Posts Tagged ‘prog rock’

18 Sep

Ian Anderson The Sage Gateshead 19 Sep 2011

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

Ian Anderson The Sage Gateshead 19 Sep 2011
Will, Norm and I went along to see Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull at the Sage last Monday. Ian seems to be touring endlessly, sometimes with Tull, sometimes solo. Although I would much prefer to see a full Tull show, a chance to attend a show by the great showman flautist is not to be sniffed at. The set was a mixture of some old Tull favourites, some less known tunes, and a few classical pieces thrown in. All of these were done largely acoustically by Ian, a keyboard player and guitarist (Florian Opahle). Florian is a pretty slick guitarist and Ian’s flute playing was just superb; the smaller band setting allowing him to play longer solos than he would normally play within the context of a Jethro Tull show. Monday’s concert was in the smaller Hall 2 of the Sage, which is a much more intimate setting than the larger Hall. It was good see Ian Anderson again; and to have a chat with our old Tull mate Doug. A good evening, which will keep us all going until Jethro Tull come around again; and we also can’t wait for Ian to return next year; when he plays the City Hall with his “Thick as a Brick” show, which promises to be pretty special.
Jethro Tull website
Setlist: First half: Boris Dancing; Mother Goose; Up To Me; Set-Aside; Overture; Wond’ring Again; Florian guitar solo; Hare In The Wine Cup; Bach’s Prelude In C Major/Bouree
Second half: Up The Pool; The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles; The Poet and the Painter; Adrift and Dumbfounded; A Change Of Horses; Bach’s Toccata and Fugue; Budapest
Encores: Aqualung; Locomotive Breath

ticket


flyer for next years Thick as a Brick tour

11 Sep

Brian Wilson The Sage Gateshead 10 September 2011

Posted by vintagerock in Brian Wilson. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Brian Wilson The Sage Gateshead 10 September 2011
We’d been hesitating for some time as to whether to go to see Brian Wilson on this tour. Although we’d all gone as a family to his last couple of shows at the City Hall and the Sage, we hadn’t fancied the “Brian Wilson reimagines Gershwin” concept. However, as the evening of the show arrived I decided that I couldn’t pass up on another chance of seeing the genuis who gave us all those great Beach Boys songs. Laura was in two minds whether to come with me, but in the end decided not to bother. I’d seen that there were still tickets available so I went along to the Sage and bought myself a ticket near the back of the hall. I arrived just in time for the start of the show. The first half of the concert was, as promised, the entire new album: “Brian Wilson reimagines Gershwin”; and it was pretty good actually. Imagine those great Gershwin songs with Beach Boys harmonies, a rock n roll beat, and strings. Quite enjoyable and just about the right lenght; not too long so that I got bored with it. Brian’s band of around eight players is, as always, excellent, and tonight they were accompanied by a local four piece string section.
Although I first thought that the Gershwin idea was pretty odd, I know think its a great idea, and the treatment of the songs is much, much better than I ever expected.
After a short interval, Brian and the band returned to delight the crowd with all those great hits. Brian seemed more talkative than on previous tours, and his voice also seemed a little stronger. He took lead vocals on most of the songs, with a couple of other members of the band doing the honours on a few of the songs.
God only knows, Good vibrations, and Wouldn’t it be nice are all landmark songs; but my favourite is Do it Again, which seems to bring back happy teenage memories for me. By the end of the evening, everyone was on their feet, with lots of dancing going on.
A great evening. Glad I decided to go after all.
First Set: Rhapsody In Blue (Intro); The Like In I Love You; Summertime; I Loves You, Porgy; I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’; It Ain’t Necessarily So; ‘S Wonderful; They Can’t Take That Away From Me; Love Is Here To Stay; I’ve Got a Crush on You; I Got Rhythm; Someone To Watch Over Me; Nothing But Love
Second Set: California Girls; Dance Dance Dance; Catch A Wave; Surfer Girl; Please Let Me Wonder; “Mary Had A Little Lamb”; You’re So Good To Me; The Little Girl I Once Knew; Salt Lake City; Don’t Worry Baby; Do You Wanna Dance?; Do It Again; Darlin’; I Get Around; Sail On Sailor; Pet Sounds; Sloop John B; Wouldn’t it Be Nice; God Only Knows; Heroes and Villains; Good Vibrations
First Encore: Johnny B Goode; Help Me Rhonda; Barbara Ann; Surfin’ USA; Fun Fun Fun
Second Encore: All Summer Long Encore

