Now, to my shame, Sam Fender is completely new to me. My daughter, Laura, persuaded me to buy tickets for this concert. Coming off the back end of a series of big shows around the country this was another, and very welcome, large open-air concert experience. The tickets sold out in minutes when they went on sale many months ago and local hero Sam quickly added a second night when tickets started to sell for up to £1000 on the black market.
St James Park proudly announced the concert thus: “Sam Fender has announced details of his first stadium headline show – and one of summer 2023’s hottest tickets – at St. James’ Park. Fender headlines at the home of Newcastle United on the 9th June 2023, following in the footsteps of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, and becomes the first Geordie musician to headline the iconic stadium. Over the past few months, Fender has solidified himself as one of the most celebrated and successful British artists of his generation, pulling a huge crowd on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury ahead of his own 45,000 sell-out show at London’s Finsbury Park. It’s been a huge 2022 so far for the North Shields hero, picking up a slew of BRIT, NME, and Ivor Novello Awards, and a first nomination for the prestigious Mercury Prize next week, for his second album, the critically acclaimed number one album, Seventeen Going Under.
Ahead of a series of shows alongside Florence & The Machine in the US, and his first Australian shows since 2019, this latest announcement suggests 2023 will be his biggest year yet. Sam Fender said: “Ever since I started this band, I always used to joke with the boys that one day we might play St. James’ Park in Newcastle.
“It’s a childhood dream come true, and we’re actually gonna play it on the 9th June. This is literally gonna be the biggest show we’ve ever done – our first stadium show, which is so weird to say! I can’t wait, it’s gonna be absolutely lush and I hope to see yas all there.””
Laura was with her partner Dale and they were sitting in a different part of the stadium to my carer Jan and me. We were in the wheelchair area towards the back of the pitch, on a raised area located within the rear stand. The ground was absolutely packed and the atmosphere was, to use an old phrase, simply electric. To say Sam Fender is a local hero, is an understatement. The guy is simply massive in the north-east. He hails from North Shields and is a big Newcastle United fan. This was obvious when we saw the crowd, everyone turned out proudly in their black-and-white shirts.
The atmosphere was like I imagine it must be on a big match day, everyone in party mood, singing and chanting along and that was before Sam took to the stage. Sam’s allegiances were clear. His programme is black-and-white and the T-shirts on sale at the merchandise stand gave a choice between one with the Newcastle Brown Ale symbol emblazoned with “Sam Fender” and another with “Greetings from St James Park, Newcastle upon Tyne” obviously modelled upon Bruce Springsteen’s album cover “Greetings from Asbury Park New Jersey”. Sam is a massive Springsteen fan.
We arrived just in time to catch the last song of support band Inhaler who are a relatively new rock band from Dublin, Ireland. From the little we saw and heard, they seemed good and the crowd certainly seemed to have enjoyed them. The music played across the sound system prior to Sam’s set gave a hint towards his influences: “Born to Run” by Springsteen, “Under Pressure” by Queen, “Fog on the Tyne” by Lindisfarne (the first band I saw at Saint James Park supporting Santana and Bob Dylan in 1984) , “Blaydon Races”: both massive singalongs and finally “Hey Jude” by the Beatles: another massive singalong.
But everyone was clearly waiting for Sam to take the stage which he did shortly after 9 PM to a rapturous reception. This was a celebration of a local lad done good and a massive singalong, everyone knowing the words of every song. Sam stood proudly out front, with a rock band and brass section behind him belting out songs which have clearly become anthems for the Newcastle fans. Sam Fender was obviously overwhelmed by the whole thing; this was a young man living his dream.
I didn’t know any of the songs, other than Springsteen classic “I’m On Fire” but that didn’t matter. You couldn’t help but get swept away by the atmosphere. Black-and-white flags waving aloft, everyone singing along and so many Newcastle United strips. This was like a cup final day. The show was pretty spectacular. Great screens and visuals. Fireworks, flames and masses of confetti falling from the sky and blowing about everywhere: I was covered in it! I was hoping he would play “Winter Song” the Lindisfarne classic which I saw him perform on a television programme about the band and its leader the sadly missed Alan Hull.
