema at Boldon. To my surprise it wasn’t too well attended with 20 or so people in the audience. The screening started with a live simulcast (just picked up on that word) from the red carpet outside the Odeon, where we saw the four current members of the Stones arrive alongside past members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor and celebrities such as Liam Gallagher and members of the Stones wider family such as Jerry Hall, Anita Pallenberg and Jade Jagger. There were some interesting interviews with Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and Bill Wyman who each commented on the documentary, and some plugs for the upcoming 50th anniversary concerts in London and Newark. The documentary itself is pretty good. It focusses on the Stones at the height of their success in the 60s and 70s, with nothing at all after that period. There is lots of previously unseen footage, and for me the film highlighted a few things: how important Brian Jones was to the early band, how crazy the 60s concerts were, and just how great the Stones are as a live band and as a musical force. A nice early evening’s entertainment.
From the official press release: “The Rolling Stones are to be chronicled in a kaleidoscopic new film, Crossfire Hurricane, that documents key periods of their career and their incredible adventures. The film features historical footage, much of it widely unseen, and commentary from Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood and former Stones Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor, as well as rare interviews with Brian Jones. Period interviews, extensive live performance material and news archive footage will complete the documentary, which takes its title from the opening lines of “Jumping Jack Flash”.”
Posts Tagged ‘gig’
19 Oct
Crossfire Hurricane The Rolling Stones movie live event 18 October 2012
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
17 Oct
Bob Dylan Newcastle Telewest Arena 19 Sep 2000
Bob Dylan Newcastle Telewest Arena 19 Sep 2000
I took David to this gig, for his fist taste of Dylan in concert. This was one of the better times that I have seen Dylan, and David was impressed enough to come and see him with me on several more occasions in the years that followed. We had bought tickets quite late and, as a result, we ended up with seats which were quite far back. Still our view of the stage was still ok. The arena was full this time, after a far from sold out gig at the same venue in 1998. Dylan and his band were on great form and the set featured a lot of his better known songs. There was a mix of electric and acoustic versions, and the encore contained a surprising seven songs. He finished with a lovely acoustic version of Blowin’ in the Wind. 
This was the start of me trying to see Dylan every time he came to the North of England or Scotland over the coming years, often accompanied by David or Laura. Setlist: Duncan and Brady; The Times They Are A-Changin’; It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding); Delia; Tangled Up in Blue; Searching for a Soldier’s Grave; Country Pie; Standing in the Doorway; Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again; Tell Me That It Isn’t True; The Wicked Messenger; Rainy Day Women #12 & 35. Encore: Things Have Changed; Like a Rolling Stone; Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right; Man of Peace; Forever Young; Highway 61 Revisited; Blowin’ in the Wind.
16 Oct
Bob Dylan Newcastle Telewest Arena 20 June 1998
Bob Dylan Newcastle Telewest Arena 20 June 1998
Support from Van Morrison
This was a standing gig, with support from Van Morrison. The arena was far from full, as I recall. From a newspaper of the time: “Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, two genuine legends of rock, kick off a short national tour today. As they’re so moody and unpredictable, this pair can often disappoint, but when they rise to the occasion, it can be one of those all-time great nights. Well worth a risk, if only to say that you’ve seen them.” On the night Van was quite moody, as the newspaper suggested; however Dylan seemed in better spirits. The set included quite a few acoustic songs, and several tracks that were unfamiliar to me. The highlight for me was the last encore of Rainy Day Women, during which Dylan and the crowd really lit up. Setlist: Gotta Serve Somebody; If Not for You; Cold Irons Bound; Simple Twist of Fate; Silvio; To Ramona; Masters of War; Love Minus Zero/No Limit; Tangled Up in Blue; Forever Young; A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall; Highway 61 Revisited. Encore:Love Sick’ Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
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.
