Paul Rodgers Newcastle City Hall 12th October 2006
I have already written about Paul Rodgers as a solo artist, as a member of Free, as a member of Bad Company and as a member of Queen. He remains, without a doubt, one of our finest blues and soul voices. He has stayed true to the blues and his roots; and he looks as fit, and sings as well, today as he did in the early ’70s when I first saw him perform live with Free. Rather than write about Paul again, I have reproduced the words of a letter which Rodgers had written to Paul Kossoff, a copy of which is included as a handwritten note in the 2006 tour programme. I found it today when I opened the programme.
“Dear Koss. When we were kicking around London together back in ’68 talking about the group we were going to form, who would have thought it would turn out this way. DVDs, digital even videos were a thing of the future. We loved the blues. Driving round town in your mini listening to B B King’s “Live at the Regal”, Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign”, Hendrix and Cream. I remember us laughing when they turned us away from restaurants because our hair was too long.
The first time we jammed together when you showed up with drummer Andy Borenius at my gig with Brown Sugar; you came right up to the stage and said ” I want to get up and jam” and I said “Do you have a guitar?” and you said “Yes I have a Les Paul out in the car”. And I said “Woa this is Finsbury Park man, you need to bring it straight in here or it’ll be gone”. We played B B King’s “Four in the Morning”, “Every Day I have the Blues” and “Stormy Monday Blues”. People came up after and said “You know, time stood still”.
For me in many ways time has stood still since because we made such timeless music.
Thanks for the heart wrenching solo in “Come Together in the Morning”. Thanks for the laughs. Thanks for doing all the driving – you were an excellent driver. Thanks for being a great friend and apologies if we somehow let you down.
See you again one day. Always your friend. Paul”
This was yet another great concert by Paul Rodgers. The set drew from his entire career, and included songs from Free, The Firm, and Bad Company along with a few blues standards. Support came from Paul’s son, Steve Rodgers.
Typical setlist from the 2006 tour: I’ll Be Creepin’; The Stealer; Ride on a Pony; Radioactive; Be My Friend; Warboys (A Prayer For Peace); Feel Like Makin’ Love; Bad Company; I Just Want To See You Smile; Louisiana Blues; Fire and Water; Wishing Well; All Right Now. Encore: I’m a Mover; The Hunter; Can’t Get Enough. Encore 2: Seagull
Posts Tagged ‘R&B’
23 Apr
Paul Rodgers Newcastle City Hall 12th October 2006
21 Apr
Tom Robinson Band Newcastle City Hall 27th September 1978
Tom Robinson Band Newcastle City Hall 27th September 1978
The Tom Robinson Band are often overlooked when the history of punk and new wave is written. That’s a shame, because they were one of the best live acts of the period, and their songs contained all of the necessary political messages of the time. I first saw them live in the early days, probably 1977, at Middlesbrough Rock Garden. It was probably only about half full, and the punks were very unsure as to how to take an openly gay singer, but managed some quite nervous singing along to “Glad to be Gay”. Tom Robinson must have had some nerve, it was quite a brave thing to do, to go out and sing that anthem in clubs packed with punk and skins, many of whom had strong right wing views. I was impressed by TRB that night, although it was the first time that I was seeing the band, and I hadn’t heard any of the songs before, it was obvious that they were strong pop songs, with political messages and great hooks. The first, and classic, Line-up of the band was Tom Robinson (vocals, bass), Danny Kustow (guitar), Mark Ambler (keyboards) and Dolphin Taylor (drums). 
The other band members were all an important part of the mix, particularly Danny Kustow; his guitar playing was excellent and his passion, energy and presence matched Tom’s. And they had a clutch of great tunes, many of which ended up on the first Tom Robinson album, which is one of the strongest debuts of the time. Most people remember the big hit single “2-4-6-8 Motorway”, but there were better tracks on the album including the call to arms: “Up Against the Wall” and “The Winter of ’79”, the simply excellent catchy “Long Hot Summer” and title track “Power in the Darkness”. The big live favourites were the sing-along chirpy ode to a big brother “Martin” (just listened to it on YouTube and it sounds as good as it ever did) and “Glad to be Gay” which seemed to be playing everywhere I went in 1977 and 1978. I saw the Tom Robinson band at a triumphant concert at Newcastle City Hall on 27th September 1978 and also at Reading festival 1978 and at Sunderland Mayfair on 28th March 1979. By the time of the Sunderland gig both Ambler and Dolphin had left the band, and things were never going to be the same. The Tom Robinson band split in 1979, shortly after the 1979 tour and the release of their second, and much less successful, album.