But the fact that he didn’t play that particular song did not detract from my enjoyment of a great concert. Just read that AC/DC star front man and fellow Geordie Brian Johnson took the stage with Sam on the second of the two concerts. I wish I had seen that! Still, I was elsewhere witnessing a great performance by Steve Earle, which you can read about soon.
Thanks to Jan for taking the photos. The picture of St James Park stadium is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Setlist: Going Home: theme from Local Hero; UEFA Champions League Anthem; Will We Talk?; Getting Started; Dead Boys; Mantra; I’m on Fire; The Borders; Spice; Howdon Aldi Death Queue; Get You Down; Spit of You; Alright; Play God; The Dying Light.
Encore: Wild Grey Ocean; Saturday; Seventeen Going Under; Hypersonic Missiles
Sorry for taking so long to write this review. But it was an important evening and there was so much to write about! And I apologise in advance for any typos that have crept in to this lengthy (for me, anyway) account.
So, on the day three of us, Jackie, Jan (my carers) and I travelled down by train to London for the show at the Majestic Albert Hall. This was my first visit to the Royal Albert Hall since my accident. My last visit there was to see Clapton at his 70th birthday concert. And tonight, it was Eric Clapton and his band who opened and, to some extent, led the proceedings. The disabled access within the building is fantastic and we had seats quite high up looking directly down on the stage. Once we got ourselves and my wheelchair positioned, we had a pretty good view of the stage. People travelled from all of the world for this concert. I met a cool oldish guy in the bar who had travelled from New York. “Jeff Beck was The Man!” he proudly told me. Of course, I agreed.
The concert opened with a single spotlight on a white Fender Stratocaster standing proudly centre stage on a beautiful Indian carpet. Yes, this was one of Jeff Beck’s guitars. It was quite emotional looking down from our vantage point upstairs at the instrument. Above the guitar, a large screen showed images of Jeff Beck over the years, many displaying his beloved collection of classic cars.
Clapton opened the proceedings with his band and great performances of the Yardbirds classics “Shapes of Things” and “Heart Full of Soul”. Wonderful. Both favourite songs of mine and performed perfectly. Clapton took vocal duties on the former and his long-term collaborator and fellow guitarist Doyle Bramhall did a great job of singing the latter song.
The band was then joined by Derek Trucks on “Little Brown Bird”. Derek is an ace slide guitarist, to say the least Then Derek’s wife Susan Tedeshi did a great bluesy version of “Done Somebody Wrong” singing and playing lead guitar. I can see why my friend John is such a fan of the Tedeschi Trucks band. Susan continued to lead the band with the lovely song “The Sky Is Crying”.
Ronnie Wood then swaggered on stage; Clapton introducing him as “here comes the scallywag” which seemed quite appropriate. Ronnie was on stage for most of the evening. He proudly took the lead on bass guitar for “Beck’s Bolero” a favourite of mine from the Jeff Beck Group. Ronnie was, of course, a member of the band along with his old mate Rod Stewart, who would join in during the second half of the show. Ronnie reminded the audience that he often played bass guitar when he was in the Jeff Beck Group.
Next came a song unfamiliar to me: “Elegy For Dunkirk” with classical singer Olivia Safe on vocals and Robert Randolph on keyboards. The backing musicians changed from Clapton’s band to Jeff Beck’s band during the evening and sometimes involved a blend of both. All excellent musicians, particularly Beck’s female bass guitarist and female drummer and Chris Stainton on keyboards. Chris is a long-time member of Eric’s band. I remember seeing him for the first time back in 1972 when he performed as backing band to Joe Cocker who headlined the Lincoln Festival.
“Isolation” sees actor come rockstar Johnny Depp, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett and ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons (great hat and beard) take the stage. The next song is simply fantastic; a wonderful version of the Shangri-La’s “(Remember) Walkin’ In The Sand” led on sassy vocals by Imelda May, who looks (in a slinky red dress) fantastic and sounds tremendous. A highlight of the evening. Billy Gibbons remains on stage for the rest of the first half of the show, playing some great riffs. Johnny Depp looks so cool and is in his element playing along with his heroes. And this show must be so emotional for him, having toured with Jeff Beck only last year.
