Guns N Roses Gateshead Stadium 1992
Seeing Guns N Roses last week has made me cast my mind back to the first and only other time I saw them. This was when they were at the height of their success, on the Use Your Illusion tour. The tour called at Gateshead Stadium in 1992, with support from Soundgarden and Faith No More. This was of course the original classic line up including Axl Rose on lead vocals, Slash on lead guitar, and Duff McKagan on bass. 
I went along to the gig with Ashleigh and her friend, who were raving about the band at the time. It was a good gig, although to be honest I don’t remember being as impressed by them as I was last week (is that heresy?). The Guns N Roses history site notes of the gig: “25,000 people see GN’R at the Gateshead International Stadium in Newcastle (!), England. Duff had a verbal altercation with one fan. After Axl’s words of warning – “I wouldn’t mess with him, he’s not had a drink in two weeks!” – the fan piped down. After the show the band fly back to London to continue their stay at the exclusive Conrad Hotel, where fellow guests included Prince and INXS.” Setlist: It’s So Easy; Mr. Brownstone; Live and Let Die; Bad Obsession; Attitude; My Michelle; Double Talkin’ Jive; Civil War; Patience; Welcome to the Jungle; You Could Be Mine; November Rain; Speak Softly Love; Sweet Child O’ Mine; Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door; Don’t Cry; Paradise City
Posts Tagged ‘music’
31 May
Elkie Brooks Sunderland Empire 1978 & memories of Vinegar Joe
Elkie Brooks Sunderland Empire June 4th 1978 and memories of Vinegar Joe
I have good memories of Elkie Brooks gigs during the period 1971, when I first saw here in DaDa, through Vinegar Joe, to the last time I saw here as a solo artist in 1978. The first time I saw Elkie she was in a band called DaDa, and was first on an Age of Atlantic package tour with Yes and Iron Butterfly. The concert was at Newcastle City Hall, and it was the first time I went to a gig at that venue. DaDa featured her husband Pete Gage, and her singing partner Robert Palmer and were a jazz-rock fusion band with lots of members and a brass section. 
Those three soon left DaDa to form Vinegar Joe, who I saw at Sunderland Top Rank (supporting Free; thanks for the reminder John), Sunderland Locarno, Reading Festival, Lincoln Festival and Newcastle Mayfair (on a bill with Chicken Shack if my memory is correct; which it may well not be…). 
Vinegar Joe were a class R&B act, and Elkie was tremendous vocally and in terms of her stage act. She was truly a wild woman of rock in those days, with swirling skirts and crazy dancing. By 1975 Elkiehad had gone solo and soon had chart success with Pearl’s a Singer and other singles. By the time I saw her again at Sunderland Empire, she was selling out concert halls across the country. By this point she was becoming a little middle of the road; however her live show was still great. I haven’t been to an Elkie Brooks concert since those days, and keep meaning to do so. She still tours and has become a national treasure. Writing this convinces me that I need to go and see her again soon. Thanks to John for mailing me the scan of the Vinegar Joe poster, which must have come from a Manchester University gig in the early 70s.
30 May
Bad Manners The Royalty Gosforth Newcastle 1981
Bad Manners The Royalty Gosforth Newcastle 1981
“Lip up fatty, ah lip up fatty, for the reggae, Lip up fatty, ah lip up fatty, for the reggae, Listen to the music, shuffle up your feet, Listen to the music of the fatty beat.”
I experienced the fatty beat as delivered by Buster Bloodvessel and his ska compatriots a couple of times in the early 80s. The first Bad Manners gig I attended was at the wonderful (and scary) Middlesbrough Rock Garden. This was just after the wonderfully named Ne-Ne Na-Na Na-Na Nu-Nu had hit the charts. By my second Band Manners experience they had also had hit singles with Lip Up Fatty and a few other songs. I took Ashleigh along to this gig; she was really into Bad Manners at the time. A great fun time was had by all, and particularly by our hero Buster who gave us lots of tongue wagging and some cool ska dancing. And their version of Can Can has to be seen to be believed, Buster is still out there doing it, although he has now lost some weight now. He may not be quite the fat man he was, but I am sure he will still be the same larger than life character that he always was. I still have nightmares about him mooning at us.