Support at the City Hall gig was the excellent Stiff Little Fingers, not as the the ticket says reggae band Third World, and at Sunderland it was The Straits, an all-girl new wave band from Leeds.
“The British Police are the best in the world
I don’t believe one of these stories I’ve heard
‘Bout them raiding our pubs for no reason at all
Lining the customers up by the wall
Picking out people and knocking them down
Resisting arrest as they’re kicked on the ground
Searching their houses and calling them queer
I don’t believe that sort of thing happens here
Sing if you’re glad to be gay
Sing if you’re happy that way”
(Tom Robinson, 1976)
6 Apr
Rip Rig and Panic Newcastle University 30th January 1982
Rip Rig and Panic Newcastle University 30th January 1982
Doing my daily blog is teaching me a hell of a lot about rock music, and refreshing my memories about the bands I have been to see. Today is a good example. I remember seeing Rip Rig and Panic at Newcastle University students union in early 1982, but have to admit to remembering very little about their performance. They performed on a Saturday night, and Marie and I were just as likely to be found in the bar as in the ballroom. I would always watch some of the band’s set, and recall Rip Rig and Panic as being an energetic band fronted by a great female lead singer, with lots of members dancing around on stage and loads of jazzy rhythms. What I had forgotten was that the lead singer was Neneh Cherry, and that the band had in part spun out of the Pop Group. Neneh would have been known to me at the time as the step-daughter of American jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, who I had seen touring with The Slits. Rip Rig + Panic were a post-punk band, founded in 1981. They had a short career, breaking up in 1983, and took their name from a 1965 Roland Kirk album. Their line-up was Sean Oliver (bass), Mark Springer (piano, sax, vocals), Gareth Sager (guitar, sax, keyboards, vocals), Bruce Smith (drums, percussion), Neneh Cherry (vocals), Flash (saxophone), Andrea Oliver (vocals), David De Fries (trumpet) and Sarah Sarhandi (viola). Rip Rig and Panic’s music mixed avantgarde elements with jazz, led by Cherry’s great pop/soul singing. Don Cherry guested on some of their recordings. They had very positive reviews from the music press at the time, which prompted me to go and see this gig. Neneh Cherry had briefly been a member of The Slits, and of course she went on to massive success, starting with her single “Buffalo Stance”. She grew up in a musical family, and said she found her voice singing along with Poly Styrene from X-Ray Spex: “Music was always there, it was like food in my house. But in my home I had never really found my own thing. I really identified with Poly, the voice. Culturally, she was mixed. I recognized her when I looked at her. One day I was singing along to their records, Germfree Adolescents or Oh Bondage Up Yours!, but I found my voice. And I’ll never forget it happening.” Cherry remembers singing with her dad, Don Cherry, in the voice she had found. “Oh look, I have a voice, it’s been born. It was like an ejection, like a release button. It was like, here you go, do your own thing.” (Wikipedia).
1 Apr
Chris Rea in the 70s, Redcar 1983 and Newcastle 2006
Chris Rea Redcar Coatham Bowl 6th March 1983 and Newcastle City Hall 5th April 2006
Chris Rea was quite a well known figure on the North East music scene during the late 70s. Chris was born in Middlesbrough, his family owned an ice cream factory and ran 21 cafés around Teesside. He played in local bands and went solo in 1978. I first came across Chris Rea when I saw him as the support act for Lindisfarne on a couple of occasions at Newcastle City Hall. I would also often see him and his pals at gigs in Middlesborough Rock Garden and the Town Hall. You could easily spot them as they would all be wearing jackets which displayed the phrase “Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?” across their backs. This was the title of Chris’ debut album, and the name that the record company wanted him to use, instead of his own. I recall seeing their jackets, and wondering whi Benny Santini was 🙂 Then I became aware of the single “Fool (if you think it’s over)” which was a big hit for Elkie Brooks. After the Lindisfarne gigs the next time I saw Chris in concert was at a packed home-coming gig at Redcar Coatham bowl. He was on great form that evening, and the local crowd gave him an amazing reception. 
