Lou Reed Newcastle City Hall 30th September 1973
In December 1972, having left the Velvet Underground a year or so earlier, Lou Reed released “Transformer”, his seminal album, which was co-produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson. The record, partly through Bowie’s success, introduced Reed to a wider audience, especially in the UK. The hit single “Walk on the Wild Side” came off the album. Bowie said of Lou Reed’s music” “I had never heard anything quite like it. It was a revelation to me.” Reed released his next album: “Berlin” in 1973 and toured the UK on what is sometimes called “The Rock And Roll Animal Tour” to promote it. I remember that Lou was dressed all in black leather, his face covered in make up. The concert was a mix of highs and lows; at times I recall thinking Reed’s performance excellent, at other times in the same show it seemed that he didn’t care at all about the songs he was singing, or the audience. The moment that sticks in my mind most of all came during his performance of the Velvet Underground classic “Heroin”. During the song, Reed wrapped a belt around his arm, and simulated injecting his vein with heroin. Pretty shocking and heavy stuff, but it underlined the lyrics and the scary message of the song. Looking at the songs he played during that tour, it includes songs which were quite new to me at the time, and are now recognised as classics: “Vicous”, “Sweet Jane”, “Waiting for the Man” (always my favourite), “Satellite of Love” and of course “Walk on the Wild Side”. According to records from the time the support act was the Persuasions, an a cappella group from Brooklyn, New York, formed in the mid-1960s. Now I remember seeing the Persuasions at Lincoln Festival in 1972, and being very impressed by them, but I have absolutely no recollection of seeing them at this gig; but hey ho that’s the way my memory is now. Maybe they did play, maybe I was in the bar during their set (quite likely for the time 🙂 ). Lou Reed’s band for the tour: Lou Reed – vocals, guitar; Steve Hunter – guitar; Dick Wagner -guitar; Ray Colcord – organ; Prakash John – bass; Pentti Glan – drums
Based on setlists from the tour, Reed is likely to have played a selection something like this: Vicious (or Sweet Jane); How Do You Think It Feels?; Caroline Says I; I’m Waiting for the Man; Satellite of Love; Walk on the Wild Side; Oh, Jim; Heroin; White Light/White Heat; Rock & Roll (possibly Sister Ray)
I also saw Lou perform at The Who’s Chartlon concert in 1974. By this point he was sporting bright white bleached hair. He again played a mix of his solo stuff and Velvet Underground classics. I deeply regret that I never got to see the Velvet Underground. I did go and see a version of the band when they were due to play at Sunderland Locarno in 1972. I am pretty sure that they didn’t turn up that night. The next time I saw Lou Reed was some 30 years later. I’ll write more about Lou Reed and about that gig in particular tomorrow.
“Said, hey babe, take a walk on the wild side, And the colored girls go, Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo” (Walk on the Wild Side, Lou Reed, 1972). Pure magic.
Posts Tagged ‘gigs’
8 Apr
Lou Reed Newcastle City Hall 30th September 1973
7 Apr
REM London Hammersmith Apollo 19 February 2005
REM London Hammersmith Apollo 19 February 2005
I was late getting into REM, and didn’t go to see them until 2005. By then drummer Bill Berry had left the band and they were a core three piece of Peter Buck on guitar, Mike Mills on bass and Michael Stipe on vocals. Their 2005 word tour was to promote their 13th album “Around the Sun”. The tour called at arenas and during the summer reached massive outdoor venues, including an appearance in Hyde Park. Marie and I went to this intimate show at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. For this tour, Stipe adopted wore a green greasepaint ring circling his head around his eyes, resembling the Green Lantern’s mask and also a blindfold. The stage show consisted of dozens of light tubes hanging above the band, displaying several colour-changes as the concert progressed: yellow for “Everybody Hurts”, and red for “Losing My Religion” in front of plates which produced a backdrop of sparks and flashes. The set was a mix of new songs and classics, with a seven song encore. A great concert, I shouldn’t have left it so long to go and see REM. 
Setlist: I Took Your Name; Animal; Undertow; The Outsiders; 7 Chinese Bros; High Speed Train; Everybody Hurts; Electron Blue; Leaving New York; I’ve Been High; Departure; Orange Crush; I Wanted to Be Wrong; Final Straw; Imitation of Life; The One I Love; Walk Unafraid; Losing My Religion. Encore: What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?; Bad Day; Sweetness Follows; Swan Swan H; Electrolite; I’m Gonna DJ; Man on the Moon.