Then the mood changes substantially towards jazz and the elder statesman of the guitar, Jon McLaughlin who plays two instrumentals from the Wired period of Beck’s work. McLaughlin takes guitar playing to another level. He really is a master of his craft and looks a cool gentleman at 81 years young. Billy Gibbons continues to lead the band after McLaughlin departs, and the first half of the show concludes with a rocking version of “Train Kept A Rollin’” bringing back memories of the appearance of the Yardbirds in the 100 Club during the classic 60s film Blow Up, featuring Johnny Depp, Kirk Hammett, Ronny Wood, Billy Gibbons, Imelda May and the Jeff Beck Band. A great finish to the start of the proceedings.
During the Intermission there is a little time for some people watching and another double whiskey topped off with some lovely salted popcorn! The screen shows more video of Jeff Beck and many clips of fellow guitar heroes commenting upon his genius including fellow Yardbird Jimmy Page.
Soon we return to the music with Eric Clapton and his band. “I Put A Spell On You” features fantastic, soulful vocals by Joss Stone. ”‘Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” and the very cool looking Gary Clark, Jr. adds more bluesy guitar to the mix.
A song or two later Ronnie Wood’s old mate Rod Stewart takes to the stage, starting with “Infatuation” and then moving into two songs which he sang with the Jeff Beck Group: “Rock Me Baby” and “I Ain’t Superstitious ”. It’s great to see the two old mod rockers jamming together again. Brings back memories of The Faces.
The concert closes with the entire cast performing the Curtis Mayfield classic “People Get Ready”, followed by “Going Down” which ends the concert and brings back memories of the first time I saw Jeff Beck live at Grangemouth Festival in 1972; I feel sure Beck, Bogert and Appice played that song there.
It really couldn’t have been much better and was a fitting tribute to a true guitar warrior and legend. Yes, I would have liked to have heard “Morning Dew”, “Hi Ho Silver Lining” (but then Jeff never really liked the song) and it would have been great if Jimmy Page had appeared. But none of that mattered. I will remember this concert for the rest of my life.
Setlist: Blue Rainbow; Shapes Of Things; Heart Full Of Soul; Wee Wee Baby; Little Brown Bird; Done Somebody Wrong; The Sky Is Crying; Beck’s Bolero; Elegy For Dunkirk; Isolation; Walkin’ In The Sand; Goodbye Porkpie Hat; You Know You Know; Stratus; Rough Boy; Rice Pudding; Train Kept A Rollin’
Freeway Jam; I Put A Spell On You; ‘Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers; Let Me Love You; Infatuation; Rock My Plimsoul (Rock Me Baby); I Ain’t Superstitious; People Get Ready; Going Down
60 years on and you can’t keep a good band, like 
These are the songs of my childhood and youth. Yes this band may not be 100% “cool” but hey who can forget the jangle of “Needles and Pins” or the thumping bass of “When You Walk in the Room”? Pure 1960s pop classics. By the way, check out the originals by Jackie De Shannon (there are some great videos of her performing the songs on YouTube). John McNally, now 81 (wow!) still plays a mean 12 string Rickenbacker and Frank Allen, new boy to the band (he joined in 1964 and is 79 years young) is the consummate front man. “New Comer” Spencer James who joined in 1986 takes the honours in singing lead vocal on most of the songs. And a great job he does too.
We arrive in time to buy a couple of programmes, one for me and one for my friend John in the USA, a T-shirt and a fridge magnet for my eldest daughter who loves to collect small memorabilia, a double whiskey to get me in the mood and quickly to our seats down the front. They start, well right back to the start with “Sweets for My Sweet” and the wonderful “Don’t Throw Your Love Away” and then John gets a chance to really jingle jangle his 12 string on the Byrds/Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”. More hits follow including another favourite of mine “What Have They Done to the Rain?” followed by “Goodbye My Love” a great version of Del Shannon’s “Runaway” and “Someday We’re Gonna Love Again”. Yes they did have loads of hits during the period 1963 – 1966. They close the first half by returning to their roots and covers of “Peggy Sue”, “Oh, Boy!” and “Running Scared”.