14 Oct
Bob Dylan Palais des Sports Toulouse France 30 June 1993
Bob Dylan Palais des Sports Toulouse France 30 June 1993
I came to be at this Dylan gig purely by chance; I was at a conference in Toulouse through work, and spent a few days in the city. I’d been to Toulouse once or twice before and knew my way around the city. On my first day there, I spent a few hours looking around the open air market, rummaging through piles of 60s EPs and picture sleeve singles, and spotted a poster advertising a Dylan concert for the following evening. So I went into a nearby record shop and bought myself a ticket. This meant I would miss one of the conference evening receptions, but I couldn’t pass up the chance of seeing Dylan. The Palais des Sports was an indoor venue of a reasonable size, within walking distance of my hotel. French star Johnny Hallyday was in concert the night before Dylan, but that gig was sold out, unlike the Dylan concert. In hindsight I wish I’d made more of an effort to try to get a ticket for Johnny Hallyday as well. There was a support act for Dylan; I can’t recall who they were, but I think they were a local band. Dylan’s set was a little shorter than the gigs I had seen in the late 70s and early 80s, with a good selection of songs, but no Like a Rolling Stone! I remember enjoying the gig, but that it was spoilt a little because I knew I had to get up at 4am to get to the airport for a 6am flight. I walked back to the hotel after the gig, and had a few hours sleep before I got up to start my journey home. The ticket for this gig is pretty cool, with a nice picture of Dylan. Setlist: Hard Times; Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again; All Along the Watchtower; Just Like a Woman; Tangled Up in Blue; Born in Time; Watching the River Flow; Little Moses; Tomorrow Night; The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll; Gates of Eden; Cat’s in the Well; I and I; What Good Am I?; Maggie’s Farm; Man in the Long Black Coat; It Ain’t Me, Babe
13 Oct
Jefferson Starship Blackburn King Georges Hall Oct 12th 2012
Jefferson Starship Blackburn King Georges Hall Oct 12th 2012
Last night San Franciscan psychedelic rock came to Blackburn in the form of the latest incarnation of Jefferson Starship. I’d promised myself that I would see Jefferson Starship the next time they came to the UK, having missed their last few visits, so last night I took a drive across the moors to King George’s Hall Blackburn for this gig. The concert was held in the Windsor room, and I would estimate that there were a couple of hundred people present. I arrived around 8.15pm, having missed the first support act, but just in time to catch a short set by local band Wagon Wheels. Their music is a mix of rock, folk and country with 5 front men and 4 guitarists. They were very good, and went down well with their home crowd. I saw shades of Mumford and Sons in their music. They had brought along their own local fans, and one of them got a big surprise when she was brought on stage while the keyboard player proposed to her. Luckily, she accepted to a big cheer from the crowd.
Jefferson Starship took to the stage at around 9.15pm, starting with Wooden Ships. This line up features original Starship commander and super-psych guitarist Paul Kantner, long time collaborator and sweet vocalist David Frieberg, and the great, raunchy rock-chick vocalist Cathy Richardson. This was only the second time that I have seen The Starship, the first being at Knebworth in 1978, when they featured on a bill headlined by Genesis. On that occasion the band was going through a difficult period, and arrived late for the gig without singer Grace Slick, who had left the band a few days earlier after a cancelled gig in Germany where all the band’s gear was trashed and burned by the angry crowd. The band played without her at Knewborth, and delivered a powerful set that was one of the highlights of the day. So I was looking forward to seeing them play again after a 34 year gap. For the first few moments last night I felt the sound mix was murky, and I feared that I was going to be disappointed. But this was soon sorted as the band settled into a set of classic psychedelic rock, drawn largely from Jefferson Airplane’s 60s catalogue. Wooden Ships featured spot on harmonies, and was swiftly followed by Crown and Creation and then the absolute classic White Rabbit, which took me back to my youth in a big way. Dated? Yes of course, but so what! These are great great songs, and part of our rock history. It was tremendous to see them played so well in an intimate venue, with a close-up view of the band. Paul Kantner is clearly the leader, although he left the stage on a couple of occasions to hand over to Cathy Richardson while she sang a couple of her solo tracks. David Frieberg also got to take the lead on a couple of songs; I was delighted that one of those was Quicksilver Messenger Service’s Fresh Air; a favourite track of mine. Brought back memories of seeing the late great John Cipollina when he toured the UK with Man in the 70s. David has a beautiful voice, and reminded me of David Crosby, who is of course, a former collaborator of the band. Jude Gold, who is standing in for regular guitarist Slick Aguilar for this UK tour, was exceptional, playing those classic psych guitar solos. Other stand outs were Get Together, Miracles, and Jane. They finished at around 11pm with Somebody to Love, Cathy punching the air and the crowd singing along. It just doesn’t get any better. Got home around 1.15am. Apologies for the blurry photo; I must get more practice with my camera phone.
12 Oct
Bob Dylan St James Park Newcastle 1984
Bob Dylan St James Park Newcastle 1984
Support from Santana and Lindisfarne
Dylan was back in the UK in 1984 for a couple of concerts, one at Wembley Stadium and this time he also visited the North East for a massive gig at St James Park, with support from Santana and local heroes Lindisfarne. I went along with a group of friends. I remember Lindisfarne going down well with the crowd (well they would, wouldn’t they!). I can’t remember a lot about Santana, to be honest. Dylan played a set of classics and got a good reception from the Toon crowd. He was sporting a strong band with Mick Taylor on guitar, and Ian McLagen on keyboards. I think Carlos Santana also joined the band on guitar. 