We also saw REM play a brief set in London’s Hyde Park as part Live 8, and had tickets for their show in Hyde Park that summer. Their Hyde Park concert was postponed because of the 2005 London bombings, and we couldn’t make the new date for some reason (I don’t recall what) and obtained a refund, missing the gig. REM are sadly missed from the music scene; a great band.
6 Apr
Rip Rig and Panic Newcastle University 30th January 1982
Rip Rig and Panic Newcastle University 30th January 1982
Doing my daily blog is teaching me a hell of a lot about rock music, and refreshing my memories about the bands I have been to see. Today is a good example. I remember seeing Rip Rig and Panic at Newcastle University students union in early 1982, but have to admit to remembering very little about their performance. They performed on a Saturday night, and Marie and I were just as likely to be found in the bar as in the ballroom. I would always watch some of the band’s set, and recall Rip Rig and Panic as being an energetic band fronted by a great female lead singer, with lots of members dancing around on stage and loads of jazzy rhythms. What I had forgotten was that the lead singer was Neneh Cherry, and that the band had in part spun out of the Pop Group. Neneh would have been known to me at the time as the step-daughter of American jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, who I had seen touring with The Slits. Rip Rig + Panic were a post-punk band, founded in 1981. They had a short career, breaking up in 1983, and took their name from a 1965 Roland Kirk album. Their line-up was Sean Oliver (bass), Mark Springer (piano, sax, vocals), Gareth Sager (guitar, sax, keyboards, vocals), Bruce Smith (drums, percussion), Neneh Cherry (vocals), Flash (saxophone), Andrea Oliver (vocals), David De Fries (trumpet) and Sarah Sarhandi (viola). Rip Rig and Panic’s music mixed avantgarde elements with jazz, led by Cherry’s great pop/soul singing. Don Cherry guested on some of their recordings. They had very positive reviews from the music press at the time, which prompted me to go and see this gig. Neneh Cherry had briefly been a member of The Slits, and of course she went on to massive success, starting with her single “Buffalo Stance”. She grew up in a musical family, and said she found her voice singing along with Poly Styrene from X-Ray Spex: “Music was always there, it was like food in my house. But in my home I had never really found my own thing. I really identified with Poly, the voice. Culturally, she was mixed. I recognized her when I looked at her. One day I was singing along to their records, Germfree Adolescents or Oh Bondage Up Yours!, but I found my voice. And I’ll never forget it happening.” Cherry remembers singing with her dad, Don Cherry, in the voice she had found. “Oh look, I have a voice, it’s been born. It was like an ejection, like a release button. It was like, here you go, do your own thing.” (Wikipedia).
5 Apr
Celebrating Jon Lord The Royal Albert Hall 4th April 2014
Celebrating Jon Lord The Royal Albert Hall 4th April 2014
I am sitting on the 07.00 train from Kings Cross to Newcastle as I write this. Last night I spent the evening with a group of musicians, from the worlds of both classical and rock, and fans who had travelled from around the globe to celebrate the music of Jon Lord. The event was held in the majestic Royal Albert Hall, a venue in which Lord performed many times, and where he premiered his concerto for group and orchestra with Deep Purple some 45 years ago.
As we arrived in the hall, we were greeted by two large video screens on either side of the stage, showing images of Jon. I had a seat on the arena floor, a few rows from the front, to the left of stage centre. A great view.
The evening had been organised by The Sunflower Jam on behalf of the Jon Lord Fellowship for cancer research. The Sunflower Jam is a charity led by Jacky Paice (wife of Ian Paice and twin sister of Jon Lord’s wife Vicky Lord), which organises annual events at the Albert Hall.
The event started promptly at the advertised time of 19.30 with our host Bob Harris welcoming us and introducing the concert. This was an evening of music, celebration and emotion, which started with Ian Paice accompanying his sister-in-law Vicky Lord on stage, for Vicky to say a few words about Jon. The first half of the concert was devoted to Lord’s solo and orchestral compositions and featured the Orion Orchestra conducted by Paul Mann, and our house band of the evening of Murray Gould, Neil Murray, Jerry Brown, Paul Wichens and Nigel Hopkins. The first piece was “Durham Awakes” from the “Durham Concerto” featuring Kathryn Tickell on Northumbrian pipes. This was followed by Steve Balsamo on vocals and Anna Phoebe on violin accompanied by Mickey Moody on guitar, performing “All Those Years”. 
