Dionne Warwick is someone that I have been meaning to see for a long time and always passed on for one reason or another. I figured that this was probably the last tour by the iconic lady who has just entered her 83rd year. After all, she performed her farewell tour a couple of years ago. This outing was advertised as a mix of talking about her life and career, and singing some of her most famous songs which were, of course, written by the great Burt Bacharach. I love the music of Burt Bacharach. I once saw him in concert at Edinburgh Playhouse. He sat centre stage playing a grand piano with a small orchestra and vocalists who took turns in delivering his classic tunes. I had forgotten just how many great songs he had written. We were in the front row, and I shook his hand at the end of the performance. A night I will never forget. I have written about this on my blog.
Anyway, enough reminiscing and back to the beautiful, soulful voice of Dionne Warwick who sang so many Bacharach and David classics. The show was entitled Don’t Make Me Over, after the famous song. The Glasshouse website proclaimed her arrival:
“Soulful. Insightful. In person and in Her Own Words.
Iconic singer Dionne Warwick brings her captivating life story and legendary catalogue to the stage for an intimate evening of conversation and song. Join the chart-topping vocalist behind classics like “Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” and “That’s What Friends Are For” as she takes audiences through her groundbreaking 60+ year career. Warwick will share personal anecdotes and career milestones interwoven with live renditions of her hits, supported by archival footage and testimonials from figures like Elton John and President Clinton.”
The show was in two parts with a short interval. Dionne took to the stage with “don’t make me over” emblazoned on the screen above her. She started by singing that classic song. Sure, her voice may not quite as strong as it used to be, but it was tremendous to hear her sing the song again, accompanied by a small band who appeared left off stage. A large, very comfy -looking, sofa was to the right of the stage and Dionne took her place there alongside long-time collaborator Dave Wooley who was shortly to interview her.
A short excerpt from the recent documentary also entitled Don’t Make Me Over, directed by Dave Wooley was shown at the start of the performance. Publicity for the documentary explains that it “Reveals the intimate stories behind a pioneering artist who took charge of her own career and smashed through cultural, racial and gender barriers to become the soundtrack for generations.”
The conversation between Dionne and Dave began with video of her humble beginnings, gospel singing in a New Jersey church. The discussion then moved through her life and career, her first meeting with Bacharach, in the UK where he was touring as pianist and musical director for none other than Marlena Dietrich. Now that is some tour that I wish I had seen! And so, the evening progressed moving through the years, with tributes from many famous people including Smokey Robinson, former President Bill Clinton, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Barry Gibb and many more. Dionne concluded the first set with a lovely rendition of the beautiful “I Say a Little Prayer”.
After a short break the proceedings resumed in a similar manner with Dave and Dionne chatting about her more recent achievements. Dionne talked about her family and her children. She then revealed that her drummer for the evening was none other than her son, who also sang with her. This part of the show included more songs, accompanied by her son: “Walk on By”, “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “Heartbreaker. The evening concluded with a lovely rendition of “That’s What Friends Are For.” It doesn’t get much better than this. A lovely evening spent with a true legend and icon of our generation.
Thanks to Elaine for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site.
It has been a long time since I last saw 
The Forum website told me: “He’s been a major star for four decades. Paul Young broke into the big time 40 years ago when No Parlez went to number one and spawned iconic hits like Wherever I Lay led to My Hat (That’s My Home). More success followed with the number one album The Secret Of Association and the worldwide hit Everytime You Go Away, not forgetting an appearance at Live Aid and more.
Paul sustained that success – while having fun in his tex-mex band, Los Pacaminos. Now, on the 40th anniversary of No Parlez, he’s releasing a remarkable new record and publishing his extraordinary memoir; both called Behind The Lens. He’s touring the UK, too, where he’ll meet fans, sing songs and tell stories about his incredible career. It’s time to revel in the classic hits and learn the stories behind them as Paul steps out from Behind The Lens.”
As the above description explains this was very much a speaking tour, with Paul reminiscing about many career highlights, interspersed with excerpts from his back catalogue, for which he accompanied himself on acoustic guitar. He was also accompanied by one of his long-time collaborators, who also acted as the interviewer during the Q&A session. The stage was set out with a couple of seats for Paul and his friend as shown in the image. However, photography was not allowed so as not to detract from this intimate show; hence the lack of any pictures within my blog entry this time.
Paul started with tales of his youth and how he first got into music. He moved on to his early soul review band which comprised up to nine members at one-time, namely the Q-Tips, who I saw on two occasions, the first at Middlesbrough Rock Garden and then at Redcar Coatham Bowl. They were excellent on both occasions, Paul very much the front man, leading a band including vocalists and a brass section.
