January 14th 1986 Whitley Bay Ice Rink
Whitley Bay Ice Rink was a venue for concerts throughout the 1980s. I remember seeing quite a few gigs there including Rainbow, The Cure, Wham!, and The Jam. However, this gig draws a blank. I have a ticket and a programme, so I must have been at the gig. But I can’t remember anything at all about it. I can only conclude that this wasn’t a particularly memorable gig! By now AC/DC had graduated from clubs to concert halls, to arenas and festivals, with stadium gigs to come.
The Ice Rink was a vast, cavernous and very cold (naturally; it was, and still is, an ice rink!), and not the best place to see a band. It did however fill a gap in the North East venue map. The old Newcastle Odeon, with a slightly larger capacity than the City Hall, had sadly been converted into a multi-screeen cinema by the 1980s, and the Arena wasn’t built until 1995. Setlist: Fly on the Wall; Back in Black; Shake Your Foundations; Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap; You Shook Me All Night Long; Sin City; Jailbreak; The Jack; Shoot to Thrill; Highway to Hell; Sink the Pink; Whole Lotta Rosie; Let There Be Rock; Encore: Hells Bells; T.N.T.; For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
Posts Tagged ‘gigs’
3 Jan
AC/DC: Back in Black at Newcastle City Hall 1980
AC/DC: Back in Black tour; Newcastle City Hall 4th November 1980
For Those about to Rock tour; Newcastle City Hall 5th October 1982
After the great nights at the Mayfair, it was difficult to imagine How AC/DC could make any sort of return after the sad passing of singer Bon Scott. When the Back in Black tour was announced, however, the tickets sold out immediately, such was the loyalty of their fans. Everyone was waiting to see how new singer Brian Johnson would shape up. Brian hails from Newcastle, and had already had a taste of fame with local band Geordie, who had enjoyed a couple of chart hits.
I saw Geordie quite a few times at local venues around the North East. They were basically a fun rock band, who would guarantee you a good night out in a local club, but to be honest they were nothing particularly startling. They’d grown out of the local workingmen’s club circuit. I picked up their first two lps at the car boot (see cover of second lp) but don’t play them. But Brian has a strong rough voice, and I could sort of see how he might fit into AC/DC. So I was looking forward to seeing them with interest, not quite sure what to expect.
My memories of the Back in Black gig, which I saw on 4th November 1980 (ticket above; programme left), are entirely positive. I remember the stage set, which was one of the biggest backline of stacks and amps that I had ever seen. It was also the first appearance of the bell, hanging above the stage. I also remember the gig as being very, very loud. From the start it was clear that the guys were out to impress and prove themselves; and prove themselves they did; in spades. Coming back after the loss of a strong, charismatic front man can make a band try that extra bit harder. I’d seen a similar thing happen before when Deep Purple came back with David Coverdale replacing Ian Gillan on the Burn tour, and in a different way, Genesis on Trick of the Tale tour with Phil Collins on vocals after the departure of Peter Gabriel. In both cases the bands came back with renewed power, backed up by a strong lp with great new songs and blew the crowd away. The same was true of AC/DC in 1980. Back in Black is a classic album, and many of the songs remain in their concert set to this day. That night in the City Hall the power, and the passion, were there as before, but in a different way. Angus was, as ever, manic, a twisted evil schoolboy. Brian Johnson rose to the occasion; his squealing vocals worked and he Angus worked the stage together. The setlist was something like: Hells Bells; Shot Down in Flames; Sin City; Back in Black; Bad Boy Boogie; The Jack; Highway to Hell; What Do You Do For Money Honey; High Voltage; Whole Lotta Rosie; You Shook Me All Night Long; Let There Be Rock.
AC/DC were back at the City Hall in 1981 and 1982. I missed the 1981 show; I’m not sure why, possibly because I’d seen them at the Donington Monsters of Rock festival that year (separate report to follow) and figured I was AC/DCed-out at the time. I was back in the City Hall on 4th October 1982 to see them again (ticket right; programme below). Again, a good gig.
The setlist for 1982 tour was something like: Hells Bells; C.O.D.; Shot Down in Flames; Sin City; Shoot to Thrill; Back in Black; Bad Boy Boogie; Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution; Highway to Hell; Let’s Get It Up; Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap; Whole Lotta Rosie; Let There Be Rock. Encores: You Shook Me All Night Long; For Those About to Rock (We Salute You). The 1982 concert was the last time that AC/DC played the City Hall. From there on in, they played in arenas, festivals and, more recently, stadiums. Their next visits to the region were gigs in Whitley Bay Ice Rink and Newcastle Arena, both pretty soulless sheds. More recent tours have sadly missed the North East completely, which is somewhat surprising, given the band’s following in the North East and their new singer’s local connection. I’ll report on their 1986 Whitley Bay Ice Rink show tomorrow.
