Simon and Garfunkel Manchester Arena 14th July 2004
I really didn’t expect to get the chance to see Simon and Garfunkel together again. But, 20 years after touring the world, including a show at Wembley Stadium, the duo reformed again, and were back out on the road on their “Old Friends” tour. Support this time came from their childhood heroes and influences the Everly Brothers. The show was in three parts. Simon and Garfunkel started with “Old Friends / Bookends” and then were straight into one of my favourites, “Hazy Shade of Winter”. The first half featured other classics including “America” and “Kathy’s Song”. For the last song of the first set the pair took us right back to their first hit, “Hey Schoolgirl”, from the days when they were known as Tom and Jerry. That song gave them a chance to pay tribute to the guys whose songs and harmonies influenced them, as they welcomed Don and Phil Everly to take the stage. The Everlys then played a short set of four songs: “Wake Up Little Susie”; “All I Have to Do Is Dream”; “Let It Be Me” and “Bye Bye Love”. 
Simon and Grafunkel returned for a second set including all the other great tunes: “Scarborough Fair”; “Homeward Bound”; my all-time favourite “The Sound of Silence”; “Mrs. Robinson” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. Paul Simon also sang a number of his solo hits. The screens behind them showed videos of them as kids, and during the ’60s, bringing back lots of memories for all of us. The audience called them back for a few encores, including the haunting “Leaves That Are Green”. Wonderful stuff. Now whats the chances of them coming back again in another 10 years? Well you never know, do you.
Set 1: Old Friends/Bookends; A Hazy Shade of Winter; I Am a Rock; America; At the Zoo; Baby Driver; Kathy’s Song; Hey, Schoolgirl.
The Everly Brothers set: Wake Up Little Susie; All I Have to Do Is Dream; Let It Be Me; Bye Bye Love
Set 2: Scarborough Fair/Canticle; Homeward Bound; The Sound of Silence; Mrs. Robinson; Slip Slidin’ Away; El Condor Pasa (If I Could); Keep the Customer Satisfied; The Only Living Boy in New York; American Tune; My Little Town; Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Encore: Cecilia; The Boxer
Encore 2: Leaves That Are Green; The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)
Posts Tagged ‘gigs’
30 Jul
Simon and Garfunkel Manchester Arena 14th July 2004
29 Jul
Simon and Garfunkel Wembley Stadium 19th June 1982
Simon and Garfunkel Wembley Stadium 19th June 1982
I never thought I’d get the chance to see Simon and Garfunkel in concert. I’d seen Paul Simon once at a concert in the London Palladium in the 1970s, but felt that the chance of a reunion with Art Garfunkel was slim. However, Simon and Garfunkel did reunite for a free concert in New York City’s Central Park on September 19, 1981. The Central Park concert was attended by over 500,000 people, a recording of it was released as a live album, and the duo then went on to go on a world tour in 1982–83, including a performance at London in June 1982. This was a great concert, with Paul and Art singing all their classic hits, along with a couple of Paul Simon solo songs, Art Garfunkel’s “Bright Eyes” and a nod to their influences in the form of a couple of Everly Brothers’ songs. At the time I thought it strange going to see a folk-based act in a vast stadium, and wondered if the songs would get lost in such a vast venue. 
I needn’t have worried. The beauty and power of those simple songs transfixed the crowd of 72,000 people. The stage set was similar to the Central Park concert, and as far as I recall, there was no support act.
Setlist: Mrs. Robinson; Homeward Bound; America; Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard; Scarborough Fair; My Little Town; Wake Up Little Susie; Still Crazy After All These Years; Bright Eyes; Late In The Evening; Slip, Sliding Away; El Condor Pasa; American Tune; The Late Great Johnny Ace; Kodachrome/Mabellene; Bridge Over Troubled Water; The Boxer; Old Friends/Bookends; 59th Street Bridge Song; Cecilia; Sounds Of Silence; All I Have To Do Is Dream
28 Jul
Bruce Springsteen The O2 Arena London 19th December 2007
Bruce Springsteen The O2 Arena London 19th December 2007
My interest in Springsteen renewed, I decided to go and see this gig at London’s O2 Arena, which fell just before Christmas 2007. This was my 4th visit to the O2 in 2007, following on from concerts by the Stones, Streisand, and Zeppelin. I had a seated ticket right up the back of the arena, but managed to swap it for a standing ticket at the box office. This was the last date of the “Magic” tour and Bruce opened with “Radio Nowhere” which seemed to be played everywhere at the time.
