MUSIC MAY WAY
The First Period of Gig-Going
“Away Days”
So, the second section covers gigs away from Leicester, which I travelled to… inevitably these are on a grander scale, maybe more prestigious gigs than the ones in Leicester, as they were variously in prestigious Concert Halls, Arena, Stadia and Festivals, but that doesn’t automatically mean they were better… or better bands.. but for the most part my judgement was sound and there are some very special gigs in here…
I’ll start with two gigs that fall in the gap between the first wave of gig going (1969-1999) and the gigs I love to go to now (2017-date)… and the first is maybe the greatest live performance I’ve ever seen…
As with the previous section, I would gladly credit the photographer’s whose work I downloaded from the internet if I knew who they were… but they are not mine with the exception of Nigel Kennedy which I took at the gig in Coventry
NIGEL KENNEDY
Yes, the classical violinist no less. It started with a text from Jonathon… it simply said do you fancy coming to see Nigel Kennedy live at the weekend. After some 2.5 seconds serious thought I responded “Yes”. Jonathon was working for the Warwickshire Music Service and they had a hand in the BBC Radio 2 “Music in the Park” gig in a park in Coventry and he had a couple of free tickets!
I am huge admirer of Kennedy so my excitement was palpable from that moment. On the day I drove over to Jonathon’s… we went over to one of his friends, and all went over to the park in the one car…when we got there, there was a walk to the arena which seemed inches because I was already getting excited for the show… not only Kennedy, but opening up was to be fabulous Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band, Go-Go Penguin, I jazz trio I didnt know, Milos, a classic guitarist making a reputation with his interpretation of Beatles tunes and the legendary Angelique Kidjo… then after a break the BBC Concert Orchestra featuring “Strictly” dancers followed by the main man.
Suffice it to say that the whole bill was outstanding, though the dancers didnt appeal to me… but I did enjoy the BBC Orchestra and didn’t mind the dancers.
As they finished we thought it would be a quick turn around before Kennedy came on as the orchestra was already set up…How wrong can you be!!
I’d gone down to the front of the stage to get some photos and was amazed as the crew brought on the trappings of a major rock band to fill the right hand side of the stage… huge drum kits, banks of keyboards, electric guitars, bass guitars… and on the other side a stand for a classical chamber octet… in there centre a single mic stand with an acoustic and electric violin.
Kennedy was standing at the back of the stage holding a mug of tea and chatting easily with a group of people… the electric band took the stage.., the classical octet took the stage… then the legend was introduced… he walked forward and shook hands with every musician before walking the the front and delivering the most varied and exceptional show you can imagine…
He started with the |”Four Season” playing a movement exquisitely with the acoustic violin and the classical octet, purely baroque technique and embellishments…. Beautiful….
He then played a second movement… this time on electric violin with the rock band… again… the playing and embellishments were purely in the same baroque style but with some electronic effects and the rock band in full spate…
The third movement was again acoustic with the classical octet and the rock band in low key accompaniment.
Kennedy then introduced a young Palestinian violinist he’d recently got to know and work with… and they duetted on what started as a folk tune and e3volved into a mesmerising acoustic improvisation of stunning technical quality and beauty… after this ended the violinist left the stage and Kennedy introduced the Jimi Hendrix medley… he played electric… the octet played their chamber parts like fury and the band roared away… absolutely brilliant and mind-glowingly powerful through ’Purple Haze” and “Little Wing” by which time I was high as a kite on the music… and I wasn’t alone in that, and thinking “How the hell do you follow this”… and the answer was with “Crosstown Traffic”… if you thought bands like the Stones, Quo and their ilk rocked… this performance would make you think again… the final piece of the performance just blew everything you’d heard before, or since, away.., they octet was playing up a storm… the rock band were simply mind boggling powerful and exciting and over everything, Kennedy’’s violin screaming and howling the tune in a display of techniques and mastery unrivalled… not only that but unbelievably exciting… a quick look around the audience showed people looking transfixed with jaws open and eyes staring or beating their heads on the grass in disbelief…
As the3 music ended the fireworks from over the stage started… the legend and his band had gone and we were left thinking “What the hell have we just witnessed”… simple really… the greatest most varied set of magnificent music you can dream of hearing… truly stunning
The legend that is Nigel Kennedy came… saw conquered and proved his reputation was so richly deserved
MARIANNE FAITHFUL
This gig was actually rather later than my first period go gig-going… but a couple of years before the second period… in fact 29th November 2014. I have had a crush on Marianne since I first saw her on TV in 1964!! So I am maybe a tad biased…
However… I saw the news of the gig quite by chance, I had no intention of going to a gig anywhere, let alone the Royal Festival Hall in London but I ordered a ticket on a whim…which I then treasured!
