Elton John, Beach Boys, Eagles Wembley Stadium June 1975 
Line-up (pretty great actually): Elton John, The Beach Boys, Eagles, Joe Walsh, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Stackridge, DJ and compere Johnnie Walker. This was a big gig for Elton John. He had just changed his band, with only Davey Johnstone remained from the previous line-up, and was about to release a new album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. I went down to London with a couple of mates and we stayed at a friend’s flat in Acton. We spent a couple of days in the capital before the concert and went to see Ducks Deluxe at the Marquee club, which was pretty good fun, except one of our party took ill and we spent half the night in hospital. The Wembley concert had an amazing line-up with Stackridge opening the day, Mutter Slater on his usual top form. Next up were Rufus who featured Chaka Khan, and delivered some funky soul rhythms. The rest of the bill featured Joe Walsh (Rocky Mountain Way was a big crowd favourite) and then the Eagles who performed all their hits and were joined by Jackson Brown on piano for Take it Easy. But the day belonged to one band: the Beach Boys who transformed the London stadium into sunny California and had us singing along to endless hit after hit. They went down a storm and Elton had a lot to live up to. 
This was one day when Elton made the wrong call. He decided to devote the majority of the set to playing the new Captain Fantastic album in its entirety. Now remember the album had only just been released and most of the crowd won’t have known any of the track. This didn’t go down well with the crowd, who were up for a greatest hit set, particularly after the Fun Fun Fun of the Beach Boys. People started to leave the stadium in their droves, including us. We made our way back to Acton where a couple of the flatmates were having a domestic. We decided to avoid that and set off on our 250 mile drive home, getting back in the early hours of the next morning. Setlist: Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding; Rocket Man; Candle in the Wind; The Bitch Is Back; Dixie Lily; Philadelphia Freedom; Chameleon; Bennie and the Jets; Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds; I Saw Her Standing There; Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy; Tower of Babel; Bitter Fingers; Tell Me When the Whistle Blows; Someone Saved My Life Tonight; (Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket; Better Off Dead; Writing; We All Fall in Love Sometimes; Curtains; Pinball Wizard; Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
Posts Tagged ‘gigs’
24 Jun
Elton John, Beach Boys, Eagles Wembley Stadium June 1975
23 Jun
Elton John Newcastle City Hall 31st August 1972
Elton John Newcastle City Hall 31st August 1972
I first saw Elton John in concert at Newcastle City Hall on 31st August 1972. Support came from Linda Lewis. Elton had already had big success that year with Rocket Man which reached No 2 in the charts. Crocodile Rock was soon to be released and would be another major hit for him. Elton was just great that night with his usual mixture of piano-based ballads, and full-on band rockers. Favourites of mine at the time were Rocket Man, Your Song, and Border Song. I first remember hearing Elton when Lady Samantha was played a lot on the radio in 1969. That song remains a favourite of mine to this day and really deserved to be a hit at the time. I’ve followed Elton John ever since those days, not making absolutely ever tour, but he is someone I have always returned to. I’ve seen him 14 times over the years and will reflect on those concerts over the next week or so. Support Linda Lewis is worth a mention too. She supported a lot of acts in the early 70s, and played at the Reading festival. She was building up a following, and hit the charts the following year with “Rock-a-Doodle-Doo”.
22 Jun
Tom Jones Newcastle Arena 2000
Tom Jones Newcastle Arena 2000
I’ve only ever seen Tom Jones once in concert, at Newcastle Arena in November 2000. I have, however, always rated him as a great R&B vocalist, and have all his early 1960s albums on vinyl. I went along to see Tom with Marie and we arrived late for this gig, as earlier in the evening we went along to see Laura perform at a school concert. There was no support; with Tom performing two sets, and we arrived during the interval, missing his first spot. Tom is at his best when he is singing the blues and those great 60s hits, such as Green Green Grass of Home, Its Not Unusual, and Delilah. 
Setlist was something like: Turn on Your Love Light; Burning Down the House; Ain’t That a Lot of Love; With These Hands; Delilah; She’s a Lady; Hard to Handle; Sometimes We Cry; Motherless Child; Flat Broke And Boosted; Shakey Ground; If I Only Knew; Mama Told Me Not to Come. Interval. Set Two: Give Me One Reason; I’m Never Gonna Fall In Love Again; Walking In Memphis; Green, Green Grass of Home; What’s New Pussycat?; You Can Leave Your Hat On; Midnight Hour; Hold on, I’m Coming; It’s Not Unusual. Encore: Are You Gonna Go My Way; Kiss; Sexbomb. Tom was in great voice and the crowd (mainly ladies of a certain age) all sang along and had a great time. The gig seems like yesterday, although it was thirteen years ago. Tom, of course, continues to perform and is as popular as ever. I’ll be watching him and Team Tom on the voice tonight 🙂
20 Jun
Billy Joel Newcastle City Hall 1979
Billy Joel Newcastle City Hall 1979
I’ve only seen Billy Joel once in concert, when he played Newcastle City Hall in 1979 on the 52nd Street tour of Europe. By the time he came to tour the UK for this, his first time, Billy was a seasoned performer and had released six albums, including the acclaimed “The Stranger” in 1977. He had also hit the singles chart with Movin’ Out, The Piano Man, Just the Way You Are, My Life, and She’s Always a Woman. Check out the picture of that young guy holding a trumpet on the front cover of the tour programme 🙂 
It was during this tour that: “in a hotel room in Paris, Billy received a middle of the night transatlantic phone call informing him that Just The Way You Are had captured “Record Of The Year,” and “Song of The Year,” giving Billy his first two Grammy Awards” (Wiki). I went along to the gig with my friend Ian, and we both enjoyed seeing the piano man sing and play his songs in the intimate setting of the City Hall. Mega stardom was to come a few years later with Uptown Girl. Setlist: The Stranger; Zanzibar; Stiletto; Vienna; My Life; New York State of Mind; Captain Jack; Movin’ Out; Until the Night; Only the Good Die Young; Miami 2017; Big Shot; Just the Way You Are; Rosalinda’s Eyes; She’s Always a Woman; Honesty; The Ballad of Billy the Kid; Piano Man; Scenes From an Italian Restaurant; 52nd Street.
