Dio Newcastle City Hall 1984
Support from Queensryche
This concert in 1984 was the last time I saw Dio in a concert hall setting. I did see Ronnie and the band a few years later at the Monsters of Rock festival 1987. This gig had strong support from up and coming act Queensryche, who had just released their second album and were building up their own strong following. Dio had also just released their second album “The Last in Line”, and the set featured a collection of songs from that album, their previous album “Holy Diver” and a few Rainbow and Sabbath songs. The evil, but cute. looking guy on the programme is “Murray”, who appeared on the band’s album covers, as well as in the backdrop for the live shows. Note Murray sports the devil’s horn salute that was the trademark of Ronnie. 
Setlist: Stand Up and Shout; One Night in the City; Don’t Talk to Strangers; Mystery; Egypt (The Chains Are On); Holy Diver; Heaven and Hell; The Last in Line; Rainbow in the Dark; Man on the Silver Mountain / Starstruck; Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll. Encore: We Rock; The Mob Rules. A DVD of performances from two Dio concerts in 1983 and 1984 was released a few years ago, and gives a great write-up of Dio’s rock stature at that time: “Ronnie James Dio remained at the forefront of hard rock for over twenty years and his position as the powerful voice, driving force and front man to rock gods ‘Dio’ is the stuff of legends. The finest hard rock album to come out of 1983 (Holy Diver) and a second serving of rock genius in 1984’s ‘The Last In Line’, Dio found themselves in embarking on a sell-out world tour. Delivering concert performances of the highest calibre and putting on the kind of value-for-money show that had become something of a lost art, the Holy Diver world tour won the band adulation from fans, critics and fellow musicians alike.”
Posts Tagged ‘R&B’
7 Sep
Dio Newcastle City Hall 1983
Dio Newcastle City Hall 1983
Support from Waysted
I first saw the late Ronnie James Dio when he fronted the band Elf. Elf were support act on the Deep Purple Burn tour of 1974, which I caught at Newcastle Odeon. My mate John also reminded me that we saw Elf as support for Johnny Winter at the New Victoria Theatre, London, also in 1974. I them saw him several times in Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, and also in Black Sabbath. Ronnie was a great rock singer, with a tremendous range, his style mixing heavy metal with an almost operatic approach. Ronnie was also tremendously charismatic and powerful on stage, with a great stage presence which transcended his diminutive stature. I can picture him now leading the crowd on, his hands making the devil’s horn salute. A great talent, who is much missed. 
By 1984 Ronnie was of sufficient stature to be able to front his own band Dio. Playing alongside him were the three other great rock talents of Vinny Appice on drums; Jimmy Bain on bass and Vivian Campbell on guitar. Dio’s music drew heavily from his previous bands, retaining Ronnie’s distinctive style, and some of the dark satanic imagery of Sabbath. The set was a mix of track from the the new Dio lp, Holy Diver, and rainbow and Sabbath songs: Stand Up and Shout; Straight Through the Heart; Shame on the Night; Children of the Sea (Black Sabbath); Holy Diver; Stargazer (Rainbow: a great favourite of mine at the time; I’d forgotten this one!); Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath); Rainbow in the Dark; Man on the Silver Mountain (Rainbow: another great song); Starstruck (Rainbow). Encore: Evil Eyes; Don’t Talk to Strangers. Support came from Waysted, Pete Way of UFO’s side project, which also featured fellow UFO member Paul Raymond.
