Posts Tagged ‘music’

22 May

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Wembley Arena 21 May 2010

Posted by vintagerock in Eric Clapton, Stevie Winwood. Tagged: , , , , , .

Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood Wembley Arena London 21 May 2010

Two old friends together playing some great music and clearly having fun.
And we also had lots of fun too. Friday night and Clapton and Winwood take the stage together for the second of two nights in London. Its only a few months since I was sitting in the O2 seeing Clapton with Jeff Beck, and tonight I’m back again in the capital seeing another great guitar pairing. Tonight was very different to the Clapton/Beck show. For one thing Clapton and Winwood have a recording history together in terms of the Blind Faith album, much of which was played on Friday night. Also the two legends took the stage togther throughout (unlike the Clapton/Beck show where the two guitarists did their own sets and then came together at the end of the show). Anyway enough of comparisons; its not fair to make them; as I say; these shows were very different.
Last night was a real musical treat. These guys are playing better than ever. ‘m not sure I’ve ever see Clapton play better or seem more comfortable and relaxed on stage. And Steve Winwood’s sining was spot on. The last time I saw Steve at the Sage Gateshead I thought his voice was showing a little strain. Not last night. His vocals on Georgia were stunning, as was his guitar playing; some great swapping of licks between the two.
For me highlights were Pearly Queen (always loved the song), Georgia, Can’t find my way home, and Voodoo Chile. Clapton’s playing on Voodoo Chile was totally on the ball and the song brought the show to a great climax. Everyone was on their feet at the end and the band came back for an encore of Dear Mr Fantasy which is another personal favourite of mine. You don’t get much better concerts than this, certainly not in terms of muscianship. I would have liked to heard them do No Face No Name No Number which is on the live CD, but I guess you can’t always get everything you want.
I’m up at 5.30am again to get the first train back up north. I should be back home around 10am.

Set List:
Had To Cry Today
Low Down
After Midnight
Presence Of The Lord
The Shape I’m In
Glad
Well Alright
Tough Luck Blues
Pearly Queen
Forever Man
Midland Maniac
Going Down
Georgia
Drifting Blues
How Long
Layla
Can’t Find My Way Home
Split Decision
Voodoo Chile
Cocaine
Dear Mr. Fantasy (encore)

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22 May

Rod Stewart Newcastle Arena 18 May 2010

Posted by vintagerock in Rod Stewart. Tagged: , , , , .

Rod Stewart Newcastle Arena 18 May 2010

I always try and get along to see Rod. I guess I’m looking for glimpses of Rod the Mod, and Rod and the Faces. He still has the rocker within him, but in recent years I do worry that it is becoming more and more submerged in middle of the roadness. So I nearly didn’t go this time, fearing that I might be disappointed and put off by the ticket price (£70). But a couple of days before I spotted a single ticket on eBay and nabbed it for £25 (result! Many thanks Andy from York). The Royal Mail didn’t let Andy and I down and, as planned, ticket arrived by special delivery on the morning of the show. So I was all set to go along.
I arrived at the arena just as Rod was due to take the stage. The place was packed; this guy can still draw the crowds. The first couple of songs, Love Train and Some guys have all the luck, set the tone for the night, which was a mixture of soul classics and Rod hits. These were all delivered faultlessly; Rod’s voice is still good, the band are excellent and the show is very slick. The crowd loved it. For me the highlights were the old ones: Handbags and Gladrags and Maggie May. I slipped out during the encores (Sailing; followed by Baby Jane) to beat the rush in the car park.
So I still got my glimpses of the old Rod; but fear that they are less and less each time. Will I go next time? Maybe.

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22 May

Randy Newman The Sage Gateshead 16 May 2010

Posted by vintagerock in Randy Newman. Tagged: , , , , .