2 Jan
AC/DC at Newcastle Mayfair 1977 to 1980
In many ways AC/DC and Newcastle Mayfair were made for each other. Friday nights at the Mayfair in the 1970s was one of the best rock nights I’ve ever experienced, and at that time AC/DC were one of the new breed of upcoming heavy rock bands. They became a great favourite at the venue in the late 70s; the Newcastle crowd took to AC/DC and the feeling was obviously mutual. I remember their shows at the venue as some of the best I have ever seen there, or anywhere else. I was lucky enough to attend all of their shows at the Mayfair, other than when they played for two nights at the venue, in which case I went along to one of those nights.
AC/DC first played Newcastle Mayfair on March 4th 1977. This was a standard “pay at the door” Friday night, there was no need for advance tickets. This was the third time that I’d seen the band. The support act was Jenny Darren, whose name seems familiar, but I can’t remember watching her. We may have gone into the venue late. The programme (left) has the same outer cover as the 1976 programme; however the inner pages are different. As time moved on, and AC/DC became more and more popular, they were packing the place for two night runs. I look back on all of those shows with some considerable fondess; they were nights of great, loud rock music in a relatively small venue the like of which I may never see again.
AC/DC were back at the Mayfair on October 14th 1977. This time, as well as the Mayfair gig I also went to see them at Middlesbrough Town Hall on this tour (see ticket stub). At that time many bands played both Newcastle and Middlesbrough, which gave me a chance to see them twice at local gigs on the same tour. I can still picture Bon Scott walking through the crowd in the lovely old hall in the Town Hall; Angus on his shoulders, still playing his guitar.
The band were next at the Mayfair on May 5th 1978 (programme to left). The support act for this tour was British Lions, a band formed by members of Mott the Hoople (Buffin, Morgan Fisher and Overend Watts) and Medicine Head (John Fiddler). As a Mott fan I must have gone along early to catch them, but I have no memory of doing so, or what they were like. The Powerage lp was released around this time, and Whole lot of Rosie was establishing itself as a firm favourite with the crowd. Punk was becoming well established at this time, and the Mayfair was also booking many new wave acts, but Friday night remained mostly a heavy rock night, and AC/DC were the perfect band for the venue.
By 1978 they were a very big rock band and they returned to the Mayfair to play for two nights on November 2nd and 3rd 1978. I attended the gig on the first night (ticket to right). Support came from Blazer Blazer.
This time advance tickets were sold for the gigs, which both sold out. The programme for the late 1978 tour is to the left. A typical setlist from 1978 was something like: Riff raff; Problem child; Hell ain’t a bad place to be; Rock and roll damnation; Bad boy boogie; Whole lotta rosie; Down payment blues; The Jack; High voltage; Let there be rock; Encore: The Rocker
The band were due back at The Mayfair for a further two nights in October 1979. The tickets all sold out in advance, by postal application, as I recall. A fire took place in the venue as the band were loading their gear for the first night (Thursday), and as a result the gig was postponed. The fire wasn’t too big, and not much damage was caused, so the Friday night concert went ahead as planned, with new upcoming rockers Def Leppard as support. The Thursday night gig was rescheduled and took place on January 25th 1980.
Sadly this was to be the last time the great Bon Scott played at the Mayfair, and was his penultimate concert. Three weeks later, he was dead, having passed away in his sleep after a heavy nights drinking. I was lucky enough to be at both of those last Mayfair gigs, and recall the band being on top form. Recordings exist of the second gig, and are apparently pretty good quality.
At the time, we all viewed Bon as irreplaceable, and thought we had seen the last of the band. However, another Newcastle was to come (enter Brain Johnson; ex Geordie). Tomorrow I’ll go back to the Back in Black tour and the move from the Mayfair Ballroom to Newcastle City Hall.
