An Unforgettable Night with The Boss
Attending a Bruce Springsteen concert is always a special experience. The fact that this one was on my home turf at The Stadium of Light made it extra special.
In fact, it was not that long ago since I last saw Bruce at Murrayfield, Edinburgh. As a long-time fan, I have many memories of seeing the man over the years including his first UK appearance at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1976, and numerous other concerts since; at Newcastle City Hall, St James’s Park, Dublin’s The Point, London O2 Arena, Leeds Arena, and a previous appearance at the Stadium of Light.
Bruce has always been magnificent. This night, despite the challenging weather, was no exception. Springsteen took the stage with his characteristic energy, launching into a setlist that spanned his decades-long career. From the opening chords of “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day,” the entire stadium was with him. Classic tracks including “Born to Run,” “Dancing in the Dark,” and “Thunder Road” had the crowd singing along, creating the usual great atmosphere that I have come to expect at a Springsteen concert. Bruce’s voice was as powerful as ever, and his interactions with the audience as authentic and genuine. Particularly moving for me was “Thunder Road” which closed the main set and has become a crowd favourite, Bruce on harmonica and great vocals.
I recall playing the song to my friends after I bought the Born to Run LP (it was always real vinyl in those days). I thought his voice was unlike anyone’s I had heard before. Perhaps a cross between Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan? Every song on that album is a classic and many of them remain in his set today. The very last song has come to be “I’ll See You in My Dreams” which is a perfect end to the evening and to his now traditional three-hour set.
This time I decided to treat myself to hospitality in the Black Cats Bar which was top-notch. The staff were helpful and accommodating, ensuring that my carer and I were comfortable throughout the evening. The bar provided an excellent vantage point, combining the thrill of being part of the crowd with the convenience of a more relaxed (and dry) setting. This made it easier to enjoy the concert without the usual issues that come with being in a large, bustling venue. My second carer, seated elsewhere in the stadium, also had a dry and enjoyable experience.
The weather was bad, with rain pouring down throughout the concert. While we stayed dry in the Black Cats Bar, and my second carer was dry in the stands, the fans on the pitch were not as fortunate. Despite those soaking conditions, their spirits were high, and their enthusiasm never waned. Only an artist like Springsteen has the incredible ability to connect with his audience and keep the energy high, no matter the circumstances.
Sadly, Bruce lost his voice after this concert and had to cancel his next couple of concert appearances in Europe. Elaine took some great photos throughout the night. Many thanks to Chris for manipulating the site as usual. And here is something I must reveal. I used Chat GPT to create the first draft of my review, partly as an experiment and partly to try and speed up the process, as I am way behind with my blog entries. However, I am not sure if it did speed up the process as I had to rewrite much of the text to remove the robot and replace it with Peter. Not sure if I fully succeeded.
Setlist: Waitin’ on a Sunny Day; Lonesome Day; Prove It All Night; No Surrender; Ghosts; Letter to You; The Promised Land; Hungry Heart; Light of Day; Atlantic City; Darlington County; Nightshift; The River; Racing in the Street; Last Man Standing; Backstreets; Because the Night; She’s the One; Wrecking Ball; The Rising; Badlands; Thunder Road. Encore: Born to Run; Glory Days; Dancing in the Dark; Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out; Twist and Shout; I’ll See You in My Dreams
A great double act of rockers. First on the bill was the 
Jim Jones’ new band announces itself as: “Open your ears, arms, and hearts to welcome The Jim Jones All Stars into your lives! Fronted by legendary testifier Jim Jones – formerly of The Hypnotics, Black Moses, The Jim Jones Revue and Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind – his latest project sees him swan dive into not only his primordial influences and his own classic-packed back catalogue, but also into a spicy gumbo of hot, new sounds. Joined by former Jim Jones Revue members Gavin Jay (bass) and Elliot Mortimer (piano and keyboards), The Jim Jones All Stars are augmented by guitarist Carlton Mounsher, singer Ali Jones, drummer Chris Ellul and the three-way sax attack of Stuart Dace, Chuchi Malapersona and Tom Hodges. Born out of necessity, born out of wedlock, and simply born to boogie, The Jim Jones All Stars are an unholy trinity of birth.” (from Jim Jones website).
And boogie they do. Jim Jones is a full-on crazy guy who proudly fronts his review, leading them through a manic set of rock, blues, soul, and craziness. Jim is a great vocalist, full of confidence, with no fear at all. The guy commands stage, audience, and band. A fantastic warmup for the Crowes. “Necessity, being the mother of invention, surprised us all when she delivered a healthy, heavyweight, blue-eyed amalgam of incendiary ramalama soul.” Says Jim from his website.
After a short break, the curtain covering the 
The publicity for the Black Crowes latest album and tour says: “The Black Crowes are leaving the bullshit in the past. 15 years after their last album of original music, the Robinson Brothers present Happiness Bastards– their 10th studio album. Some may say the project has been several tumultuous years in the making, but we argue it’s arriving at just the right time.