“This is a really big building,” said Springsteen, continuing “That’s okay, coz we’re the big building killers.” He added, “Also known as dead ass killers, for those of you still in your seats!” This was another excellent show by Springsteen. I was pleased that he included “Because the Night”. During the encore, Bruce introduced Clarence as “the next King of England!”, Clarence soloed extensively, to big cheers from the crowd, on “Jungleland.” Given the time of year, we just knew what the last song was going to be. Bruce asked us all “Do you believe in Santa Claus?” followed by lots of Santa Claus hats being thrown onstage, which Bruce and the band picked up and wore. He finished: “Happy holidays from the E Street Band” and “We’ll see you in the summer!” 
Setlist: Radio Nowhere; No Surrender; Night; Lonesome Day; Gypsy Biker; Magic; Reason to Believe; Because the Night; She’s the One; Livin’ in the Future; The Promised Land; Waitin’ on a Sunny Day; Working on the Highway; Racing in the Street; Devil’s Arcade; The Rising; Last to Die; Long Walk Home; Badlands.
Encore: Girls in Their Summer Clothes; Jungleland; Born to Run; Dancing in the Dark; American Land; Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.
I’ve already blogged on the Bruce concerts I attended in Glasgow, Sunderland and Leeds. Time to move to another act tomorrow.
27 Jul
Bruce Springsteen Dublin The Point The Seeger Sessions tour 19th Nov 2006
Bruce Springsteen Dublin The Point The Seeger Sessions tour 19th Nov 2006
In 2006 I was travelling to Dublin on a regular basis and often tried to arrange my trips around concerts. This didn’t usually work out, but this was one of the few occasions when it did. At the time, I’d lost touch with Bruce Springsteen, but my interest in his music was reignited when I heard the Seeger sessions CD. I read the very positive reviews of the album, and I liked the concept: Bruce returning to the roots music which inspired him, and those who influenced him. I missed the tour when it first visited the UK, and kicked myself when I read the rave reviews of the concerts. When Bruce added further dates including a three night stint at the Point, Dublin, I decided to try and get tickets and arrange my next trip to the city around the concert. My plan worked, and I flew over to Dublin on the Sunday morning, attended the concert on the Sunday evening, and went to meetings on Monday, returning home Monday evening.
The Point was a concert venue on the site of an old train depot along the dockland, off O’Connell Street. It operated during the period 1988 to 2007, and played host to the world’s top acts. In 2007 it was redeveloped as an O2 arena with a capacity of 14,000 (the old Point held 8,000). Several bands recorded live albums at the Point, including two which I attended: this series of concerts by Springsteen, and a two night stay by David Bowie.
This was a truly amazing and joyous concert. How could it be anything else? Springsteen singing those simple class gems of Americana with his Seeger sessions band in a lovely, relatively small, venue in Dublin; a city whose people are renowned for song and singing and for taking acts to their hearts. I just knew that this was going to be a special evening. From the minute I entered the Point, I could feel the atmosphere, and the cameras and mikes all over the auditorium made doubly sure that the Dublin crowd was going to give Bruce a reception like no other. From the minute that Springsteen came on stage, held his acoustic guitar high while strumming away at it, standing in line with his massed group of players, the whole hall was singing along as one, and the power and atmosphere continued at full pelt for a couple of hours. There were smiles on all of the band members’ faces, you could see that they were all enjoying the experience and the reaction from the Dublin crowd.
There was a sense of a mass party, a celebration, and a religious, gospel gathering, all rolled into one. It was unlike any other performance I have been to, and easily matched the previous Springsteen shows I had been to. At the end of the show, the band brought all of their families, kids and the crew on to the stage, and the whole crowd gave the performer, all their people, and themselves, an ovation that seemed to go on for ever. As we all wandered out into the cold Dublin air, and made our way back along the road to O’Connell Street, we knew we had all been part of something special. I have the DVD, which was drawn from selections across the three nights at the Point, and it captures the excitement and joyous mood of the evening. I was a Springsteen fan again, and have seen him four time since, at concerts in Hampden Park Glasgow, The O2 London, Stadium of Light Sunderland and Leeds Arena.