Randy Newman The Sage Gateshead 16 May 2010

Laura and I had similar views about this one. We both knew some of his better known songs, and quite fancied seeing him, but neither of us can pretend to be great fans, or to know even a small proportion of Randy’s massive back catalogue. So we decided to buy tickets just a week or so before the gig, at which stage the only seats that were available were in the upper level, looking down over the stage.
We arrived in time for the start, as we knew that there was no support act and that Randy would be doing two sets. He took the stage at around 8pm and sat down at his piano. We were then treated to set list which consisted of what seemed to me to be a complete review of his career. He played all of the songs that I hoped to hear, and a whole lot more that I didn’t know. So we got Small people, Mama told me not to come, Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear, You can keep your hat on, You and Me Babe (is that the correct title? I didn’t know he wrote that one! I need to check who had a hit with it in the 60s!). We also got more recent material from the Toy Story films. All of these were interspersed with some great funny little stories. I don’t know how many songs he sang, but there were lots of them.
Laura and I both enjoyed it and were pleased that we made the effort to go along and see him.

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9 May

Ray Davies The Sage Gateshead 4 May 2010

Posted by vintagerock in Kinks, Ray Davies. Tagged: , , , , .

Ray Davies The Sage Gateshead 4 May 2010
Laura and I went to see Ray Davies and his band at the Sage on Tuesday night. We arrived just as the support had finished and checked out the merchandise stall. As is often the case, there were no small ladies shirts for Laura so we passed on buying anything. Saw quite a few old friends upstairs in the bar and then took our seats (in the front row tonight!). We’ve seen Ray quite a few times lately and always enjoy hearing his classis songs. He soon took the stage accompanied by his guitarist and they launched into a set which contained many of the old Kinks favourites. Ray joked about using the “K” word; but he is clearly very proud and fond of his own musical heritage. After quite a few songs the rest of the band came on and gave us electric versions of Kinks song and some newer Ray solo material. Quite a bit of chat with the audience, with perhaps a bit less than usual about his childhood with his brother Dave. It was all over too soon with Lola as the last number and no You Really Got Me tonight. As usual a great night with a true legend of British music. But how good it would be if Dave was up there with him. Come on Ray and Dave lets see a Kinks reunion before we all get too old.
Setlist:
This Is Where I Belong
I Need You
Where Have All The Good Times Gone
Morphine Song
Tired Of Waiting For You
Set Me Free
Dedicated Follower Of Fashion
Sunny Afternoon
See My Friends
I’m Not Like Everybody Else
Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl
Too Much On My Mind
A Well Respected Man
Autumn Almanac
Till The End Of The Day
Waterloo Sunset
Victoria
20th Century Man
The Tourist
The Hard Way
All Day & All Of The Night
Working Man’s Cafe
Celluloid Heroes
After The Fall
Encores:
Imaginary Man
Lola

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25 Apr

Rufus Wainwright The Sage Gateshead 19 April 2010

Posted by vintagerock in Rufus Wainwright. Tagged: , , , , .

