Robert Plant Strange Sensation 21st October Newcastle City Hall 2002
A couple of years after his Priory and Brion outing came to Whitley Bay, Plant was back at Newcastle City Hall with his new band Strange Sensation. The band this time consisted of Plant (vocals), Justin Adams (guitars, gimbri, darbuka), John Baggott (keyboards), Clive Deamer (drums, percussion), Charlie Jones (bass) and ‘Skin” (guitar). Robert had just released his 7th album “Dreamland”, which featured him and Strange Sensation performing covers of blues and rock songs, several of which had been played during the Priory of Brion tour. The album was well received by fans and critics alike and was nominated for two Grammys in 2002 for The Best Rock Album and The Best Male Rock Performance. The programme sums up Plant’s influences: “Plant’s attraction to and affection for the music of Morocco, the Atlas region and beyond, as well as his lifelong leaning towards the psychedelic indo-rock of West Coast USA led to his new collision of styles and colours. The music draws together talent from a broad spectrum of renowned and respected UK musicians, now working together with Plant as the band ‘Strange Sensation.'” Reviews of the time were extremely positive: Hugh Davies wrote (in the Daily Telegraph) of his performance at Glastonbury 2002: “Of the 60 bands performing over the weekend, plant emerged as the most charismatic act”, and Steve Jelbert (the Independent) reviewed a concert at London Astoria: “Best of all is the sincerity of the performance….these are songs he obviously loves and he’s not selling them but sharing them….a refreshing display from a man with nothing to prove.” 
The set at Newcastle was an excellent mix of reworked Zeppelin classics, covers of 60s psych, rock and blues and a smattering of Plant’s recent solo tracks. By the point, almost 20 years into his solo career, Plant was clearly enjoying himself; he had come to terms with his Zeppelin legacy, and wasn’t afraid of reworking those songs that mean so much to us all; he could play some of the songs which influenced him when he was starting out, and he had a respectable catalogue of recent solo material to draw from. Another great concert. Support came from the ever-crazy, and irrepressible, God of Hell Fire, Arthur Brown; another hero of mine whose performance and amazingly strong voice never fails to impress. Setlist: Hey Joe; Four Sticks; Down to the Sea; Morning Dew; Going to California; Hey Hey What Can I Do; Girl from the North County; In the Mood; Celebration Day; Funny In My Mind (I Believe I’m Fixin’ To Die); A House is not a Motel; Tall Cool One; Babe I’m Gonna Leave You. Encore 1: Darkness Darkness; Whole lotta love. Encore 2 : Song To The Siren
Posts Tagged ‘gigs’
15 Feb
Robert Plant Strange Sensation 21st October Newcastle City Hall 2002
14 Feb
The Priory of Brion (Robert Plant) Whitley Bay Dome 8th April 2000
The Priory of Brion (Robert Plant) Whitley Bay Dome 8th April 2000 
Whitley Bay is a seaside resort just outside Newcastle, and the Dome was a disused building in an old amusement funpark; so named because of its domed roof. The Dome played host to a number of concerts around this time. When we heard that Plant was playing there with his band The Priory of Brion, as part of a “secret” club tour, we scrambled to make sure that we got tickets. The place was rammed and Plant and his band were just amazing. It was great to see him so close up in such an intimate setting. The concert consisted of Robert singing some of his favourite old tunes including ’60s classics like Morning Dew, If I Were A Carpenter, and Gloria. The highlights for me were Darkness, Darkness (the classic song from Jesse Colin Young in his days with the Youngbloods) and Donovan’s Season Of The Witch; both of which are among my favourites songs anyway. An amazing night. Perhaps the best time I have seen Plant as a solo artist. The tickets says “Whitley Bay Dome…proudly presents music at its very best..” and it ain’t far wrong. Setlist: Morning Dew, A House is Not A Hotel, If I Were A Carpenter, Darkness, Darkness, Bluebird, Early In The Morning, Think, We’re Gonna Groove, Baby Please Don’t Go, No Regrets, Gloria, Bummer In The Summer, Season of the Witch, Trouble in Mind
13 Feb
Robert Plant Newcastle City Hall 12th December 1990
Robert Plant Newcastle City Hall 12th December 1990
I next saw Robert Plant at Newcastle City Hall in December 1990. This tour was to promote his fifth solo album Manic Nirvana. By now Plant was back into a full-on heavy rock groove, and this album gained mixed reviews at the time; with some critics loving it because it seemed to take him back to his Zep rock roots, and others dissing it for the same reason. The tour programme followed a similar theme, with lots of pictures of Plant the rock god, and Plant the bluesman, and heavy trippy use of psychedelic eastern-influenced graphics and fonts. The programme contains the lyrics to the songs from the new album and an extract (not sure where it is taken from) which talks about bluesman Tommy Johnson, who sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads.