5 Sep
Patti Smith Newcastle Academy 4th September 2012
Patti Smith Newcastle Academy 4th September 2012
Patti Smith is one special artist. She is many things: a legend, an icon, a punk, a poet, a rocker, an outsider, but above everything what really strikes me is the total authenticity of the lady. With Patti what you see is 100% what you get; each and every time. Last night Patti was in a playful mood; she came onstage around 8.30pm, and treated a packed Newcastle Academy to a set which mixed tracks from her new album “Banga” and classics from her back catalogue. She seemed pre-occupied by the chicken that she had eaten at Nandos earlier in the day, which got the blame for everything. She fluffed the start of the first song, and started again, which was fine, and told us that it was because of the chicken. Later on in the set she admitted that she was chattering a lot, and wondered if the chicken was making her do that. Patti was indeed in a chatty mood. She told us that she’d been to the hairdressers to have her hair curled (she also thought that this might have caused her chatty mood, along with the chicken) and how she’d been photographed by the NME for their icon series, holding a copy of an old NME from 1976 which featured her on the cover. Enough about Patti’s chat; which I mentioned to illustrate the good mood that she was in. The music was great. She played several classics which went down well with the crowd: Free Money, Pissing In The River, Because The Night. All great. Long time band partner Lenny Kaye had his own spot, which he dedicated to local band Penetration, and featured: Night Time / (We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet / Born To Lose / Pushin’ Too Hard. During this spot Patti did her cute quirky little dance while Lenny and the guys ran through the songs. Gloria was the closing number. The encore was the title track of her new album Banga, followed by People Have the Power, and closing with an ace version of Rock ‘N’ Roll Nigger, the entire place singing “Outside of Society”. She closed around 10.20pm; almost two hours after she started. Patti closed by telling us how much she had enjoyed it, explaining that some nights are great musically, but that last night she had “fun”, and that Newcastle was a magical place. We all believed her; and judging by the comments of everyone leaving the venue, the crowd agreed and had great fun too. Just amazing. Some people do get better with time.
4 Sep
Dr Feelgood Newcastle City Hall 1977 to 1979
Dr Feelgood Newcastle City Hall 1977 to 1979
So Wilko was gone and Gypie Mayo was in. I had big doubts as to whether this could work. Wilko was a class act, and would be very hard to follow. The chemistry between Lee and Wilko was obvious, they worked together so well. It could never be the same again. So we went along to see; and it worked. All credit to Gypie Mayo for taking this on and making it work, but work it did. Apparently Gypie only had a week to learn the set before going out on this tour. He kept his own style, and didn’t try to imitate Wilko, but he and Lee worked together and the Feelgoods continued to rock, just as they had before. 
Support for the 1977 tour came from the very excellent Mink DeVille, who hit the charts around the same time with “Spanish Stroll”. We went along to the City Hall early to make sure we caught their set; this was one gig where we gave the bar a miss. Will DeVille was a cook guy and warmed the crowd up well for our session in the Dr’s surgery. 
Dr Feelgood often seemed to choose a strong support act to open for them. The support in 1978 was Squeeze, who are another class act. I think support in 1979 came from Red Beans and Rice. 
After 1979, the Feelgood’s North East gigs were in smaller venues than the City Hall, such as Durham University and Redcar Coatham Bowl. By 1981 there had been more change and Gypie Mayo had left then band, to be replaced by Johnny Guitar. I saw that line up at the Rock on the Tyne festival which took place over the 1981 August Bank Holiday weekend. This was the start of several more line up changes, which have gone on until this day. 
I saw Dr Feelgood once more, at Newcastle Mayfair in 1987. I’ll blog on that gig shortly. Its easy to forget just how great Dr Feelgood were in the 70s, particularly as a live act. Without the Feelgoods we may not have had punk, and things just wouldn’t have been the same. I spent some great nights with these guys.
3 Sep
Dr Feelgood Newcastle City Hall 1975 and 1976
Dr Feelgood Newcastle City Hall 1975 and 1976
Dr Feelgood were just plain amazing in their early days. They grew out of pub rock and preceded punk, and were pretty untouchable as a live act. I first saw them as support for Hawkwind on their 1974 tour, and was blown away by them. I couldn’t take my eyes off the two front men Lee Brilleaux and Wilko Johnson. Wilko strutted backwards and forwards across the stage, playing his Fender Telecaster in his characteristic choppy style, while Lee stared menacingly at us all, dressed in a sharp white suit, wringing the mike and pumping his fist. Sparko and The Big Figure silently and relentlessly provided the rhythm. I loved those tunes: “Back In the Night”, “Roxette”, “She does it right”. There was no one like them and no-one to touch them. 