Looking back on those shows, we didn’t know how lucky we were at the time. Dylan was singing well, and performing long sets which covered his entire back catalogue.
Setlist: Highway 62 Revisited; Jokerman;;All Along The Watchtower; Just Like A Woman; Maggie’s Farm; I And I; License To Kill; A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall; Tangled Up In Blue; It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding); Simple Twist Of Fate; Masters Of War; Ballad Of A Thin Man; Enough Is Enough; Every Grain Of Sand; Like A Rolling Stone; Mr. Tambourine Man; Girl From The North Country; It Ain’t Me, Babe; Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat; Tombstone Blues; Blowin’ In The Wind; Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door; The Times They Are A-Changin’
11 Oct
Bob Dylan Birmingham NEC 1981
Bob Dylan Birmingham NEC 1981
Dylan returned to the UK in 1981, playing two nights at Birmingham NEC, and several at Earls Court which was the venue of his 1978 triumph. I bought two tickets for the Birmingham gig, but none of my mates fancied coming along. So I drove down to Birmingham on my own, and swapped my two not so good seats for one ticket in the front block. I was still around 20 rows from the front, but hey that was a lot better view than at the back of Earls Court or sitting among 250,00 people at Blackbushe. By 1981 Dylan was heavily into religion and some of the new songs reflected this. However, there were still quite a few Dylan classics in the set. 
I enjoyed being relatively close to the great man for the first time. It wasn’t the best time I have seen Bob, but nonetheless was a good gig. After the gig I made the 200 mile drive home. I recall witnessing an awful mutli-car pile up on the M6, which really shook me up. Setlist: Gotta Serve Somebody; I Believe In You; Like a Rolling Stone; Till I Get It Right; Man Gave Names to All the Animals; Maggie’s Farm; Girl From the North Country; Ballad of a Thin Man; Simple Twist of Fate; Watered Down Love; Slow Train; Lenny Bruce; Mr. Tambourine Man; Solid Rock; Just Like a Woman; Heart of Mine; What Can I Do for You?; Masters of War; When You Gonna Wake Up?; In the Garden; City of Gold; It Ain’t Me, Babe; Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10 Oct
Bob Dylan Blackbushe Aerodrome 1978
Bob Dylan Blackbushe Aerodrome 1978
Support: Eric Clapton and Band, Joan Armatrading, Graham Parker and The Rumour, and Lake
Demand for Dylan’s run of concerts at Earls Court in 1978 was so high that a massive open air show was added. At first I wasn’t sure whether to go and see him again, but in the end I couldn’t resist going along. I travelled down on my own, but ran into a group of friends when I arrived at the gig. They had a spot pretty close to the front, so I joined them there. The attendance at this event was huge. I think it was something like 250,000 people. There were people everywhere. And the line up was very strong indeed. Dylan was supported by Eric Clapton and Band (I think Clapton also played with Dylan for part of the set?), Joan Armatrading, Graham Parker and The Rumour, and Lake. I don’t recall much about the supports, other than Clapton, who went down well with the crowd. It was a hot day, and a great atmosphere. 
Dylan performed a set which was similar to that he performed at Earls Court. I remember him wearing a top hat, and that there was a long wait before he took to the stage. The sound wasn’t too great, and if you were at the back of the arena, I suspect you will have seen very little, particularly as there were no screens. We were quite close to the front, and had a good view, so I really enjoyed the event. After the gig I spent hours in queues to get the train back across London, and start my journey home. I later learnt that my friend John had also gone down to the gig on his own, neither of us realising that the other was going. Setlist: My Back Pages (Instrumental); Love Her With A Feeling; Baby Stop Crying; Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues; Shelter From The Storm; It’s All Over Now Baby Blue; Girl From The North Country; Ballad Of A Thin Man; Maggie’s Farm; Simple Twist Of Fate; Like A Rolling Stone; I Shall Be Released; Is Your Love In Vain?; Where Are You Tonight?; A Change Is Gonna Come (Carolyn Dennis vocal); Mr. Tambourine Man (Helena Springs vocal); The Long And Winding Road (Jo Ann Harris vocal); What Would We Do If No One’s Dreams Came True? (Steven Soles vocal); Gates Of Eden; True Love Tends To Forget; One More Cup Of Coffee; Blowin’ In The Wind; I Want You; Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power); Masters Of War; Just Like A Woman; Ramona; Don’t Think Twice (It’s Alright); All Along The Watchtower; All I Really Want To Do; It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding); Forever Young. Encores: Changing Of The Guards; The Times They Are A-Changin’
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