“He said the reason he knowed so much, said he sold hisself to the Devil..I asked him how. He said, ‘If you want to learn how to play anything you want to play and learn how to make songs yourself you take your guitar and you go to where a road crosses that way, where a crossroads is. Get there, be sure to get there just a little ‘fore twelve a clock that night so you’ll know you’ll be there. 
You have your guitar and be playing a piece sitting there by yourself. You have to go by yourself and be sitting there playing a piece. A big black man will walk up there and take your guitar, and he’ll tune it. And then he’ll play a piece and hand it back to you. That’s the way I learned how to play anything I want.”
Plant’s live performances continued to be impressive occasions and this show at the City Hall was no exception. Along with tracks from his solo albums, Robert also played Nobody’s Fault but Mine, Ramble On, Immigrant Song, and Living Loving Maid from Zeppelin days. Great stuff!
Setlist: Watching You; Nobody’s Fault but Mine; Billy’s Revenge; Tie Dye on the Highway; Anniversary; In the Mood; Liars Dance; Ramble On; Mirror in the Bathroom (The Beat cover 🙂 ); Nirvana; Immigrant Song; Hurting Kind (I’ve Got My Eyes on You); Ship of Fools; Living Loving Maid; Tall Cool One
12 Feb
Robert Plant (& Jimmy Page) Knebworth 30th June 1990
Robert Plant (& Jimmy Page) Knebworth 30th June 1990
I next saw Robert Plant as part of a multi-act bill at a massive show at Knebworth Park in 1990. This was the Silver Clef Award Winners Concert and had an amazing line-up including Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard & The Shadows, Tears for Fears, Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, Elton John, Genesis and Status Quo. Pretty strong bill! I won a pair of free tickets in a competition (with KitKat 🙂 ) and Marie and I went down for the weekend. This was a great concert, which deserves a blog post of its own. I’ll save that for another day, and limit my reflections today to Plant’s part of the event. Plant was by now regularly featuring Zeppelin classics as part of his set, alongside his excellent solo material. He played mid-afternoon and was one of the highlights of the day for me, not least because of the venue, which was brought back memories of the last time I had been in that field; for one of the historic Zeppelin gigs, and the surprise appearance of Jimmy Page for the last two songs of Plant’s set. 
“Eleven years after Led Zeppelin’s historic two-night stand at Knebworth in England, Robert Plant returned to the concert grounds for a massive festival that featured sets by Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Genesis, Elton John and Eric Clapton. For his final two songs surprise guest Jimmy Page came out to join Plant on “Wearing and Tearing” and “Rock and Roll.” It was very well received, and a sign of things to come” (Rolling Stone magazine). Setlist: Hurting Kind (I’ve Got My Eyes on You); Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin); Tie Dye on the Highway; Liars Dance; Going to California (Led Zeppelin); Nirvana; Tall Cool One; Misty Mountain Hop (Led Zeppelin); Wearing and Tearing (Led Zeppelin; with Jimmy Page); Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin; with Jimmy Page)
Thanks to John for the image of his signed Page and Plant programme which comes from the 1995 US tour.
11 Feb
Robert Plant Newcastle City Hall 24th March 1988
Robert Plant Newcastle City Hall 24th March 1988
Robert Plant was back on tour in the UK in 1988, calling at Newcastle City Hall again. This time he had a new band, with Doug Boyle on guitar, Chris Blackwell on drums, Phil Johnstone on keyboards and Charlie Jones on bass.
Plant released his fourth album, Now and Zen in February 1988. The album was a return to a blues rock style reminiscent of Zeppelin and even featured Jimmy Page playing guitar on two of the tracks. The single “Tall Cool one” was also released around the same time. The UK tour was named the Non Stop Go tour, and for the first time a few Zeppelin classics were featured as part of the set. For the UK shows Plant played “In the evening”, “Trampled under foot” and “Misty mountain hop”; 
further Zep songs were added as the tour progressed and made its way across to the USA. The Newcastle gig was a great show, I particularly enjoyed it because it was the first time I had seen the old songs performed for some ten years. Support came from the excellent It Bites who were on top form and played the classic “Calling All The Heroes”.