The Feelgoods visited the City Hall every year from 1976 to 1979 and I went each year. They were always a great live act, and I never saw them put on anything other than a great performance. They also had some pretty cool support acts: GT Moore and the Reggae Guitars on the 1975 tour, and the George Hatcher band in 1976 (although the ticket says Clover, I am pretty sure they were replaced on the tour by George Hatcher). I also saw them at the Reading Festival in 1975, where they were the favourites of the weekend. Went with a group of mates; I can remember all of us coming back from the local pub specially to catcg the Feelgood’s set. 
And then the unthinkable happened, and Wilko was gone. I was shocked, and couldn’t see how the band would survive the loss of such a charismatic figure. Wilko wrote many of the songs, and was so crucial and integral to their sound, and their live show. But survive they did. I’ll blog tomorrow on the post-Wilko gigs that I saw at the City Hall. The live album “Stupidity” gives an idea of a setlist from those days: Talking About You; 20 Yards Behind; Stupidity; All Through The City; I’m a Man; Walking The Dog; She Does It Right; Going Back Home; I Don’t Mind; Back in the Night; I’m a Hog for You Baby; Checking Up on My Baby; Roxette; Riot in Cell Block No. 9
31 Aug
Kiki Dee Middlesbrough Town Hall 1976
Kiki Dee Middlesbrough Town Hall 1976
Support from Vapour Trails and Blue
1976 was a big year for Kiki Dee. She stayed at the No 1 spot in the charts for several weeks, with her deut with Elton John: “Don’t go breaking my heart”. I guess it was that success that drew me and my mate Ian to this gig at Middlesbrough Town Hall. A group of us also saw her support Queen at their free concert in Hyde Park of the same year. She dueted with a cardboard cut-out of Elton at that gig! The Town Hall was sold out for this concert, and Kiki took us through her hit singles and a selection of album tracks. She was on Elton’s Rocket Records at the time, and enjoying great success, at a level that she had never reached during the 60s. Kiki is an artist with a massive musical track record, and their is a great depth to her career. From 60s Northern Soul classics such as “Why don’t I run away from you?” through the beautiful and soulful “Amoureuse”, via the pop delights of “Don’t go breaking my heart” to the more rocky “I’ve got the music in me”, this northern lass is some class act. 
Although I’m not familiar with her more recent material with Carmello Luggeri, their website suggests that their new music is equally eclectic and interesting. Anyway, back to the 1976 Middlesbrough gig. It is “Amoureuse” that sticks in my mind as a memory of that night. It was a beautiful song then, and remains so to this day. I haven’t seen Kiki in concert since that night. She is another act to add to my list of people I would like to see again. Vapour Trails were Kiki’s backing band at the time, and support for this tour came from Blue, who are not to be mistaken for the more recent boy band. This Blue were formed and fronted by ex-Marmalade guitarist Hugh Nicholson, and had a great debut single “Little Jody” and a chart hit with “Gonna Capture Your Heart”, and were pretty good.
30 Aug
Dire Straits Newcastle City Hall 1980 and 1982
Dire Straits Newcastle City Hall 1980 and 1982
Dire Straits returned to the City Hall in 1980, and again in 1982. By this time they were on their way to mega-stardom and could easily sell out a venue of this size. In fact on both occasions the band sold out two nights at the City Hall. If you look at the two ticket stubs, you can see that both gigs were on the 9th December, exactly two years apart from each other. The line up of Dire Straits had changed, with David Knopfler leaving his brother’s band, and the members for the 1980 tour being Mark Knopfler (vocals and guitar), John Illsley (bass), Pick Withers (drums) and new band members: Alan Clark (keyboards) and Hal Lindes (guitar). The albums at the time were Making Movies (1980), and Love Over Gold (1982). The nine times platinum Brothers in Arms was to follow a few years later in 1985. 