In the years that followed Chris went on to major stardom, and massive hits such as “Road to Hell”. Chris became very ill with cancer in 2001, and underwent a series of operations. He recovered and returned in 2005. The next time I saw him live was on his “farewell tour” in 2006, when it called at Newcastle City Hall. He had just released a CD set celebrating the blues, and the show was a mix of blues classics, tracks from Chris’ massive back catalogue and, of course, his hits. My tickets for that gig never arrived in the post, and I had to collect the hand written ticket pictured here at the door. Chris Rea is a versatile artist, a great songwriter, and a pretty nifty guitarist to boot. Although his 2006 tour was billed as a farewell, he has toured since then. A setlist from 2006: Jazzy Blue; That’s the Way It Goes; Where the Blues Come From; Josephine; Work Gang; Head Out on the Highway; Easy Rider; ‘Til the Morning Sun Shines on My Love and Me; Stony Road; KKK Blues; Julia; Stainsby Girls; Somewhere Between Highway 61 & 49; I Can Hear Your Heartbeat; The Road to Hell; On the Beach; Let’s Dance; Fool (If You Think It’s Over)
31 Mar
Terry Reid Sage Gateshead 25th November 2005
Terry Reid Sage Gateshead 25th November 2005
Aretha Franklin once famously said: “There are only three things happening in England: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Terry Reid.” Terry Reid, he of the Superlungs, he who turned down the job in Jimmy Page’s New Yardbirds soon-to-be Led Zeppelin, he of the amazing soulful voice. Just listen to some of his early stuff: “Stay with me baby”, “Bang Bang”, “Rich Kid Blues”, “Hand don’t Fit the Glove” and “Season on the Witch”. The guy just oozed passion, and sang on the edge, squeezing every inch of his soul through his performance. His voice and performance in the mid to late 60s matched that of other great rock and soul singers of the time such as Steve Marriott, Robert Plant, Eric Burdon and Joe Cocker. Terry Reid was someone who I’d always wanted to see in concert. I never got to see him in the early days, and he decamped to the USA in the early 70s, and became a very infrequent visitor to his home country. However, in 2005 he came over to play Glastonbury, and started to gig over here again. He has continued to come over every year or so since. I finally got to see Terry play at The Sage Gateshead in 2005. 
I was really looking forward to the gig, wondering how a modern Terry would approach his songs. The performance was interesting to say the least. Terry seemed the worse for wear, and must have had (more than) a drink or two before he took to the stage. At times he seemed close to falling over. The performance veered from the shambolic to the brilliant. Some of the audience gave up on Terry early in the set, and a few demanded their money back (yes it was that shambolic at times). I think they were given a refund, and they left during the first half of the set. Those of us who stayed were treated to an honest, passionate, right-on-the-edge performance of a man who still has charisma and sings with a passion, authenticity and honesty that is seldom seen. I understand that several of his performances of this period were of a similar nature, but recent reports that I have read suggest that he is in better shape these days.
29 Mar
Red Hot Chili Peppers Edinburgh Murrayfield Stadium 13th June 2004
Red Hot Chili Peppers Edinburgh Murrayfield Stadium 13th June 2004
Support from N.E.R.D and Ash
I quite fancied seeing what the Red Hot Chili Peppers were like in concert, so when they toured the UK in 2004, David and I went along to see their concert at the massive Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. By this point in their career the Chili Peppers were mega-big; their UK tour included massive (and sold-out) open-air shows in Hyde Park, Manchester Stadium and Cardiff Millennium Stadium. The Hyde Park gig was recorded for a live album. I was late buying tickets, and all I could manage to get was a couple of single seats a row apart, right up the back of the stadium. We drove up to Edinburgh on a nice warm Sunday afternoon, arriving just as the first support act Ash were finishing their set. The second support were N.E.R.D. featuring the (now very famous of course) front man Pharrell Williams, who got the crowd up and chearing, and were pretty good. The Chili Peppers came on stage quite early perhaps 8pm; it was certainly still light throughout their set. They played a set which drew from throughout their career and got a pretty good reaction from the crowd, but the sound was very murky where we sitting. Their friend, Johnny Ramone, hadn’t been well (and sadly passed shorty after this tour), so guitarist John Frusciante phoned Johnny at home from the stage.