The interval allows time for a lovely Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and more hits and covers: “Ain’t Gonna Kiss Ya”, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”; back to the start again with “Sugar and Spice” and another favourite of mine that I have on an EP somewhere “Love Potion No. 9”. A few more covers and they close with “Needles and Pins” and “When You Walk in the Room”, followed by their version of the Isley’s “Twist and Shout”. Finally we get a medley of all the hits together: “Sweets for My Sweet; Don’t Throw Your Love Away; When You Walk in the Room; Love Potion No.9; Sugar and Spice; Needles and Pins”. That’s it. Will it be the last time. I suspect not.
Music and performing is in the blood of these guys. They just can’t stop. If you told me when I was 15 that at 66 I would be watching a band of “pop” stars in their 80s still singing their hits I would have said you are crazy. But hey why not. It’s all good fun. Happy days. “I saw her today, I saw her face, it was a face I loved, and I knew I just had to run away, and get down on my knees and pray, but then they begin….” You just can’t beat it. Pure magic.
Second set: Ain’t Gonna Kiss Ya; All My Sorrows ; Where Have All the Flowers Gone; Sugar and Spice; Somebody Told Me You Were Crying; Love Potion No. 9; Four Strong Winds; Have You Ever Loved Somebody?; The Rose; Young Girl; Needles and Pins; When You Walk in the Room; Twist and Shout; Medley of Sweets for My Sweet; Don’t Throw Your Love Away; When You Walk in the Room; Love Potion No.9; Sugar and Spice; Needles and Pins.
Now this was a strange one. Should I go or not? What would she do/say? What would it be like? In the end I decided the only way to find out was to purchase a ticket and go along and see the lady myself.
The press release for the UK tour told me: “Actress and businesswoman 
As it turned out it was a very enjoyable evening. The night was in two parts. The first half was Priscilla being interviewed by Edith (see above) who had been with her for the entire UK tour (and Newcastle was the last night of the tour). They sat beside each other in lovely comfy chairs while Priscilla talked about how she first met Elvis in Germany in the early 60s. She was over there because her father was in the military and he was stationed in Germany at the same time as Elvis was serving as a GI over there. Somehow through a mutual friend Priscilla was invited to a party which Elvis was also attending. Her parents would not let her go, but somehow, she managed to get along and she and Elvis met and a relationship began. At first her parents would not let her meet Elvis but eventually they relented, but only on the condition that Priscilla’s father or mother accompanied her. She was 14 years old at the time.
Priscilla told us “there was no physical relationship until much later.” Anyway, the friendship blossomed into a love affair and when they returned to The States the couple were married. All of the above was accompanied by some video footage of the time. Priscilla continued to talk about her life with Elvis, the birth of her sadly recently passed daughter Lisa Marie, and how things started to go wrong during the Las Vegas years, which saw Elvis having parties with lots of friends and girls in attendance. She talked about her love of Graceland and how, for financial reasons, they had to open the gates to the public. She is clearly still very involved with, and very protective of, the Graceland estate and Elvis’ heritage. She also spoke of her time in Dallas and showed some footage from the programme.
The final session took the form of questions from the audience. You could write a question on a card and Edith selected a few which she asked to Priscilla. One that sticks in my mind was “what was it like to have Michael Jackson as a son-in-law?” Priscilla paused to think a little. She revealed that she actually saw very little of Michael, and that he would purposely hide from her if she was visiting Lisa Marie. You got the impression that she was not entirely comfortable with the relationship. Throughout the evening she was a perfect lady, she looked lovely at 77 years old and clearly was enjoying her visit to the UK. The house was full and the first few rows of attendees all had lovely little booklets; they had clearly bought VIP tickets which included meeting Priscilla for a considerable premium. In some ways I wish I had done it. Photography was strictly outlawed so the pictures I have here are courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. I purchased a book about Elvis from eBay just out of interest.