19 Jun
The Jags Redcar Coatham Bowl 1979
The Jags Redcar Coatham Bowl Sunday 28th October 1979
I went with a group of mates to this gig. We often drove down to Redcar on a Sunday night for concerts in the late 70s. The Jags were a new wave, cum mod, cum power pop, band who hit the charts with “Back of my Hand” (I’ve got your number, written on the back of my hand). That song, which is pretty catchy and very Elvis Costelloish, is the only thing I remember about this band. They dressed in sharp suits and the lead guitarist / singer played a Fender Telecaster. The gig at Redcar was good, as I recall, but the most memorable thing of the night, which sticks in my mind to this day, was the guitarist hitting someone down in the front of the crowd over the head with his guitar. I think the guy was either heckling him or spitting, not sure which, but he really whacked him with theat guitar! We all thought it great fun at the time, but I’m not sure the guy who was hit would have agreed. I also saw the Jags play at the Reading festival in the same year.
18 Jun
Judas Priest Newcastle Arena 2005
Judas Priest Newcastle Arena 2005
The Angel Of Retribution tour
After a (too long) gap of over 20 years since I last saw Judas Priest in concert, I decided it was about time to see them again. In between that time Rob Halford has left and rejoined the band, so this 2005 outing was a sort of reunion tour. I went along with a group of mates, all of whom were seriously into Priest, and David came along for the ride. The Arena was by no means full, but the crowd size was respectable; Newcastle was always a metal stronghold and many people still had a soft spot for this band. The stage set was quite spectacular, and the show started with Rob Halford being hoisted down onto the stage to join the rest of the band. The show featured lots of Halford costume changes, and (of course) towards the end of the set Rob rode on stage wearing a huge leather coat, riding his Harley Davidson. This was pure heavy metal (and very tongue in cheek) theatre, and although the sound and atmosphere at the arena can never touch that of the City Hall, the spectacle and scale of the show certainly made up for it. 
Special guest for the tour were The Scorpions, another band who I hadn’t seen for a long time. My favourite Scorpions song has always been Loving You Sunday Morning, which they played that night. Judas Priest setlist: Electric Eye; Metal Gods; Riding on the Wind; The Ripper; A Touch of Evil; Judas Rising; Revolution; Hot Rockin’; Breaking the Law; I’m a Rocker; Diamonds & Rust; Deal With the Devil; Beyond the Realms of Death; Turbo Lover; Hellrider; Victim of Changes; The Green Manalishi; Painkiller; Hell Bent for Leather; Living After Midnight; You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’. It was great to hear old favourites like The Ripper and Victim of Changes again, and the Priest remained as impressive as ever live. David isn’t into heavy metal at all, and found it all a little too over the top.
17 Jun
Judas Priest Newcastle City Hall 1983
Judas Priest Newcastle City Hall 1983
Judas Priest returned to Newcastle City Hall in December 1983, two years after their last appearance at the venue. Support this time came from Quiet Riot, an American heavy metal band, who had just released a great cover of Slade’s “Cum On Feel the Noize.” Priest were by now mega successful in the USA. Earlier in the year they had played for over 300,000 heavy rock fans at the “US Festival”, alongside Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, The Scorpions and Van Halen. Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe said of the event: “It was the day new wave died and rock n’ roll took over” [from Wiki]. The event set the single-day concert attendance record for the US. 
Setlist from the 1983 tour: Electric Eye; Riding on the Wind; Grinder; Metal Gods; Bloodstone; Breaking the Law; Sinner; Desert Plains; The Ripper; Freewheel Burning; Screaming for Vengeance; You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’; Victim of Changes; Living After Midnight; The Green Manalishi; Hell Bent for Leather.
This was once again a great performance by Judas Priest, and was in fact the last time that I saw them in concert for over 20 years. As their success in the USA grew, their visits to the UK were less frequent. They did play at the City Hall a couple of more times in the late 80s and early 90s, but I foolishly missed those gigs. I’ll write on the next time I saw Priest, which was in 2005, tomorrow.