Call it brotherly love or music destiny that brought them back together in 2019, the highly anticipated record consecrating the reunion of this legendary band just may be the thing that saves rock & roll. In a time where the art form is buried beneath the corporate sheen of its successors, The Black Crowes are biting back with the angst of words left unsaid penned on paper and electrified by guitar strings, revealing stripped, bare-boned rock & roll. No gloss, no glitter, just rhythm and blues at it’s very best – gritty, loud, and in your face.”
I first saw the Black Crowes at the Donington Monsters of Rock festival in 1991 where they were first on as part of a strong lineup headlined by AC/DC and featuring Metallica, Motley Crue and Queensryche. I wrote at the time: “We made sure that we arrived in time to see The Black Crowes, as I’d heard a lot about them. I remember being impressed by them, particularly by their cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle”. My friend John lives in the US and is a massive Black Crowes fan, and he keeps me up to date on them. I really must get to see them again someday soon.” Well, it was many years before I saw the Crowes again at Manchester Academy in March 2013. My friend John remains a dedicated fan and has seen them many times in the USA.
Bands like the Crowes keep the rock ‘n’ roll flag flying high. They exploded onto the stage and immediately the packed house was singing along and rocking with them. Memories of seeing Mick Jagger in the 70s come flooding back into my mind. Singer Chris Robinson has the same sort of swagger and energy. To my shame I don’t recognise many of the songs but nonetheless really enjoy the performance. Chris and his brother Rich Robinson, Chris’ seemingly quieter, more subdued on perfect electric blues/rock guitar lead the band through a set of songs which combine rock, blues, punk, and soul.
For around an hour and a half, which seems to speed through in a few moments, Chris swaggers backwards and forwards, left and right around the stage singing his heart out. Comparisons of early Faces, Small Faces and the aforementioned Rolling Stones come to mind. They even play a great version of the Stones’ “Rocks Off”. Why do I always have to draw comparisons? Not sure. It gives me a rock compass by which to measure and categorise artists. Whatever the comparisons, the Black Crowes are a force to be reckoned with.
Chris reminds us that the last time they played the City Hall was back in 1991; the same year when I saw them at Donington. Not many of the crowd seemed to register being present. I am not sure I was even aware that they were on at the City Hall at the time. Not sure why I didn’t attend. They perform “Hard to Handle” again. Magic. Their soul roots showing through and adding new life to the Otis Redding classic. A figure of Chuck Berry reminds us of their rock ‘n’ roll roots and reminds me of when I saw the great man in the same venue many years ago in the 70s.
“When it comes to live music, few bands do it better than The Black Crowes. The American rockers have had their fair share of ups and downs over the years, but they are sounding stronger than ever with their latest album, Happiness Bastards. Hitting the road with Jim Jones All Stars in support, The Black Crowes stopped off in Newcastle to sprinkle a little bit of rock and roll magic in the city’s historic City Hall. I bought a copy of the album, signed by both Chris and Rich (pictured). Class.
The band played a good mix of old and new, including a song first made famous by Otis Redding and immortalised in rock history by The Black Crowes, ‘Hard to Handle’, as well as their cover of The Rolling Stones classic ‘Rocks Off’. The night was a celebration of timeless rock played with style and swagger, thanks to Chris’ larger-than-life stage presence. Each member of the band was an integral part of an unstoppable music machine that took over Newcastle for a night.” (from Music News Monthly website).
A great night spent with two magnificent rock ‘n’ roll, soul revue bands. It doesn’t get much better. Many thanks to Elaine for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site as usual.
“Clapton is God” was an oft quoted saying in the 1970s. Painted on doors across London and around the country, it proclaimed 
I went down on the train to London by myself, a fresh 16 year old who was desperate to see this guitar hero who had only recently returned to the stage earlier in the 1970s, following a terrible bout of addiction. I bought a ticket at Hammersmith Odeon, paying a tout £10 for a £1 ticket outside the venue. I was seated halfway back in the stalls waiting for my hero to take the stage and knock me out with his guitar prowess.
Surprise number one. A guy wandered out up front and said “Well here it is, the last night of the world tour; will you please welcome onto the stage Mr Eric Clapton and his band”. Eric sauntered on to the stage complete with band and current singer (and, I believe, girlfriend of the time) Yvonne Elliman. He walked up to the mike, acoustic guitar in hand, and started to strum a song quietly. He opened “Smile, though your heart is aching, smile, even though it’s breaking, when there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by” (Charlie Chaplin). It was soothing, melodic, haunting and not what I was expecting. The night continued with classic Clapton including “Layla”, “Sunshine of Your Love” and many other great tunes that rattled round my head. I ran up to Hammersmith Tube station to get across to King’s Cross and catch the last train home which I believe was, in those days, 12:10 a.m. The show was fantastic and those songs continued to rattle around my head all night on the train back home.