1 Jan
AC/DC: Early UK concerts at the Reading Festival and Newcastle University 1976
I’m going to start my 2012 concert blogs with some memories of AC/DC in concert. I’ve seen this band around 15 times over the years, and have never ceased to enjoy them. I’ve chosen AC/DC to start my 2012 blogging for no other reason than alphabetical, as they were the first band I came to in my book of tickets. It’ll take me the rest of the week to cover the AC/DC concerts I’ve attended, starting today with a couple of early UK gigs in 1976. I saw AC/DC for the first time at the Reading Rock Festival that year. I’d read good reports of the band in Sounds magazine, who were promoting their first UK tour, The ‘Lock up your Daughters Summer Tour’, and I was eagerly looking forward to seeing how they shaped up live. So my mates and I all made a point of being in the field when they took the stage late on the Sunday afternoon (August 29th 1976) sandwiched between Brand X and Sutherland Brothers and Quiver. I remember we all thought they were pretty good and, along with Rory Gallagher and The Enid, they were the highlight of the weekend. I remember being both amazed and amused by Angus who, dressed in his trademark school uniform ran about the stage like a madman, while playing some pretty mean guitar.
Having enjoyed the set at Reading I was definitely interested in seeing AC/DC again. So when they came to North East to play at Newcastle University students union, I bought tickets and Marie and I went to the gig which was on November 13th 1976. I’d bought their lp High Voltage by this time, and was heavily into some of the tracks, particularly Live Wire and Its a long way to the top. High Voltage is a classic rock album and features many of the bands best songs, some of which remain in their set to this day. Newcastle University dances were held at that time in a ballroom at the top of a flight of stairs above the refectory in the students union, and Marie and I often went along there to the gigs, which were usually held on a Saturday.
My memories of the gig are few, although I do remember that they were really great. Bon would take Angus on his shoulders in those days and run around the crowd. When he did so that night, some idiot threw a full pint of beer over Angus. Angus was absolutely soaked, but kept on playing. Happy days. Pretty sure that they started with Live Wire. As always I bought a programme (see left).
A typical AC/DC setlist from 1976 drew heavily from the High Voltage lp, included a few covers, and was something like: Live wire; Rock and roll singer; Jailbreak: She’s got balls; The Jack; School days; Rocker; TNT; Its a Long Way to the Top (if you want to rock and roll); High voltage; Baby Please don’t go.
Tomorrow I’ll continue my AC/DC memories by posting something about the great nights I spent with them at the sadly missed Newcastle Mayfair ballroom.
17 Dec
Slade London Koko December 18th 2011
Slade at Koko in London December 18th 2011
I spent some great nights in the company of Slade in the 70s and early 80s. In their heyday Slade were, without question, one of THE great live acts. Their shows were always very loud, very wild and great fun. My first Slade experiences were in Sunderland Locarno, and at the Lincoln festival in 1972 where they were one of the highlights of the weekend. I saw them in a sold out Newcastle City Hall at the peak of their success, and then in their wilderness years in a half empty City Hall and in small clubs such as Middlesbrough Rock Garden. I was also lucky enough to be at the Reading festival in 1980, where Slade were a last minute replacement for Ozzy Osbourne, and took the place by storm. That Reading set signalled a return to popularity, this time as a heavier rock band. The last couple of times I saw Slade were in the early 80s at the City Hall (sold out again) and Sunderland Polytechnic Wearmouth Hall. I must have seen them around a dozen times, including a great night at Sunderland Empire (the front row seats collapsed under the weight of the crowd), and low down the bill at one of the Donington Monsters of Rock festivals.
The current incarnation of the band features guitarist Dave Hill, drummer Don Powell and a couple of new members. No Noddy Holder or Jim Lea. To be honest I wasn’t too sure what to expect, and thought twice about whether to take the plunge and go and see them. A few things made me decide to make the trip to London for this show. Firstly, Slade shows in the UK are few and far between now; they seem to play mostly in Germany, where they retain a strong following. Secondly, this show sees them returning to the Music Machine, which (now called Koko) is a venue which they played several times in the 70s and 80s, so there was a sense of homecoming about the gig. Also this was a charity gig in support of the Lord Taverners, with all monies going to a good cause. Finally, this is the closest that I’m likely to get to seeing Slade again, Dave Hill was always a great showman, and Don Powell a great drummer, so why not? Reading the Slade forum, it seems that many members were, like me, going along to this show after a long time away from the band. It was also being filmed for DVD, which always makes things a little bit special. On balance I was looking forward to the gig as a way of returning to my memories, and saying thank you to Dave and Don. This will have to be enough for me, until a full Slade reunion happens, if it ever does. On that subject, recent reports suggest that Noddy may be coming round to the possibility (less so Jim I think), so never say never. If it ever does happen, you can count me in, for sure. And if not, well the Koko gig will just have to do for now. Reflecting further on the current line-ups of classic rock bands, I realise that in the past week I have seen Status Quo (two original members) and Uriah Heep (one original member), and that both are still great and remain true to their own rock legacies. Also, The Hollies and Yes continue with new vocalists and do pretty well, and I have enjoyed them in concert this year. So why was I so apprehensive of seeing Slade without Noddy? I guess it says something about the power that Noddy Holder had as a vocalist, and the presence that he had on stage.