After Q-Tips followed The Street Band and chart success with the quirky hit record “Toast” from which he showed a short video snippet. I had forgotten this particular part of his career. Next Paul proceeded to discuss his massively successful LP record No Parlez which included the hit “Wherever I Lay my Hat” and my particular favourite “Love of the Common People” a reworking of the reggae song originally released by Nicky Thomas in 1970.
Paul then moved to his second, equally successful album, The Secret of Association, and another massive chart hit “Every Time You Go Away”. He then showed a short clip of his appearance at Live Aid, which I attended in Wembley Stadium in 1985. A fantastic memory of momentous day. It brings tears to my eyes when I think of all of the crowd walking out of the stadium singing “Feed the World” after witnessing Bob Geldof leading the entire cast of the day through the song.
The second half of the show brought us up-to-date with Paul discussing his latest band Los Pacaminos and his latest album and book Take a Piece Of Me with You. I bought a copy of the lovely book which contained an autographed card (see images). The other images of the Q-Tips ticket, the Live Aid programme and the No Parlez LP are of items from my own collection. Many thanks to Jan and Chris for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site. A greatly enjoyable evening with a hugely talented and successful guy.
The Glasshouse website announced this concert thus:
“And so the stick man poet came to the north-east
Far from Beasley Street
In the cheap seats in the Odeon
Where the action is
From the Fire Station
Setlist (something like this): Questions I Can’t Answer; Hire Car; Get Back on Drugs You Fat F**k; Lydia, Girl With an Itch; Necrophilia; Beasley Street; Beasley Boulevard; Diez Macarenas; Sir Tom Jones; She’s Got a Metal Plate in Her Head; The Marital Miseries of the Modern Misogynist or The Rime of the Ancient Marrier; I’ve Fallen in Love With My Wife; Evidently Chickentown
I know, this is not rock ‘n’ roll but then it is sort of as 
Brian Cox explains on his website: “Horizons has taken over 250,000 people across three continents on a dazzling journey; a story of how we came to be and what we can become. Using state of the art screen technology, venues across the world from New Zealand to the Arctic Circle have been filled with images of far-away galaxies, alien worlds, supermassive black holes and the latest theories of the origin of the Universe. What is the nature of space and time? How did life begin, how rare might it be and what is the significance of life in the Cosmos? What does it mean to live a small, finite life in a vast, eternal Universe? Having travelled the world, it’s now time to bring Horizons back home to the UK for a final journey around our magnificent and baffling Universe.”
With reviews like that how could I not go along and see what all the fuss was about. So, I bought tickets for the show, which were quickly snapped up and it was soon a complete sell-out. On the night, Jackie my carer and I had a trip down to Stockton courtesy of my friendly taxi driver. When we arrived, we joined a short queue and soon realised that Professor Cox appeals to people of all generations. The audience comprised many older people (like myself) down to teenagers and families who had, presumably, brought their children along to learn a little about science and the universe.
Brian Cox popularises the science of our galaxies and Horizons covers the birth of the universe, how we all evolved from amoeba, moving on to more modern concepts including black holes and the multi-verse. He draws from the work of famous scientists such as Einstein and Stephen Hawking. The performance was in two parts, with a short interval, during which I took the opportunity to purchase a couple of programmes and a T-shirt. Yes, this science dude even has merchandise! The staff in the venue were extremely helpful in showing us to our seats which were up in the circle, helping us locate and use the lift and even coming to us to allow us to order drinks at our seat (which was, by the way, an excellent view). Well, I had to have a Jack Daniels; it would be rude not to.
Brian’s performance is augmented by a massive screen showing us pictures of the many galaxies which surround us. He made the science of how we evolved, galaxies, time and space, black holes and much more very accessible. As myself being a former mathematician, with a PhD in Mathematics from 40+ years ago and being a Chartered Engineer, and a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (sorry, it is out there now, I am a closet academic as well as a total rock maniac) I could relate to the concepts he took us through. Jackie was fascinated and found it totally enjoyable. And it was soon over in the blink of an eye. Totally fascinating and everyone gave him a tremendous ovation at the end.
The tour publicity announced: “To coincide with the release of her much-anticipated memoir ‘Behind the Shoulder Pads’, global superstar 
Featuring seldom told tales, enchanting anecdotes, and rare and fascinating footage from her seven decades in showbusiness, the evening will be full of the usual wit, candour, and of course glamour that we have come to expect from this British born Hollywood legend. As an award-winning actress, author, producer, humanitarian and entrepreneur, Joan Collins’ career places her in the unrivalled ranks of an international icon.”
Well, I know it’s not rock ‘n’ roll but I couldn’t resist going to see Dame Joan, now 90 years young, in conversation with her husband at the grand old 
She revealed that she almost landed the part of Cleopatra in the film of the same name as Elizabeth Taylor took very ill . Joan said she was pleased that Elizabeth soon got better and she did not get the part as a result, as Elizabeth was a good friend The lady has certainly had an illustrious career and had the entire audience captivated throughout. She received a standing ovation as soon she came onstage, and quite rightly so.