Setlist: Atlantic City; John Henry; Old Dan Tucker; The Ghost of Tom Joad; Mary Don’t You Weep; Jesse James; Further On (Up the Road); Erie Canal; For You; My Oklahoma Home; If I Should Fall Behind; Mrs. McGrath; How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?; Jacob’s Ladder; Long Time Comin’; Jesus Was an Only Son; Open All Night; Pay Me My Money Down; We Shall Overcome; Blinded by the Light; When the Saints Go Marching In; This Little Light of Mine; American Land
Band (this was a bog band!): Bruce Springsteen (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Sam Bardfeld (violin, vocals); Art Baron (sousaphone, trombone, mandolin, penny whistle, euphonium); Frank Bruno (acoustic guitar, vocals, field drum); Jeremy Chatzky (bass guitar, double bass; Larry Eagle (drums, percussion); Clark Gayton (trombone, vocals, percussion); Charles Giordano (accordion, piano, Hammond organ, vocals); Curtis King Jr. (vocals, percussion); Greg Leisz (banjo, vocals); Lisa Lowell (vocals, percussion); Ed Manion (tenor and baritone saxophones, vocals, percussion); Cindy Mizelle (vocals, percussion); Curt Ramm (trumpet, vocals, percussion); Marty Rifkin (steel guitar, dobro, mandolin); Patti Scialfa (acoustic guitar, vocals); Marc Anthony Thompson (acoustic guitar, vocals); Soozie Tyrell (violin, vocals).
26 Jul
The Beach Boys York Races 25th June 2014
It’s been 40 (!) years since I last saw the Beach Boys in concert. Since then Dennis and Carl Wilson have both sadly passed away, and Brian Wilson has returned to live performance, briefly reuniting with Mike Lcve, Bruce Johnston, Al Jardine and David Marks for a 50th anniversary tour. The current line-up features only Mike Love and Bruce Johnston from the 1960s band, and has resulted in some controversy as to whether these guys can justify calling themselves the Beach Boys. I went along with Marie to this concert out of curiosity, but also to enjoy those great songs one more time. We stayed at a hotel overlooking the race course, and were able to stroll over to join the punters in the County Stand. There were six races before the Beach Boys came on stage. Sadly our betting skills are not great, and we succeeded in losing on every race. Oh well.
The stage was situated along from the stands, and the only way to get a decent view was to move along the course. The Beach Boys came on stage shortly before 9pm. We made our way close to the front, but found the sound to be pretty poor down there, so we returned to the stands. Although we were then only able to view the show on the massive screens, the sound was excellent. 
The set was, as you would expect, a mix of all those great hits. I was disappointed at first, the poor sound didn’t help, but things started to improve and by the end I was really enjoying it. One unexpected, and very welcome. surprise was the arrival of Roy Wood for a performance of “Fire Brigade”. The other highlight was a performance of “God Only Knows” which showed Carl Wilson singing on the video screens. Carl’s voice and the images, which were taken from the ’60s through to the ’80s, reminded me just how wonderful and influential The Beach Boys were.
Setlist: Do It Again; Goin’ to the Beach; Little Honda; Catch a Wave; Hawaii; Surf City; Surfin’ Safari; Surfer Girl; Don’t Worry Baby; Little Deuce Coupe; 409; Shut Down; I Get Around; Ballad of Ole’ Betsy; Why Do Fools Fall in Love; Darlin’; It’s OK; Fire Brigade (The Move cover, with Roy Wood); California Dreamin’; Cotton Fields; Sloop John B; Wouldn’t It Be Nice; Then He Kissed Me; California Girls; Pisces Brother; God Only Knows; Good Vibrations; Kokomo; Help Me, Rhonda; Do You Wanna Dance?; Barbara Ann; Surfin’ U.S.A. Encore: Wild Honey; Fun, Fun, Fun (with Roy Wood)
25 Jul
Bruce Springsteen St James Park Newcastle 4th June 1985
Bruce Springsteen St James Park Newcastle 4th June 1985
Four years on from his tremendous performance at the City Hall, Bruce Springsteen was back in Newcastle to headline two nights at St James Park, the home of Newcastle United Football Club, as part of the Born in the USA tour. The tour also called at Wembley Stadium for three nights, and included a show at Roundhay Park, Leeds. This was Springsteen’s biggest and most successful tour to date, and ran from June 1984 until October 1985. One major change in the E Street band was the departure of guitarist Steven Van Zandt who had decided to go solo. He was replaced by Nils Lofgren, whose onstage gymnastics added a new dimension to the show. The tour also gave fans an opportunity to see the new, super fit and muscly Bruce, he had been training heavily in preparation for the marathon performances he would deliver each and every night.