Sometime in 1971. Sunderland Locarno upstairs bar. I see a tall black guy in the corner of the bar and wonder who he is. I go up and have a quick chat. An hour or so later the band take the stage and the same tall black guy is fronting them. They are called Thin Lizzy and are pretty good too! The black guy is, of course, Phil Lynott. I am 14, Phil is 21.
1973 and I’m watching Top of the Pops. Thin Lizzy appear, playing “Whiskey in the Jar” which is in the chart at the time. I go out and buy the single.
Early 1980s. Middlesbrough Town Hall. Quite empty. Phil Lynott’s Grand Slam are appearing. Phil doesn’t look well. His face is bloated. The performance is not very inspiring.
Early 2000s. Thin Lizzy are headlining Newcastle City Hall again. This new version of the band comprises Scott Gorham, drummer Brian Downey and front man Ricky Warwick, who sounds quite a lot like Phil Lynott. They are surprisingly good and do justice to the Lizzy legacy.
2012 and Thin Lizzy become 
We arrived late and Michael Monroe was already on stage climbing up onto the balcony. By the time I said to my carer Jackie “Quick. Take a photo” Michael was hanging down from the balcony and dropping back onto the stage. He was just as I imagined, a manic blonde showman. I never got to see Hanoi Rocks but I can imagine them as a crazy glam punk power rock band. The closing song is Credence Clearwater Revivals’ “Up around the Bend”. I tell my daughter Ashleigh who was a big Hanoi Rocks fan. That’s a Hanoi Rocks song she tells me so I figure they must have recorded it! It gets a great reception from the crowd who probably also think of it as a Hanoi Rocks song rather than a classic by Credence Clearwater Revival. John Fogarty is one of my heroes and one of the best gigs I ever went to was seeing him at Manchester Apollo. But that’s a story from a past blog entry! I buy Ashleigh a signed Michael Monroe CD and she is over the moon with it!
After a short wait, at 9:30 PM spot-on time, the Phil Campbell backdrop disappears and is replaced by a very impressive Black Star Riders drop. I suppose I’m amazed how much of a following the band has amassed in its own right. This is not the remnants of Thin Lizzy or a Thin Lizzy tribute band. This is a fully fledged rock band of its own right, led by the very impressive Ricky Warwick who continue the Thin Lizzy legacy in their own way, producing new songs which hark back to Lizzy and yet have a significance of their own. Magical. Phil must be up there proud of how his legacy continues to thrive and move onward and forward.
A few songs in and they perform a wild heavy version of the Osmond’s “Crazy Horses”. Well, I always knew it was a heavy rock song! After a few more songs they are joined by Scott Gorham who looks older, and yet cooler and still playing great guitar. His long mane of blonde hair has somehow been transferred to the young guitarist in Black Star Riders. There really is some sort of magic in the air! At one point in the set, they are joined by Phil Campbell and later on Michael Monroe comes on for one song also.
A few more songs into the set and we are treated to Lizzy’s “Don’t Believe a Word”. Class; it all takes me back to the 1970s. Towards the end they play “Jailbreak”. One more song and then it is 11 PM and time to go home, content in the knowledge that the legacy of Thin Lizzy remains safe in the hands and voice of Ricky Warwick and the rest of Black Star Riders. You have done a great job Scott, continuing to fly the Lizzy flag and somehow, miraculously, managing to hand it safely over to the Black Star Riders. I wonder what that young 21-year-old Phil I chatted to over 50 years ago would make of it all? Happy days
Wow! Sometimes there are gigs where everything comes into place and you have an unforgettable evening. Well this was one such occasion. The Cluny is a tiny pub venue in Newcastle. It cannot hold more than a few hundred people. So when the 
We came into the concert part and were faced with a jampacked room, filled with a sea of people. We couldn’t move and couldn’t see a thing. Now usually I don’t take advantage of being in a wheelchair. But this was one occasion I broke my rule and used my disability to my advantage. I slowly moved forward asking people to let me through to the front. Slowly but surely, everyone was so kind, and I reached a spot almost at the front of the crowd, one person between me and the stage. I had a wonderful view of everything. Thank you so much Cluny crowd! Elaine followed nervously behind me. I asked her to go to the bar and get me a drink and a T-shirt. “I can’t possibly move at all” she explained “and if I do get to the bar there is no way I can get back!” And she was right. We were completely crammed in and could not move at all. The entire venue was completely full and there was no room to move anywhere. Wonderful. It felt just like the old days when I was used to being crammed down close to the front.
