Black Sabbath Newcastle City Hall March 1977
The 1977 Black Sabbath tour was to promote their new album Technical Ecstasy. This album took them further away from the darkness and simplicity of their earlier work, incorporated more keyboards and some more straight forward rock n roll. There are no real Sabbath classics on the album, however their concert set consisted of many of the old favourites. As a result this was still a great Sabbath gig. Support came from Nutz. 
However if some ways Sabbath were slowly becoming a more straight rock band, and had lost a little of the darkness and rawness that I saw a few years earlier. Don’t get me wrong these gigs were still great, but things were clearly not 100% in the Sabbath camp as Ozzy left for a brief period around this time, and was to leave for a much longer period soon. A typical set list from this period was: Symptom of the Universe; Snowblind; All Moving Parts (Stand Still); War Pigs; Gypsy; Black Sabbath; Dirty Women; Rock & Roll Doctor; Electric Funeral; Iron Man; Embryo / Children of the Grave; Paranoid; N.I.B.
Posts Tagged ‘heavy metal’
19 Apr
Black Sabbath Newcastle City Hall October 1975
Black Sabbath Newcastle City Hall October 1975
Its easy to underestimate, or even forget, the influence of Black Sabbath and how important they are in the history of rock. Seeing Sabbath in the 70s was something special. There’s was a brand of rock which was truly dark, heavy and compelling. They are without doubt in my mind THE pioneers of heavy metal. On one level their imagery, lyrics and stance are simple, and yet on another level what they did at the time was innovative and pretty revolutionary. I certainly approached a Sabbath concert with a lot more excitement than I do most concerts these days. Maybe that was something about my age and the times we were living in, but much of it was also about the energy, vision and purity of the Sabbath music, brand and image. 
Black Sabbath were back in Newcastle at the City Hall in 1975, promoting the Sabotage album, and I was there ot see them with a group of mates. All of the Black Sabbath shows I attended in those days were great. I was much more a Tony Iommi man than an Ozzy fan and would carefully study his playing to see if I could pick up any tips. New favourites coming into the set in 1975 were Hole in the Sky and Symptom of the Universe, and old favourites such as Paranoid, Iron Man, Children of the Grave and Black Sabbath remained from earlier albums. Support on this our came from Brum band Bandy Legs who were to morph into Quartz when the New Wave of British Heavy Metal dawned a few years later. Typical set list from 1975: Hole in the Sky; Snowblind; Symptom of the Universe; War Pigs; Megalomania; Supernaut; Iron Man; Rock & Roll Doctor; Black Sabbath; Spiral Architect; Embryo / Children of the Grave; Paranoid; Killing Yourself to Live; Sabbra Cadabra
17 Apr
Black Sabbath Newcastle Odeon December 1973
The second time I saw Black Sabbath was at Newcastle Odeon in December 1973. This was the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath tour and Newcastle was the first night of the tour. Newcastle Odeon is a bigger venue than the City Hall. I went along with a friend and we obviously bought tickets late as our seats were at the back of the (very large circle). I can remember looking down on some quite small dots, and the sound not being so great. Sabbath put on a great show that night, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as my first Sabbath experience, largely because of where we were sitting. 
I remember being quite excited at seeing the band this time, and my mate and I dressed specially for the gig, bit of us all in black. I also bought a large black cross to wear around my neck for this special occasion! Typical set list from the tour: Tomorrow’s Dream; Sweet Leaf; Killing Yourself to Live; Snowblind; War Pigs; A National Acrobat; Cornucopia; Sabbra Cadabra; Supernaut; Iron Man; Black Sabbath; Embryo / Children of the Grave; Paranoid; Megalomania. Many thanks to John for the poster scan.
16 Apr
Black Sabbath Newcastle City Hall February 1972
Black Sabbath Newcastle City Hall 5th February 1972
Support Act: Glen Cornick’s Wild Turkey
I remember the first time I saw Black Sabbath very well. Sabbath had just released Master of Reality and were touring to support their new album. I was sitting quite close to the back of the City Hall and remember being totally knocked out by the volume, and Geezer Butler’s bass in particular. It was almost as if the bass notes were hitting me in the chest. Ozzy was wearing a top hat and was just amazing. The band were still at a relatively early stage in their career and looked very young, Ozzy in particular. Their sound was raw, dark and very very heavy and loud. And they were just great. 
A typical set list from this period was: N.I.B.; War Pigs; Sweet Leaf; Black Sabbath; Iron Man; Embryo; Children of the Grave; Wicked World; Paranoid; Fairies Wear Boots. I remember War Pigs and Ozzy giving us all peace signs with both hands above his head. I also recall Sweet Leaf (I think they may have started with it) and I Am Iron Man booming out of the speakers. They finished with Paranoid and Fairies Wear Boots was the encore. My friend John was also at the gig, sitting down the front with a couple of school friends. 