On the night if the gig I took a walk from my hotel to the venue, which didn’t take me too long. I stopped off for a drink in the pub over the road from Koko, which was full of Slade fans. A Noddy lookalike was sporting a mirrored top hat and a tartan suit, and another had a Dave Hill haircut and an inflatable guitar. I made my way over to Koko, which was starting to fill up. At around 7pm DJ Mike Read took to the stage to introduce the band. He also showed a video of charity work of the Lord Taverners. A few moments later Slade took to the stage, starting off with We’ll bring the house down. The set was, as expected full of hits, all played well; it was great to hear them all again (my only gripe: I thought it could have been a bit louder). The singer did a good job, his vocals were strong and pretty true to Noddy, although he left much of the talking to Dave Hill, who has clearly become the front man. It is very clear that this is Dave and Don’s band. Dave was on great form, clearly enjoying himself, running about the stage, getting the crowd to sing along and playing some great guitar. The place was pretty full, and the crowd was really up for the occasion, giving the band a great reception. During Mama weer all crazee now Dave strapped on his Superyob guitar (is this a new one? pretty sure Marco from Adam and the Ants has the original?). The set finished with Get down and get with it, and the encores were My oh my; Cum on feel the noize; and the inevitable Merry Xmas everybody. Mike Reid came back on to close the evening wearing Dave’s old stage jacket which had just been auctioned for £250 (a bargain). It was great to see them again for old times sake, but it did make me realise how good a full reunion could be.
Setlist: We’ll bring the house down; Take me bak ‘ome; Lock up your daughters; Far far away; Everyday; Look wot you dun; Red hot; Coz I luv you; Run runaway; M’Hat M’Coat (Dave Hill guitar solo); I hear ya calling; Gudbuy t’Jane; The bangin’ man; Mama weer all crazee now (with drum solo); Get down and get with it
Encore: My oh my; Cum on feel the noize ; Merry Xmas everybody
I hate printed tickets
17 Dec
Status Quo, Roy Wood and Kim Wilde Newcastle Arena Dec 16 2011
Status Quo, Roy Wood and Kim Wilde Newcastle Arena Dec 16 2011
Quo at Xmas has become an annual event for me. This year’s end of year tour is entitled QuoFestive and sees the guys heading a three band bill alongside Roy Wood and Kim Wilde. They have also reduced the number of gigs on the tour and moved from a mix of theatres and arenas to a smaller number of arena gigs. This is going to be the pattern for the future, so instead of visiting the City Hall, Quo are at Newcastle Metro Arena.
I arrived around 8pm, which meant I missed Kim Wilde and Roy Wood had just started. I am a big fan of Roy and the Move, and saw him support Quo in Sheffield a couple if years ago. His set was good, and he got the crowd going, finishing with that Xmas song.
Quo came on stage around 9pm and played their usual set, with a few small changes from last year. The sound was clear and loud, and Francis was on good form, with the usual cheeky comments to the crowd. The show was usual Quo; good solid rock played perfectly. I enjoyed it more than I expected, but much prefer the City Hall as a venue. The encore saw the guys joined by Roy Wood and Kim Wilde for Winter Wonderland and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Good stuff. I must have seen Quo around 30 times now, and to be honest it is getting a little samey, but hey ho they are what they are, and they do it well. So will I go again next year? Of course I will.
Setlist: Caroline; Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like; The Wanderer; Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘n’ You; Rain; Mean Girl; Beginning Of The End; Medley (What You’re Proposin’/Down The Dustpipe/Little Lady/Red Sky/Dear John); Big Fat Mama;
Two Way Traffic; The Oriental; Let’s Rock; Paper Plane; Living On An Island; In The Army Now; Drum Solo/The Killer; Roll Over Lay Down; Down Down; Whatever You Want; Rockin’ All Over The World
Encore: Burning Bridges; Walking In A Winter Wonderland; Santa Clause Is Coming To Town
I hate printed tickets
programme
12 Dec
Uriah Heep Newcastle Academy Dec 12th 2011
Uriah Heep Newcastle Academy Dec 12th 2011
Just got back. My ears are still ringing. Heep were LOUD, and on great form. Mick Box’s shape throwing is getting more bizarre. More later. Off to bed now.