We were all asked to shout “Johnny, we love you!” as loudly as possible, which of course we did. A nice moment and for me the best bit of the show, and one of the only points where the band really engaged with the crowd. It was the same day as England were playing France in Euro 2004, and towards the end of their set, Flea announced the result from the stage: “We have some news for you…France have just kicked the shit out of England.” Cue a big cheer from the Scottish crowd. We managed to make our way down to the pitch area during the encores, and the sound was much clearer. A good show, but by no means amazing, and I would suspect not one of the Chili Peppers better gigs. Setlist: Can’t Stop; Around the World; I Feel Love (Donna Summer cover); Scar Tissue; By the Way; Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl); Otherside; Easily; The Zephyr Song; Get on Top; Fortune Faded; Throw Away Your Television; I Like Dirt; Leverage of Space; Californication; Right on Time; Parallel Universe. Encore: Drum & Trumpet Jam; Under the Bridge; Black Cross; Give It Away
26 Mar
Johnny Marr Leeds Brudenell Social Club 25th March 2014
Laura and I went to see the great Johnny Marr last night at the equally great Leeds Brudenell Social Club. Johnny played two sold out gigs there as a warm up to some South American gigs. The Brudenell is an intimate club venue and the tickets for these gig sold out immediately. Johnny broke his hand a few weeks ago in a fall while he was running, and it was touch and go if the gigs would go ahead. However, his plaster came off last week, and he felt ok to do the shows. The set consisted of tracks from his latest album “The Messenger”, a couple of brand new tracks which will appear on his next album and the Smiths classics: Panic, Bigmouth Strikes Again, How Soon Is Now?, There Is A Light That and Never Goes Out. He also played a great cover of I Fought The Law (ala The Clash) and Electronic’s Getting Away With It. Really clear sound, great atmosphere, and pretty neat renditions of the Smiths songs. Great stuff!
13 Mar
The Runaways 1976 and 1977
The Runaways 1976 and 1977
The Runaways were an American all girl rock ‘n’ roll band who came along in the late ’70s. Although they were seen at the time as being part of the punk and new wave movement, and they certainly shared some of the same raw energy and directness, they were actually a pretty straight ahead rock ‘n’ roll band. The Runaways were Joan Jett (lead vocals and guitar), Lita Ford (guitar), Jackie Fox who was replaced by Vickie Blue (bass) and Sandy West (drums). Cherie Currie (vocals) was an early member of the band. I saw the Runaways twice, once at Leeds University Refectory on 9th October 1976 and again at Newcastle City Hall on 10th November 1977. Both great shows. A group of us drove down to Leeds for the first gig, which was one of the first new wave concerts that we all saw. Support came from Old Tennis Shoes. By the 1977 gig, Cherie Currie had departed, and the band became a four piece, but lost none of their raw rock ‘n’ roll power. Support at the City Hall gig was the excellent UK punk band 999, who had great powerpop songs like Emergency and Homicide (also check out their version of Little Red Riding Hood). 
From the programme: “Outdated rock n roll authorities would suggest the day of the all girl group wound up with the end of the sixties – but the raw fact is; its just begun. ..The Runaways are the new phenomenon and they not only spit out tough, raunchy vocals that would slice a man in half, but they write first class songs and handle their instruments with near phallic indecency…the idea of a cute chick sweating on stage beside the big boys is a little hard to swallow, so the idea of four such ladies is four times as hard to swallow…” Joan Jett, Lita Ford and Cherie Currie all went on to have successful solo careers.
Runaways setlist: Wasted, Take It Or Leave It, Blackmail, Queens Of Noise, You’re Too Possessive, Wild Thing, You Drive Me Wild, Rock And Roll, Wait For Me, I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are, I Love Playing With Fire, Schooldays, American Nights. Encores: C’mon, Little Sister.
999 setlist: Pick It Up, Hit Me, Quite Disappointing, My Street Stinks, No Pity, Chicane Destination, Titanic Reaction, Crazy, Nasty Nasty, Emergency, I’m Alive, Nobody Knows. Encores: Nasty Nasty, I’m Alive.