Setlist (something like): Helen of Troy; Little by little; Billy’s revenge; In the evening; In the mood; Heaven Knows; Big log; Dimples; Trampled under foot; Tall cool one; Misty mountain hop; Other arms; Break on through (the Doors classic featured as an encore on several nights of the tour).
Thanks to John for the picture of his poster from the Non Stop Go tour.
10 Feb
Robert Plant Newcastle City Hall 28th November 1983
Robert Plant Newcastle City Hall 28th November 1983
It was the early 1980s. Zeppelin were no more, and Robert Plant began to establish himself as a solo artist. He released two excellent albums: Pictures at Eleven (1982) and The Principle of Moments (1983), both of which had shades of Zeppelin and yet also enabled Plant to forge his own identity. In the Autumn of 1983 he embarked on a full UK tour, calling at Newcastle City Hall in November. Demand was high to see Plant on his first major outing since Zeppelin days, and a second night was added at several venues, including Newcastle. He was also having his first real solo single chart success with the excellent “Big Log”. The line-up of Robert Plant’s band for the 1983 tour was Robbie Blunt (guitar), Jezz Woodroffe (keyboards), Bob Mayo (keyboards), Paul Martinez (bass) and Ritchie Hayward (drums; Phil Collins played on the US leg of the tour). The concert consisted of tracks from Robert’s first two albums. We were all hoping that he would throw in a few Zeppelin classics, but that wasn’t to be. 
This was made clear in the souvenir programme: “Tonight there will be no Slverhead, Black Sabbath, Foreigner, no Little Feat, Adverts [referring to the bands which each of the members had previously played in] or Led Zeppelin. Only music from the last two years and maybe…a medley of our hit [referring to Big Log]”. Never mind; Plant’s solo songs were strong, and his band was excellent, including amazing guitar work by Robbie Blunt, who had been in the very under-rated bands Bronco and Silverhead. The set started with “In The Mood” which had just been released as a single.
Setlist (something like): In the Mood; Pledge Pin; Messin’ With the Mekon; Worse Than Detroit; Thru’ With the Two Step; Other Arms; Horizontal Departure; Moonlight in Samosa; Wreckless Love; Slow Dancer; Like I’ve Never Been Gone; Burning Down One Side; Big Log; Stranger Here… Than Over There; Treat Her Right
“My love is in league with the freeway, Its passion will ride, as the cities fly by, And the tail-lights dissolve, in the coming of night, And the questions in thousands take flight.” (Big Log, Robert Plant, 1983). I loved “Big Log” at the time and still do; it was a very different song, quite distinct in terms of the chart of the time and from Zeppelin music; but I could never figure out what it was about 🙂
At the Hammersmith Odeon show Plant was joined onstage by none other than Jimmy Page for the encore ‘Treat Her Right’.
9 Feb
The Reading Festival 22nd – 24th August 1975
The Reading Festival 22nd – 24th August 1975
The Reading Festival hit its peak of success in the mid ’70s, and the 1975 festival sold out in advance. Although the previous years’ festivals that I had attended all seemed pretty full, you were still able to roll up and pay at the entrance. In 1975 the success of the festival and the draw of bands like Yes and Wishbone Ash ensured the site was completely packed, with hardly any room to be found in the campsites and car parks.
Friday line-up: Stella, Judas Priest, Wally, Kokomo, UFO, Dr Feelgood, Hawkwind. Judas Priest were an up and coming heavy rock band and were gigging constantly, as were UFO. Kokomo were a jazz/rock/funk outfit who were very successful during the ’70s. But the big success of Friday (and arguably the entire weekend) was Dr Feelgood, who were a massive hit with the festival crowd; Wilko and Lee being on red hot form. I was with a couple of guys who had recently become big Feelgood fans; “Back In The Night” had just been released and they were constantly singing it in my ear. “All around visible signs of the Doctor’s now-massive popularity – such as the many home-made banners (“Feelgood”, “Wilko” et al), the rapturous reception, the sea-of-weaving arms” (NME, 1975). “When Dr Feelgood stamped off they had within an hour, transformed this alfresco association into a tiny, sweaty, steaming R&B club. Charisma is too weak a word to describe what the Feelgoods had going for them that night.” (Brian Harrigan, Melody Maker, August 30, 1975). Hawkwind were ok, but it was cold, and they found it difficult to follow the Feelgood’s storming set.