I recall seeing the Pretenders at the Mayfair around 1977 and that they were pelted with pints of beer by the traditional heavy rock crowd. So we get “Back on the chain gang”, “Talk of the town” and “Don’t get me wrong”. All played at full volume, with great raspy vocals from Chrissie. At one point she asks “did any of you see the New York Dolls?” A big cheer. “And Johnny Thunders. He’s dead now. But so is everyone these days.” Says Chrissie. “We can play arenas if we wanted to, but we want to come back and play little venues. We are losing a f***ing fortune!” Chrissie also talks about the Grammys: “what happened to real music and great rock ‘n’ roll?” More rock ‘n’ roll follows. And then they are gone.
Now this guy is a bit of an enigma. I guess you would say he has a very dedicated cult following. And rightly so. However, everyone I told I was going to see 
The last time I saw Richard Hawley was probably over 10 years ago when he was the support act for one of my personal heroes (and his apparently), Nancy Sinatra at the Sage Gateshead. I have missed the last few times he has been in the north-east and I thought it was about time that I picked up on him again, particularly when the show was local and in such an intimate, new, lovely, purpose-built concert venue. We arrived in time to catch the support act 
“Uk progressive folk singer-songwriter & guitarist. And using the words of others: 
But there is much, much more to this guy than a simple 50s/60s influenced singer. Sure you can hear those influences now and then, but Hawley has his own style transcends easy description and blends rockabilly, 60s music and blues, with more modern sounds. 
Now with collaborators like that, you really can’t go wrong, can you? The only song I really know is “Tonight the Streets Are Ours “, but the rest of the set is excellent. Hawley has surrounded himself with an excellent band including a second guitarist who complements Richard’s own style and a great blues harp player who emerges from the side of the stage at various times to add his rasping harmonica. Some of the songs are quite dark and the lighting in the venue is set up well to emphasise this. My carer for the evening, Jackie, sees some of Nick Cave in Hawley. I don’t disagree. Hawley, like his support act, is a true northern guy, wearing his Sheffield style and accent proudly on his chest.
On the way out I buy some merchandise which is also quite individual and quirky. As you can see, I get a tea towel, a couple of badges and a natty little musical box which, when turned, plays a Richard Hawley tune (you can choose which one). No programme or T-shirt for this guy. Too conventional, I guess! A great show by a wonderful artist whose cult following is no doubt growing and at one stage we may see him break through to the mainstream. But maybe Richard Hawley is just fine the way with things the way they are.
Another night of memories and revisiting a band I followed many years ago. 
I first saw The Sweet live back in 1973 or 1974 when they were at the height of their fame and success, at Newcastle City Hall along with a good friend, Dave, who I have lost touch with and a hall full of screaming teenage girls. It really was a “Teenage Rampage” and lots and lots of fun! A few years later, after the hits had started to fade away, I saw them with my friend Norm and a few others on a very cold, wet evening at Sunderland Locarno. The venue was far from full but the show was excellent, very loud and quite heavy. Next time I saw them I was with my late wife Marie in a very empty City Hall. This was around 1981, and singer Brian Connolly had left the band to pursue I think a solo career. The Sweet continued as a three-piece band with Steve Priest taking on vocal duties and fronting the band. They still sang all of the hits but it wasn’t quite the same.
Roll-on 10 years or so and I saw Brian Connolly’s Sweet performing at Sunderland Polytechnic Students Union Wearmouth Hall at a packed Saturday night dance. This was Brian’s version of the band with a completely new set of musicians. Nevertheless, and of course, all the hits were performed well and the crowd went crazy. Then move forward another 20 years or so I saw Andy Scott’s Sweet performing as part of a 70s package tour alongside Slade (minus Noddy and fronted by guitarist Dave Hill alongside original drummer Don Powell).
