Gary Glitter in concert
I wondered whether to include disgraced star Gary Glitter in my bloggings at all, but in the end decided I should do so. I am treating this as a historical record of my concert goings, and given that I have seen Gary Glitter in concert on a few occassions, I felt I should comment on that here. The first time I attended a Gary Glitter concert was 1974 and he was high in the charts somewhere between the singles “I Love You Love Me Love” and “Remember Me This Way”. 
At this point he was very much a teen glam star and Newcastle City Hall was packed. By the end of the 70s Gary Glitter had hit hard times. The hits had dried up, but he was still out their gigging in small clubs. A group of us went to see him during this period at Middlesbrough Rock Garden. The small venue was filled with skinheads and punks who gave him a great reception. 
By the mid 80s he was enjoying a comeback of sorts, and was again filling Newcastle City Hall. 
The last time I attended a Gary Glitter concert was at a large sports hall in Durham. By this point he was touring every Christmas with the Gary Glitter Christmas Show or “Glitter at Christmas”, which had become a seasonal favourite with people of all ages. He was filling large halls and even arenas at this time. 
I also saw Gary Glitter play the part of The Rock in The Who’s performance of Quadrophenia at Hyde Park in 1996, as support act for Wham! at their farewell concert The Final in Wembley Stadium in 1986, and supporting Rod Stewart at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow in 1983.
Posts Tagged ‘pop’
15 Feb
Gary Glitter in concert
14 Feb
David Gates 1980 and 2001
David Gates 1980 and 2001
I’ve already blogged on David Gates alongside Bread, but I found a programme in my collection that I hadn’t scanned at the time, so I decided to include it today for completeness and as an excuse for writing a little more about David and his songs. David has written some great songs including the Bread classics: Make It With You; Baby I’m-A Want You; Guitar Man; Everything I Own; and If. What I didn’t realise was that he also wrote Saturday’s Child for the Monkees. Saturday’s Child appears on the Monkees first lp, and is one of their better album tracks. In the TV series our heroes Monkee around on the beach in a dune buggy, motorbikes, and the Monkeemobile! Happy memories. The last time I saw David Gates in concert was at a gig at Newcastle Tyne Theatre which Marie and I went to ten or more years ago. He was on good form, and sang all the classic Bread songs, as you would expect.
13 Feb
David Gilmour Royal Albert Hall London 2006
David Gilmour Royal Albert Hall London 2006
I went to this gig with David, having bought tickets at the last moment, just before they sold out. I was dithering about whether it was worth the trip to London to see David Gilmour, and by the time I decided I would take the plunge, the only tickets left were standing tickets right up in the gallery looking down on the stage. Security for the concert was such that no tickets were issued and we had to turn up at the Albert Hall with photo ID to obtain entrance to the concert. The tour was to support Gilmour’s new release On An Island, and much of the set was drawn from that album. The tour stopped at the Albert Hall for three nights, and further shows were added including Manchester Bridgewater Hall, which I would have preferred to attend. The set was a mix of tracks from the new album and a good selection of Pink Floyd classics. Gilmour’s band for the concerts was
old Floyd mate Rick Wright on Hammond organ, piano, and synthesizer; from Roxy Music: Phil Manzanera on guitar; Dick Parry on saxophones; Guy Pratt on bass; Jon Carin on synthesizer and Steve DiStanislao on drums. There were also a number of superb special guests including Crosby and Nash, Robert Wyatt, and for the encores the band was joined by Nick Mason on drums, making this in effect a Pink Floyd concert, or at least the same line-up as the last version of Floyd. The lightshow was subtle, but amazing; one of the best that I have ever seen. And I was delighted to see them play Arnold Layne, which I never imagined I would see performed live. It was also great to hear Shine on Your Crazy Diamond and my personal Floyd favourite Echoes, both of which were played true to the original. An amazing gig, and easily on par with some of the Floyd or Roger Waters performances I have attended. My only regret was that we didn’t go along on the first night, when Gilmour was joined by David Bowie for Arnold Layne. Now that would have been amazing to see. Setlist:
Speak to Me; Breathe; Time; Breathe (Reprise); Castellorizon; On An Island (with Crosby & Nash); The Blue (with Crosby & Nash; Red Sky At Night; This Heaven; Then I Close My Eyes (with Robert Wyatt); Smile; Take A Breath; A Pocketful Of Stones; Where We Start; Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) (with Crosby & Nash); Fat Old Sun; Dominoes; Arnold Layne; Coming Back to Life; High Hopes; The Great Gig in the Sky (with Mica Paris); Echoes. Encore: Find the Cost of Freedom (with Crosby & Nash); Wish You Were Here (with Nick Mason); Comfortably Numb (with Nick Mason). A DVD of the concert, entitled Remember That Night, was released in 2007.
