Elton John Newcastle City Hall A Single Man 1979
This tour saw Elton playing solo, without his band, and accompanied by percussionist Ray Cooper during the second half of the show. I hadn’t been aware of Ray Cooper before this show, but for me, and the rest of the City Hall crowd that night, he was the star of the show. Ray used an array of percussion instruments in such a unique and charming way that he stole the show that night. The tour called at the City Hall for two nights. From Wiki:”Cooper absorbed the influence of rock drummers from the 1960s and 1970s such as Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, and John Bonham. Incorporation of unusual instruments (for rock drummers of the time) such as cowbells, glockenspiel, and tubular bells, along with several standard kit elements, helped create a highly varied setup. 
Continually modified to this day, Cooper’s percussion set offers an enormous array of percussion instruments for sonic diversity such as the tambourine, congas, crash cymbals, cowbells, roto toms, tubular bells, the gong, snare and timpani.” Setlist: Elton solo: Your Song; Sixty Years On; Daniel; Skyline Pigeon; Take Me to the Pilot; Rocket Man; Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me; Goodbye Yellow Brick Road; Roy Rogers; Candle in the Wind; Where to Now St. Peter?; I Heard It Through the Grapevine. Elton with Ray Cooper: Funeral for a Friend / Tonight; Better Off Dead; I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself; Crazy Water; Bennie and the Jets; Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word; Part-Time Love; Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting; Pinball Wizard; Get Back; Song for Guy
Posts Tagged ‘gig’
26 Jun
Elton John Newcastle City Hall A Single Man 1979
25 Jun
Elton John Newcastle City Hall 1976
Elton John Newcastle City Hall 1976
Support Murray Head 
By 1976 Elton John had a batch of hits behind him and was a major rock star in the UK and across the world. Elton toured the UK and called at Newcastle City Hall where demand for tickets was mega. A mate and I got up early (ie 6am) on the day the tickets went on sale and went through to the City Hall to queue for our seats. The queue was pretty large by the time we arrived, but we still managed to score some seats, although we were upstairs at the side, and by no means in good seats. 
The tour was called “louder than Concorde” although I’m not sure why, as Elton John was hardly what I would call a loud act at the time. The programme has a silver cover which didn’t scan well! The back cover incorporates a push out paper Concorde, which I restrained myself from making and flying. Support for this tour came from Murray Head who had hit the charts with Say It Ain’t So. Elton put on his usual high energy show to a rapturous reception from the Newcastle crowd. Typical setlist from 1976: Skyline Pigeon; I Need You to Turn To; Sixty Years On; Border Song; Daniel; Love Song; Bennie and the Jets; The Greatest Discovery; Candle in the Wind; Rocket Man; Tonight; I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself; Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me; Better Off Dead; Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word; Someone Saved My Life Tonight; Sweet Painted Lady; Your Song; Island Girl; Don’t Go Breaking My Heart; Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
24 Jun
Elton John, Beach Boys, Eagles Wembley Stadium June 1975
Elton John, Beach Boys, Eagles Wembley Stadium June 1975 
Line-up (pretty great actually): Elton John, The Beach Boys, Eagles, Joe Walsh, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Stackridge, DJ and compere Johnnie Walker. This was a big gig for Elton John. He had just changed his band, with only Davey Johnstone remained from the previous line-up, and was about to release a new album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. I went down to London with a couple of mates and we stayed at a friend’s flat in Acton. We spent a couple of days in the capital before the concert and went to see Ducks Deluxe at the Marquee club, which was pretty good fun, except one of our party took ill and we spent half the night in hospital. The Wembley concert had an amazing line-up with Stackridge opening the day, Mutter Slater on his usual top form. Next up were Rufus who featured Chaka Khan, and delivered some funky soul rhythms. The rest of the bill featured Joe Walsh (Rocky Mountain Way was a big crowd favourite) and then the Eagles who performed all their hits and were joined by Jackson Brown on piano for Take it Easy. But the day belonged to one band: the Beach Boys who transformed the London stadium into sunny California and had us singing along to endless hit after hit. They went down a storm and Elton had a lot to live up to. 