The Boiler Shop is exactly what the name suggests, an old warehouse which in the past was an industrial workplace, situated behind Newcastle train station. My carer Jackie and I had a great view of the proceedings, sitting on a wheelchair platform overlooking the crowd with a direct view of the stage. Well by now, Andy Scott has achieved his dream and transformed The Sweet into a heavy rock band with new musicians around him all of whom look like they could have come from a true Hard Rock heavy metal band. Andy is the only surviving member of The Sweet. Brian Connolly sadly passed away in his early 50s, from alcoholism. Drummer Mick Tucker sadly passed away recently as did bassist and he of the bright ginger hair and crazy voice Steve Priest, who fronted his own version of the band situated in the USA.
So, Andy remains out on his own, to fly The Sweet flag high, having rejuvenated the band as out and out rockers, no longer closet heavy metal contenders. I buy a T-shirt and a couple of signed posters, one for me and one for my friend John in the USA. Soon the band take the stage and they are loud, heavy and I mean very LOUD. Great! They crash into “Action” and then follow this with a couple of heavier tunes. And that is the format for the evening: a hit followed by one or two heavier album or new tracks followed by another hit and so it goes onward.
Andy Scott looks great. All the heavy-metal hero with a long mane of pure white hair. Respect. He bangs away at his red Fender Stratocaster. “The Sixteens “(my particular favourite) soon follows and then we are treated to hit after hit. “Wigwam Bam”, “Little Willy”, “Hellraiser” and another classic “Love Is like Oxygen”. Just fantastic. Each one delivered in a new heavier, louder manner. These are no longer pop classics they are heavy metal songs!
A night of memories and reminiscences once again. This time I am in the lovely new local venue the Sunderland Fire Station for an evening of music with none other than 
Dada were first on the bill below Yes and headliners Iron Butterfly. I decided to treat myself to a copy of their album (see image) to remind myself of their music. They were a large band (I think around 10 piece) with a brass section and Elkie singing as front person, alongside ultracool soul man Robert Palmer.I remember being very impressed by the overall power of the band and, in particular, by Elkie’s raucous blues/jazz vocals. I was very much a young gig goer of 14 and sat in awe, by myself, feeling I was part of a big adventurous journey into the realm and world of live music which was just beginning.
The next time I ran into Elkie was in the band Vinegar Joe. She had become the wild, gypsy front person, again alongside Robert Palmer on vocals and her husband of the time Peter Gage on guitar (that is him, standing to the right of Elkie on the front cover of the album. Pretty cool guy, with great long hair and who played some wonderful slide guitar, as I recall). I was lucky enough to see Vinegar Joe several times during the early 70s at the Lincoln Festival, the Reading Festival, and local venues including (I think) Sunderland Locarno, Newcastle Mayfair and most notably supporting the legendary Free at Sunderland Top Rank. Vinegar Joe were quite a while raucous rock/blues band and we all sat in awe of the force of nature that was Elkie. Again, I bought a copy of one of their albums to remind myself of these Rock ‘n’ Roll Gypsies and their music. “They were an electrifying live act and quickly became a staple of the UK’s then-thriving university circuit.” (
The next time I saw Elkie was headlining as a solo artist at Sunderland Empire Theatre. This was in the late 70s and Elkie had become more of a middle of the road (and very successful) rhythm and blues singer hitting the charts with “Pearl’s a Singer”, “Sunshine after the Rain” and many other successful singles.
This is also another night of renewing friendships, through something of a coincidence. I was just telling my carer for the evening Jackie about when I saw Elkie in Vinegar Joe supporting Free at the aforementioned concert when along comes an old friend Paul, who I have not seen for many years and says “Do you remember seeing her in Vinegar Joe at the Rink? ” We chat about that great concert and how wonderful she was “back in the day”. Great to see him again.
Both sections of the show are impressive in their own way. The mix of classic soulful chart hits and raucous blues is fantastic. Elkie still has a very powerful voice. Although I can’t recall the entire set list, I do remember thinking how many hits she has had, some of which I had forgotten, such as “Don’t Cry out Loud “and “Lilac Wine”. During the first half she also does an excellent version of the Rod Stewart classic “Gasoline Alley”.