Saturday line-up: Zzebra, SNAFU, Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias, Kursaal Flyers, Thin Lizzy, Alan Stivell, Heavy Metal Kids (billed simply as “Kids” in the programme), Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Supertramp, Yes.
My memories are of Thin Lizzy delivering an excellent set as always; they were gradually building up their own following and would soon break through to become massive; The Heavy Metal Kids being as OTT as ever; and Yes, who were amazing. I must also mention the Kursaal Flyers, who are sadly often forgotten in the history of pub rock; they would hit the charts in the following year with the great pop single: “Little Does She Know” (“I know that she knows that I know she’s two timing me”). Supertramp were on the verge of mega-success; they had hit the charts with “Dreamer” and had a considerable following. I was, and remain, a big Yes fan and their performance at Reading came at a point where the band were at the peak of their success. I recall it being very cold, with epic versions of “Close to the Edge” and “And You and I”, and a great version of “Roundabout” as an encore (very late and off to our tents). A bootleg exists of Yes’ set that night: Sound Chaser; Close To The Edge; And You And I; Awaken; The Gates Of Delirium; I’ve Seen All Good People; Ancient; Long Distance Run Around; Ritual; Roundabout.
Sunday line-up: Joan Armatrading, Babe Ruth, String Driven Thing, Climax Blues Band, Caravan, Soft Machine, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Robin Trower, Wishbone Ash. My memory of Sunday is of Wishbone Ash. Like Yes they were enjoying massive success at the time, and also like Yes they played a set of pure class, with the twin guitars of Andy Powell and Laurie Wisefield soaring through the cool, late Sunday evening.
Our DJs for the weekend were once again John Peel and Jerry Floyd. The weather was cold, with some rain, and the beer can fights were constant throughout the weekend. The festival had always been an organised, carefully planned event, but was becoming even more commercial. The nature of the festival, and its line-up, would transform further in the years which followed; with the emergence of punk and the re-emergence of heavy metal through the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal). Any elements of the jazz festivals of the 60s had also disappeared.
Thanks to BaldBoris for allowing his image of the festival to be used through the WikiMedia Commons licence agreement.
8 Feb
The Battleship Potemkin, Pet Shop Boys , Swan Hunter’s shipyard, Wallsend, 1st May 2006
The Battleship Potemkin, Pet Shop Boys , Swan Hunter’s shipyard, Wallsend, 1st May 2006
In 2003 The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, asked Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys) to write a new score for the film The Battleship Potemkin, and perform it as a free concert in Trafalgar Square. They did so, and have performed the piece several times since, including this performance in the North East, which David and I attended in May 2006. The Battleship Potemkin is a propaganda film that tells the story of the 1905 mutiny of the Russian ship. The film is recognised as a silent classic, and is often cited as one of the greatest films of the period. I attended a film studies course at college; The Battleship Potemkin was one of the films we were shown, and I had to write an essay about it. “Battleship Potemkin is a 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein and produced by Mosfilm. It presents a dramatized version of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin rebelled against their officers of the Tsarist regime. Battleship Potemkin has been called one of the most influential propaganda films of all time, and was named the greatest film of all time at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958.” (Wikipedia). 
On May 1st, 2006, Pet Shop Boys with the Northern Sinfonia performed the music with the film at a special event held at Swan Hunter’s shipyard, Wallsend, and presented by the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative. Tickets were distributed free through a ballot, and 14,000 people attended the event. The music reflected the sombre mood of the film, and used a mixture of electronica and orchestration to provide an appropriate accompaniment to the grainy images shown on the screen. It was a cold evening, and there was quite a wait before Pet Shop Boys and the film started. Then local actor Tim Healy appeared on a raised platform to the left of the stage to introduce the performance. The film’s credits rolled and the music started. This was a very different type of performance for most of the crowd, including me, and fans of Pet Shop Boys who were hoping to hear some of their many hits will have gone home disappointed; indeed we could hardly see the band, as they spent most of the evening hidden behind a screen on the dimly lit stage. 