ticket


flyer for manchester show


Brain Wilson website

20 Aug

Edgar Broughton The Duchess York 18 Aug 2011

Posted by vintagerock in Edgar Broughton. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Edgar Broughton The Duchess York 18 Aug 2011
Edgar Broughton has been a hero of mine since I grew up with rock music in the late 60s and early 70s. I caught the Edgar Broughton Band live several times at festivals (Reading, Buxton) and locally (Sunderland Mecca, Newcastle City Hall). Edgar was always outspoken, passionate and totally committed to the alternative cause, and to be honest I found him somewhat scary onstage those days. Willy and I went to see the Broughton Band at Sheffield Boardwalk when they reunited a few years ago, and they hadn’t lost any of their power. Sadly I didn’t manage to make it over to the Spirit of 71 stage at Glastonbury (there was too much mud, and it was too far from our campsite), but I promised myself there and then that I would make up for it by going along to this show in York.
On Thursday night I saw a very different side to Edgar Broughton. The show had been billed as a special one-off performance entitled “Castaway”. Edgar had promised us, through his blog, that “it will be very different from what you might normally expect from me though it will include a lot of vintage material”.
This was my first visit to the Duchess, which is a great little venue right in the heart of the lovely city of York. I managed to find my way through the small windy streets and, after driving around a little to find a parking spot, took a seat towards the back of the venue. The crowd was small but attentive, comprising those of a similar advanced age, and with several Broughton Band t-shirts on show.
The stage was set with a single chair and two acoustic guitars. Edgar came onstage around 8.30pm and launched into some beautiful acoustic picking, which developed into a wailing chant-like song, setting the tone for the evening. Edgar explained to us that “many of my songs are dark, and I make no excuse for that”. The set was a mix of new songs, old Broughton band favourites, and a few poems. It was a great evening; something different; special and to be remembered. For Almost dancing Edgar used his Blackberry to provide the “tick tock” which accompanied the poem, and the droning backing for “a small psalm” was also provided by the same technology (which let him down and switched itself off a couple of times!). Red Star is a relatively new song written about the Brixton riots; Edgar explained how he had been singing it in a house in London as part of one of his Fair days pay for a fair days work shows, and as he left London was in flames and the riots had started. Green Lights sounded great with a simple arrangement and acoustic guitar. Soldiers of the Light was, explained Edgar, written for his brother Steve. Poppy, always a favourite of mine since I saw the Band play it in the early ’70s, closed the first set.
In the second half we all chanted a drone note while Edgar chanted on top. He explained that the Christmas song had been debuted at the Micky Jones (Man) benefit in Wales. Old favourites Evening over the Rooftops and Hotel Room were given the Edgar solo treatment; both sounding as fresh as they ever did. The show closed with a reprise of the dark chanting wail that had opened the show.
Everyone seemed to genuinely enjoy the evening, including our host, who thanked us for coming along to share the experience with him. He had planned to record the event; but had forgotten to give the recording gear to the sound guy!. I really enjoyed it, and was glad that I made the trip. I’d seen a different, gentler side of Edgar, somewhat removed from the fiery wild hairy guy in a karate suit of the early 70s. And no Out Demons Out; but that was fine because it wasn’t that sort of night. The angry challenging guy is still there and he is still (as he says on his site) “Hoping to do what I can – I lean to the left – aiming to do what is right”. The drive home was pretty uneventful, although it was teaming down with rain. I left the Duchess around 10.50pm and was back home around 12.30pm.
Setlist:
arabesque the re-mix > all fall down > speak down wires > almost dancing tick tock > a small psalm > red star > green lights > the god light pop (a reading from the instantanium) > soldiers of the light > there’s a hole in it > poppy
Intermission
i want to lie (in a cool dark room) revisited > we chant > say you love me > christmas song > ice on fire > evening over the rooftops > my salvation > hotel room > six white horses > Arabesque and yoik
Edgar Broughton website
Edgar’s blog, including a poem which he performed on the evening
Link to the programme for the evening