I have seen Clapton many times over the years witnessing often fantastic sets of blistering classics and sometimes more surprises. Always a world-class performance. At Newcastle City Hall many times. London Crystal Palace Bowl. The Cream reunion concert at the Albert Hall. Manchester Arena, Newcastle Arena and Sheffield Arena. The Royal Albert Hall 70th birthday concert and the Jeff Beck Tribute concert at the same venue. Other highlights included him playing alongside Bob Dylan at Blackbushe Aerodrome, with The Who, Bob Dylan and others in Hyde Park, with Steve Winwood in Wembley Arena and with Jeff Beck at the O2 London. Another couple of surprises at that concert: “Moon River” with Beck delivering his usual fantastic, unique guitar sounds and Clapton singing the lyrics followed by the only time I saw Jeff Beck play “Hi Ho Silver Lining” (“Eric made me play it” Jeff told us all). I sang my heart out that night along with a packed O2 Arena, tears running down my face. Others I may well have forgotten. Yes, Eric has given me so many great memories over the years. To me he remains “God”. Yes, in these later years he has become quieter – more blues, less rock, more acoustic – yet still he commands any stage in the world.
Eric is now 79 years old. Yet he still looks and sounds great. And no one can play a bluesy guitar like him. He is surrounded by his usual excellent band including Doyle Bramhall II, who plays absolutely perfect second lead guitar, Chris Stainton on keyboards (who famously was a member of Joe Cocker’s Grease Band and played on “With a Little Help From My Friends”; I first saw Chris with Joe Cocker in 1972 headlining the Lincoln pop festival) and female singers including Katie Kissoon (of Mac and Katie Kissoon and “Sugar Candy Kisses” fame).
The support act was 
I was 12 then, a young mod and my heroes were Barry Ryan, Steve Marriott and Steve Ellis. But that is a reminiscence I have written about many times before. Anyway we did catch Andy playing “Wide-Eyed and Legless”. Magic.
Then after a short break Clapton appeared. The set is in the usual format. A clutch of songs with full band and Clapton on electric guitar. A shorter acoustic set with Clapton and one or two other fellow musicians, and then back to full band and electric guitar to close the proceedings. The choice of songs was a somewhat eclectic mix. Some were rather unexpected: Cream’s “White Room” which was pure nostalgic magic and delivered well; and “Presence of the Lord” the Blind Faith classic which I last saw Clapton perform with Steve Winwood at Wembley Arena. Some were expected classics: “Crossroads” which is always a welcome addition to any Clapton concert and the closer “Cocaine”. The remainder was a mix of blues standards and other lesser-known tunes.
Standout was the touching “Tears in Heaven” which closed the acoustic set. Some obvious songs were strangely missing; no “Layla” or “Wonderful Tonight”. Some members of the audience were clearly disappointed judging by comments I heard whilst coming out of the venue. For me, I will take what I can get. Eric Clapton, not very far away from me, in a local venue, playing great blues guitar. The closer was “Sunshine of Your Love”. It doesn’t get much better.
Setlist: Electric set: Blue Dust; Key to the Highway; I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man; Presence of the Lord; White Room; Prayer of a Child.
This concert by 
The conversation somehow moved on to Brian Downey, original drummer in Thin Lizzy and went something like this: Eric “Have you seen Brian’s new band?”; Me “No, but they are playing at Middlesbrough Town Hall soon and I was considering going along”; Eric “You should go”; Me “Have you seen them”; Eric “No, but he has put together a great band and they play all Lizzy songs”; Me “then I must go and see them”; Eric “Please do and if you get the chance to meet Brian, tell I am asking after him. We remain great friends. Me, Phil, and Brian remained friends even after I left Lizzy.”
Well, I just had to go along after that recommendation from Eric himself. I bought tickets the next day. It was also a chance to review my long-time acquaintance with Middlesbrough Town Hall which is a lovely venue. It comprises two halls, a large hall upstairs with a lovely organ at the back of the stage (see image from my ticket).
I recall seeing Gary Brooker play that organ when I saw Procol Harum at the venue in the mid 70s. I have seen many bands there over the years including AC/DC, Kiki Dee, the Hollies, Van Morrison, and Ian Gillan. The second hall, named the Crypt as it is downstairs below the main hall, also hosted many bands. I recall witnessing great shows by Stretch, Crass, Steel Pulse, the Groundhogs, Wishbone Ash, the Exploited and several others down in the Crypt. Happy days. So, it was great to be visiting the Crypt again to see Brian’s version of Thin Lizzy.
Now, I don’t usually go to see tribute bands, but this group had the authenticity of original Thin Lizzy member Brian Downey sitting in the drum stool. Elaine, Jackie, and I arrived early and had a good look around the venue which remains, as it always was, a lovely, period church – like hall, in the centre of Middlesbrough. The stage was set with a massive drum kit standing proud centre – stage, ready for Brian to lead his new band through a set of Thin Lizzy classics.