Then Miller Anderson gave a moving reading of “Pictured Within”. This was followed by Rick Wakeman leading the band in music from “Sarabande” and Margo Buchanan singing “One From The Meadow”. Finally, the first half of the concert closed with Jeremy Irons elegant reading of Thomas Hardy’s “Afterwards”, accompanied by Paul Mann on piano. There was a lot of material that I wasn’t familiar with in the first half of the show; it was good to experience something new and different, performed perfectly and beautifully by a group of musicians who were all there to celebrate the diversity of Jon Lord’s compositions. Bob Harris returned and told us that after the interval “we are going to rock” 🙂 It was 20.45.
The second part of the evening started at 21.10 with Joe Brown, ever the cheeky cockney, who entertained us with a few quips and then introduced Paul Weller. Mod Weller took us back to the ’60s performing two tracks from Jon’s first band The Artwoods. These were fine slabs of Motownish white soul R’n’B: “Things Get Better” and “I Take What I Want”. Great stuff.
Next we were treated to a couple of Paice, Ashton and Lord songs “Silas & Jerome” and “I’m Gonna Stop Drinking” led by the amazing vocalist Phil Campbell, and great blues guitar of Bernie Marsden. Phil is a relatively new vocalist from Scotland and is straight out of the mould of Rod Stewart/Joe Cocker/Chris Robinson. Just perfect wild raucous singing and the right amount of rock’n’roll swagger. Check him out. The high point of the evening (so far). Steve Balsamo and Sandi Thom then performed a beautiful version of the haunting classic “Soldier of Fortune”.
Nothing could have prepared any of us for what came next, which was an amazing performance by Bruce Dickinson and particularly Glen Hughes. They started with “You Keep On Moving”, which was great enough, but then they took the roof of the place with an incendiary version of “Burn”. Everyone on their feet, the two of them sparring vocally, both out-singing each other with their tremendous outstanding vocal ranges. Sorry for all the superlatives, but it was that good. A hall full of old guys punching the air and rocking. 
Hughes was incredible. It took me back to the time I saw Purple Mk III on the Burn tour. I was struck that night (can it really be 40 years ago?) by Hughes’ over the top performance and his soulful soaring vocals. Last night he was strutting and stalking around the stage, bass aloft, wrestling ever ounce of soul and emotion out of his voice. I have never seen a performance like it; at times he was on his knees, tears running down his cheeks. Yes it was over the top, but you just knew that the guy went out last night determined to deliver the performance of his life, and that he felt and meant every word of it. Electric, and a privilege to experience. Glen Hughes closed this segment of the show with “This Time Around”, which he explained was the only song he wrote with Jon Lord.
Finally it was left to Deep Purple to close the evening, which they did with great style performing a short set of “Uncommon Man”, “Above And Beyond”, “Lazy” (with Bentley Kline on violin sparring with Don Airey on keyboards), the beautiful blues of “When A Blind Man Cries”, the cooking rhythms of “Perfect Strangers” and closing with (what else) a rocking “Black Night” with all of us singing along. Then everyone joined Purple on stage for an encore of “Hush”. Lots of “Nah Nah Nah Nah”s from the stage and the floor. It just doesn’t get much better. For over three and a half hours we were well reminded just how great a musician, composer and man Lord was. RIP Jon Lord.
The Performers
Host: Bob Harris
Deep Purple: Ian Gillan (vocals), Steve Morse (guitar), Ian Paice (drums), Roger Glover (bass), Don Airey (keyboards).
The Orion Orchestra conducted by Paul Mann.
House band: Murray Gould – guitar, Jerry Brown – drums, Neil Murray – bass, Paul Wichens – keyboards, Nigel Hopkins – piano.
Guests: Miller Anderson – vocals, Steve Balsamo – vocals, Joe Brown – jokes and cockney twang, Margo Buchanan – vocals, Phil Campbell – vocals, Bruce Dickinson – vocals, Nick Fyffe – bass, Glenn Hughes – vocals/bass, Bentley Kline – violin, Paul Mann – piano, Bernie Marsden – guitar, tMickey Moody – guitar, Anna Phoebe – violin, Sandi Thom – vocals, Kathryn Tickell – Northumbrian pipes, Rick Wakeman – keyboards, Paul Weller – vocals/guitar
Postscript
It was truly an amazing night. However, I have to say that I came away feeling a few things were missing. First, Blackmore and Coverdale. Now we all knew Blackmore was never going to attend, but some of us lived in a vain hope that past issues might have been forgotten, and that he may have made an appearance. On the other hand, it is of course up to him how he wishes to remember Lord, and his new song in Jon’s memory sees a return to his old style. I understand Coverdale couldn’t make it; again a big miss. I also expected to hear some of the “Concerto”, particularly given the occasion and the venue. A strange omission. And finally I had hoped for “Child in Time”. I know Purple don’t play it any more, but a version by the house band with a guest vocalist might have been possible. Sorry to niggle about what was an incredible event.