I can’t remember the last time that Uriah Heep played in Newcastle but I’m pretty sure that it was a long time ago. It was great to see them returning here; the north east was always a stronghold for heavy rock in general, and for Uriah Heep in particular. I remember very well attending some great shows at the City Hall during the David Byron and John Lawton eras of the band. All of that is so so long ago; and looking around at the audience in the Academy, I would bet that many of the crowd were also present on those wonderful nights in the 70s.
I arrived just before the band took to the stage. The respectably sized crowd gave the band a warm reception; you could sense that people had been waiting a long time to see these guys again. The set was pretty similar to the one that I saw them play at Workington earlier in the year; with the addition of a few songs from the new album Into the Wild, replacing songs from their last album Wake the Sleeper. All the classics are still in the set: Gypsy, Julie Morning, Return to Fantasy, Stealin’, and Woman in Black. The encore was Bird of Prey (I haven’t seen them play that for some time) and Easy Livin ‘. The only favourite that was (for me) missing was Sunrise. A new addition to the show was getting some of the crowd up onstage to rock with the band on one of the songs.
I was stood right at the front near the speakers and it was LOUD. These guys are true professionals, and always deliver. This was no different, they were really great. I hope they don’t leave it as long next time. The band seemed to enjoy the show and the crowd reaction, so maybe we will see them back in the north east on their next tour.
Setlist: I’m Ready; Return to Fantasy; Stealin’; Rainbow Demon; Money Talk; Nail on the Head; The Wizard; Into the Wild; Gypsy; Look At Yourself; July Morning; Lady In Black
Encore: Free ‘n’ Easy; Bird of Prey; Easy Livin’
ticket
27 Nov
Deep Purple and Cheap Trick Glasgow SECC 26 Nov 2011
Deep Purple (with 38 piece orchestra) and Cheap Trick Glasgow SECC 26 Nov 2011
Norm and I drove up for this great gig last night. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen Deep Purple. They haven’t visited the north east on the last couple of tours, and for one reason or another I wasn’t able to travel to see them. This tour was however especially tempting with the double attraction of Cheap Trick as special guest, and the 38 piece orchestra which was accompanying Deep Purple. I waited until the last minute to decide whether or not to go, however, because I was little unsure about the weather at this time of year. As the weather was ok we decided to go.
We arrived at the SECC at around 6.30pm, and managed to score a couple of tickets from a guy outside of the venue for £60 for a pair, which was a snip as face value would have been £90, plus the dreaded booking fees. The seats were pretty good too,l in the centre block about 12 rows back.
It’s a long time since we last saw Cheap Trick at Newcastle Mayfair in the 70s. I’d forgotten just how good there are and how many great catchy tunes they have. Rick Nielson is still as crazy as ever and Robin Zander still looks great. They were on stage around one hour and the set included: Stop This Game (Mind Choir): Dream Police; Need Your Love; California Man (The Move song); If You Want My Love; I Want You to Want Me; Surrender; Good Night. I managed to get one of the many plectrums that Rick threw out into the crowd. Rick’s vibe neck guitar looks pretty cool.
I hadn’t been sure about how the big orchestra would work alongside Deep Purple’s rock classics. I needn’t have worried; it was absolutely great. Great set, some long solos but the two hours that they were on stage seemed to pass in no time at all. They started with Highway Star, and the set include some of my favourites: Lazy, Strange Kind of Woman, When a Blind Man Cries, Woman from Tokyo. They finished with Smoke on the Water, and the encores were Hush, and Black Night. Ian Gillan looks really fit, and he was singing well although he clearly finds it difficult to get some of the high notes and can’t scream like he used to. Roger Glover always looks like he is having great fun. Don Airey seems to fit perfectly with the others now, and played excellently. Its good to see a local Sunderland lad doing so well. In fact all of the band seemed to be really enjoying themselves. It was great to see them again, and the classics sounded fresh, with the orchestra adding new depth to the arrangements. This was the best time I’ve see them play for many many years. Great stuff.
The drive back was pretty tricky but uneventful, through torrential rain and high winds. We got home around 2.15am.