The publicity from Brian’s website states: “Brian is delighted to announce the new line-up of Alive and Dangerous and is looking forward to taking the band on the road in the UK, Ireland, Germany, and the rest of Europe. The new line-up features Brian Downey on drums, Matt Wilson on bass and lead vocals and introducing Michal Kulbaka on lead guitar and Joe Merriman also on lead guitar.” So, this was back to the classic twin guitar line – up of Thin Lizzy. Fantastic.
The band all hail from Dublin and look quite young and fresh. They are all excellent musicians and did justice to the Lizzy repertoire. The singer/bass guitarist has curly hair and a look of Phil about him. Classic after classic followed: “Jailbreak”, “Emerald” (a favourite of mine), “Rosalie”, “Dancing in the Moonlight”, “Don’t Believe a Word”, the wonderful “Parisienne Walkways” which was Phil solo with Gary Moore on lovely guitar (performed amazingly well by 1 of the lead guitarists).
Next up soon was “Cowboy Song” (another favourite which always went down well when Phil performed it at Newcastle City Hall and which I was lucky enough to witness several times including an amazing performance at the Reading Festival in the 70s), “The Boys Are Back in Town” (and it seemed like they really were for 90 minutes) and closing with back to the beginning and “Whiskey in the Jar”. An encore followed of less familiar material and then it was all over.
Sure, it wasn’t Thin Lizzy, but it was pretty close. Eric, you were right to tell me to go along and see this band. Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to meet Brian and pass your regards to him. Brian, you are to be commended for assembling a great band who live up to their name Live and Dangerous which is, of course, the name of the classic Thin Lizzy live album which is often quoted as being the best live album ever. Happy days were here again.
Many thanks to Elaine for the photographs and to Chris for manipulating the site (and for saving the file for me along the way as I wrote it; last time I failed to do so and my Dragon speech software misheard something I said which resulted in my losing everything I had typed; very frustrating).
Setlist: Are You Ready; Jailbreak; Emerald; Wild One; Rosalie; Dancing in the Moonlight (It’s Caught Me in Its Spotlight); Massacre; Still in Love With You; Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed; Warriors; Don’t Believe a Word; Parisienne Walkways; Cold Sweat; Cowboy Song; The Boys Are Back in Town; Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend; Whiskey in the Jar.
Pick up the Pieces! 
I remember them as a tight rock/jazz outfit, who had some great classic singles such as the aforementioned “Pick up the Pieces”. The Average White Band split up in 1982 but regrouped after some years and have finally decided call it a day with: A Funk Finale – Farewell Tour 2024.
The publicity announced this farewell tour: “Average White Band, one of the soul and funk bands of all-time will bring their farewell tour to venues in 2024. The group will perform their biggest hits and fan favourites, such as US No.1 Pick Up the Pieces, Cut The Cake.…….Formed in London in 1972, the band – somewhat incongruously given their Scottish roots – took the influences of their R&B heroes such as Marvin Gaye, James Brown and Stevie Wonder, and Jazz greats Cannonball Adderley and The Crusaders, then developed their own authentic sound rapidly adopted by black audiences in the US, UK and worldwide.
The group’s consistently accomplished songwriting helped them to achieve several Gold & Platinum-selling albums and multiple Grammy nominations with Atlantic Records. Having remained a perennial fixture at top venues & festivals across the world for over 50 years, the Average White Band’s farewell tour is the not-to-be-missed last chance for multiple generations of fans to experience the musical energy and trademark sound of one of the world’s truly great soul bands.”
Two guitarists and vocalists Onnie McIntrye and Alan Gorrie remain from the original band, alongside a set of musicians who they have assembled over the years, including a black soul singer who now fronts the band. But Alan Gorrie was very much the bandleader, with his old friend and side kick Onnie McIntyre standing quietly to his left on guitar duties.
The Tyne Theatre was packed ready to say a last goodbye to this band. I can’t say I recognised many of the songs, but I greatly enjoyed the performance, and I was glad I took the opportunity to catch them one last time. Of course, I knew the aforementioned “pick up the pieces” and “cut the cake” but I had forgotten the great singalong “let’s go round again” which had the entire theatre audience up and dancing.
Many thanks to Jan for the photographs and to Chris for helping me manipulate the site stop
Set 2: When Will You Be Mine; Walk on By; Cut the Cake; A Love of Your Own; Whatcha’ Gonna Do for Me; Atlantic Avenue; Put It Where You Want It.
I have been meaning to see 
I was surprised just how true to the original Jam ideology and mod culture From The Jam were. They were in fact a revelation to me. Much, much better than I expected. The Boiler Shop was completely sold out, packed full of mods from every era, some wearing sharp suits and others wearing Parka coats. And to my pleasant surprise, the support act was Purple Hearts who I remember well from the late 1970s and early 1980s; I saw them several times during that crazy period.