After a short interval, the second half of the performance was a question and answer session. Unlike many other artists I have seen in a similar type of performance, Joan was not afraid to take questions directly from the audience. A spongy microphone was thrown about the crowd who then asked whatever they wished. Everyone was very nice and no one asked anything remotely cheeky or embarrassing. The picture of Joan in a chair, is from Wikimedia Commons and depicts her at a similar performance in Drury Lane Theatre, London. Practices There was a strong Scottish contingent in the crowd who had travelled down as, I assume, Joan is not venturing further north on this leg of the tour. This was apparently the 100th performance of the tour, and the first of the current UK shows. Questions I remember included “did you know Diana Dors?” “Yes, I did” replied Joan “and she had some very naughty parties!”, “Who awarded you your Damehood?”, “Prince Charles and he was very nice to me. The Queen awarded me my OBE, and she was lovely. I am a great supporter of the Royal family” and “who was the best on-screen kisser?” Unfortunately (honestly) I cannot remember the answer to that one!
A wonderful evening spent with a true icon. I bought a signed book and signed photograph (pictured).
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.
“He’s a legend and an icon, a revolutionary and an immortal. 
You couldn’t get much more of a contrast: Cliff Richard two days ago and then John Lydon! Two very different icons of popular music. But then, perhaps not as far apart as you might imagine: “Lydon, the uncompromising man of punk, explained his admiration for Cliff Richard: “My parents had a fantastic collection. It wasn’t just Irish folk tunes and accordion diddly-doos, there was early Beatles and lots of Cliff Richard too. The first record I would have ever wanted to buy was ‘Move It!’ by Cliff Richard. It was a really good song at the time and still is.” Richard may be a bit square now, but he influenced tonnes of acts form the sixties. “Early Cliff was a riotous assembly of sorts, and he had moves that left a good impression on a 5 year old.”” (
The stage was nicely set out with two red velvet chairs, one for John and one for his on tour interviewer. We weren’t allowed to take photographs, hence the image of the stage setup. The evening consisted of two segments separated by a short interval. The entire show lasted around two hours. The first segment was devoted to John telling us some memories of his life. The second and final segment took the form of a question-and-answer session. Attendees were allowed to write questions on special cards and post these in a box, placed at the front of the stage, during the interval.
ways. He talks a lot, and becomes quite emotional, about his wife Nora who has Alzheimers and for whom John is now primary carer. He has been with Nora since the 1970s and she is of German origin and the mother of the late Ari Up of the all girl punk band, 
Guinness which goes down really well (even through one of those horrible paper straws).
Both Lisa and Elaine really enjoyed the show, as did I. A very entertaining evening with an icon of punk rock and popular culture. It doesn’t come much better than Cliff one night and John two nights later. A short taxi ride and we were back home where Lisa and Elaine hoisted me back into my bed with thoughts of John and Edgar Broughton swirling around in my head, no doubt aided by the pint of Guinness. A great night.
Well it finally came. My first concert for almost 2 years. I was excited and, I must admit, a little nervous. My first outing was to see my old friend/hero 
“In this explosive new memoir, the famously indiscreet Rossi reveals the true-life stories behind his unbelievable career. Painfully honest at times, the book covers the glory years, the dark days, the ups and downs of his relationship with the late Rick Parfitt and the real stories behind the creation of some of the greatest rock music of all time” (
Those of you who have ever seen Status Quo live will know that Francis is, by nature, a cheeky, chatty chap. He started by going back to his early life, reminiscing about his Italian, ice cream shop and van, roots in London and how his father would sing to him in Italian and how he soon learned to play the trumpet and then the guitar. The story moved on to forming a band with old friend and ex-Status Quo bass player, Alan Lancaster, how they went on to play at Butlins and met a flashy young face called Rick Parfitt. Soon they were together as Status Quo and Francis told us of how he wrote “Pictures of Matchstick Men”, basing it roughly on Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe”. Francis picked up a guitar, playing and singing to demonstrate how he wrote their first hit record.
During the interval I treated myself to a glass of red wine, sat back in my chair and waited for Francis to return. Soon the show resumed and we moved on to tales of how they opened Live Aid, which I was lucky enough to attend in Wembley Stadium, Francis explaining that nobody really wanted the opening slot but they realised how important the concert, the event would be and how being the opening act would be a great place to be on the bill. Then there were tales of the breakup of the band, the re-emergence with Francis and Rick leading a new version of Status Quo and being back in the charts with “In the Army Now”. All of this was delivered with Francis’ usual cheeky Cockney charm. Then he moved through the years talking quite emotionally about the sad passing of Rick and the latest Francis led version of Status Quo. I must admit I always had my doubts about Francis continuing after Rick’s passing but I guess it is in his blood and to him it obviously seemed the natural thing to do.
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