I went along with a group of mates to the first of the two concerts. Bruce and the band took to the stage early, around 6pm, and treated the sold out crowd to a lengthy, high energy performance which ran to over three and a half hours. Bruce ran on stage, and bang bang it was straight into “Born in the USA” and away we went. I enjoyed the gig, and the crowd certainly did, but I also felt that something had been lost in the transformation to stadium rock.
To be honest “Born in the USA” isn’t my favourite Springsteen album. I much prefer his finely crafted stories of the American dream as told on “Born to Run”, to the rousing stadium rock anthems of “Born in the USA”. Having said that, the recent Bruce shows I have seen have been examples of how an artist can transcend the boundaries of stadium rock and relate directly to his audience in a much more intimate way. One things for sure, in 1985 Bruce was performing at the top of his game, and setting a standard for stadium rock that others would attempt to follow.
I foolishly lost touch with Bruce Springsteen after this concert, and it was some years before I went to see him again.
Setlist: Born in the U.S.A.; Badlands; Out in the Street; Johnny 99; Atlantic City; The River; Working on the Highway; Trapped; Prove It All Night; Glory Days; The Promised Land; My Hometown; Thunder Road; Cover Me; Dancing in the Dark; Hungry Heart; Cadillac Ranch; Downbound Train; I’m on Fire; Pink Cadillac; Racing in the Street; Rosalita (Come Out Tonight); Born to Run; Bobby Jean; Ramrod; Twist and Shout
24 Jul
Bruce Springsteen Newcastle City Hall 11th May 1981
Bruce Springsteen Newcastle City Hall 11th May 1981
This was Springsteen’s first real UK tour, his first visit six years earlier being limited to two concerts in London. The Newcastle gig sold out quickly and was the opening night of the UK leg of a European tour to promote Bruce’s new album “The River”. Although the ticket says 31st March, the gig was actually on the 11th May – the whole tour was rescheduled after Bruce fell ill (thanks Kevin). It was an epic concert. Bruce tore the City Hall apart; this is one of the best shows I have ever witnessed in the City Hall, or anywhere else for that matter. We had tickets pretty close to the front, really close to Bruce. The concert was a marathon and a demonstration of exactly how to play rock’n’roll; pure, with passion, honest, joyous. Bruce made it look so easy, so natural, and you just knew that he was enjoying the gig as much as we were. He started with the coolest cover of Elvis “Follow that Dream”. Bruce has a knack of choosing less than obvious tunes to cover, wearing his influences on his sleeve, and making them his own, while retaining the feel and soul of the original. Everything was just right that night, Bruce’s performance, the tightness of the E Street band, the crowd reaction. There was a telepathy between Springsteen, the band and the audience, that brought us all together in an unforgettable experience. At one point Bob Smeaton, who sang in local band White Heat at the time and was sitting down front, jumped up on stage. He was soon escorted back to his seat by the bouncers. 
A totally amazing concert. Just writing about it brings back so many strong memories of the energy and power we all experienced in the City Hall that night.
Setlist: Follow That Dream, Prove It All Night, Out in the Street, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Independence Day, Who’ll Stop the Rain, Two Hearts, The Promised Land, This Land Is Your Land, The River, Badlands, Thunder Road, Cadillac Ranch, Sherry Darling, Hungry Heart, Because the Night, You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch), Wreck on the Highway, Racing in the Street, Backstreets, Candy’s Room, Ramrod, Point Blank, Rosalita (Come Out Tonight).
Encore: Born to Run , Detroit Medley , Rockin’ All Over the World
23 Jul
Bruce Springsteen Hammersmith Odeon London 24th November 1975
Bruce Springsteen Hammersmith Odeon London 24th November 1975
I’d read the famous report which famously claimed, “I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen,” and was originally written by Landau’s in a 1974 edition of the USA magazine “The Real Paper”, and I’d also heard the single “Born to Run” booming out of my radio. I read that Springsteen was finally coming to the UK, and was playing a show in London at Hammersmith Odeon on Tuesday 18th November 1975. Should I go? I wouldn’t usually travel to London to see a guy whose songs I didn’t know. But there seemed to be something special about this guy. The reports I’d read suggested that he was the “new Dylan” with shades of Elvis thrown in for good measure. I talked to my mates. No-one really knew who Springsteen was or fancied going to see him. By then the concert was sold out anyway, but a second concert had been added on the following Monday 24th November 1975. I passed on the first gig, but still kept the idea of going to see him at the second concert alive in my mind. I think I may have read a review of the first show, which was ok. I can’t be sure. Anyway something convinced me that I had to see this guy. That is was going to be something special. So on the Monday morning I decided I would make the 500+ mile round trip to London to try and get into the concert. I didn’t have a ticket, and I knew demand would be high, but hey it wouldn’t do any harm to try. I go the bus to town, bought a day return to London, caught a train to Newcastle, and got on the next train to London. 