programme and ticket

22 May

Roger Waters The Wall Manchester Arena 21 May 2011

Posted by vintagerock in Pink Floyd, Roger Waters. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Roger Waters The Wall Manchester Arena 21 May 2011
Just got up this morning. Still tired from driving back from Manchester from last night’s show, which was absolutely fantastic. This must be the most impressive show I have ever seen in terms of visuals and production. If you get a chance to go and see it; do so; you won’t regret it.

I should start by saying that I have never been a fan of (some of the music on) The Wall album. In fact, having see the Floyd tours in the 70s (including Meddle-era, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Knebworth, Animals) I missed out on The Wall shows at Earls Court. I’d grown a little tired of their ever expanding stage shows, and I just didn’t get The Wall concept. I was also heavily into the punk/new wave ethos at that time, which probably influenced my decision to stay away. However over the years I’ve bitterly regretted missing those shows as, even though I still feel the album is not the best of Pink Floyd’s work, I now realise their significance. So I thought it was time to go and see Rogers Waters new production of his masterpiece.

I arrived at the cavernous Manchester Arena early, and took my seat in the lower tier. The Wall was partly built, and the stage set for what promised to be something pretty spectacular. I hadn’t actually given much thought to how spectacular it might be, and I was actually surprised by the scale, detail and impact of the whole production. The story of The Wall is now well known. It is one of Roger’s own isolation and draws on themes of war, injustice, politics, oppression and inequality. All of these are of course still relevant today and Roger has brought the production up to date to include representations of current political and world issues. Modern technology has also enabled Roger to produce a spectacle which just couldn’t have been done in the same way 30 years ago.

The effects are too numerous to mention. The flying pig returns, but he is much more impressive than the beast that flew over my head in Wembley Empire Pool on the Animals tour (how on earth was this modern pig controlled?). There are inflatables of the teacher and mother. Roger sings along with video footage of himself from Earls Court. The wall is gradually built throughout the first half of the show, and becomes a massive video screen, displaying images of fallen war heroes and of the album’s storyline. By the end of the first half the wall is complete and Roger and the band disappear behind it. The giant wall stays in place for much of the second half, with Roger and the band popping out of holes in the wall, and performing in front and on top of it. At one point Roger slides out of the wall, sitting in a loving room singing to us. Everyone in the arena (except me) seems to know (and sign) every word of the album. Roger is quite talkative and tells us he is different person to the young man who performed the Wall at Earls Court. The climax comes with us all chanting “Break down the wall” and the wall collapses in front of our eyes.

This must be the most spectacular show on the road; it is certainly streets ahead of anything I’ve ever seen before. I found it breathtaking, moving and utterly compelling. Although I know little of the album (apart from Another Brick and Comfortably Numb) I wasn’t bored for a single minute (and I often am at shows). Stunning. I wish I could go again.

Setlist:
First Half: In the Flesh?; Thin Ice; Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 1; Happiest Days of Our Lives; Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2; Mother; Goodbye Blue Sky; Empty Spaces; What Shall We Do Now?; Young Lust; One of My Turns; Don’t Leave Me Now; Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 3; Last Few Bricks; Goodbye Cruel World
Second Half: Hey You; Is There Anybody Out There?; Nobody Home; Vera; Bring the Boys Back Home; Comfortably Numb; Show Must Go On; In the Flesh; Run Like Hell; Waiting for the Worms; Stop; Trial; Outside the Wall