This was one day when Elton made the wrong call. He decided to devote the majority of the set to playing the new Captain Fantastic album in its entirety. Now remember the album had only just been released and most of the crowd won’t have known any of the track. This didn’t go down well with the crowd, who were up for a greatest hit set, particularly after the Fun Fun Fun of the Beach Boys. People started to leave the stadium in their droves, including us. We made our way back to Acton where a couple of the flatmates were having a domestic. We decided to avoid that and set off on our 250 mile drive home, getting back in the early hours of the next morning. Setlist: Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding; Rocket Man; Candle in the Wind; The Bitch Is Back; Dixie Lily; Philadelphia Freedom; Chameleon; Bennie and the Jets; Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds; I Saw Her Standing There; Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy; Tower of Babel; Bitter Fingers; Tell Me When the Whistle Blows; Someone Saved My Life Tonight; (Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket; Better Off Dead; Writing; We All Fall in Love Sometimes; Curtains; Pinball Wizard; Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
23 Jun
Elton John Newcastle City Hall 31st August 1972
Elton John Newcastle City Hall 31st August 1972
I first saw Elton John in concert at Newcastle City Hall on 31st August 1972. Support came from Linda Lewis. Elton had already had big success that year with Rocket Man which reached No 2 in the charts. Crocodile Rock was soon to be released and would be another major hit for him. Elton was just great that night with his usual mixture of piano-based ballads, and full-on band rockers. Favourites of mine at the time were Rocket Man, Your Song, and Border Song. I first remember hearing Elton when Lady Samantha was played a lot on the radio in 1969. That song remains a favourite of mine to this day and really deserved to be a hit at the time. I’ve followed Elton John ever since those days, not making absolutely ever tour, but he is someone I have always returned to. I’ve seen him 14 times over the years and will reflect on those concerts over the next week or so. Support Linda Lewis is worth a mention too. She supported a lot of acts in the early 70s, and played at the Reading festival. She was building up a following, and hit the charts the following year with “Rock-a-Doodle-Doo”.
22 Jun
Tom Jones Newcastle Arena 2000
Tom Jones Newcastle Arena 2000
I’ve only ever seen Tom Jones once in concert, at Newcastle Arena in November 2000. I have, however, always rated him as a great R&B vocalist, and have all his early 1960s albums on vinyl. I went along to see Tom with Marie and we arrived late for this gig, as earlier in the evening we went along to see Laura perform at a school concert. There was no support; with Tom performing two sets, and we arrived during the interval, missing his first spot. Tom is at his best when he is singing the blues and those great 60s hits, such as Green Green Grass of Home, Its Not Unusual, and Delilah. 
Setlist was something like: Turn on Your Love Light; Burning Down the House; Ain’t That a Lot of Love; With These Hands; Delilah; She’s a Lady; Hard to Handle; Sometimes We Cry; Motherless Child; Flat Broke And Boosted; Shakey Ground; If I Only Knew; Mama Told Me Not to Come. Interval. Set Two: Give Me One Reason; I’m Never Gonna Fall In Love Again; Walking In Memphis; Green, Green Grass of Home; What’s New Pussycat?; You Can Leave Your Hat On; Midnight Hour; Hold on, I’m Coming; It’s Not Unusual. Encore: Are You Gonna Go My Way; Kiss; Sexbomb. Tom was in great voice and the crowd (mainly ladies of a certain age) all sang along and had a great time. The gig seems like yesterday, although it was thirteen years ago. Tom, of course, continues to perform and is as popular as ever. I’ll be watching him and Team Tom on the voice tonight 🙂
21 Jun
The Who Quadrophenia and More Newcastle Arena 20 June 2013
The Who play Quadrophenia and More Newcastle Arena 20 June 2013
Support from Vintage Trouble
This is the fourth time I’ve seen The Who perform Quadrophenia, including the original 1973, in Hyde Park with a cast of thousands in the 90s, and at the Albert Hall three years ago. I was never a massive fan of the album, but I’ve grown to like and respect it as a piece of work over the years. This time I’d been lucky enough to score a front row seat, towards the left side of the stage in front of Simon Townshend. Pete and Roger were towards the opposite end of the stage, but overall my view of the proceedings was great. The Who came on stage promptly at the advertised start time of 8.30pm and ran through the entire album. The arena was packed; it was pleasing to see the respect The Who carry, and that they can still draw big crowds, probably more so than last time they played Newcastle Arena.
