Iron Maiden Newcastle City Hall World Piece Tour 1983 
1983 and Iron Maiden were now a well established and mega-successful rock band. They went out on tour again, in support of their new lp “Piece of Mind”. This was the first tour to feature drummer Nicko McBrain, who came from Trust (they had supported Maiden a couple of years before) to replace Clive Burr and has been Iron Maiden’s drummer ever since. Clive Burr left the band due to ill health and the pressure of relentless touring. Support came from Grand Prix. The tour called at Newcastle City Hall on 17th May 1983. This was another great gig with Maiden again delivering a top metal performance. 
Setlist (a bootleg exists): Where Eagles Dare; Wrathchild; The Trooper; Revelations; Flight of Icarus; Die with Your Boots On; 22 Acacia Avenue; The Number of the Beast; Still Life; To Tame a Land; Phantom of the Opera; Hallowed Be Thy Name; Iron Maiden; Run to the Hills; Sanctuary; Drifter; Prowler. Eddie told us (from the programme): “To all ‘eadbangers, hell rats, rivet heads and earthdogs,….Welcome to the shattering World Piece Tour ’83….Maiden and me hope you enjoy the gig….Keep rockin’ and have fun.” By now Run to the Hills had replaced Runnin’ Free as my favourite Maiden song. Bruce’s soaring vocals were always exceptional on that song.
Posts Tagged ‘heavy rock’
8 Jun
Iron Maiden Newcastle City Hall 1982 The Beast on the Road
Iron Maiden Newcastle City Hall 1982
Support came from the Rods, an American heavy rock band.
So it was farewell to Paul Di’Anno and welcome to Bruce Dickinson on vocals. Iron Maiden released their third album “Number of the Beast” and went out on another world tour. I went along to the City Hall wondering what the new singer would be like, and how he would match up. On the night, I was totally blown away. The place was packed and the Newcastle metal hordes went crazy and just lapped it all up. Maiden burst onto that stage with renewed energy and passion, a great set of new songs, and Bruce was simply a revelation. I’d seen him before with Samson, and hadn’t been over impressed to be honest. What I saw that night was a different guy, and a truly world class heavy rock singer. With Maiden he upped his game, to reveal an amazingly strong, operatic rock voice with tremendous depth and range. And great long hair. Put this together with a class performance by the whole band, a great stage set (complete with, of course, Eddie), lots and lots of VOLUME, and songs like “Number of the Beast”, and the single “Run to the Hills”, and what I saw that night was THE best hard rock band around at the time. Maiden had everything going for them, and they knew it and were enjoying it. In 1982 the Iron Maiden line-up was Bruce Dickinson (vocals), Dave Murray (guitar), Adrian Smith (guitar), Steve Harris (bass), and Clive Burr (drums). These were to be Clive Burr’s last appearances with the band. The tour took them to all the major concert halls in the UK. They recorded their show at the Hammersmith Odeon, and it was eventually released as Beast over Hammersmith in 2002. 
The new album was a massive success; their first to reach No. 1 in the UK chart, and the single “Run to the Hills” was the band’s first top-ten UK single. The content of the album was based on some pretty heavy visual and lyrical imagery, drawing from (as usual) horror, darkness and religion. From the title track: “Woe to you oh earth and sea; For the devil sends the beast with wrath; Because he knows that time is short; Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast; For it is a human number; It’s number is six hundred and sixty six”. Pretty heavy stuff. Eddie says (from the tour programme): “If you find me drunk, prop me up: if you find me sober, buy me a drink!…Hope you have a great debauched time at the gig….Keep Rocking” 🙂 Setlist: The Ides of March; Murders in the Rue Morgue; Wrathchild; Run to the Hills; Children of the Damned; The Number of the Beast; Another Life; Killers; 22 Acacia Avenue; Total Eclipse; Transylvania; The Prisoner; Hallowed Be Thy Name; Phantom of the Opera; Iron Maiden; Drifter; Sanctuary. And so the Maiden campaign for world domination rolled onward, as it has to this day. At the time I defy you to find a better, slicker, LOUDER, more complete rock band. This was probably the best time I saw Maiden; pure class.