The Band:
Drums: Graham Broad
Guitars: Dave Kilminster, G.E. Smith, Snowy White
Bass: Roger Waters
Keyboards: Jon Carin, Harry Waters
Lead Vocals: Robbie Wyckoff, Roger Waters
Backing Vocals: Jon Joyce, Mark Lennon, Michael Lennon, Kipp Lennon

Roger Waters website: www.roger-waters.com

programme


ticket

20 Mar

Van Der Graaf Generator Manchester Academy March 26th 2011

Posted by vintagerock in Van Der Graaf Generator. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

Van Der Graaf Generator Manchester Academy March 26th 2011
I always found Van Der Graaf Generator a tricky band to get into. To me, their songs range from classic progrock (Necromancer, Darkness, Refugees, Killer) through to others which are much darker, intense and, in parts, almost inpenetrable. So I approached last night’s concert at Manchester Academy with interest, and some nervousness; would I enjoy them after all this time?
Last night was the first time I’d seen VDGG since the 1970s, so this was a trip back in time for me. VDGG were one of the first bands I saw at Newcastle City Hall, on the Charisma 6/- package tour; the support acts were Lindisfarne and Genesis. I still remember parts of that night well, Genesis were exquisite (The Knife blew me away; Peter Gabriel used the mike stand as a gun and shot us all), Lindisfarne went down a storm with the home crowd (lots of singing along) and stole the show, and Van Der Graaf were quite perplexing for me. I remember thinking Killer was great, but also losing my way in some of the seemingly endless saxophone solos. I saw them a few times after that, at the Reading Festival, Newcastle Polytechnic, Sunderland Locarno and Redcar Coatham Bowl, and got quite well into them by the time they split up for the last (for then) time in the late ’70s. I missed their show at the Sage a few years ago as I away at the time, so I decided to make up for it last night, and drove across to Manchester to relive a little piece of my youth.
Manchester Academy 3 is a small, dark venue situated on the top floor of Manchester University Students Union building. Last night The Stranglers were appearing next door in Academy 1 and Peter Wolf was downstairs in Academy 2 (must be great being a student in Manchester!). Upstairs the venue was crammed full with 50+ (and 60+) year old fans fans who were waiting expectedly for their heroes. Peter Hamill, Guy Evans and Hugh Banton took to the stage to warm cheers at around 8.30pm and launched into Interference Patterns, which is from their 2008 Trisector album. Peter Hammil’s vocals were as unique and challenging as ever. He alternated between electric piano and guitar, and explained to the audience that he finds the arrangements difficult (and hence has to work from sheets of music). Guy Evans drumming was excellent, as was Hugh Banton’s organ playing; quite intricate with lots of 70s Hammond swirling. The set was largely drawn from their recent albums, with none of the favourites which I so wanted to hear. But this is a band reborn, with the same values and ethos, but a new take on the music. The vocals are still strident and dynamic, but the songs are more complex, there is more guitar and the trademark sax has departed with David Jackson. I still found the songs challenging and dark; I guess I would have found them easier if I’d listened to the recent albums. Most of the crowd around me seemed to know the new tracks; indeed each song was greeted with loud applause and almost reverance. But actually last night I sort of started to get it, and enjoyed the set. If a stranger walked into the hall last night, I swear they would wonder what on earth was going on: a strange manic old guy singing some weird songs, with a crowd of (mostly) older people hanging on every word. But it worked; the musicianship was superb, the vocals ranged from touching and beautiful to manic and almost screaming. Peter ignored the cries for Killer, Refugees (one guy was shouting for Mike and Suzie!) and Darkness, but actually, that was OK. I finally appreciated VDGG for what they are: superb musicians, complex, challenging, difficult, but ultimately satisfying.

Setlist:
Interference Patterns
Mr Sands
Your Time Starts Now
Scorched Earth
Bunsho
Lifetime
All That Before
Still Life
All Over The Place
Over the Hill
We are Not Here
Man-Erg
Encore – LaRossa
website: http://www.vandergraafgenerator.co.uk

ticket

poster with timings that I took off the wall as a momento

Newer Entries »