I was to see Black Sabbath several more times over the next ten years, but my memories of this concert are the strongest. As I recall, the band were yet to become really popular, and I don’t think the City Hall was sold out that night. I’m pretty sure I just went along and paid at the door on the night. Support came from Wild Turkey, featuring Glenn Cornick who had recently left Jethro Tull. I recall Glenn displaying some pretty frantic bass playing with his long hair waving about. He was wearing a tassled waistcoat and his trademark headband. Many thanks to John for the scan of the flyer and the Wild Turkey album.
12 Apr
Boston Newcastle City Hall 1979
Boston Newcastle City Hall 1979
Boston were a massive deal in the mid to late 70s. Their debut album was an incredible success, selling 17 million copies, and More Than A Feeling seemed to be playing everywhere I went at one time. The band came to the UK in 1979 for a short tour which called at Newcastle City Hall for one night. The gig sold out immediately, and I was pleased to get tickets. I went along with a group of mates, and looked forward to the gig. Although Boston are quite middle of the road rock, they do it excellently, and their first album is a classic of the genre. 
The gig was great; loud, melodic rock at its best. I still own a copy of the first Boston album, althogh can’t pretend to play it very often. Boston have never returned to the UK, to the best of me knowledge, although they continue to tour in the USA. However More Than A Feeling remains a top rock song. Support act Trickster were a short lived UK melodic rock band who also supported on an ELO tour. Boston setlist from 1979 : Rock & Roll Band; Tell Me; Peace of Mind; Feelin’ Satisfied; Don’t Look Back; More Than a Feeling; A Man I’ll Never Be; Smokin’; Foreplay / Long Time; Something About You; Party.
11 Apr
Bauhaus Newcastle City Hall 1983
Bauhaus Newcastle City Hall 1983: Burning From The Inside Tour
Any band who has a song entitled Bela Lugosi is Dead can’t be bad. Particularly when they also cover Telegram Sam and Ziggy Stardust. I love old horror movies, and read Famous Monsters of Filmland every week during the 60s, and I was also a Bolan and Bowie fan, so Bauhaus’ image interested me enough to go along and see them. This tour was for the Burning From the Inside album, which was due to come out later that year. The programme for the tour reminds me how dark and doomy the band were; lots of dark pictures with very serious posing; this was the birth of goth. 
The programme starts with a T S Elliot poem: “This is the way the world ends” which set the tone for the show. The lighting was dark, and the music a mix of punk, rock and glam, with Pete Murphy displaying great stage presence. They had just had a hit with She’s in Parties. I remember them playing that particular song, and finishing with Bela Lugosi’s Dead. The band split up shortly after the tour, however they have reformed several times since. Setlist: Burning From the Inside; In Fear of Fear; Terror Couple Kill Colonel; Spy in the Cab; Kingdom’s Coming; She’s in Parties; Antonin Artaud; King Volcano; The Passion of Lovers; Slice of Life; Hair of the Dog; In Heaven; Hollow Hills; Stigmata Martyr; Kick in the Eye; Dark Entries; Bela Lugosi’s Dead
2 Apr
Pat Benatar Newcastle City Hall January 1983
Pat Benatar Newcastle City Hall January 1983
I only saw Pat Benatar once, at Newcastle City Hall in 1983 on a short UK tour. At the time she was a hard rock act; this was before her rise to mega stardom, and pop/ adult oriented rock. I knew a few of her songs at the time, notably Hit Me With Your Best Shot and Shadows of the Night”. Her big smash “Love is a Battefield” was yet to be released, although she may well have performed it. I remember the gig being a pretty good rock show. 
Support came from Brian Connolly of the Sweet, who was at the time fronting his new band called Connolly’s Encore, which consisted of ex-Argent guitarist John Verity and Terry Uttley, bass player from Smokie. I found a backstage pass on the floor after the gig, which I still have (see left). I googled a setlist from a March 1983 concert in the USA on setlist.fm, which was: Anxiety; Love Is a Battlefield; Hell Is for Children; Promises in the Dark; Precious Time; Fire and Ice; You Better Run; Heartbreaker; I Need a Lover; Treat Me Right; Shadows of the Night; Hit Me with Your Best Shot. I guess the set at the City Hall will have been similar.
1 Apr
Jack Bruce & his Big Blues Band Newcastle Tyne Theatre March 31st 2012
Jack Bruce and his Big Blues Band Tyne Theatre
Excellent show by Jack Bruce last night in Newcastle. Jack has assembled a first class seven piece band consisting of ace guitarist Tony Remy, drummer Frank Tontoh, keyboardist Paddy Milner, second bassist Nick Cohen, trombonist Winston Rollins, tenor saxophonist Derek Nash, and trumpeter Paul Newton. They really were great throughout with guitarist Tony worthy of mention for some exception solos. Jack took to the stage around 8.20pm sitting alone at a piano stage left. He was soon joined by the rest of the band, and then picked up his fretless bass and took up his place centre stage. The set was a mixture of solo material, blues and Cream classics. Quite a few were from the Songs For A Tailor lp. He introduced Neighbour Neighbour as “a song I used to sing with Graham Bond, back then, before I was born”. This guy goes back some. Theme from an Imaginary Western was performed beautifully, Jack’s voice sometimes straining a little to reach the high notes, yet coming over as powerful and haunting as ever. 