7 Jun
Iron Maiden Killers tour Newcastle City Hall 1981
Iron Maiden Killers tour Newcastle City Hall 1981
Iron Maiden were riding the crest of a wave in 1981. They released their second album Killers, and set out on a world tour which started off in the UK and took them across Europe , to Japan and the USA. I saw them when they played at Newcastle City Hall on 7th March 1981. Support came from Trust, a French heavy metal band. By now Maiden were establishing themselves as a rock band in their own right, with an identity of their own outside of the NWOBHM movement. And a pretty impressive rock band they were too. Most of the tracks on  the new album already featured in Maiden’s live set, and were already well know to the fans. Themes of horror and darkness ran through it all: Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue, the Phantom of the Opera, The Ides of March. 
Some heavy symbolic stuff which was right up my street, along with mascot Eddie who featured in all their graphics, on album covers, tour programmes, their backdrop, and in person at the end of their set. Great stuff. By the end of the tour Paul Di’Anno was suffering from the pressure and the use of drugs and alcohol and was dismissed by the band. His replacement was Bruce Dickenson, aka Bruce Bruce from Samson. I’d see Bruce with Samson, and rated him OK, but not in the same league as Paul Di’Anno or Maiden. How wrong I was. Bruce rose to the challenge and more. I’ll write about that tomorrow. Setlist: The Ides of March; Wrathchild; Purgatory; Sanctuary; Remember Tomorrow; Another Life; Genghis Khan; Killers; Innocent Exile; Murders in the Rue Morgue; Twilight Zone; Phantom of the Opera; Iron Maiden; Running Free; Transylvania; Drifter; Prowler
6 Jun
Iron Maiden live 1980
Iron Maiden live 1980
Iron Maiden exploded out of the NWOBHM scene in 1980. I first saw them supporting Judas Priest earlier in the year. It was obvious from the start that two bands were way out in front of the pack of NWOBHM bands: Def Leppard and Iron Maiden. And the Maiden were the rockier of the two, and seemed to blend heavy metal with elements of punk. I saw them at least four times during 1980: at the City Hall with Priest, at Sunderland Locarno with support from Praying Mantis and NWOBHM DJ Neal Kay, at the Reading Festival, and later in the year headlining the City Hall themselves, with support from A II Z. 
Looking back this was a pretty meteoric rise for the band, from support act at the start of 1980, through their own club tour, to second on the bill at Reading, to a major concert tour of the UK by the end of the year. Wow! The line-up of Iron Maiden at the time was Paul Di’Anno on vocals; Dave Murray on guitar; Dennis Stratton on guitar; Steve Harris on bass guitar; and Clive Burr on drums. And of course I musn’t forget their mascot Eddie, who was there from the start, and features on the cover of the tour programme. They had released their first album, and the set drew from that lp and their second, yet to be released, classic “Killers”. Highlights for me at the time were “Running Free”, “Sanctuary” and “Iron Maiden”. The dark image of the band also appealed to me; I always was a sucker for horror movies! 
In the tour programme, Geoff Barton questions whether the NWOBHM was a “trend” or a “fad”, and “will it last?” and concludes that “we should make it last”. Well we sure did make it last, with both Maiden and Leppard continuing on to greater and greater success. I saw Iron Maiden every year and every tour for the next few years. I’ll reflect on those great tours over the next few days. Setlist from the tour would have been drawn from: The Ides of March (Intro); Sanctuary; Prowler; Wrathchild; Remember Tomorrow; Charlotte the Harlot; Killers; Another Life; Transylvania; Strange World; Innocent Exile; Phantom of the Opera; Iron Maiden; Running Free; Drifter; I’ve Got the Fire
18 May
Iron Butterfly, Yes and Dada Newcastle City Hall 14th January 1971
Iron Butterfly, Yes and Dada Newcastle City Hall 14th January 1971
This was the first time I went to a concert at Newcastle City Hall, and because of that, I have pretty strong memories of the evening. I was 14 years old, and very excited at the prospect of going to a concert in the big city that was Newcastle. This was the “Age of Atlantic” package tour, named after the sample album of the same name and featured Dada, Yes and headliners Iron Butterfly. And all this for just 10/- (50p in new money)! DaDa were first up and featured Elkie Brooks, her husband Pete Gage, and her singing partner Robert Palmer. They were a jazz-rock fusion band with lots of members, and a brass section. In a way they were an earlier, jazzier and expanded version of Vinegar Joe, Elkie and Robert’s next and much more successful band. I arrived at the City Hall early, excited at the prospect of seeing a concert there and watched Dada’s entire set, enjoying every minute. Next up was Yes, who I was already familiar with. This was the third time I had seen Yes in concert, the first two being as support acts for the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, and The Nice at gigs at Sunderland Empire. By the time of this gig, guitarist Peter Banks had been replaced by Steve Howe, and the rest of the line-up was Jon Anderson (vocals), Bill Bruford (drums), Chris Squire (bass) and Tony Kaye (keyboards). Rick Wakeman was to join the band later that year. They had just released the classic Yes album, and the set featured tracks from the new album and their previous two releases. 