The Who band line-up (Roger, Pete, Pino on bass, Simon on second guitar) is augmented by drums, keyboards, a string section, and a brass section for this tour. The production has changed since I last saw the show at the Albert Hall. Rather than showing the story of Jimmy and using clips from the Quadropehnia film, the screens above the stage displayed images of the band, including some great shots of Kieth Moon and John Entwistle. 
So we had a tremendous bass solo by John during 5.15, and Keith sang his own parts during Bell Boy. These segments were handled very well, and drew loud cheers from the crowd and a bow and a wink from Roger to his old mates. Quadrophenia was followed by a few Who “hits”, it was great to see the guys play Pinball Wizard and Won’t Get Fooled Again. This was a classic Who performance. Townshend was on fire, and in a pretty good mood (but no guitar smashing, which was a shame as I was hoping to catch it from my vantage point in the front ronw 🙂 ) and Roger’s voice was strong and solid, showing no signs of cracking as it sometimes has in recent years. The old guys are still the best for me.
Set list: I Am the Sea; The Real Me; Quadrophenia; Cut My Hair; The Punk and the Godfather; I’m One; The Dirty Jobs; 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. Who Are You?; You Better You Bet; Pinball Wizard; Baba O’Riley; Won’t Get Fooled Again; Tea & Theatre.
20 Jun
Billy Joel Newcastle City Hall 1979
Billy Joel Newcastle City Hall 1979
I’ve only seen Billy Joel once in concert, when he played Newcastle City Hall in 1979 on the 52nd Street tour of Europe. By the time he came to tour the UK for this, his first time, Billy was a seasoned performer and had released six albums, including the acclaimed “The Stranger” in 1977. He had also hit the singles chart with Movin’ Out, The Piano Man, Just the Way You Are, My Life, and She’s Always a Woman. Check out the picture of that young guy holding a trumpet on the front cover of the tour programme 🙂 
It was during this tour that: “in a hotel room in Paris, Billy received a middle of the night transatlantic phone call informing him that Just The Way You Are had captured “Record Of The Year,” and “Song of The Year,” giving Billy his first two Grammy Awards” (Wiki). I went along to the gig with my friend Ian, and we both enjoyed seeing the piano man sing and play his songs in the intimate setting of the City Hall. Mega stardom was to come a few years later with Uptown Girl. Setlist: The Stranger; Zanzibar; Stiletto; Vienna; My Life; New York State of Mind; Captain Jack; Movin’ Out; Until the Night; Only the Good Die Young; Miami 2017; Big Shot; Just the Way You Are; Rosalinda’s Eyes; She’s Always a Woman; Honesty; The Ballad of Billy the Kid; Piano Man; Scenes From an Italian Restaurant; 52nd Street.
19 Jun
The Jags Redcar Coatham Bowl 1979
The Jags Redcar Coatham Bowl Sunday 28th October 1979
I went with a group of mates to this gig. We often drove down to Redcar on a Sunday night for concerts in the late 70s. The Jags were a new wave, cum mod, cum power pop, band who hit the charts with “Back of my Hand” (I’ve got your number, written on the back of my hand). That song, which is pretty catchy and very Elvis Costelloish, is the only thing I remember about this band. They dressed in sharp suits and the lead guitarist / singer played a Fender Telecaster. The gig at Redcar was good, as I recall, but the most memorable thing of the night, which sticks in my mind to this day, was the guitarist hitting someone down in the front of the crowd over the head with his guitar. I think the guy was either heckling him or spitting, not sure which, but he really whacked him with theat guitar! We all thought it great fun at the time, but I’m not sure the guy who was hit would have agreed. I also saw the Jags play at the Reading festival in the same year.