The music was mostly instrumental, although Pet Shop Boys had composed a few new songs as part of their score. It was very loud in parts, and fitted well with the film and its battle sequences. It was, as it should have been, the film which was the star of the evening. I went with David and we both agreed it was quite a strange, but ultimately fulfilling, experience. The walk down to the shipyard was marked by stickers (showing Pet Shop Boys) on the pavement; I managed to pull one up on the way home, and have pictured it here 🙂 I have also included a picture from the film The Battleship Potemkin, which is now public domain and available thanks to the Wikimedia Commons licence.
NewcastleGateshead Chief Executive Andrew Dixon said when the performance was announced: “This event promises to be an amazing and unforgettable audience experience set against the striking backdrop of one of the region’s most historic and iconic symbols of its industrial roots. To use Swan Hunters as a stage set for one of the most exciting and innovative musical events of 2006 is very fitting.” Sage Gateshead performance director Simon Clugston: “To hear Northern Sinfonia perform the soundtrack to the classic film Battleship Potemkin with the Pet Shop Boys in the apt industrial setting of Swan Hunter’s shipyard will be a night to remember.”
7 Feb
Carl Perkins , Bo Diddley & Matchbox Newcastle City Hall 13th April 1978
Carl Perkins , Bo Diddley & Matchbox Newcastle City Hall 13th April 1978
This was a great concert with performances from two true legends of the first wave of rock’n’roll. First up were Matchbox, who are a rock’n’roll / rockabilly revival band that are still playing today. Matchbox went on to the have hit singles in 1979 and 1980 with “Rockabilly Rebel”, “Buzz Buzz a Diddle It” and “Midnite Dynamos”. Then came Bo Diddley who strutted the stage with his trademark rectangle guitar, playing those classic buzz riffs to the “Bo Diddley beat” like only he could, in tunes like “Who Do You Love” and “Bo Diddley”. From the programme: “Bo Diddley is one of the classic figures in contempary music, ranking alongside such originators as Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters”. 
Headliner Carl Perkins played the classic “Blue Suede Shoes” and a set of rock’n’roll, country and rockabilly. He played an excellent set, with was a little more country than rock. Dressed in a cream suit covered with rhinestones, he was in a every way a cool guy, and had the crowd (which included lots of teds in their full gear) literally rocking in the aisles. From the programme: “Had it not been for a serious car crash, Carl Perkins could have been bigger than Elvis Presley – at least, that’s the opinion of Sun Records’ boss Sam Philiips – the man who discovered them both.” A memorable gig, by two guys from the golden era who were part of the birth of rock music; I won’t see their like again.
6 Feb
Public Image Ltd Newcastle City Hall 1983 and 1986
Public Image Ltd Newcastle City Hall 15th November 1983 and 10th May 1986
I next saw PIL at Newcastle City Hall in 1983. The line-up of the band had changed completely since the early days are now featured John Lydon (vocals); Martin Atkins (drums; I’d seen him a few years earlier in his band Brian Brain); Louis Bernardi (bass); Joseph Guida (guitar) and Arthur Stead (keyboards). By 1983 PIL had released several singles and three albums, including ‘Metal Box’. The set featured a mix of tracks from the albums, the singles and, surprisingly, The Pistols’s ‘Anarchy in the UK’. Gone was the strange discordant band I had seen in 1978; this version of PIL were more of a straight rock band, which was ok in some ways, but disappointing in others. A great show; the crowd went crazy when they played ‘Anarchy’.
Set List: Public image; Low life; Annalisa; Religion; Memories; Solitaire; Flowers of romance; Chant; Anarchy in the UK; This is not a love song; Attack.
Public Image Ltd were back in Newcastle three years later on 10th May 1986. This time the line-up was John Lydon (vocals); the late great John McGeoch (ex Banshees and Magazine, and simply excellent; guitar); Lu Edmonds (ex-Damned and a member of the current PIL line-up; keyboards, guitars); Allan Dias (bass); Bruce Smith (drums). Another great gig. On this occasion I felt that PIL were much truer to the original spirit of the band, partly as a result of John McGeoch’s amazing guitar work. This time they played The Pistols’ classic ‘Pretty Vacant’. Setlist (from a gig in Edinburgh the following evening, but I think Newcastle was similar; I certainly remember them playing Pretty Vacant): Kashmir (I assume this is a different song to the Zeppelin track?); FFF; Annalisa; Fishing; Poptones; Pretty Vacant; Banging the Door; Flowers of Romance; Bags; Tie me to the Length of That; Round; Home; Public Image; Rise; Low Life; World Destruction; Ease.
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