The second half of the concert comprises more hits including the Chris Rea song “Fool If You Think It’s Over” but, rather than finishing with her massive chart success “Pearl’s a Singer” she chooses to give us a great rendition of this song halfway through the second set. She closes the evening with a series of blues classics, belting them out in a powerful voice and showing what her true roots are. By the end everyone is up on their feet, lots of dancing, and a standing ovation for Elkie, which is well deserved. A great night full of many memories. Happy days.
So this was a dream trip for me. Every time I think “This Could Be the Last Time”. But of course it never is. And I hope it never will be. These guys just go on and on for ever. And for me that is just great. The Stones are, without question, my favourite band and worthy of the title “The Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band in the World”. This is my 15th Stones experience since I first saw them in 1971 at Newcastle City Hall for the princely sum of 15 shillings/75p (decimalisation was just coming in and they printed both prices on the ticket. I was 14 and went to the early 6:30 PM show (they played 2 shows a night back in the day) and paid £1 for the ticket outside. From that night on I became a massive Rolling Stones fan.
So we went down: me, Lisa, Elaine and Jan courtesy of Trans Pennine Express on Thursday afternoon and took a short walk to our hotel close to Lime Street station. After a couple of hours rest I was up again and we took a bus to Anfield where we were shown to a nice lounge with food and drink prior to taking our seats for the show, which we did to catch the last couple of songs of Echo and the Bunnymen, the support act. We had nice seats in the disabled area with a good view of the stage and Jan just in front of us.
After a short wait, just before the Stones took to the stage the screens lit up and showed a lovely tribute to Charlie Watts, with video footage from throughout his career showing him, always dapper and cool, back in the 1960s through to his last days with the band. This received a well-deserved cheer from the Anfield crowd. RIP Charlie. Much missed. It was 9 PM and the Rolling Stones took to the stage, starting with “Street Fighting Man”. Jagger was as energetic as ever running up and down the walkway right out in the crowd. Flanked by Keith (as cool as ever and forever my hero) and Ronnie Wood; both looking and playing great. Mick Jagger’s vocals were as powerful as they ever have been. Like a fine wine these guys seem to get better with age. They never cease to astound me and always exceed my expectations. Mick announced “This is our 60th anniversary tour and the first one we have done without our drummer Charlie Watts. So we dedicate the show to Charlie”, followed by a massive cheer from the crowd.
This was a perfect set list for me, drawing heavily from the 1960s: “19th Nervous Breakdown” followed. When I was a young kid I remember buying this single for a shilling or two (or maybe less) from the public house over the road from my home. It would sell ex-jukebox singles and we would go over every now and then to buy classic records from a little box which the barmaid would bring out to the off sales window. Then we were treated to “Get off of My Cloud” and “Tumbling Dice”. Then came the surprise: in tribute to the Beatles Mick introduced their early hit (of course written by the Fab Four) “I Wanna Be Your Man”. This was apparently the first time they had played the song since I saw them perform it at the O2 Arena in London in 2012.
Then another great favourite of mine, which was a charttopping hit for the great Chris Farlowe “Out Of Time”. You can’t beat the old classics. Then another classic “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” followed by the less familiar “Living in a Ghost Town” and then back to the 1960s for “Honky Tonk Women” (I told you this was a perfect set list!) Next, as always, Keith took front of stage for “You Got the Silver” and the less familiar “Connection”. Mick was soon back for a great singalong with “Miss You”, followed by another of my favourites “Midnight Rambler”. He no longer whips the stage with his belt, as he did in the 1970s, but uses his jacket instead. For this song he really turns it up a notch, running up and down the walkway into the crowd singing the chorus again and again. Next another great classic “Start Me Up”.
The next song “Paint It Black” always gets me. For me, the perfect Stones song with Ronnie Wood playing electric sitar bringing back memories of seeing Brian Jones on TV sitting cross-legged with his own sitar. Now I knew we were on the home strait. The stage turns dark red and the familiar chants of “Sympathy for the Devil” start to fill the night air. Another great crowdpleaser. They close with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”.
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