12 Feb
Peter Gabriel Newcastle Arena 2004
Peter Gabriel Newcastle Arena 2004
Still Growing Up Tour; “In the Round”
This was the first time I had seen Peter Gabriel for over 20 years. It was also the first gig I went to for many years with my old friend John, who is now living to the USA. So it was a night of seeing old friends again; in more ways than one. It was great to see John again, and to go along to a gig, just like old times. And it was a pretty good gig too. The arena was set out with the stage in the centre, and we had seats right up close. One thing that you can expect from Peter Gabriel is the unexpected and this gig was no exception. Peter moved around the stage on a small two-wheeled vehicle to ensure that we all got a good view of him. At one point he rolled around the stage like a hamster in a giant ball, as shown on the front of the programme. 
Peter’s band for this tour was David Rhodes, Rachel Z, old band mate Tony Levin on his stick bass, his daughter Melanie Gabriel on backing vocals, Ged Lynch and Richard Evans.The set was a mix of tracks from throughout his career. There were several songs that weren’t familiar to me, but I recognised the opener Here Comes the Flood, and old favourites Games Without Frontiers, Solsbury Hill, Sledgehammer and the final encore Biko. A great concert by a truly original artist who never fails to surprise. Setlist: Here Comes the Flood; Darkness; Red Rain; Secret World; White Ashes; Games Without Frontiers; Burn You Up, Burn You Down; Downside Up; The Tower That Ate People; More Than This; Baby Man; San Jacinto; Digging in the Dirt; Growing Up; Solsbury Hill; Sledgehammer; Signal to Noise. Encore: In Your Eyes; Biko. Peter Gabriel is touring again later in the year, but isn’t coming to the North East. I think a trip to Manchester to see him may well be in order.
11 Feb
Peter Gabriel Newcastle City Hall 1983
Peter Gabriel Newcastle City Hall 1983
Support Act: Zerra One
Peter Gabriel was back at Newcastle City Hall in 1983. By now he had released four solo albums. The tour was billed as the Playtime 1988 tour. His fourth solo album displayed the influence of world music, and included the single Shock the Monkey. Peter was soon to move further towards the pop mainstream and mega-success with the release of his album So a few years later in 1986. 
This was the last time Peter was to visit the City Hall, and the last time he played in Newcastle for over 20 years. His tours from then on called at arenas and missed the North East out, until 2004, which was the next time I saw him in concert. The programmes scanned here are from later tours, picked up at a car boot fair somewhere! One of them is clearly from the So tour. 
Setlist included: Not One of Us; The Family and the Fishing Net; Shock the Monkey; Family Snapshot; Intruder; No Self Control; Humdrum; Lay Your Hands on Me; Solsbury Hill; I Don’t Remember; San Jacinto; On the Air. The band for the 1982/83 world tour was Peter Gabriel – synthesiser, piano, vocals; Jerry Marotta – drums, percussion; Tony Levin – bass, stick; David Rhodes – guitar; and Larry Fast – synthesiser, piano. This tour was more theatrical than previous tours and took Peter and his band around the world. In the USA he played some dates as support act for David Bowie.