In The Jam, Bruce and drummer Rick Buckler were the driving force, power and rhythm section behind singer, guitarist, and songwriter Paul Weller. Bruce’s versatility is evident, taking lead vocals on “David Watts” (The Kinks) and writing “News Of The World”, which to this day appears as the theme to the BBC’s Mock the Week show and has introduced his work to a new generation of fans.”
It is nice to know that “Bruce is again friends with Paul Weller which he emphasises is more important than music…… Paul asked Bruce to perform on his Wake Up The Nation album and join him on stage at the Royal Albert Hall on 25th May 2010, to a rapturous standing ovation from the audience. “No one could quite believe what they were seeing, it was history in the making and grown men had tears in their eyes” said one fan.”” (Again from the From the Jam website).
Support band Purple Hearts are: “an English mod revival band, formed in 1977 in Romford, eastern Greater London. They were often considered one of the best English mod revival groups, the NME calling them “one of the few mod bands to actually cut it on rock ‘n’ roll terms. In September 1979, the band scored a minor hit with their debut single, “Millions Like Us” which reached number 57 in the UK Singles Chart. The band then toured the UK with Secret Affair and Back To Zero on ‘the March Of The Mods’ tour in 1979.” I remember the March Of The Mods tour very well and have written about it on this blog. It called at Newcastle Mayfair and there was complete mayhem, involving fights between skinheads (“We hate the mods”) and mods (“We are, we are the mods”) and tables being thrown from the balcony of the ballroom onto the dancefloor below. The bouncers came in, complete with Alsatian dogs and brought some control to the situation. Crazy days.
Jackie and I arrived in time to catch Purple Hearts who were excellent, playing a mix of songs old and new; each track blending punk with 60s mod. A great start to the evening. We went to look for some From the Jam merchandise. The guy at the merchandise stand told us “I am selling Purple Hearts merchandise, the guy selling From the Jam merchandise has not arrived yet but all the merchandise is under the table”. Well, I don’t know what had happened but he never appeared so we were unable to buy any From the Jam gear. Never mind. Perhaps I will be tempted to buy something from their online store.
After a short break the main act took to the stage exploding into “All Mod Cons” followed by a string of Jam hits. Each song sounded true to the original, Russell Hastings performing the front man part extremely well, and the full band accompanying Bruce and Russell were great. Hit after hit followed: “David Watts”, “Billy Hunt”, “A Bomb in Wardour Street”, “Down in the Tube Station At Midnight”, “Pretty Green” (now I realise where Liam Gallagher got the name for his clothing range: I recently bought a shirt from the site and foolishly did not wear it for the occasion), “Town Called Malice”, “That’s Entertainment” and closing song “The Eton Rifles”. The entire crowd sang along; this band is the real thing and, judging by my experience at The Boiler Shop they have a very strong and loyal following.
The encores were “Beat Surrender” (I had forgotten just how good that song is), “Going Underground” and finally, back to the start with “In the City”. Fantastic. I would have liked to have seen them play “The Butterfly Collector” (my favourite Jam song) and close with “The Batman theme” just as they did in the early days. But then you can’t have everything.
Setlist (something like this): All Mod Cons; To Be Someone (Didn’t We Have a Nice Time); Mr. Clean; David Watts; In the Crowd; Billy Hunt; It’s Too Bad; Fly; The Place I Love; English Rose; ‘A’ Bomb in Wardour Street; Down in the Tube Station at Midnight; Pretty Green; Town Called Malice; That’s Entertainment; Lula; Heat Wave; The Eton Rifles. Encore: Beat Surrender; Going Underground; In the City.
And so, the 
Jethro Tull and I have a long history together and a long-standing friendship. I recall my school days when I was in my early teens. The sixth formers would carry LPs under their arms to school. They played them in a little room upstairs in the dining hall at lunchtime. Sometimes, if I was lucky, they allowed me upstairs to their elite “Record Club” to listen to their new, magical, psychedelic sounds. The records they carried were badges of honour and included Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown album, Cream’s Wheels of Fire, Tyrannosaurus Rex’s My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair, But Now They’re Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows, and Jethro Tull’s This Was. This Was included a mix of blues, rock and strange flute playing. A year or two later, I remember sitting in my mate’s house and playing Jethro Tull’s second album Stand Up, with its great sleeve which opened out to a set of pop-ups of the band. How cool we felt. Then, in 1971, we all went to see Jethro Tull at Sunderland Empire. Happy days and magical memories. The die was cast. We were all Jethro Tull fans for life.
Roll-on 50+ years. The Seven Decades Tour. Wonderful. What is not to like. Why not go along and reminisce with old friends, listen to some old sounds, because let us face it, we all like “Living in the Past”. And plenty of old friends were there. It was great to meet up and say hello to fellow Tull aficionados.