Dire Straits developed a lot during these early years of their career; the songs were longer, more involved and more complex, with greater opportunity for Mark to solo. This was the period of great tracks such as Romeo and Juliet, Tunnel of Love, and Private Investigations, all of which are epic songs, and they all soon became big favourites of their live shows. Although I enjoyed those City Hall gigs in 1980 and 1982, I also missed the bar band who had broken onto the scene with Sultans of Swing. If you compare a Dire Straits setlist from 1979 with one from 1982, the contrast is quite stark and quite obvious. In 1979 a typical Dire Straits show featured around 20 (quite short) songs. By 1982 the length of the songs had increased to the extent that a typical set comprised around only a dozen songs. 
Also by now the gigs had no support act and no interval; these were evenings of pure Dire Straits music, and quite long shows. A typical setlist from 1982: Once Upon a Time in the West; Industrial Disease; Expresso Love; It Never Rains; Romeo and Juliet; Love Over Gold; Private Investigations; Sultans of Swing; Twisting by the Pool; Two Young Lovers; Portobello Belle; Tunnel of Love 
I saw Dire Straits twice more in concert, both at large gigs. In 1985 I saw them at Wembley Stadium when they appeared at Live Aid, and again at Knebworth in 1990 during the Silver Clef concert. It was 21 years till I saw Mark Knopfler again, when he co-headlined with Bob Dylan in Glasgow. I was disappointed that he didn’t play Sultans of Swing, although looking at setlists from previous gigs it seems that he does still include it his set. For me, Sultans is his supreme moment; his guitar playing seems so simple, so effortless and yet so complex, and his lyrics tell the story of his band at the time. Just perfect.
Thanks to John for the scan of the Brothers in Arms programme. I checked out the setlists for Live Aid and Knebworth. For Live Aid at Wembley Stadium 1985, they played Money for Nothing and Sultans. At Knebworth in 1990 they played Solid Rock; I Think I Love You Too Much, and Money for Nothing. Those were the last times I saw Dire Straits. Mark Knopfler is touring again next year and playing the Newcastle Arena. I met well go along and see him.
29 Aug
Dire Straits in concert late 70s
Dire Straits in concert late 70s
I can’t remember where I first saw Dire Straits, or where I first hear “Sultans of Swing”, but the song was everywhere during 1978. It provided a welcome alternative to the fast and loud punk music which was also omnipresent in university student unions and ballrooms at the time. Not that I didn’t like punk, I did, but it was nice to have a softer alternative. Somehow this rootsy pub rock band crept up from left field, and established themselves as a major act. Their relentless touring was a large part of the secret to their success. I saw them support Talking Heads at Newcastle Poly, a few months later headlining at Middlesbrough Rock Garden, and then back at the Poly. Each time “Sultans” was the stand out song of the night. By June 1979 Dire Straits were big enough to headline at Newcastle City Hall, in support of their second album “Communique”. I recall being surprised at how quickly they had graduated to playing concert halls, and wondering if they could sell out such a large venue. The fact was, the tickets sold out quickly for the City Hall gig and the place was packed. This was one of those nights that posed a dilemma for me. 
The City Hall had Dire Straits, and on the same night The Police were headlining at the Mayfair, with support from The Cramps. My mate Ian and I decided to try and see both gigs, and for once the timings worked. We went to the City Hall, saw the Dire Straits gig (the support came from a band called Metro) and then we headed straight down to The Mayfair for The Police. We had missed The Cramps, but saw The Police’s set. A great night, seeing two great bands who were both on their first headlining tour, and both on the brink of mega stardom. “Sultans” is still my favourite Dire Straits song, and for me they were at their very best in those early days. A typical Dire Straits setlist from 1979: Down to the Waterline; Six Blade Knife; Once Upon a Time in the West; Lady Writer; Single-Handed Sailor; News; What’s the Matter Baby?; Portobello Belle; Wild West End; Lions; Angel of Mercy; Solid Rock; Sultans of Swing; Where Do You Think You’re Going?; Southbound Again; Setting Me Up; Twisting by the Pool.