As I walked along the street from the tube I could see Hammersmith Odeon. Above the doors the sign proclaimed: “Finally London is ready for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band”. The first thing I noticed was that the posters said that the show didn’t start until 9pm. The time was around 6pm. I’d expected the concert to start at 7.30pm and the late start time worried me. If I did get in, would I make the last train home (which was shortly after midnight). Anyway, I put such concerts to the back of my mind and set about the task of scoring a ticket. I started to talk to the touts outside the venue. “Oh going to be tricky. Yeh, I can get you a ticket but it’ll cost you.” was the answer I got. As the time passed and it got closer to the doors opening around 8pm, I was offered a few tickets. The prices ranged from £20 upwards for a seat, which was a hell of a lot of money at the time, and more that I had with me. Finally one of the tours came up to me. “Are you still looking for a ticket? I have a cheap one here. Its a £1 standing ticket, and you can have it for £10.” That was almost all the money I had, and would leave me just enough for my tube fare back to Kings Cross. So I bought it and entered the venue. There was an air of anticipation in the air. Simon Frith called it “an odd buzz because everyone was expecting something but no one knew what” in Creem (“Casing The Promised Land: Bruce Springsteen at Hammersmith Odeon, Frith, 1975). 
Springsteen and the E Street Band came on stage at 9pm. My ticket allowed me to stand at the back of the stalls, the view wasn’t too bad actually. They started with “Thunder Road”. Bruce had a wooly hat on his head, a casual shirt and a pair of jeans. The first thing that struck me was how tight the band was. The sax player, Clarence Clemons came to the front a lot, recreating the image from the front cover of “Born to Run”. I didn’t know any of the songs, other than “Born to Run” which came quite early in the set, but I’d read enough reviews to recognise some of them, simply by their title. He played some classic covers, including Manfred Mann’s “Pretty Flamingo”. The main set was quite long, fast paced, and very intense throughout. It’s generally recognised that this night was a much better (and longer) performance than the first concert in London the week before, which got quite mixed reviews from the press. Bruce and the band returned for several encores, which just seemed to go and on for ever. During the encores Springsteen took us through his influences, playing classic rock’n’roll by Elvis and Chuck Berry, and the woderful Jackie De Shannon song “When You Walk in the Room”. Bruce and the band were really into the groove by now, and it was hot, tight, stunning. I started to worry about missing the train home. I left at 11.30pm, just as he was finishing. I ran down the road to the tube, jumped on one. I made my train just in time, and it got me back home around 8am, tired, worn out, but with a feeling that I had witnessed something pretty special.
As soon as I had a little money again, I went out and bought “Born to Run” and played it again and again. I was a convert.
Setlist: Thunder Road, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Spirit in the Night, Lost in the Flood, She’s the One, Born to Run; Growin’ Up; It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City; Pretty Flamingo (Manfred Mann cover); Backstreets; Sha La La; Jungleland; Rosalita.
Encore: 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy); Wear My Ring Around Your Neck; For You; When You Walk in the Room; Quarter to Three; Twist and Shout; Carol; Little Queenie
22 Jul
Supertramp Newcastle City Hall 14th October 1977
Supertramp Newcastle City Hall 14th October 1977
I first saw Supertramp when they played as support for Ten Years After at Newcastle City Hall in 1971. It was at the time of their second album “Indelibly Stamped”. The thing I remember most was that the album sleeve was quite controversial for the time, as it featured a picture of the tattooed torso of a woman, including her bare breasts. Apparently two gold stars were pasted over the nipples for the US issue of the lp. The line-up of the band at the time was Roger Hodgson (vocals and guitars), Rick Davies (keyboards and vocals), Dave Winthrop (flute, saxophone, vocals), Frank Farrell (bass) and Kevin Currie (drums). They played a solid set that night, but I’d gone to see TYA, and the truth is I remember little about their performance. I next saw them at the 1975 Reading festival. By this time the band had released “Crime of the Century” and were starting to receive major recognition, particularly for “Dreamer” which reached No 13 in the UK singles chart. I made a point of watching their performance that weekend, and was impressed by them. The band’s line-up had changed quite a bit by then with Hodgson and Davies being the only members remaining from the band I saw in 1971. They were joined by John Helliwell who as well as playing sax, flute and singing also took on the role of addressing the audience and cracking jokes with the crowd, Dougie Thomson (bass) and Bob Siebenberg (drums). 