Rufus Wainwright The Sage Gateshead 19 April 2010
Review by Laura:
Undoubtedly like many others, I was introduced to Rufus Wainwright’s music around 7 years ago via the Shrek sound track which features his rather lovely version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” This prompted me to research more of his work and five album purchases later I’d placed Rufus firmly onto my favourite artists list. Dad was issued with strict instructions to let me know if he was performing nearby at any time, so on Monday; admittedly several years later than I’d have liked, I finally got to see one of my heroes.
Before the performance we bumped into one of dad’s colleagues who was also there to see the show. He told us this was his third time seeing Rufus and his positive comments left me even more excited for the gig ahead.
After taking our seats, an announcement was put out stating:
“The first part of the program will be performed as a song cycle with visuals by Douglas Gordon. During the first set, Rufus has asked that you please do not applaud until after he has left the stage. His exit is part of the piece. After a brief intermission, Rufus will return for the second part of the show during which you may applaud to your heart’s content.”
Immediately after this Rufus slowly made his way onto the stage to an eerily silent audience. He was wearing what dad described as a long flowing cloak which dragged behind him as he walked. After some moments, which felt like they lasted longer than the entire first set, he finally reached his piano and began to perform a song cycle which lasted around an hour.
Despite the set being solely comprised of new material taken from his new album, “All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu”, I found it really easy to listen to. Indeed, it was a mixture of everything I most love about Wainwright. Simple vocal and piano arrangement, melodramatic lyrics, baroque trills, German Lieder structures and classic French song mixed with Elliot Smith-influenced folk rock. I thought he was possibly one of the most talented people I’d ever heard perform and I got similar feelings as I did the first time I heard Thom Yorke. As a former, all be it amateur, classical singer, I couldn’t believe the control in his rich baritone voice which seems to soar more powerfully than any recording I’ve heard has captured.
Although unfamiliar with the songs, the set was a perfect show case for the album. I enjoyed a selection of pieces which seemed to be Wainwrights adaptation of some Shakespearian sonnets. In typical Wainwright fashion, many of the songs also dealt with personal issues, one referring to his mother in hospital. I think the highlight though was a song which I think may be called “Who are you New York?” which was Wainwright at his flamboyant best.
After a short interval, Rufus returned, free of his twenty foot long feathered train, to enthusiastic applause which sounded odd after the audience’s silence during the first set. The second half was a selection of Rufus’ most well known piano based songs. These included “Beauty Mark”, one of his most early releases, “nobody’s off the Hook” my favorite song from the Release the Stars Album, “The Art Teacher” and “Dinner at Eight”, two of my favorite Wainwright tracks. He engaged in some, perhaps awkward banter with the crowd and gave a special mention to his former producer Neil Tennant who was in the audience.
After finishing on a lively version of “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk”, Wainwright returned to perform encores “Poses” and “Going to a Town.” He then thanked the audience for the support they’d shown him after his mother’s death and finished the evening with a rendition of Kate McGarrigol’s “Walking Song”.
I honestly think it was one of the most impressive concerts I’ve attended. Unfortunately dad didn’t share my view and didn’t seem to enjoy the evening as I had done. That’s a shame dad, as I can guarantee I will be dragging you to see Rufus Wainwright again the next time he tours.
setlist:
First Half: Song cycle
Second Half: Beauty Mark, Grey Gardens, Nobody’s Off The Hook, Matinee Idol, Memphis Skyline, Art Teacher, Leaving For Paris, Vibrate, Little Sister, Dinner At Eight, Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk
Encores: Poses, Going To A Town, The Walking Song

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28 Mar

The Who Quadrophenia Albert Hall London 30 March 2010

Posted by vintagerock in The Who. Tagged: , , , , .

The Who play Quadrophenia The Royal Albert Hall London 30 March 2010
I’m sitting on the early train north coming home after seeing The Who perform Quadrophenia in its entirity at the Royal Albert Hall last night. I’ll try and review the show as honestly as I can below.
I suppose I didn’t want to raise my hopes too much for this one. Although I’ve seen The Who perform Quadrophenia before on the 73 tour and in Hyde Park in the 90s, I am not a massive fan of the album. Also I’ve seen The Who a few times recently where Roger has had some problems with his voice. Still I went along with an open mind last night.
In fact it couldn’t have been better. For me this was the best Who show I have seen for many many years. And it was more of a performance than a straight Who concert. The band played Qaudrophenia straight through with no other songs and no encore. And it was everything Quadrophenia should be: interesting, challenging, sad, rocking and a celebration for all of us of a great band and a great rock opera. The standard Who line-up (Roger, Pete, Rabbit on keyboards, Zak on drums, Pino on bass, Simon on second guitar) was augmented by a string section, brass section and guests. The sound was big and powerful and gave justice to the album tracks. A screen above the stage showed us the story of Jimmy with clips from the film and from the past, Brighton, mods and rockers etc. Eddie Vedder took the part of the Godfather (doesn’t he look like Jim Morrission?) and Tom from Kasabian gave a great performance as the Ace Face (great suit and cute Bellboy uniform!). Roger’s voice was pretty strong mostly; but he did seem to be suffering towards the end. Pete played great, and towards the end was really bashing away at his guitar. Some excellent acoustic guitar and vocals from Pete on the quieter songs. I was on the floor towards the left of the stage six rows back from the front. Everyone around me was up on their feet from the start and stayed like that throughout. Lots of fists in the air, everyone seemed to know every word of every song. There were obviously Who fans from all over the world there. An awesome, faultless performance. I thought the crowd wouldn’t leave the hall and I guess many were disappointed that they didn’t come back and play some classics. But you know what, for me it didn’t matter. The show was just perfect as it was. There were cameras around me; it looks like this will appear as a DVD; which would be great. Some fans on the message board have been gossipping that this could be the last Who show. Somehow I doubt it; I suspect however it could be the last time we see Quadrophenia performed in its entirity like this. Pleased I went, last night I saw glimpses of the old classic Who; the greatest rock band in the world.