With Ian Anderson as ever central to the performance, this tour will encapsulate the seven decades in which Jethro Tull have written and performed music. Through their 23 studio albums, they have continued to push the boundaries of their music. With Ian’s unique and iconic flute playing paired with his distinct vocal, they are one of the most important and distinctive bands the UK have ever produced and Ian’s desire to continually innovate has ensured they remain as relevant around the world today as they did in the seventies.
And so, to the performance. Sure, Ian’s voice is not what it was, and the old coat is gone, but the flute playing remains great and the songs are as soulful, passionate, poignant, and intriguing as they ever were. We start at the very beginning (a very good place to start) with “My Sunday Feeling”; Track 1 Side 1 of This Was. This is followed by a selection of songs from throughout the band’s seven decade spanning career. Pure magic. The years disappear and the old songs flow over us all. These include other classics from the first couple of albums. My favourites are “We Used to Know” and the magical flute solo which is “Bouree”.
We were informed at the very start of the performance by Ian himself that we were not allowed any photography until the encore. Hence lots of pictures of trains on the track as the encore was, of course, as always “Locomotive Breath”. It was a shame that we could not take pictures throughout as the images shown on the backdrop were pretty fantastic.
After a short interval Ian and the band return and play a strange mix of old and new. Intriguing, enjoyable yet missing some vintage tracks which are usually performed. No “Living in the Past”. No “The Witches Promise”. Nonetheless an enjoyable selection of songs from some lesser-well known albums. The band continues to surprise the audience.
Set 2 closes with a tale of that seedy tramp “Aqualung”. The encore is, as usual these days, “Locomotive Breath”. And then it is over. I quickly chat with old friends again and then go our separate ways. Our collective verdict is a great show, but a strange collection of songs and missing some classics. I am off home in my taxi. Ian Anderson did the Tull legacy proud and gave us all another night to remember. Happy days. Many thanks to Elaine for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site as usual.
A bundle of energy. A whirling dervish. A crazy lady. An outspoken liberated woman. A (nearly) middle-aged lady who has rediscovered herself after a painful marriage breakup. 
To say my mind was blown away by the lady herself is an understatement. I bought a T-shirt with the words: “Eat Shit and Die” emblazoned on the front. That sort of sums up the show and the attitude of this explosive performer. I have not dared wear the T-shirt yet!
The tour and new album were announced thus on her official website: “Paloma Faith has announced the details of her sixth studio album, The Glorification of Sadness out on 16th February via RCA Records and a UK Tour in support of her upcoming album.……. Paloma shared the news of her new album release date and inspiration with a personal note to her fans letting them know she was “…Looking forward to sharing this new era.” The Glorification of Sadness is more than an album about relationships. The celebration of finding your way back after leaving a long-term relationship, being empowered even in your failures, and taking responsibility for your own happiness. It is her most personal album to date, drawing on her own experiences with Paloma acting as the anchor to direct a deeply personal narrative and album.”
The show was in two parts with a short interval. No support act. In the first half Paloma was a raving blonde, talking a lot about the breakup of her relationship with her former husband. She went into a lot of detail about how her newly found freedom had liberated her as she entered her early 40s.
The lady has found herself again and is enjoying life and not afraid to tell us all about her experiences, each song relating to the “glorification” of her sadness. Lots of very personal insights into her (not so recent really, 2009) marriage breakup and how through her sadness she has found a new life and empowerment. Loads of swearing, very personal stories, some on the verge of shock. At one point he was even bumping and grinding with one of the male guys in her band. Marvellous!
Also from the same website: “Paloma Faith is an award-winning singer, songwriter, actor, and TV personality, as well as one of the UK’s best-loved musical artists. London-born Paloma has released five critically acclaimed platinum-selling albums since 2009, beginning with her debut, Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? As well as collecting dozens of awards in the last decade, including a BRIT Award, Paloma has reached a wider audience as a judge on The Voice UK as well as The Voice Kids, and as an actor in films such as Pennyworth, St Trinian’s and The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus.” A very accomplished lady.
The show intrigued me and tempted me to find out more about the enigma that is Paloma Faith. To the extent that I have ordered myself a signed copy of her yet to be released (semi-) autobiography: MILF: Motherhood, Identity, Love and F*ckery (I told you she is outspoken). Waterstones site announces the publication of the book thus: “The iconic singer and actress delivers her own unique take on motherhood and how it correlates to what it means to be a woman in this fierce, funny and passionate volume.”
“Can women have it all? What does it mean to be a woman and a mother in the modern age? In this passionate, funny, and fierce polemic, Paloma Faith delves deep into the issues that face women today, from puberty and sexual awakenings, to battling through the expectations of patriarchy and the Supermum myth. Infused with Paloma’s characteristic humour and raw honesty about the challenges of IVF and the early years of motherhood, this book is a beautiful celebration of women’s work, and the invisible load women carry.”