On the appointed day a drove down to Stanmore on the tip of the Northern line and caught a tube into central London… where, because of the rain I spent a very happy afternoon in the National Gallery… mainly in the Constable/Turner/Van Gogh areas, and the National Portrait Gallery. At tea time I ventured out to a cool but dry evening and had a meander around Soho and China Town. A Chinese meal seemed very on the cards but couldn’t decide between the various restaurants, until I got to a market square and found a small self serve “all you can eat” take-away so invested in a foil container and proceeded to fill it with a glorious range of dishes, went outside and sat on a market stall, along with some 2 dozen others… and thoroughly enjoyed what was a lovely meal… so… feeling full… and excited by the forthcoming concert… I wended my way down to the Festival Hall and walked up to the appropriate landing and put my feet up for a while… some 20 minutes before showtime I took my seat in the auditorium to soak up the atmosphere…
At the appointed hour Marianne’s band came on stage and played a short but high quality jazzy set… towards the end the attention strayed from the band because we saw Marianne… wearing a black suit and white blouse leaning on a stick in the wings… there was a ripple and a sigh from the audience who saw her, which was joined by everyone else… the band finished their set, which was excellent… and then on came Marianne to a cascade of cheers and applause… she leaned on her stick and explained that she would stand for some songs and sit in the huge throne on the stage for the others… she was actually convalescing from major surgery to broken hips and femur and literally couldn’t stand for a whole set.
She kicked off, appropriately with “Give my Love to London” from the latest album and it was clear that despite the injuries she was in superb voice… broken and smoke stained but strong and wonderful… and the band absolutely superb… The set carried on with all Mariannes’ greatest material as well as a swathe of songs from the new album.
The atmosphere was electric… so much love flowing from the audience to Marianne and clearly so much coming back… towards the end Marianne delivered a hugely moving. “As Tears Go By” and the audience sang along softly and respectfully with the “La La La” sections… you could see the emotions filling the air…feel it like a physical thing… and see Marianne was feeling it too…
At the end Marianne and the band stood together in a line with their arms around each other as the audience rose as one and cheered her to the echo… I had tears in my eyes by now… and watching the stage so had Marianne… London had welcomed her home and taken her fully into the collective hearts… and Marianne appeared overwhelmed….
Eventually with a further bow or two and a last wave Marianne was gone…and we had memories of superlative emotional concert delivered by a superb band and one of the greatest performers we’ve seen…
The tube ride back to Stanmore and drive home seemed to be over in a trice… and the memories locked in and treasured
PINK FLOYD
Back in 1971 I was excited to get tickets to see the Floyd in the Crustal Palace Bowl… one of my first major outdoor events… so on the day hitch-hiked down to London, got so far but had to get a bust for the last leg… arriving at the bowl it was already filling up… the crowd sitting relaxed on the grass already getting stuck into some food and beer and a hint of weed hanging in the air
The event was mainly played out if fine weather and Quiver opened proceedings with a fine set… musically excellent band led byTim Renwick on guitar but weak in the vocals, but the were good and well received…
Next up were American supergroup Mountain, led by Leslie West and Felix Pappalardi along with Corky Laing and Steve Knight… the band proved as heavy and powerful as their reputation suggested and they were terrific.
After Mountain, one of the best live bands around at that time, the Faces, played their joyous good time rock’n’roll which simply added to the upbeat party feel of the event…
However… the clouds had been building gradually during the latter part of the day, though the temperature was still pretty warm.. when an English summer day did what it so often does… and as the Floyd took the stage the clouds burst in a monumental deluge of rain with some fairly vivid lightning and loud booms of thunder thrown in… The band said we’ll just play through it…
So, my first time seeing Floyd live was standing through a thunderstorm, being soaked to the skin and cold… but somehow it didnt spoil things… The band featured “Return of the Son of Nothing” (which later evolved to become “Echoes”) as well as some tried and tested pieces such as “Atom Heart Mother”, “”Careful with that Axe Eugene”, “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” “Saucerful of Secrets\”, “Astronomy Domine” among others… this was the Floyd simply delivering their music…spacey, innovative, flowing and so exhilarating… before the “Show” started to dominate the music…
As the band played through the downpour much of the audience was in a state of altered minds… through whatever stimulants they chose… but everyone (high or not) was enthralled by the captivating music coming from the stage… it was difficult to actually see the band through the teeming rain and not especially good lighting… but the music was excellent.