I was a big fan of Yes at the time, and they were just great that night. I recall Yours Is No Disgrace, and The Clap as highlights. I was just blown away by Steve Howe’s performance of the latter song, and was fascinated by the semi-acoustic Gibson, complete with f holes, that he was playing. I remember the whole hall clapping along while he played. The song which most sticks in my mind was their version of Simon and Garfunkel’s America, which was simply majestic; almost symphonic. Yes went down well with the crowd; it was very clear that they already had a lot of fans and that they were on the verge of major success. I wasn’t familiar with Iron Butterfly and their material, having only heard In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, and its that song that sticks in my mind from the evening. I remember lots of guitar histrionics and showmanship. Iron Butterfly were good, but for me the best band of the night was Yes. I spent many further nights during the 1970s at Newcastle City Hall. It remains one of my favourite venues; long may it continue to host concerts by great rock band such as these three.
12 May
Iggy Pop Leeds Harewood House Rock the House Aug 31st 2007
Iggy Pop Leeds Harewood House Rock the House Aug 31st 2007
This charity open-air gig saw Iggy appearing with the reformed Stooges in the form of the Asheton brothers, Scott on drums and Ron on lead guitar, with Mike Watt on bass. Support came from Idlewild, The SUnshine Underground, Sons & Daughters, The Horrors, The Young Knives and the Dirty. It was 20 years since I had last seen Iggy in concert, and the added attraction of the reformed Stooges convinced me to go along to the gig. David and Laura also fancied it so came along with me. We arrived quite early for once and saw most of the bands. I remember being quite impressed by The Horrors, who played some pretty good rock n roll, quite punky with big hair. The event was not well attended, there can’t have been more than a few thousand there, in a venue that probably holds 20,000 or so.
Iggy was on usual manic form and it was great to hear the old Stooges songs again. The set was all Stooges material, no Iggy solo, including I Wanna Be Your Dog, TV Eye, 1969 and Real Cool Time. The show also included some songs from the new Stooges album The Weirdness. During No Fun Iggy invited the crowd to join him up on stage. Fans started climbing over the barriers and the stage was soon completely rammed with everyone jumping around and going crazy. The artist and the audience becoming one and the same. Good fun; a great gig.
Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons: Live on the 15th of August, 2006. Budapest, Sziget Festival. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Derzsi_Elekes_Andor
Setlist (something like): Loose; I Wanna Be Your Dog; T.V. Eye; 1969; Real Cool Time; Fun House; Skull Ring; Trollin’; My Idea of Fun; She Took My Money; I’m Fried; No Fun.
11 May
Iggy Pop Newcastle City Hall 1980 and 1987
Iggy Pop Newcastle City Hall 1980 and 1987
Iggy continued to have success in the 80s; everywhere I went I would hear “Lust for Life” being played. He also visited the UK a few times; I saw him twice at the City Hall during this period, in 1980 and 1987. The 1987 gig was around the time Iggy hit the charts with “Real Wild Child”, his cover of the old Johnny O’Keefe song. I remember these gigs as crazy nights with Iggy taking his stage performance to the limit, as he usually did. Support at the 1980 gig was the Psychedelic Furs, who had just released their first album. 