10 Feb
Peter Gabriel Newcastle City Hall 1980
Peter Gabriel Newcastle City Hall 1980
Support Act: Random Hold
Peter Gabriel returned to Newcastle City Hall in 1980. This was the fourth time I saw the post-Genesis Peter in concert. The first time was on his first solo tour in 1977, which I blogged on yesterday. I then saw him at two festivals. The first of these was at Knebworth in 1978 where he shared a very strong bill with Frank Zappa, The Tubes, Boomtown Rats, Rockpile, and Wilko Johnson. The second festival was Reading 1979 where he appeared on Sunday afternoon, before Nils Lofgren (who replaced the Ramones) and Whitesnake closed the weekend. The thing I remember most about that night at Reading was returning to the campsite to find my tent had been stolen! I’ll blog on those festivals on another occasion. So that means I saw Peter every year from 1977 to 1980. 
During that period he released three albums. For me Peter’s first solo album is the best, but that could simply be because it is the album with which I am most familiar. By 1980 new inclusions within the set were the great single Games Without Frontiers and the protest song Biko, both of which were to become big favourites. The programme was entitled Tour of China 1984, and took the form of a little red book, based on that of Chairman Mao. The band for this tours consisted of Peter Gabriel (vocals / keyboards), John Ellis (guitar), Jerry Marotta (drums), Tony Levin (bass / stick), and Larry Fast (keyboards / synths). Setlist: Intruder; Start; I Don’t Remember; Solsbury Hill; Family Snapshot; We Do What We’re Told (Milgram’s 37); Modern Love; Not One of Us; Lead a Normal Life; Moribund the Burgermeister; Mother of Violence; Humdrum; Bully for You; Games Without Frontiers; And Through the Wire; I Go Swimming; Biko; On the Air. Encore: Here Comes the Flood.
6 Feb
Jake Bugg Newcastle Academy 5 Feb 2013
Newcastle Academy 5 Feb 2013 Jake Bugg
Last night David’s friend Phil and I went to see Jake Bugg, the new much hailed up-and-coming superstar troubadour. Jake is all of 18 years old, and is selling venues out up and down the country. The Academy was jam packed to the walls and had been sold out for weeks in advance. I’d read about Jake and heard some of his stuff. He wears his influences on his sleeve, and his music is very reminiscent of the 60s, Dylan, Donovan, old blues, and country. His songs are all self-penned and its hard to believe that they can come from someone so new to the music business. We arrived just in time for the support act Little Green Cars, who come from the USA and were pretty good, playing a pleasant mix of indie, folk and psych. 
The crowd gave them a warm reception, but everyone was waiting for the main man. Jake Bugg came on stage shortly after 9pm and the place just went crazy. Lots of singing along. Everyone (except me :))seemed to know all of the words to most of the songs. Phil has Jake’s album, and told me that most of the set was drawn from that, with a few new songs. He finished with Lightning Bolt, which resulted in a mass crazy singalong by the Newcastle crowd. The encore was Broken followed by a super cover of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues. Then we all rolled out into the cold night. Phil and I both agreed that it was a great gig. This guy is amazing and has a great future ahead of him. Watch his progress; it will be rapid. Thanks to Phil for the photo; his phone camera skills are much better than mine.
31 Jan
Genesis Newcastle City Hall 1975 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour
Genesis Newcastle City Hall 1975 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour
Always listen to the album before you go to the concert. That is a piece of advice I keep giving to myself, but I often don’t follow. It was never more true than in this case. It had been a couple of years since I last saw Genesis, and I wasn’t interested to see their new production for the new album “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”. I’d read the reviews, but hadn’t heard the album (you see; mistake). For some reason, I hadn’t bought a ticket for this tour, but when Genesis reached Newcastle City Hall, I decided to go along on the night and try to buy a ticket. I managed to do so, purchasing a ticket for a little more than face value from someone outside the venue. My seat was pretty near the back, but hey I was in! 
I knew what to expect; the set was the entire new (double) album played in sequence to tell the story of Rael, and was their most theatrical show to date. Peter Gabriel really excelled himself in terms of his performance and in costume changes, the most spectacular and outrageous of which was the Slipperman who was covered in terrible growths. The concert was incredible as a piece of theatre, however having not heard the album, I did find it a little hard going at times. Even to this day, I don’t fully understand the story or know many of the tracks; and I do have a copy now. My favourite is of course Carpet Crawlers. My memory tells me that they came back at the end and encored with The Knife, but published setlists tells me that it was likely to have ben Watcher of the Skies, The Musical Box; or both. This was the last time that I saw the Gabriel era Genesis, as big changes were soon to come. I will blog on my next Genesis experience tomorrow. Setlist: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway; Fly on a Windshield; Broadway Melody of 1974; Cuckoo Cocoon; In the Cage; The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging; Back in N.Y.C.; Hairless Heart; Counting Out Time; The Carpet Crawlers; The Chamber of 32 Doors; Lilywhite Lilith; The Waiting Room; Anyway; Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist; The Lamia; Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats; The Colony of Slippermen; Ravine; The Light Dies Down on Broadway; Riding the Scree; In the Rapids; It. Encore: The Knife?