Paloma requested staff to put on all of the house lights. And she asked us all to shine the torches on our cell phones. A beautiful image! Returning to the book description: “Moving from questions around identity and how motherhood impacts on that, to what it even means to be a “good mother”, how we need to embrace messiness, imperfection, and the bittersweet pleasures of being “selfish” and putting ourselves first. Paloma invites us into her own coming of age and relationship with her mum, to explore how our bonds with our children evolve into adulthood. We see a glimpse of the complexities and joys of Paloma’s experience of juggling romantic love, heartbreak and dating with the demands of motherhood.”
Paloma confided in us all that her daughter was sometimes in trouble at school for using the F word, which her mother often used in conversation to her. Paloma seemed quite proud of this fact. The first set, having been devoted to the new album and her aforementioned marriage breakup, was followed by a short interval and the second set comprising her better-known songs from her previous repertoire. Just as she completed the first set Paloma told the sell-out crowd that her favourite word was C**T and that the merchandise stall was selling baseball caps with that controversial word emblazoned on the front. During the interval everyone rushed and queued up at the merchandise stand to buy the aforementioned baseball caps. I decided to stick with my T-shirt. Not very brave.
As the second half started, I could see that everyone was wearing their baseball caps. This time Paloma emerged in her more natural dark hair, and a beautiful catsuit. Still very much a raw talent who exploded back, right into our faces with a clutch of chart hits, many of which were still unfamiliar to me. However, I readily embraced her music and her continued manic performance. Elaine, Norman, and I all agreed it was a marvellous introduction to an intriguing, complex and fascinating performer. Thanks to Elaine for the photographs and Chris Paul once again manipulating the site to enable me to produce this blog. I remain very behind in my blogging activities, but I will slowly catch up. Please bear with me.
Setlist: Set 1: How You Leave a Man; God in a Dress; Bad Woman; Divorce; Say My Name; I Am Enough; Already Broken; Hate When You’re Happy; Enjoy Yourself; Cry on the Dance Floor; Eat Shit and Die; Let It Ride; Sweatpants.
Some time after the show my signed copy of Paloma’s book arrived. I am adding the signature here for completeness. 
A bit of an adventure to see an old friend and hero. So, Jackie, my taxi driver and I set off early in the evening for a 50+ miles ride up into the wilds of Northumberland to see none other than 
The staff on the door were very helpful “We’ve been expecting you” and made sure I safely entered the building. They directed me to a space right down the front of the small Hall, sitting close to Edgar himself. Edgar is a great hero of mine since the early 1970s. He was, and is, the original rebel as the T-shirt, which he kindly gave me, proclaims (see image). This guy had no fear in the 70s. He was left-wing, antiestablishment and wore his out–there credentials on his white karate suit (which he always seemed to wear at the time).
As I say I sat next to Edgar, my hero and role model (except I did not have the nerve that he did). So, what could I do but talk to the guy. I had a good chat with Edgar about old times and the first time I saw him perform which was with the Edgar Broughton Band back in 1971 at Sunderland Locarno. I recall being part of a conga trail which weaved its way around the ballroom, up the stairs and across the balcony chanting “Out Demons Out” along with Edgar, Steve Broughton (his brother) on drums and Arthur Grant on bass. Edgar was about to embark on a tour of seaside venues playing on the beach, or close by. The next date was at Redcar beach. However, the local council had banned Edgar and the band from playing there. Edgar told us all that night: “The police are trying to stop us playing at Redcar this weekend. We are going anyway and we will play off the back of a lorry. Please come along to see us. Bring your cars and let’s gridlock all of the roads in Redcar”.
And indeed, he did. I was too young to make my way to Redcar at 14 and had no way to get there. I was there in spirit with you Edgar I told him. The police arrested Edgar and he spent the night in a police cell in the local jail. He wrote a song “Judge Called me a Liar” to commemorate the event. I related the whole story to Edgar. “Yes I remember that day well” and he smiled to me. I also told him how I had seen him many times over the years at Newcastle Mayfair, Sunderland Locarno several times, Newcastle City Hall, the Buxton Festival “It was very wet” Edgar said, and in later years at the City Hall as the Broughtons supporting (Ian) Gillan, in a club at Sheffield, Hull Adelphi club, York Duchess and more recently supporting Roger Chapman at Newcastle Academy. All great memories. Edgar nodded. We chatted on about old times. He kindly signed a CD for me. I moved over to let others talk to Edgar and soon it was time for him to take to the stage.