Deep Purple setlist: Highway Star; Hard Lovin’ Man; Maybe I’m a Leo; Strange Kind of Woman; Rapture of the Deep;Woman From Tokyo; Contact Lost (Guitar Solo); When a Blind Man Cries; The Well Dressed Guitar; Knocking at Your Back Door; Lazy; No One Came; Perfect Strangers; Space Truckin’; Smoke on the Water
Encores: Hush; Black Night
ticket
Rick Neilson plectrum (thanks Rick)
16 Nov
Zappa plays Zappa Sage Gateshead 18 November 2011
Zappa plays Zappa Sage Gateshead 18 November 2011
Went to see Dweezil play his dad’s work Apostrophe on Friday at the Sage with my mate Norman. The musicianship was as it always is; faultless. Dweezil is a credit to his old man, and his guitar playing just gets better and better. This time we had the added bonus of Frank himself on video on a couple of tracks. This was very well done, with Dweezil playing alongside his dad. This time we got the Apostrophe album in it’s entirity. I’m not that familiar with that particular album, but do know a few of the tracks. The only request I would have would be for Dweezil and co to play a few more older tracks from the Mothers and Hot Rats days. Last night we got Gumbo Vatiatiosn which was good and Ugliest part of the body. A couple more from We’re only in it for the money, Uncle Meat or Freak Out would be great. Also the set is quite a long one, and for me an interval would be welcome.
Setlist: Gumbo Variations; Yellow Snow; Nanook Rubs It; St Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast; Father ‘Oblivion; Cosmik Debris; Exentrifugal Forz; Apostrophe; Uncle Remus; Stinkfoot; What’s The Ugliest Part Of Your Body?; Chungas revenge; City Of Tiny Lites; Inca Roads; People; Fifty Fifty; Cheepnis; Honey Don’t You Want A Man Like Me; Rollo
Encore: Dancin’ Fool; Baby Snakes; Muffin Man
ticket
9 Nov
Yes Manchester Apollo November 13th 2011
Yes Manchester Apollo November 13th 2011
This rounded off a week of old memories, travelling and reflecting on the past. After seeing Roy Harper at his 70th birthday concert in London last week, I went to see Yes on Sunday in Manchester.
The first concert I ever went to was The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band at the Sunderland Empire in 1969. The support acts were Roy Harper and Yes. It’s funny how things keep coming around. The only member of Yes that was there with me all those years ago in the Empire is bassist Chris Squire; but some of the other guys have been there for many years! The Yes set in those days consisted of songs from the first couple of albums: Then, Time and a Word, Sweet Dreams, No Opportunity Necessary, Somethings Coming. I can picture myself now, a wide eyed kid sitting in the front row; totally mesmerised by the shiny, jazzy new sound of this band, with Jon Anderson’s vocals ringing in my ears, and Chris Squire’s bass thudding into my chest. In that moment I knew rock music was so important to me, and that I had to continue going to concerts, and I have done so ever since. I followed Yes through the 70s and saw them several times at Newcastle City Hall, and festival appearances at Reading and Stoke City Ground. I experienced (endured?) the Topographic Oceans tour and was confused by the Buggles Drama tour.
This time round the line up is Chris Squire bass, Steve Howe guitar, Alan White drums, ex-Buggles and Drama-era Yes Geoff Downes keyboards, and the (newish) vocalist Benoît David. So much has changed since those late 60s days, and yet in some ways nothing has changed at all. Yes are still playing wonderful music.
I arrived at Manchester Apollo around 7.15pm. There was no support act, Yes were onstage shortly after 8pm and played a reasonably long (two hours or so) set.
Yes were truly excellent. They are playing as well as they did in the 70s. Benoit has really fitted in and it is starting to feel right to see him there singing those great songs. His voice is very strong, and I got the feeling that the crowd has now accepted him as a full member of the Yes team.
It was nice to see Alan White introduce his 88 year old mum who was in the crowd last night. For me the stand outs were the opener Yours is No Disgrace, And You and I, Heart of the Sunrise (which brought Chris Squire to the front of the stage for the bass lines), Starship Trooper and the encore Roundabout. Wonderful. Mental note to myself: I must go to every Yes tour from now on; no excuses. They are just too good to miss.
Setlist: Yours Is No Disgrace; Tempus Fugit; I’ve Seen All Good People / Your Move; Life on a Film Set; And You and I; Solitaire / To Be Over (Steve Howe solo acoustic); Fly From Here; Wonderous Stories; Into the Storm; Heart of the Sunrise; Starship Trooper
Encore: Roundabout
I still hate e-tickets
Vintagerock's Weblog. 