Iggy’s set contributed to draw from Stooges’ days and his solo releases. Although the ticket from the 1980 gig refers to Iggy as “Iggy Pop and the Stooges” his band didn’t contain member of the original Stooges. The next time I saw Iggy was around 20 years later, by which time he had reunited with the Stooges. I’ll write on that gig tomorrow. Setlist from 1987: I Got a Right; Real Cool Time; 1970; Gimme Danger; Some Weird Sin; Winners & Losers; Shades; Five Foot One; Real Wild Child (Wild One); Dirt; Down on the Street; The Passenger; Blah-Blah-Blah; Search and Destroy; Sister Midnight; Raw Power; Sixteen; I Wanna Be Your Dog; No Fun; I’m Sick of You; T.V. Eye;
1 May
Sensational Alex Harvey Band returns 2004
Sensational Alex Harvey Band returns 2004
I was in two minds about going to this gig and revisiting my memories of the great SAHB gigs I saw during the 70s. I’d seen a SAHB gig advertised at a pub in Felling and couldn’t quite believe the band had reformed without Alex. I didn’t go to that gig, but when I saw the band were touring in 2004 I couldn’t resist in the end. David was studying in Leeds at the time, and I’d already been to the Roscoe with him once to see the Groundhogs, so we decided to go along. The new band line up was the original SAHB band (Zal Cleminson guitar, Chris Glen bass, Hugh McKenna keyboards, and Ted McKenna drums), with the brave Max Maxwell on vocals and stepping into the big man’s shoes. 
The place was completely packed and the band got a great reception. Max did his own take on the songs, rather than trying to recreate Alex’s personna, which was probably the best way to approach it. Zal still had the make up. They played all the favourites that night. A live CD Zalvation: Live in the 21st Century was released a couple of years later, and includes the following tracks: Faith Healer; Midnight Moses; Swampsnake; Next; Isobel Goudie; Framed; Give My Compliments To The Chef; Man In The Jar; Hammer Song; Action Strasse; Vambo; Boston Tea Party; Delilah. The set that night was similar. It was good to see the old songs played again, and Max did a great job. But for me the night was tinged with sadness for the great man for wasn’t there and yet was as much there as any of us. PS note the typo on the ticket 🙂
30 Apr
SAHB without Alex Redcar Coatham Bowl 1977
SAHB without Alex Redcar Coatham Bowl 1977
In early 1977 Alex Harvey was busy producing an album Alex Harvey Presents: The Loch Ness Monster. The album is spoken word, apart from a very short track at the end, and features Alex interviewing locals and an eye witness about Nessy. The album is now very rare and quite sought after. While he was bust tracking down Nessy the rest of the band decided to record their own album and went on tour to promote. Several of the tracks on the album were instrumentals, and on those tracks which had vocals they were handled bu Hugh McKenna, Ted McKenna and Zal. Alex does not appear on the album, but he is pictured on the back tied up and gagged while the other four members sing into a microphone. A group of us went to Redcar on a Sunday night to see SAHB (without Alex), as they were billed. The gig was good and featured tracks from Fourplay. I remember hoping they would play some SAHB songs, but I guess I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Set list: Smouldering; Chase it into the night; Jungle Rub Out; Big Boy; Outer Boogie; Love You for a Lifetime; Young and Rich (a Tubes number); Stay (a Bowie number); Pick it up and kick it; Too much American Pie; Theme from King Kong. Encore: Zal’s Riff.
29 Apr
The New Alex Harvey Band Newcastle City Hall 1980
The New Alex Harvey Band Newcastle City Hall 1980
The last time I saw Alex Harvey in concert was at Newcastle City Hall in January 1980. Alex left SAHB in 1977, after their performance at the Reading Festival. He released a solo album, The Mafia Stole my Guitar, in 1979. This gig was announced at relatively short notice, with very little publicity. I went with Marie, unsure as to what to expect. The concert was very poorly attended with the crowd filling only the front section of the stalls. There can’t have been more than 200 people there. I read that at a gig at his home venue Glasgow Apollo the night before, they were giving tickers away in the street to try to fill the venue. Alex was dressed in a white jacket, black shirt and white tie; very much the gangster image. His band featured Matthew Cang on guitar, Simon Charterton on drums, Tommy Eyre (who had been a member of SAHB in the last days) on keyboards, Gordon Seller on bass and veteran sax and horns player Don Weller. The set was a mix of tracks from the new album and a few old favourites (Midnight Moses, Framed, Delilah I think) plus a couple of covers: Shaking All Over, and Just a Gigolo feature on the album, but I also recall Alex playing a couple of other older standards. As a performance it was ok, but I had the grandeur and madness of SAHB in my mind, and I’m afraid this didn’t compare to Alex’s past glories. A couple of years later Alex sadly passed away as a result of a heart attack after a gig in Belgium. He was 47. We will never see the like of Alex again. He was larger than life, crazy, without fear, and for a few short years SAHB were the best live act on the circuit, and were one of the bands who laid the foundations for the punk revolution which was to follow. Vambo Rool.
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