set list:
I Am the Sea
The Real Me
Quadrophenia
Cut My Hair
The Punk and the Godfather” (with Eddie Vedder)
I’m One
The Dirty Jobs
Helpless Dancer
Is It in My Head?
I’ve Had Enough (with Eddie Vedder and Tom Meighan)
5:15
Sea and Sand (with Eddie Vedder and Tom Meighan)
Drowned
Bell Boy (with Tom Meighan)
Doctor Jimmy
The Rock
Love, Reign O’er Me

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28 Mar

Jethro Tull Newcastle City Hall 27 March 2010

Posted by vintagerock in Jethro Tull. Tagged: , , .

Jethro Tull Newcastle City Hall 27 March 2010

Norm, Will and I went to see Jethro Tull at the City Hall last night. We are all long time fans of the band and must have each seen them 15-20 times. The City Hall was, always packed full of ageing rockers to see Ian Anderson and crew. We had a quick look at the support act, but retreated to the bar, saving ourselves for the delights of Tull. They took the stage around 8.40 and started with Ian on a small acoustic guitar playing Dun Ringill from the 1979 Stormwatch album. The set was a mixture of old songs with quite a few from Stand Up. As always the band delivered, with Ian as lively as ever, giving us some great flute playing. His voice isn’t quite as strong as it used to be and he does seem to have difficulty hitting some of the higher notes; but Hey its great to see him still out there doing it (he’s 63!) and long may he do so. A night of some fine rock and great nostalgia for us; roll on next time!

Setlist (something like): Dun Ringill; The water carrier; Life is a long song; Eurology; Nothing is easy; A new day yesterday; Songs from the wood; Fat man; Bouree; Too old to rock n roll; Birthday card at Christmas; A change of horses; Bug: Martin Barre solo; Budapest; Aqualung
Encore: Locomotive breath

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28 Mar

Suede Manchester Ritz 21 March 2010

Posted by vintagerock in Suede. Tagged: , , , , .

Suede Manchester Ritz 21 March 2010

Its Sunday night and Laura and I have just about recovered from our Dubliners experience on Friday. Tonight we are standing in a packed Manchester Ritz nightclub, waiting to see the second appearance of Suede in seven years. The band are reforming to play a one-off gig at the Albert Hall on Wednesday for the Teenage Cancer Turst, and have decided to add two warm-ups. The first was last night (Saturday) at the tiny 100 club in London. Tonight is in Manchester.
The Ritz is a smallish nightclub just next to Oxford Road station. It is completely jammed packed; full of Suede fans from all over the country; everyone high in anticipation of seeing something really special. The support is Hoodlums who are OK, but everyone is waiting to see the main act. After Hoodlums leave the stage we are warmed up by some classic tracks by the Clash, the Smiths and others. Soon the volume is cranked up and the Sex Pistols’ Bodies roars out around the club. Then we are into the Intro music and at around 9.15 Suede take the stage starting with Europe is our Playground. The crowd go absolutely mad from the word go. Everyone knows and sings all the words. Laura and I are standing in a safe position at the side downstairs, the crush at the front looks wild. Brett Anderson and the band are obviously enjoying being back. Brett looks great and dances and sings like its 15 years ago. We get all the hits: Trash (the crowd go mental), Animal Nitrate, Film Star, She; they finish with Beautiful Ones. Its surprising how many I can remember and how great they sound. Its a long time since I’ve seen a band like this in a small club (too many arena shows) and its over all too soon. Laura is delighted as they play Two of us (her favourite) for the last encore. We all file out into the street and join the queue in the NCP carpark. We get home around 1.30am our heads still buzzing with Suede tunes.

Setlist : Europe Is Our Playground; She; Trash; Filmstar; Animal Nitrate; Heroine; Pantomime Horse; Killing Of A Flashboy; Can’t Get Enough; Everything Will Flow; He’s Gone; The Next Life; The Asphalt World; So Young; Metal Mickey; The Wild Ones; The Drowners; Beautiful Ones.
Encore: Obsessions; The 2 of Us.

Suede website: http://www.suede.co.uk/
Brett Anderson website: http://www.brettanderson.co.uk/

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28 Mar

The Dubliners Newcastle City Hall 19 March 2010

Posted by vintagerock in The Dubliners. Tagged: , , , , , .