29 May
The B-52s Redcar Coatham Bowl July 1979
The B-52s Redcar Coatham Bowl July 1979
I saw The B-52s once. It was 1979 and their first UK tour. My mate Dave and I went to this gig at Redcar Coatham Bowl, having heard their top tune Rock Lobster. I recall the Bowl as being pretty full, and the band delivering a set of quirky, fun, 60s space rock n roll. The dance floor was packed for Rock Lobster. Kate and Cindy sported impressive beehives and the self-styled “World’s Greatest Party Band” offered a fun alternative to the more serious, dark, and harder UK punk bands. Great memories of a tremendous gig. Sunday nights in Redcar were lots of fun in those days. And great value at £1.50! I believe support came from Fashion, but can’t be certain.
28 May
Duane Eddy Sage Gateshead May 27 2012
Duane Eddy Sage Gateshead May 27 2012
A great gig last night by a true legend of a man, Duane Eddy in Hall 2 of the Sage. An appreciative crowd of a certain age saw Duane and his band run through a night of classic tracks and songs from Duane’s latest album. Duane was backed by Richard Hawley’s band and a tremendous sax player. Many guys from the past have slipped into playing cabaret versions of their songs, or can only manage pale versions of the originals. Not Duane Eddy. He looked and played great last night. The set included rock n roll classics like ‘Forty Miles Of Bad Road’, ‘Shazam’, ‘Yep!’, ‘Cannonball’ and ‘Ramrod’. Duane Eddy has been having a resurgence of his career lately. Its twenty five years between the release of his last record, and his most recent “Road Trip”. Produced by Richard Hawley and Colin Elliot, ‘Road Trip’ “showcases everything that is unique about his guitar playing. When it rocks, it rocks hard but above all it is an album that is defined by the man’s elegant playing and the space within its sound.” (Sage website). “Richard (Hawley) really wanted me to make a record that covered all the different moments from my career so that’s what we did. So there are things that are rocking with a wailing sax, and there are some pretty things too. There are echoes of the past, but it sounds new.” says Duane. “Duane’s sound as a guitar player is unbelievably unique. If you hear one note played by him you know that that’s Duane. His sound is so low and deep. And there’s an elegance and sophistication to what he does that is really very special.” (Richard Hawley).
27 May
The Bootleg Beatles Christmas Show Newcastle City Hall December 2007
Laura and her friend Alisa were getting into the Beatles, and Alisa fancied seeing this well known tribute act. “The Bootleg Beatles re-live the sights and sounds of the Sixties in their multi-media stage show. Join the long-running tribute band when they trace the history of the Fab Four from the Liverpool Cavern to Sgt. Pepper and the Apple rooftop. 
This year, The Bootleg Beatles celebrate their 25th anniversary, not bad for a band that gave itself “six months max”, but has seen off everything from post-punk to Britpop.” read the publicity for the show. The Bootleg Beatles regularly draw capacity crowds to their concerts, and this gig was no exception; the City Hall was packed and everyone was ready for some fun and nostalgia in the run up to Christmas. The Bootleg’s are true to the originals and took us a journey from the early days in the Cavern, to the last days of the Beatles, with costume changes and all the great songs along the way. I’m not a great fan of tribute acts, and would not normally go to see one, but I really enjoyed the show. Its very well done, and a fun night out is guaranteed.
26 May
Chris De Burgh Newcastle City Hall 1979
Chris De Burgh Newcastle City Hall 1979
I first saw Chris de Burgh supporting Supertramp on their Crime of the Century tour. I seem to remember seeing him as support act for a few other people, one of which was definitely Gallagher and Lyle. This tour was to promote his 1979 album Crusader, and the set featured tracks from this and his earlier lps. Highlights at the time for me were Spanish Train and Spaceman came Travelling. Chris found early success in South America and mainland Europe, before he made it big in the UK. This gig was, of course, well before his massive success with Lady in Red. Chris’ early albums feature some great song; he is a wonderful story teller, and quite under rated as a songwriter. Although it feels a sort of guilty pleasure to admit that I liked Chris de Burgh, and he was really good in concert in those days. I guess it doesn’t quite fit the “vintagerock” them, but this was a pleasant evening spent with a guy who has a bunch of good songs to sing. Those early lps are certainly worth checking out. I haven’t seen Chris de Burgh since the late 70s, although I did have a ticket for a recent concert at the Sage, but couldn’t make it in the end and sold my ticket.