Thanks to Mitch for the setlist and his picture from the concert at Newcastle City Hall.
5 Mar
Ultimate Rhythm and Blues show Sage Gateshead 4th March 2014
Ultimate Rhythm and Blues show Sage Gateshead 4th March 2014
The Zombies, The Yardbirds, The Animals, Maggie Bell, Dave Berry
A great concert with a host of acts from the 60s. Much more enjoyable than I expected. Two things stick in my mind from last night, and will be the themes of my blog entry today. The first is the subject of authenticity and the question “when is a band not a band?” (if you see what I mean 🙂 ), and the second is just how powerful a performer Maggie Bell is.
First up were The Animals and Friends which features original Animals drummer John Steel, keyboards player Mickey Gallagher (who replaced Alan Price in 1965), Danny Handley on guitar and Pete Barton on bass and lead vocals. Now you have to admire Pete Barton, he is an amazing front man, and has a growling, powerful voice which actually matches and rivals the original vocals of Eric Burdon. He also has the unenviable position of not only taking the position of the powerhouse Burdon, but also making announcements like “We’re going back to the Club A’Gogo” and introducing songs from 1964 (when he was actually 2 years old at the time). Amazingly, he pulls it all off and leads the band in authentic (there’s that word) renditions of all those great songs: We Got To Get Out Of This Place, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, and of course House of the Rising Sun. So although on the one hand, this version of the Animals features only one original member, on the other hand, the spirit and passion remains true to the roots of the ’60s band, and the performance comes over as authentic, true to the rich legacy and is delivered with passion and humility. A great start to the evening.
The Animals were joined first by Dave Berry, who has replaced Spencer Davis on the tour, as Spencer is not well at the moment. I wondered at first whether Dave would fit well with this bill. In my mind I link him with the ’60s revival package pop tour, rather than a R&B package. But, as Dave reminded us, his roots lie in the Sheffield (and UK) R&B scene in the early ’60s, and he geared his short set towards this. He sang a few R&B classics and finished with an excellent version of “The Crying Game”. His performance was professional and slick, and he came over as a pretty cool guy.
Now when I was a young teenage kid, I stood a few feet in front of Maggie Bell and Les Harvey at Sunderland Locarno at a Stone the Crows gig. My mate and I were totally blown away by her voice and her performance that night. The lady simply oozed the blues, and sang with a passion and authenticity which came from deep in her soul. Now I haven’t seen her since the ’70s and wasn’t expecting what I saw last night. Maggie was simply sensational in every way. Much better than I could have hoped. Her voice remains strong, her performance electrifying, and she looks great. She sang a few blues classics including I’d Rather Go Blind, and finished with a an amazing duet with Pete Barton (by now I was starting to really admire that guy) of P J Proby’s “Hold Me”. I’d forgotten that Maggie hit the charts with a version of this on which she dueted with B A Roberston. Stunning.
After a short interval, next up was the latest line-up of the Yardbirds. Again the subject of authenticity comes to mind. This line-up features original drummer Jim McCarty and, back in the band after 50 years (!), original guitarist Top Topham who was in the band in the very early years and was replaced by Eric Clapton. The rest of the line-up are all relatively new: Ben King on lead guitar, Andy Mitchell on vocals and mouth harp, and David Smale on bass. Original rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja has recently left the band because of ill health. Like The Animals, this line-up remains true to the roots of the music and delivered pretty flawless versions of all those classics; “For Your Love”, “Heart Full of Soul”, “Over Under Sideways Down” “Shapes of Things” and an amazing version of “Dazed and Confused” (I’d forgotten that this was a Yardbirds song which Page took with him into Zeppelin).
The evening closed with a performance by the Zombies, who remain pretty authentic in that they feature two of the main originals in Colin Blunstone (vocals) and Rod Argent (keyboards, or was in “organ” in those days? 🙂 ). The Zombies took us through all the hits, including Argent’s Hold Your Head Up, Blunstones’ Say You Don’t Mind, and the classis Time Of the Season. The closed the evening with She’s Not There. Great stuff.