14 Jun
Bon Jovi Stadium of Light Sunderland 13 June 2013
Bon Jovi Stadium of Light Sunderland 13 June 2013
The Stadium of Light is doing a great job of bringing top acts to Sunderland. So far, we have seen Oasis, Kings of Leon, Take That and others all take to the stage in the stadium. Last night it was Bon Jovi’s turn to rock the Sunderland venue, and the band and crowd didn’t let each other down. I won’t pretend to be a big Bon Jovi fan; the last time I saw them live was low down the bill at Donington, as support for ZZ Top, and before that it was as support for Kiss at Newcastle City Hall. Still, you have to hand it to these guys, they do know how to put on a show. The stage set up was modelled on a massive fender of a vintage cadillac, a fitting setting for performing songs of the road and the American dream. The Sunderland crowd sang along and cheered, and the weather held out. Support came from local heroes The Futureheads. 
As I said, I can’t pretend to be a fan, Marie and I went along to check the band out and to support the Stadium in bringing rock music to Sunderland. But I must admit I was impressed by Jon Bon Jovi; his stage presence, energy and stamina. The guy is just amazing and had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Setlist: That’s What the Water Made Me; You Give Love a Bad Name; Born to Be My Baby; Raise Your Hands; Because We Can; Keep the Faith; I’ll Be There for You; It’s My Life; I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead; Lost Highway; Runaway; Raise Your Hands; Bad Medicine. Encore: In These Arms; Wanted Dead or Alive; Rockin’ All Over the World; Have a Nice Day; Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night; Livin’ on a Prayer; Always.
11 Jun
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Newcastle Arena 10 June 2013
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Newcastle Arena 10 June 2013 The Alchemy tour
Support: Les Lobos
Went to see Neil Young last night at Newcastle Arena. This was the first time I have seen him with Crazy Horse in 40 years, which was also the last time he played in Newcastle (at the City Hall; with the Eagles support). The place was packed, and Neil played for over two hours. Great power, passion and his voice is in excellent shape. The guy doesn’t rest on his laurels. The set was drawn from across his career, with a few old favourites, but this time there was heavy emphasis on heavy, grungie riffs with lots of jamming and drawn out solos and endings. The first four songs took up over an hour, with one song ending with what seemed like ages of feedback, and doomy dark noise. A short acoustic set featured Comes a Time and a version of Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind. Then it was back to the heaviest, darkest, most lumbering garage psych that Neil and the Crazy Horse guys could squeeze and wrestle from their axes. 
The visuals were pretty fun; the stage was set with a group of mega towering Fender stacks, and a massive mike. A group of mad scientists (or were they alchemists?) took to the stage in white lab coats at various points in the set. At the start Neil and Co came on stage, saluting to the National Anthem and a large Union Jack; very patriotic! And at one point we were transported back to Woodstock, complete with rain and clips from the soundtrack “get down from the towers”. By the end Neil relented and gave the crowd a few favourites: Hey Hey My My, Cinnamon Girl, and Rockin’ in the Free World. I went with Marie, Laura and David and we all had quite different views of the show. David and his mates lapped it up and thought it was great; Laura was less sure, and Marie (who was a big Neil fan years ago, but has never seen him in concert before) was a little disappointed that he didn’t play all of After the Goldrush and Harvest! Me; I’m not sure. I certainly enjoyed it. And I guess I knew he wasn’t really going to play Southern Man and Alabama. You have to admire the guy; there aren’t many from his generation who can still deliver a set so uncompromising and powerful. Setlist: Love and Only Love; Powderfinger; Psychedelic Pill; Walk Like a Giant; Hole in the Sky; Comes a Time; Blowin’ in the Wind; Singer Without a Song; Ramada Inn; Cinnamon Girl; Fuckin’ Up; Surfer Joe and Moe the Sleaze; Mr. Soul; Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black). Encore: Rockin’ in the Free World
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