Not long into the set many of the audience had given up any notion of staying dry-ish and jumped into the lake below the stage…which became crowded!! Towards the end of the show things were clearly happening in. The pond, but I couldn’t see what… looked interesting though… and only learned later what was happening.
The band had acquired “Octopus”… an inflatable beast with 25 meter long tentacles which was due to rise mysteriously from the lake and wave the giant tentacles around… unfortunately the number of people in the lake damaged the beast which remained limp and uprisen, but also several portions were broken . The bands crew vainly struggled to inflate the beast but it seems set off sulphur flares in the process which had the effect of killing most of the fish in the lake… which the band subsequently had to pay to restock…
I was totally oblivious to the shenanigans in the lake… I couldn’t see what was going on from my vantage point standing about 2/3 of the way up the bowl because of the rain… those details I learned later… but wow the music was heady stuff and a wonderful day… mind you, it was damn wet and cold hitching home!!!
LED ZEPPELIN
In the late ’60’s/early 70’s the band deemed to be the greatest rock’n’roll band ever rose out of the ashes of the Yardbirds/New Yardbirds and took the rock world by storm… I missed the chance to see them at Leicester University before their reputation reached its peak so when Led Zeppelin announced gigs at Earls Court I couldn’t resist going, so duly bought a ticket.
On the day we travelled down to London by train and made our way to Earls Court, on arrival it was the usual scene… hordes of denim clad long haired youth, ticket touts and knock off merchandise… inside a similar group of fans along with the legitimate merch, posters album covers and the normal paraphernalia of a rock gig.. including of course a bar.
Once in our seats in the auditorium we settled back to enjoy what we anticipated to be one of the great rock gigs The stage was virtually bare with all of the sound system suspended on gantries way above the bands heads… it did look mighty impressive…
The band hit the stage to a roar and started like an express train … rocking up a storm…. However 15 minutes later the novelty was wearing off… and in another 5 minutes the interminable noise was becoming irritating and unpleasant… and so it remained for the rest of the show… plodding monotonous rock music with interminable self indulgent solos from each of the band… for me grandiose pretentious rock music with more arrogance than consequence despite the undoubted ability of each member of the band… this was just overblown and boring… not one to relish or ever care to repeat
Not all major gigs in major venues are worth hearing… this was fairly turgid fare sadly.
Mind you, I love most of Robert Plant’s post Zep work
JOAN BAEZ
Joan had been a legend and hero to me since I first heard her around 1963… so when UK shows were announced in the week leading up to Christmas 1979 at the Hammersmith Odeon, we had to get tickets… in those days you simply sent a cheque to the venue asking for tickets and with luck a week or so later they plopped through your letter box… so I was delighted to open the post and find tickets for the gig… I had no idea where ink the Hall we were the tickets didn't really have a clue, but no worries, we were going to see Joannie at Hammersmith, I think December 19th 1979
Excitement was growing through the day, in fact it had been growing for many days… and it was in a dreamlike state we got on the train and the underground to Hammersmith…
We filed into the theatre with the crowds, and looked around the forecourt at the merch and promotional material then went into the hall to seek our seats… the steward asked if we knew where the seats were, which we didn’t, so he led us along the aisle from the back going forwards… he kept going… and took us to the front row… then pointed out the seats dead centre… the single microphone stand directly in front of us and only a few feet away…we were stunned… so lucky!!
Behind the microphone stand the curtains were closed few feet further back… anticipation and excitement was high and the wait for the start seemed for ever… it wasn’t!! As the house lights dimmed, the curtains parted to show several rows of fans on seats at the back… then the spotlight came on and Joan Baez walked on… smiled, smiled down at those close and greeted the audience.