From the promotional material: “Relive the musical revolution of 1964 as the chart-topping stars of the 1960s, including The Zombies, The Animals, The Yardbirds, Dave Berry and Maggie Bell perform some of their greatest hits. This amazing line-up have collectively, over 50 years, delivered 37 hit records and held chart-topping positions for more than 300 weeks.”
4 Mar
Queen gigs in 1973 and 1974
Queen gigs in 1973 and 1974
I will spend the next few days reflecting on the occasions that I saw the mighty and majestic Queen in concert.
I first saw Queen when they played as support for Mott the Hoople at Newcastle City Hall on 22nd November 1973. They had just released their first album, the single “Keep Yourself Alive” was out, and there was already a great buzz about this new band. This was one of the few times where everyone wanted to see the support act, and the hall was full for Queen’s performance. They were excellent, much better than many of the bands who would support major tours, and gave Mott a hard act to follow. It was clear, even then, that this was a band who could well make it big, although few would have predicted just how successful they would ultimately become. Freddie Mercury was already a star in his head and in his stage presence, and Brian May’s guitar playing was excellent, his unique custom(self)-made guitar adding an extra dimension of interest.
My friend’s John’s views on Queen at the time of their support slot at Newcastle City Hall: “This was the first and only time I saw them, and I though they were sensational. Really a glam version of Led Zeppelin with some great straight ahead rock songs in Keep Yourself Alive, Liar and Son and Daughter. I immediately went out and bought the album – I had to order it from Bergs [a local record shop at the time]. I told everybody I knew how great they were and that they would be a big success. I felt a very personal connection with them. I can recall being very confused by Seven Seas of Rye as a single, but when Killer Queen was released I was so disgusted that I gave my album away and vowed never to see them again. I lived up to that promise. Aaah the impetuousness of youth.”
A few months later and Queen were back in the region, playing to a packed Sunderland Locarno on 8th March 1974. This, their first headline tour, was at the time of the Queen II album, which was released in the UK on the very same day as the Sunderland gig. The single “Seven Seas of Rhye” had been released a few days earlier, and became the band’s first hit, reaching No 10 in the UK charts. The big show-stopping number was “Liar” which extended to around 10 minutes live and was a massive favourite at the time. This was a great gig, that everyone I knew attended and talked about for months, if not years, afterwards. Queen were amazing, and starting to make a big name for themselves.
Setlist from Sunderland 1974: Procession; Father To Son; Ogre Battle; White Queen; Great King Rat; Doin’ All Right; Son And Daughter; Keep Yourself Alive; Liar. Encore 1: Jailhouse Rock; Shake Rattle And Roll; Stupid Cupid; Jailhouse Rock (reprise). Encore 2: Big Spender; Modern Times Rock’n’roll
By the end of the year, Queen had released their third album “Sheer Heart Attack” and moved up from headlining ballrooms to a tour of concert halls. I next saw them on 7th November 1974 at Newcastle City Hall. Support came from Hustler. The single “Killer Queen” had just been released and became the band’s biggest hit to date, making No 2 in the charts. Queen were now a confident, major band, and the sold-out City Hall crowd gave them a great reception. Freddie’s performance was simply rivetting, and his vocal range outstanding. We had seats up in the balcony looking down on the stage. I remember very heavy use of dry ice, to the extent that at one point the entire stalls disappeared from our view, completely shrouded in a massive white cloud. Another great gig, with Freddie resplendent in a massive fur coat.
Setlist from Newcastle City Hall 1974: Procession; Now I’m Here; Ogre Battle; Father To Son; White Queen; Flick Of The Wrist; In The Lap Of The Gods; Killer Queen; March Of The Black Queen; Bring Back That Leroy Brown; Son & Daughter; Keep Yourself Alive; Seven Seas Of Rhye; Liar; Stone Cold Crazy; In The Lap Of The Gods… revisited. Encore 1: Big Spender; Modern Times Rock’n’roll. Encore 2: Jailhouse Rock; God Save The Queen
Queen line-up: Freddie Mercury – lead vocals, piano; Brian May – guitar, vocals; Roger Taylor – drums, vocals; John Deacon – bass guitar, vocals.
Thanks to Mitch for sending his pictures, one of which I have included here. This one of Brian May was taken by Mitch at the Queen gig at Newcastle City Hall in 1975, which I will write about next, in a day or so.
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