The next, and last time, I saw Supertramp was at Newcastle City Hall on 14th October 1977. By then they were a major band. They had released two more albums “Crisis? What Crisis?” (1975) and “Even in the Quietest Moments…” (1977), both of which were chart successes. They also hot the UK singles chart with “Give a Little Bit”. Support came from a new artist called Chris De Burgh. Their set is likely to have included: Give a Little Bit, Bloody Well Right, Lady, Dreamer, Give a Little Bit, Bloody Well Right, Sister Moonshine and Crime of the Century. I enjoyed the show, but can’t pretend that I was a big fan. Supertramp went on to even greater success with the “Breakfast in America” album and hits including “”The Logical Song”. I never saw them live again, which I now regret as their music has grown on me over the years, and I realise now how great a band they were. Supertramp last toured a few years ago, although the current line-up does not feature Roger Hodgson, with Davies and Helliwell now fronting the band. I really should try to see Supertramp, and Roger Hodgson, again if/when they next play.
21 Jul
Stretch Middlesbrough Town Hall Crypt December 1975
Stretch Middlesbrough Town Hall Crypt December 1975
The story of Stretch is strange and fascinating. Stretch were fronted by vocalist Elmer Gantry, from Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, who recorded the excellent late ’60s single “Flames”. I first heard “Flames” on the 1968 CBS lp Rock Machine Turns You On, which was the first UK bargain priced sampler album, selling at 14/11 (£0.75), less than half the price of a normal full price lp at the time. “The Rock Machine…it’s the happening sounds of today….”. The album had some great tracks by Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, Moby Grape, Spirit, Taj Mahal, Blood, Sweat and Tears and others. I played it again and again; “Flames” was one of the best tracks on the album, along with Moby Grape’s “Can’t Be So Bad”, and the Zombies “Time of the Season”. Great stuff.
Roll forward six years to 1974 and Elmer Gantry was part of a crazy plan to put together a bogus version of Fleetwood Mac, with the help of Fleetwood Mac manager Clifford Davis and (supposedly) drummer Mick Fleetwood. The plan was for the band, with Mick Fleetwood on drums but no other Mac members, to perform as Fleetwood Mac on a US tour to fulfil an outstanding contract, which the original band were unable to do because several members had left. However, something went wrong and Fleetwood didn’t join the band, denying any knowledge of the plan. The tour went ahead anyway but it was obvious to audiences that this was not the real Fleetwood Mac, and the turnfell apart with later dates cancelled amid threats of legal action. Bass player Paul Martinez is quoted as saying: “Mick Fleetwood pulled out at the last minute claiming not to know who we were!” The band quickly changed into Stretch and guitarist Kirby wrote a song, “Why Did You Do It?”, about the debacle, accusingly pointing a finger at (presumably) Mick Fleetwood: “I’ve been thinking ’bout what you have done to me, The damage is much deeper than you’ll ever see, Hit me like a hammer to my head, I wonder were you pushed or were you led?”
“Why did you do it? Why did you do that thing to me?, Why did you do it? Why did you do that thing to me?, The only one who knows the truth, Man it’s him me and you.”
(Why Did You Do It?, 1975)
“Why Did You Do It” gave Stretch a No. 16 UK hit single in November 1975. I saw the band a month later at this concert at Middlesbrough Town Hall Crypt. The place was packed, and there were a pretty hot rock band. Stretch had just released their first album “Elastique” and the set will have included tracks from that. I also have a vague memory that they may have played “Flames”, but that could well be my memory playing tricks, and wishful thinking. The line-up of Stretch changes quite a bit over the next few years. At the time of this gig it was probably Elmer Gantry (vocals), Kirby (guitar), Roshi (guitar), Paul Martinez (bass; he would go on to play with Robert Plant) and Jim Russell (drums). I also saw Stretch the following year at Newcastle City Hall when they supported Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow on their 1976 Rainbow Rising tour. I recall that they received a great reception that night. Stretch split in 1979. In 2007 Elmer Gantry and Kirby reformed the band.
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