16 Jun
Judas Priest Newcastle City Hall 1981
Judas Priest Newcastle City Hall 1981
The Priest continued to spread metal mayhem across the globe, but also remained true to the home crowd, and returned for another full UK tour in 1981. The “World Wide Blitz” Tour, which was in support of their Point of Entry album, called at Newcastle City Hall on 18th November 1981, and I went along with a group of mates to marvel at our leather-clad heroes. By now tracks from British Steel were part of the set, so we were treated to classics such as Breaking the Law, and Living After Midnight, as well as old favourites Sinner, Beyond the Realms of Death and their excellent, and very dark, cover of Green Manalishi. This was classic Priest at their very best; they were now a massively successful heavy rock act, and were building up a big following in the USA and Japan.
From this tour on, Priest’s visits to the UK would become less frequent, as they started to concentrate on touring the US and other parts of the world. But for now, these guys were our metal heroes, and never failed to blow us away in concert. I can picture Rob now, commanding the stage, screaming out the vocals, flanked by KK Downing and Glen Tipton with their guitars flashing and swinging about. Great stuff! A typical setlist from the 1981 tour: Solar Angels; Heading out to the Highway; Diamonds & Rust; Hell Bent for Leather; Breaking the Law; Sinner; Beyond the Realms of Death; Grinder; Desert Plains; Hot Rockin’; You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise; Victim of Changes; The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown). Encores: Living After Midnight; Tyrant. Support in 1981 came from Accept, a German heavy metal band who played an important role in the development of speed metal.
15 Jun
Judas Priest Newcastle City Hall 1979 and 1980 British Steel!
Judas Priest Newcastle City Hall 1979 and 1980 British Steel!
Judas Priest continued to tour throughout 1979 to 1980, moving from the Hellbent on Leather tour to the British Steel tour. Support acts were local band White Heat in 1979, and the mighty Iron Maiden in 1980. I also have a memory of attending a show at Newcastle Mayfair around this period; I think Priest may have played two nights at the City Hall and one at the Mayfair ballroom during the British Steel tour. British Steel was the sixth lp release by Judas Priest, and moved their music from dark, operatic metal, to shorter, more accessible and commercial rock songs. 
The album reached No 4 in the UK lp charts, their highest chart entry to date, and two singles from it reached the UK singles chart. These were Living After Midnight and the great Breaking the Law. The video for Breaking the Law is still shown on TV, and is a wonderful example of an early, very tongue in cheek, heavy metal promo. Their gigs continued to be crazy metal events, and Priest were a great favourite with the Newcastle metal crowds. The set around this time also included excellent covers of Fleetwood Mac’s Green Manalishi (1979) and Spooky Tooth’s Better By You, Better Than Me (in 1978). 
A typical setlist from 1980: Hell Bent for Leather; The Ripper; Running Wild; Living After Midnight; Sinner; Beyond the Realms of Death; You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise; Grinder; Victim of Changes; Steeler; Genocide; Tyrant; The Green Manalishi. The programme for the 1980 Judas Priest tour is a true heavy metal work of art in itself. The cover shows a zipped leather suited guy wearing (of course) a studded belt complete with Judas Priest buckle. 
But the real treat lies inside. The centre fold of the programme contains a pop up of the band in all their onstage metal glory.
My copy has become a tad creased over the years, but I’ve done my best to photograph and present it here. Rob is on his motorbike in his usual leather gear, and the guitarists all have their axes held aloft. You couldn’t beat it!
14 Jun
Bon Jovi Stadium of Light Sunderland 13 June 2013
Bon Jovi Stadium of Light Sunderland 13 June 2013
The Stadium of Light is doing a great job of bringing top acts to Sunderland. So far, we have seen Oasis, Kings of Leon, Take That and others all take to the stage in the stadium. Last night it was Bon Jovi’s turn to rock the Sunderland venue, and the band and crowd didn’t let each other down. I won’t pretend to be a big Bon Jovi fan; the last time I saw them live was low down the bill at Donington, as support for ZZ Top, and before that it was as support for Kiss at Newcastle City Hall. Still, you have to hand it to these guys, they do know how to put on a show. The stage set up was modelled on a massive fender of a vintage cadillac, a fitting setting for performing songs of the road and the American dream. The Sunderland crowd sang along and cheered, and the weather held out. Support came from local heroes The Futureheads. 
As I said, I can’t pretend to be a fan, Marie and I went along to check the band out and to support the Stadium in bringing rock music to Sunderland. But I must admit I was impressed by Jon Bon Jovi; his stage presence, energy and stamina. The guy is just amazing and had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Setlist: That’s What the Water Made Me; You Give Love a Bad Name; Born to Be My Baby; Raise Your Hands; Because We Can; Keep the Faith; I’ll Be There for You; It’s My Life; I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead; Lost Highway; Runaway; Raise Your Hands; Bad Medicine. Encore: In These Arms; Wanted Dead or Alive; Rockin’ All Over the World; Have a Nice Day; Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night; Livin’ on a Prayer; Always.
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