The images are all photographed from the concert programme.
4 Apr
Mick Ronson Newcastle City Hall 13th Aprl 1974
Mick Ronson Newcastle City Hall 13th Aprl 1974
After David Bowie disbanded the Spiders from Mars, his management saw Mick Ronson as a potential new pop star. “A lot of people thought that Mick Ronson was going to take over from where Bowie was kind of letting it go. ‘Cos he was always prettier and more talented. He had a huge following of fans. De Fries thought he was his next star.” (Leee Black Childers). Ronson released an album “Slaughter on 10th Avenue”, and a few singles: the excellent instrumental album title “Slaughter”, a cover of Elvis’ “Love Me Tender” and the very Bowie-ish “Billy Porter” (straight from Bowie’s 60s “London Boys” period). He also went out on tour to promote the album, starting with two appearances at the Rainbow Theatre in London in February 1974. Ronson’s band featured Mark Carr Pritchard on guitar (Mark was a member of Bowie’s side project Arnold Corns), fellow Spider Trevor Bolder on bass, Ritchie Dharma on drums, ex Aladdin Sane pianist Mike Garson on keyboards, Thunderthighs on backing vocals (Thunderthighs were famous backing singers who featured on Mott the Hoople singles and Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side”, and also went on to have some success of their own), and a 5 piece brass and woodwind section. I think the woodwind section appeared only at the Rainbow show. The tour gained mixed reviews and attendance was patchy so plans for extending the tour were quickly abandoned. In September he joined Mott the Hoople and then went on to join Ian Hunter in Hunter Ronson. Mick himself admitted that he didn’t feel entirely comfortable as a front man: “I decided that solo vocal projects for me weren’t quite right. I felt uncomfortable singing as I didn’t quite believe in what I was singing. So I decided to knock my recording career on the head.” (Mick Ronson).
I saw the Newcastle gig of the tour. It was reasonably well attended, and loved the track “Slaughter on 10th Avenue”. I remember that he played most of the album, and everyone sat applauding politely. Then towards the end; I think it may have been the last song or the first encore, he played “Moonage Daydream” and the place went crazy. Everyone, including me and my mates, ran down to the front of the stage. It reminded us how great those Ziggy shows had been, and was amazing. I have the tour material which, rather than a programme is a folder containing promo photos of Mick (as a teen pin-up 🙂 ), a poster, and a flyer inviting me to join his fan club.
A recording of the Sheffield gig of the tour shows the setlist as: I’m The One; Leave My Heart Alone; Growing Up And I’m Fine; Only After Dark; Angel #9; Hey Ma Get Papa; The Music is Lethal; Maker; Love Me Tender; Pleasure Man; Woman; Slaughter on 10th Ave.; Moonage Daydream. Encore: Girl Can’t Help It; Something To Say; White Light White Heat. I would guess that the Newcastle show will have been similar. Mick Ronson was a great talent, an amazing guitarist, a cool guy and a big part of the Ziggy phenomenon. Sadly missed.
3 Apr
Renaissance Newcastle City Hall 20th September 1978
Renaissance Newcastle City Hall 20th September 1978
Renaissance originally rose from the ashes of the Yardbirds, formed by Keith Relf and Jim McCarty with Keith’s sister Jane Relf on vocals. The idea was to form a progressive rock band drawing heavily from classical influences. The line-up soon changed completely with Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford joining in the early 1970s; this heralded the most successful period of their career with music which fused folk rock with classical. By the time of this concert at Newcastle City Hall in 1978 the line-up of Renaissance was Annie Haslam – lead vocals, Jon Camp – bass, John Tout – piano, Michael Dunford – guitar, and Terrance Sullivan – drums. 