28 Aug
Donovan in concert Manchester Bridgewater Hall 2004
Donovan in concert Manchester Bridgewater Hall 2004
In 2004, UK concerts by Donovan were few and far between. It had been 14 years since I’d last seen him in concert, so when he announced a couple of shows, one in Manchester and one in London, I decided it was time to see the troubadour child of the 60s again. Marie and I decide to make a weekend of it, and booked a room in a hotel opposite to the venue. We arrived early, and from our hotel room window a could see a small crowd waiting outside the stage door of the Bridgewater Hall. I guessed they were waiting for Donovan’s arrival, and went down and joined them. I waited around 30 minutes or so, and sure enough a black people carrier arrived and Donovan stepped out of the back of it. He took the time to talk to everyone and sign piece of memorabilia. Donovan seemed to know some of them; the guy beside was carrying a book which was signed by him on several pages. Donovan signed my flyer, and shook my hand. He looked well, and seemed genuinely pleased to meet everyone. 
The Bridgewater Hall is a lovely, purpose-built concert venue in the centre of Manchester. The gig was almost sold out, and we were treated to a set which drew from all periods of Donovan’s career, and especially from the 60s. Donovan clearly still believes in the ideals of those magic days, and reminisced about encounters with the Beatles and the Maharishi in India, and Buffy Sainte-Marie, as an introduction to her song “Universal Soldier”. He was promoting his latest album: Beat Club. He also sang Colours, Mellow Yellow, Catch The Wind and Hurdy Gurdy Man sitting, for part of the concert, cross-legged on an eastern rug. I bought a book of Donovan’s poetry, “She”. A wonderful evening in the company of a child of the 60s, whose songs have the power to take us all back there. The set included the following, although not in this order (and I have missed some I am sure): Sunshine Superman; GooGooBarabajagal; Season of the Witch; Lalena; Josie; Universal Soldier; Catch the Wind; Colours; Happiness Runs; Jennifer Juniper; There Is a Mountain; Hurdy Gurdy Man; Mellow Yellow; Atlantis
27 Aug
Stanley Music Festival Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash
Stanley Music Festival Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash
Up until a few years ago, Stanley hosted a very successful annual blues festival, that hosted acts such as Chicken Shack. Funding issues have meant that the festival has not run for a few years. However, this year local organisers have put together a music festival which ran today, on bank holiday Sunday. The headliners were Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash, with support from several local acts. And all for £3! I arrived late in the afternoon and caught the majority of DeeExpus’ set. DeeExpus are a North East prog rock band, and are pretty good too. Their music is classic 70s prog, with flashes of Yes and Wishbone Ash. A local busker took to the stage during the changeover, and sang a few blues songs. However, he left in the huff, as his guitar mike wasn’t working, and he told us that he “had been sabotaged”. There was a little wait before Martin Turner took to the stage, and it started to rain quite heavily. The event was also running late, and quite a number of the crowd left before the headliner started. The rain had stopped by the time Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash opened with “The King will come”. 
There has been quite a lot of discussion on their respective message boards as to the merits of the two versions of Wishbone Ash. Having seen both acts several times over the past few years, I would say that both bands always deliver and are good value for money. Martin’s band quite clearly set out to deliver versions of the old songs which are as true as possible to the originals, and they do a pretty good job of it. Fraid I was getting cold and wet (and didn’t have my coat on) so I didn’t stay for the whole set, but what I did see was a good mix of old classics, and some lesser known songs, all played well with Martin on good form. Songs I saw were: “Warrior”, followed by “Throw Down the Sword”, “Lady Jay” which I can’t claim to know well and sounded great, “Rock n’ Roll Widow”: a favourite that I haven’t heard for a long time, and “Ballad of the Beacon” which I can’t remember at all. To my shame I left during “Phoenix” (sorry Martin). It’s good that Stanley has a festival again; hope it returns next year.
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