28 Jan
Girlschool Newcastle City Hall 1981 & 1982
Girlschool Newcastle City Hall 1981 & 1982
I saw Girlschool at Newcastlte City Hall again in 1981 and 1982. 1982 was a busy year for the band. The band teamed up with Motorhead on the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” EP. The EP contained a cover of Johnny Kidd & The Pirates’ song “Please Don’t Touch” and two tracks where the bands covered each other, with Motörhead performing Girlschool’s “Emergency”, and Girlschool playing Motörhead’s “Bomber”. The two bands performed together on Top of the Pop as “Headgirl” playing “Please Don’t Touch”. I can remember the performance to this day; it was great pun, and so powerful. If you haven’t seen it go to Youtube, I’ve just played it and it still blows away the cobwebs today. The record reached No.5 in the UK Single Chart during February 1981; the biggest hit for both bands at the time. 
It was with this performance in my mind that I went along to see Girslschool at the City Hall in April 1981. A setlist from a BBC in Concert show of that year shows the band as playing the following songs: Demolition Boys; Tush (great cover of the ZZ Top song); Midnight Ride; Breakdown; Take it all the Way; The Hunter (not the Free song; pretty punky and a live favourite at the time); Nothing to Lose; Race with the Devil (yes the Gun song; an excellent cover); Emergency. Girlschool live were great, and very much of that time, a blend of punk, NWOBHM, and girl power attitude. The Newcastle metal hords loved them and always gave them a great reception. A girlschool gig consisted of lots of guy in denim jackets covered in the customary questions shaking their heads off and going crazy. 
The album Hit and Run was released in 1981, along with the title track being released as a single. Both were big successes with the album reaching No.5 and the single No.33 in the charts. I think support for the 1981 gig was AIIZ. The band also headlined at Reading in 1981. This was the first year I missed Reading for almost 10 years of attending the festival. I went along to the Newcastle Rock on the Tyne festival. I’ve never been to the Reading festival again, which I regret. Girlschool’s third album Screaming Blue Murder was released in 1982. It didn’t do so well as its predescor, and the line-up of the band started to change at this point. The 1982 Newcastle gig was, I think, the last time I saw the band. Time to put that right.
27 Jan
Girlschool Newcastle City Hall 1980
Girlschool Newcastle City Hall 1980
Girlschool came together in 1978, evolving out of a band called painted lady, and drawing from punk, classic rock, and NWOBHM. Girlschool’s original line-up was Kim McAuliffe, Enid Williams, Kelly Johnson, and Denise Dufort, and they released their first single Take it all away in late 1978. Lemmy of Motorhead took an interest in the band and in 1979 I saw them as support act on the Overkill tour. A year later they were headlining their own tour and I went to see them at Newcastle City Hall. Girlschool live were a raw hard rock band with the energy of punk and some of the speed and volume of Motorhead. 
I saw them quite a few times in the late 70s and early 80s; supporting Motorhead, and possibly Uriah Heep, then headlining at the Mayfair and three gigs at the City Hall. Girlschool released their debut album, Demolition, in 1980. The album also produced the singles Emergency, Nothing to Lose and a great version of the Gun song Race with the Devil. I think support act for this gig might have been Angel Witch, who were a great NWOBHM band fronted by a guy with long blonde hair who looked a little like Francis Rossi. They had a great song Angel Witch, and are still gigging today, as are Girlshool. The current Girlschool line-up features Kim, Enid and Denise from the original band. Kelly sadly died from cancer a few years ago. Another band who I should make the effort to see again!
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