It was at this time that Renaissance scored a hit single in Britain with “Northern Lights”, which reached No. 10 during the summer of 1978. The single was taken from the album “A Song for All Seasons”. Renaissance are a vastly under-rated and largely forgotten band. Annie Haslam has an excellent voice with a tremendous range, and their albums contain some epic prog rock classics. I found a setlist from 1978 (although not from this gig): Can you hear me?; Carpet of the sun; Things I don’t understand; Northern lights; Mother Russia; Day of the dreamer; Midas man; The vultures fly high; Running hard; Song for all seasons; Prologue; Ashes are burning. Renaissance have reformed on a couple of occasions, based around the core of Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford, who sadly passed a couple of years ago. Annie Haslam continues to lead the band.
2 Apr
B A Robertson Newcastle City Hall 13th April 1980
B A Robertson Newcastle City Hall 13th April 1980
“OK.- So I’ve had a couple of hit singles (Bang Bang – Know what I mean?!!), done 2 or 3 radio shows and been on the telly – Top of the Pops. Whoopee!! But I don’t know what I’ll be like “live” any more than you. – Fancy coming along to find out? It’ll be a drag if there’s more of me on stage than you in the audience. Maybe together we could “Knock it off”? 🙂 (Opps sorry man). Stay Kool, Luv. B A. (sing the above to the tune of “We’ll Meet Again”). Sentimentality Rools OK?” (B A Robertson tour programme, 1980). “Initial Success” The Album coming soon. “Kool in the Kaftan” The single out now. (Also from the programme).
Not sure whether this is a guilty pleasure or not. I’d all but forgotten about this gig. One of the great things about writing this blog is that it reminds me of concerts that lie long forgotten somewhere in the depths of my fading memory. Another great thing is that it encourages me to read a bit about each act. Now all I remembered about B A Robertson until yesterday was the great fun single “Bang Bang”, which I though was pretty cool at the time; in a quirky sort of way. But a little googling and I find that he had a few more hits (including “Knocked it off” and the above mentioned “Kool in the Kaftan” which was out at the time of this concert; of course now I remember).
And he had a hit with an excellent cover of the equally excellent P J Proby’s “Hold Me”, on which he dueted with the wonderful Maggie Bell. I’d forgotten about that song too, until I saw Maggie Bell perform it with Pete Barton of the Animals a few weeks ago (and good it was then, and now, too). I’ve just watched “Bang Bang” and “Hold Me” on YouTube. Top of the Pops really was great, wasn’t it. Today I also discovered that B A Robertson wrote some hits for Cliff Richard and “The Living Years” for Mike and the Mechanics. Quite an accomplished guy. Now back to this concert. My ever-fading memory tells me that it was good, harmless pop fun, and also that it wasn’t particularly well attended. But there wasn’t more of B A on stage than us in the audience, as B A had feared.
I’ve decided that it isn’t a guilty pleasure after all, and that B A is a cool guy. Bang Bang. 🙂
1 Apr
Chris Rea in the 70s, Redcar 1983 and Newcastle 2006
Chris Rea Redcar Coatham Bowl 6th March 1983 and Newcastle City Hall 5th April 2006
Chris Rea was quite a well known figure on the North East music scene during the late 70s. Chris was born in Middlesbrough, his family owned an ice cream factory and ran 21 cafés around Teesside. He played in local bands and went solo in 1978. I first came across Chris Rea when I saw him as the support act for Lindisfarne on a couple of occasions at Newcastle City Hall. I would also often see him and his pals at gigs in Middlesborough Rock Garden and the Town Hall. You could easily spot them as they would all be wearing jackets which displayed the phrase “Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?” across their backs. This was the title of Chris’ debut album, and the name that the record company wanted him to use, instead of his own. I recall seeing their jackets, and wondering whi Benny Santini was 🙂 Then I became aware of the single “Fool (if you think it’s over)” which was a big hit for Elkie Brooks. After the Lindisfarne gigs the next time I saw Chris in concert was at a packed home-coming gig at Redcar Coatham bowl. He was on great form that evening, and the local crowd gave him an amazing reception. 