The blues of Spoonful and Born Under a Bad Sign gave the band a chance to shine, and featured some excellent solos. We’re Going Wrong is a great song, perhaps Cream’s best, and as relevant today as it was in the 60s. The last few songs were the almost inevitable White Room and Sunshine of Your Love. Its great that the old guys from the 60s are still around touring, and playing to an audience that, looking around the Tyne Theatre last night, is growing old with them. Jack suffered from a period of ill health around ten years ago, but looks great these days. Long may it be the case. Modern technology even reaches the old guys. You could buy a CD of the show at the desk (actually I’m not sure it was last night’s show you could buy or a recording of a previous night). The show finished around 10.15pm, leaving plenty of time for fishcake and chips from the wonderful local chippy on the corner. Setlist (something like): Can you follow?; Morning Story;You Burned the tables on me; Neighbour Neighbour; Child Song; Weird of Hermiston; Folk Song; Theme from an Imaginary Western; Tickets to Waterfalls; Spoonful; Born under a Bad Sign; We’re Going Wrong; Deserted Cities; White Room; Sunshine of Your Love. Encore: Politician. Just ran into an old mate Jim in the local supermarket. He’d also been at the gig last night and had spotted me there. He said that he had gone along with an open mind, not knowing what to expect, but had really enjoyed it.
31 Mar
Jack Bruce Band with Mick Taylor and Carla Bley Newcastle City Hall 1975
Jack Bruce band with Mick Taylor and Carla Bley Newcastle City Hall
A strange grouping this one. Take an ex Rolling Stone guitarist, an ex Cream bassist and a jazz keyboard player and what do you get? Actually what you did get was quite an intriguing concert experience, which as I recall promised a little more than it actually delivered on the night. I knew, of course, of Jack Bruce and Mick Taylor, but I had not heard of Carla Bley, or her recent Escalator On The Hill album, before going to this gig. The trio were short lived and never made it into the studio to record an lp, although a live album of the band does exist. 
The press of the time said: “The Bruce Band will play a smooth synthesis of diverse styles, forging ahead with a firm grasp of ‘60’s rock and ‘70’s space jazz. The personnel is all-star, but the band belongs to Jack, whose music cements the band’s foundations.” Based on a live album and reviews of the time the set will probably have consisted of something like: Can You Follow?; Morning Story; Politician; Keep It Down; Pieces Of Mind; Tickets To Waterfalls/Weird Of Hermiston/Post War; Spirit; Sunshine Of Your Love. I’m off to see Jack Bruce at the Tyne Theatre tonight; I’ll post a review tomorrow.
30 Mar
Cream The Royal Albert Hall London 6 May 2005
Cream The Royal Albert Hall London 2005
This was a big gig for me. I’d watched the Cream farewell concert on TV in the late 60s and was just mesmerised by Clapton. His hair, the psychedelic painted SG, the “woman” tone he described in the film, it all seemed just sensational to me, as a kid at the time. I so wished that I’d had the chance to see Cream. I remember older boys at school talking about seeing them at a gig in Newcastle and saying how great they were. I was so jealous of them. I bought Goodbye Cream and played it again and again. I saw Clapton many times in the 70s and 80s, and Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker with their solo projects. But to see Cream was a great dream, an ambition.
So when the rumours of a reunion came to fruition and it was announced that the three legends would come together for a series of shows in London I was determined to go. I was nervous about getting tickets, and stressed about it for days before they went on sale. On the morning that they did go on sale I had two phones and a computer to hand, and got straight through to the Albert Hall box office on one of the phones, managing to my joy to buy tickets some ten rows from the stage. I then waited in anticipation for the gig. Would it be as good as I hoped? Marie came with me, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Judging by the American accents in evidence, the Albert Hall was full of fans who had travelled a long way for the honour of seeing this legendary band play for one more time. The atmosphere was strange, everyone was quiet in anticipation. It was as if the crowd couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Quiet, almost religious. The set covered everything I could have wished for with a selection from all of the albums. Clapton was god again, Jack sang beautifully and Ginger pounded away on his drums. 
The crowd stayed in their seats until almost the end. For Sunshine of Your Love, which was the encore, we were all up and we managed to get right to the front. Marie was leaning on the stage directly in front of Jack Bruce and I was just behind her. You can even see us on the DVD if you look closely. A night that I will remember for ever. Sometimes your dreams do come true, and sometimes they are as good as you dreamed they would be. Happy days. Setlist: I’m So Glad; Spoonful; Outside Woman Blues; Pressed Rat and Wart Hog; Sleepy Time Time; N.S.U.; Badge; Politician; Sweet Wine; Rollin’ And Tumblin’; Stormy Monday; Deserted Cities of the Heart; Born Under a Bad Sign; We’re Going Wrong; Crossroads; Sitting on Top of the World; White Room; Toad. Encore:Sunshine of Your Love.
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