The hall was small; I would estimate that there was not more than 50 people there and the place was full. The guy who organised the concert came up to see me. “Sorry I was not there when you arrived, I was busy lambing”. Such is rural Northumberland. Edgar sat on a stool not far away from Jackie and me in the centre front of the hall. He sang in his unique soulful voice a clutch of new songs, a few I recognised from recent performances and many from his new CD. His first song was about his brother Steve “We were soldiers together”. Steve sadly recently passed away. You could feel the pain in Edgar’s voice. Other songs were more beautiful. Another I recognise recounted a tale of two people falling in love “Can I dance with you?” (or something like that). Before each song Edgar recounted a story on which the song was based. Each song was challenging, beautiful and soulful. Edgar sang to us directly from his heart.
One particular song was a prequel to the Edgar Broughton Band track “Evening over the Rooftops”. Fascinating. After one song he blew me a kiss. Thank you Edgar. And soon it was over. Edgar Broughton took to the stage around 7:40 PM and concluded his set around 9 PM. After the show I said my goodbyes to my hero, Edgar, and Jackie and I entered our taxi. Our taxi driver informed us that he had been watching lambs, rabbits and deer frisking around in the fields. Wonderful.
We travelled back, this time through the centre of Hexham, and onward into the centre of Newcastle (there was a diversion and the A1 was closed southbound) down Westgate Road and across to Sunderland. I was back in my bed shortly after 11 PM. A wonderful evening. Oh, something I forgot. We asked for a drink and were informed that it was a “Bring your own” bar. One guy kindly said “Don’t worry, here’s a can of Red Stripe you can have”. How kind. But that was the sort of evening, the sort of place, the sort of people it had been. A magical night, with my hero Edgar, who was so friendly and kind to me, in a welcoming venue with such welcoming people. Thank you Edgar. Until next time my friend.
This was a Mini festival of music which started at 4:30 PM! As I had other commitments on the afternoon I could not make the start of the show. I went along at around 7:30 PM just in time to catch the end of 
A massive singalong and a great introduction to our evening. Sadly, we had already missed 
Next up was the Wedding Present who were one of my main reasons for attending, the other being to see 
They were very loud, fast; reminiscent of the noise of The Birthday Party (Nick Cave’s first band); and David’s favourite band at the time of their formation. David is a very charismatic front man. The songs were unfamiliar to me but I greatly enjoyed each of them. Shades of punk and the Clash ran through my mind. They played a lovely loud, fast version of “Make Me Smile (Come up and See Me)” as a tribute to the late, great, sadly missed Steve Harley. Thanks Ciaran for the recommendation. I must see them again.
I have seen Peter Hook several times over the years. Firstly, with the pre-Joy Division band Warsaw, then the legendary Joy Division themselves and several times with New Order. I also saw him in an intimate book launch show where he talked about his career, demonstrated his different bass guitars and signed copies of his book (which I purchased and stored away upstairs in my hoarder’s vault):. As expected, Peter was centre-stage, bass low down almost on his knee (although not quite as low down as it used to be, perhaps) and delivered an excellent set including many Joy Division classics.
One welcome surprise came a few songs into the set. Peter declared (something like this): “I played my second ever gig in this hall. Our first gig, when we were called Warsaw, before we transformed into Joy Division, was in Manchester and we were playing with north-east band Penetration. They kindly offered to let us play with them the following night here so we came up and supported Penetration and the Adverts in this very hall”. Well, you were almost right, Peter, but I was at that concert and I am 100% certain that it was not in the City Hall but it was in the old Guildhall down by the Quayside.
I remember this particular concert very well. I followed Penetration, and many other punk bands at the time, and met Gary, from Penetration by chance outside the Guildhall. He said something like “We were playing in Manchester last night and met this new great band Warsaw. We invited them up to play here tonight”. The lineup was (in order of appearance): Warsaw, Harry Hack and the Big G (local Newcastle punk band), Penetration and headliners the Adverts, featuring Gaye) Advert on base and vocalist and bandleader TV Smith, had just had a hit with “Gary Gilmore’s eyes” (Gary Gilmore was an American killer who was executed in 1976 and the song is about a guy who wakes up in hospital having had an eye transplant and realises he has been given Gilmore’s eyes!) Crazy or what?.
My recollection of Warsaw is very sketchy but I did watch them and thought they were a reasonable new fast punk band. I almost shouted from my vantage point on the wheelchair platform “No Peter it was the Guildhall” but I was too reserved to do so and anyway I don’t think he would have heard me. I have a flyer for the gig somewhere but it doesn’t mention Warsaw at all as they were a late addition to the bill. Peter Hook then proceeded to play a Warsaw song which I’m afraid I did not recognise but sound quite good. Peter also dedicated a song to Steve Harley; the guy is much missed they ended their set with a brilliant rendition of “Love Will Tear us Apart”. Another fantastic singalong.
Peter Hook & the Light Setlist: No Love Lost; Exercise One; Digital; Warsaw; Reaction; Inside the Line; Ice Age; Novelty; Disorder; New Dawn Fades; She’s Lost Control; Shadowplay; Isolation; Twenty Four Hours; Atmosphere; Ceremony; Transmission; Love Will Tear Us Apart
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