The Dubliners Newcastle City Hall 19 March 2010
Laura bought tickets for me, her and her friend Jo to see The Dubilners as birthday presents for Jo and I. The Dubliners are a band who I have only recently got into, and I’ve never seen them before. I have only recently realised just how influential they are.
The current band has one original member Barney McKenna who has been with the band since they started in 1962 and another John Sheahan who joined in 1964. The other three members have joined along the way, replacing members who have left or sadly passed away. Two of them, Sean Cannon and Eamon Campbell, joined the band in the 80s and Patsy Watchorn joined more recently in 2005.
The concert was entitled “Time to remember” and was centred around the theme of remembering the three members of the band who are no longer with us: Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly and Ciaran Burke, and celebrating their life and legacy. This was done by John telling a little story about each of them, reading a poem and then showing some vintage video footage, with the band playing along with it.
The City Hall was packed, I would say 90% full, and the crowd were obviously all fans of many years and knew the words to every song. The Dubliners came on stage and were soon playing The Rocky Road to Dublin with everyone clapping and singing along. The set was in two halves with a mixture of old songs, reels, and stories and video footage of the departed members. Star of the show was Barney who spent most of the evening sitting on a stool, playing his banjo and cracking jokes to the crowd, who loved him. For me the other highlights were the video footage of Luke Kelly and Ronnie Drew. The video of Luke singing “Maids when youre young never wed an old man” was great; the power of Luke’s voice and performance stood out for me. Have a look at it on youtube (link below). For me, the vocals didn’t match those of the old band; which just made me wish that I’d gone to see them at their peak in the 60s or 70s.
They played many old favourites including The Wild Rover, Finnegan’s Wake, Black Velvet Band. They finished with Whiskey in the Jar and the encore was Molly Malone. The set was well over two hours.
We often use the word “legends”; well last Friday night we saw a band that truly match that word in every sense. A great evening spent with a band who have lived and sung Irish folk music for almost 50 years now. Laura and Jo enjoyed it too; we all thought that it was great (thanks Laura for buying the tickets!). Pity they didn’t play Seven Drunken Nights Jo.

website: http://www.thedubliners.org/
youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8mfGX4Z1dE

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7 Mar

The Hollies Carlisle Sands Centre March 6th 2010

Posted by vintagerock in The Hollies. Tagged: , , , , .

The Hollies Carlisle Sands Centre March 6th 2010
The Hollies missed out the North East on their spring 2010 tour so I decided to make a visit to Carlisle to see them. The Sands Centre is a nice venue just out from Carlisle city centre. I arrived early and took my seat in the circle. Just after 7.30 The Hollies took to the stage, starting off with Here I Go Again. The sound was clear, but a liitle on the quiet side for me; it could have done with a little more volume. Highlights for me in the first set were Bus Stop (always been a favourite song of mine) and the Baby which starts with a great solo from Tony Hicks on his electric sitar. The first half closed with a new(er) song, So Damn Beautiful.
After a short break they are back with more hits. Highlights were King Midas in Reverse (don’t think I’ve seen them play it before), Stop Stop Stop with a great banjo solo from Tony and Peter Howarth’s solo acoustic version of Can’t tell the bottom from the top. They finish with Air that I breathe and He ain’t Heavy, with Let Love Pass as the final song. I get out into the car park at around 10pm and I’m back home for around 11.45pm. It was great to see them again, the old songs still sound great.

setlist:
First Half: Here I Go Again; Just One Look; Stay; I Would Fly; Bus Stop; On A Carousel; The Baby; Sandy (Acoustic); Then Now Always (Dolphin Days); We’re Through; Long Cool Woman; So Damn Beautiful
Second Half: I Can’t Let Go; Jennifer Eccles; Sorry Suzanne; Yes I Will; King Midas In Reverse; I’m Alive; Look Through Any Window; I Can’t Tell The Bottom From The Top (Acoustic solo); Listen To Me; Hey Willy; Gasoline Alley Bred; Weakness; Lucille; Stop Stop Stop; Carrie Anne; The Air That I Breathe; He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother; Let Love Pass

website: http://www.hollies.co.uk/

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