24 May
Guns N Roses and Thin Lizzy Newcastle Arena 23 May 2012
Guns N Roses and Thin Lizzy Newcastle Arena 23 May 2012
My friend John and I saw a marathon, but amazing, gig by Guns N Roses in Newcastle last night. They came on stage around 10.40pm and played until 1.40am. John has been over from his home in the USA, and suggested we go to the gig. We got there quite early, bought our programmes, and John bought a poster, and we took our seats to see support act Thin Lizzy. They came on stage around 8.30pm and delivered a set of all the classic songs, finishing with The Boys are back in Town. The latest line up of Thin Lizzy is pretty true to the original, however the sound wasn’t wonderful in the big area. The venue was around three quarters full, and Lizzy got a warm reception, although everyone was there to see the headline band. We had read report of Axl and crew coming on stage very late on this tour, and Ticketmaster had emailed me to warn that they would be on stage at 10pm. On the night Guns N Roses actually took to the stage at 10.40pm, around an hour after Lizzy had finished their set. This wasn;t as long a wait as we had feared, and the crowd didn’t seem too restless. The band literally exploded onto the stage, with lots of flares and explosions, which continued at various points throughout the gig. Their performance was much much better than I had expected. Axl has assembled a band of excellent musicians, all of whom showed just how good they are. Although the set came in at around 3 hours, it didn’t drag at all. Its a long time since I’ve seen a band play this long, yet I didn’t get bored. The timings were perfect. A great mix of classic GNR tracks, well chosen covers and impressive solos that were just the right length made this a class rock show. 
And Axl still has all the energy that he did when he was a much younger guy; his voice is also as strong as it ever was. All in all John and I both agreed that this was a pretty neat gig. Impressive stuff, even if I am still tired today. Setlist: Chinese Democracy; Welcome to the Jungle; It’s So Easy; Mr. Brownstone; Sorry; Rocket Queen; Estranged; Better; Richard Fortus Guitar Solo; Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney & Wings); This I Love; Motivation (Tommy Stinson lead vocals); Instrumental Jam ; Dizzy Reed Piano Solo (based on The Who’s Baba O’ Riley); Street of Dreams; You Could Be Mine; DJ Ashba Guitar Solo; Sweet Child O’ Mine; Instrumental Jam; Another Brick In The Wall (Pink Floyd); Axl Rose Piano Solo; November Rain; Glad to Be Here (Bumblefoot lead vocals); Don’t Cry; Civil War; Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan); Nightrain.
Encore: Madagascar; Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC); Patience; Paradise City
23 May
The Brothers Johnson Newcastle Poly 30 September 1977
The Brothers Johnson Newcastle Poly 30 September 1977
A few of my friends were heavily into disco and funk in the mid to late 70s. Not being one to frequent the dance floors myself, I never quite got into that particular genre of music. However Marie and I regularly went to the Friday night dances at Newcastle Poly around that period, and saw many great bands there such as The Clash, The Damned, Taking Heads and others. So we were there when The Brothers Johnson played, along with some friends who had come specially to see them. This was the first night of their first UK tour, and by this time they had reached almost legendary status as a result of their work with Bobby Womack, Billy Preston and Quincy Jones. I remember that they arrived very late for the gig. They had flown in via London, I think, and had been delayed. However they did arrive and play a shortened set, which went down with a packed crowd which was a mix of the usual Friday night students, and soul and disco aficionados who had come especially for the occasion.
22 May
Eric Burdon Newcastle Tyne Theatre 2002
Eric Burdon Newcastle Tyne Theatre 2002
This was Eric’s first home town gig back in the Toon for around 20 years, and anticipation was very high. He was originally booked to play one night at the Tyne Theatre, which sold out very quickly and a second night was added. Marie and I went along to the Thursday night show, which was the first gig to be announced. 
I was really looking forward to the gig; it had been around 20 years since I’d seen Burdon and I was very excited about seeing him again. I remember that I had an event to attend at work earlier in the evening, but managed to slip away in time to get through just as Burdon and the band took to the stage. Eric was on top form at this gig, and belted out the old hits. I’d almost forgotten just how hood he was, and was knocked out by his performance that night. The set was largely old classics from both versions of the Animals, including Its My Life, We Gotta Get Out of this Place, House of the Rising Sun, When I was Young, San Franciscan Nights, Sky Pilot, Don’t Let me be Misunderstood. A DVD called Yes you can go home includes some footage from the gig.
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