In the years that followed Chris went on to major stardom, and massive hits such as “Road to Hell”. Chris became very ill with cancer in 2001, and underwent a series of operations. He recovered and returned in 2005. The next time I saw him live was on his “farewell tour” in 2006, when it called at Newcastle City Hall. He had just released a CD set celebrating the blues, and the show was a mix of blues classics, tracks from Chris’ massive back catalogue and, of course, his hits. My tickets for that gig never arrived in the post, and I had to collect the hand written ticket pictured here at the door. Chris Rea is a versatile artist, a great songwriter, and a pretty nifty guitarist to boot. Although his 2006 tour was billed as a farewell, he has toured since then. A setlist from 2006: Jazzy Blue; That’s the Way It Goes; Where the Blues Come From; Josephine; Work Gang; Head Out on the Highway; Easy Rider; ‘Til the Morning Sun Shines on My Love and Me; Stony Road; KKK Blues; Julia; Stainsby Girls; Somewhere Between Highway 61 & 49; I Can Hear Your Heartbeat; The Road to Hell; On the Beach; Let’s Dance; Fool (If You Think It’s Over)
31 Mar
Terry Reid Sage Gateshead 25th November 2005
Terry Reid Sage Gateshead 25th November 2005
Aretha Franklin once famously said: “There are only three things happening in England: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Terry Reid.” Terry Reid, he of the Superlungs, he who turned down the job in Jimmy Page’s New Yardbirds soon-to-be Led Zeppelin, he of the amazing soulful voice. Just listen to some of his early stuff: “Stay with me baby”, “Bang Bang”, “Rich Kid Blues”, “Hand don’t Fit the Glove” and “Season on the Witch”. The guy just oozed passion, and sang on the edge, squeezing every inch of his soul through his performance. His voice and performance in the mid to late 60s matched that of other great rock and soul singers of the time such as Steve Marriott, Robert Plant, Eric Burdon and Joe Cocker. Terry Reid was someone who I’d always wanted to see in concert. I never got to see him in the early days, and he decamped to the USA in the early 70s, and became a very infrequent visitor to his home country. However, in 2005 he came over to play Glastonbury, and started to gig over here again. He has continued to come over every year or so since. I finally got to see Terry play at The Sage Gateshead in 2005. 
I was really looking forward to the gig, wondering how a modern Terry would approach his songs. The performance was interesting to say the least. Terry seemed the worse for wear, and must have had (more than) a drink or two before he took to the stage. At times he seemed close to falling over. The performance veered from the shambolic to the brilliant. Some of the audience gave up on Terry early in the set, and a few demanded their money back (yes it was that shambolic at times). I think they were given a refund, and they left during the first half of the set. Those of us who stayed were treated to an honest, passionate, right-on-the-edge performance of a man who still has charisma and sings with a passion, authenticity and honesty that is seldom seen. I understand that several of his performances of this period were of a similar nature, but recent reports that I have read suggest that he is in better shape these days.
29 Mar
Red Hot Chili Peppers Edinburgh Murrayfield Stadium 13th June 2004
Red Hot Chili Peppers Edinburgh Murrayfield Stadium 13th June 2004
Support from N.E.R.D and Ash
I quite fancied seeing what the Red Hot Chili Peppers were like in concert, so when they toured the UK in 2004, David and I went along to see their concert at the massive Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. By this point in their career the Chili Peppers were mega-big; their UK tour included massive (and sold-out) open-air shows in Hyde Park, Manchester Stadium and Cardiff Millennium Stadium. The Hyde Park gig was recorded for a live album. I was late buying tickets, and all I could manage to get was a couple of single seats a row apart, right up the back of the stadium. We drove up to Edinburgh on a nice warm Sunday afternoon, arriving just as the first support act Ash were finishing their set. The second support were N.E.R.D. featuring the (now very famous of course) front man Pharrell Williams, who got the crowd up and chearing, and were pretty good. The Chili Peppers came on stage quite early perhaps 8pm; it was certainly still light throughout their set. They played a set which drew from throughout their career and got a pretty good reaction from the crowd, but the sound was very murky where we sitting. Their friend, Johnny Ramone, hadn’t been well (and sadly passed shorty after this tour), so guitarist John Frusciante phoned Johnny at home from the stage.
We were all asked to shout “Johnny, we love you!” as loudly as possible, which of course we did. A nice moment and for me the best bit of the show, and one of the only points where the band really engaged with the crowd. It was the same day as England were playing France in Euro 2004, and towards the end of their set, Flea announced the result from the stage: “We have some news for you…France have just kicked the shit out of England.” Cue a big cheer from the Scottish crowd. We managed to make our way down to the pitch area during the encores, and the sound was much clearer. A good show, but by no means amazing, and I would suspect not one of the Chili Peppers better gigs. Setlist: Can’t Stop; Around the World; I Feel Love (Donna Summer cover); Scar Tissue; By the Way; Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl); Otherside; Easily; The Zephyr Song; Get on Top; Fortune Faded; Throw Away Your Television; I Like Dirt; Leverage of Space; Californication; Right on Time; Parallel Universe. Encore: Drum & Trumpet Jam; Under the Bridge; Black Cross; Give It Away
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