I was in ecstasy!!… Joan with the shorter hair these days was looking simply beautiful… and that voice!!.. .stunning. She kicked off with a frivolous nerve settler… I think the doo-wop song “Earth Angel” then into the main set… a wonderful mix of traditional ballads, original songs… including the iconic “Diamonds and Rust” and some well chosen covers… in fact basically what you would expect I think…
She closed the first half with “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”… not only acapella but also without a microphone… and that voice just filled the room…
She reappeared for the second half dressed as Bob Dylan, with a big hat and carrying a jumbo Gibson guitar… and did a very convincing impression of the man on the first song… from there on in it was the mixture as before… with maybe a few more Dylan songs thrown in… but the whole performance was everything you would hope for.. magnificent voice, simply beautiful… fabulous repertoire and a hugely warm performance… love and charisma glowing from the stage…
At the end, she left the stage to an ovation.. rightly.. and before she came back for an encore Jane asked if I thought she would do “We Shall Overcome”… I thought maybe not… I can’’t recall how the encores started but she ended by discarding the microphone again and segueing an Capella “Silent Night” and “We Shall Overcome”… the audience remained on its feet and held hands as we all sang along with her… to say this was hugely beautiful and moving was an understatement.. it was heavenly… ok, yes, she got the verses and some lines of “Silent Night” muddled, but it didn’t matter… this was a hugely moving climax to a silly beautiful evening in the company of a legend.. a truly great artist
LEONARD COHEN
BI dont recall when this gig took place, but I think inn the early 80’s, excitement and anticipation were again high as we were heading to the Hammersmith Odeon to see the man I had seen a couple of times before playing solo, and who remains I think the artist I admire and love most… and a regular “go to” artist for me… this time the wonderful Leonard Cohen was playing with The Army, a predominantly middle eastern band on the back of “Death of a Ladies’ Man”
The show was scheduled to start earlier than normal, so it was a bit of a breathless rush getting from home by train and underground to the venue… as we arrived the doors should have been open but they weren’t… the crowds outside were milling around, breathless anticipation and frustration mingling together until the theatre staff announced a delay… much of the bands kit was set up, but the band and the rest of the equipment had only just arrived so they needed to finish setting up and sound check before we could go in… it seems that the band were coming back from a European tour and the customs drug squad disapproved on some of the bands hand luggage…
When we found ourselves inside and were shown to our seats around the second row and just to the left of the star…
The audience was in and in their seats pretty quickly once3 the doors opened and with a minimum delay Leonard took the stage… he was wearing a black suit and white shirt and looked ill and stressed… we thought this will be a short set!!… Wrong!!
Leonard kicked off the show with a spellbinding “Bird on a Wire” then ran through a raft of wonderful familiar songs.. towards the end of the first half he spoke passionately of Janis Joplin before performing “Chelsea Hotel” and even more passionately trashing Phil Spector because he hated what Spector had done on “Death of a Ladies Man”
The second set was the same recipe.. familiar songs including an impassioned “Please Dont Pass My By” and “Diamonds in the Mine” which I felt included a couple of extra improvised verses… at one point they played an upbeat number which actually had the audience up dancing… and eventually it was over… around 11.30 some 3-1/2 hours after he started Leonard was gone… the ecstatic audience were screaming for more… and we got more… if I remember correctly 7 encores and still no-one wanted it to end.. so going on quarter past midnight Leonard came back… apologised that the band had no more material they could play, so he said he would simply start the set again from the beginning and repeated “Bird on a Wire”… I dont know how much more there was, but after that we had to leave to get the train home…
This was a concert you cannot forget.. Leonard songs have love, tenderness, sex, pain…. Really every emotion and he had the audience in the palm of his hands from the beginning… the man has more charisma than any person should have… an amazing warmth and dignity in performance and delivered an absolutely flawless show… hugely moving… hugely uplifting…
LYNYRD SKYNYRD
A band getting their second bit in this series… this time the gig a Knebworth… A gig I had been looking forward to, and it was also the last day of our honeymoon period… and it was a kinda mixed show, headlined by the Stones with the first appearance of Ronnie Wood…. However through the day it was mixed fare, Don Harrison Band opened with an ok opening set followed by a great set by Hot Tuna before an at best mediocre performance by Todd Tundgren… so far it had been lowish key, but then… then… Lynyrd Skynyrd were introduced… on they came looking full of purpose.
The band were always outstanding but this day they were exceptional.. they seemed to look at each other then exploded into their high powered southern rock…drums and bass throbbing and driving… strident keyboards and the three guitars screaming… along with Ronnie prowling and singing…
The set featured the classics opening with a furious paced “Working for MCA”… by half way through the set during “Whiskey Rock-a-Roller it is a wonder the grass wasn’t scorching… you only had to look at the band.. the body language… in the audience we knew they were playing the set of their lives… and I think they knew it too… and it continued… a few more classics and on to a bluesy rocking “T for Texas” before the barnstorming finale… starting with “Sweet Home Alabama” during which the intensity and rocking seemed to hit a glorious peak… but we all knew what was to follow… song wise at least…
It was well publicised that the various bands contracts forbade then from using the Giant tongue leading into the audience from the stage… that was Rolling Stones exclusive territory… so after “Sweet Home Alabama”, the usual introduction of “We’re gonna play this as best we can for Duane”…and into “Freebird”… and this was the ultimate version… always a powerhouse, and as Ronnie sang the lyric he motioned the guitarists and bass player to follow him down the tongue into the audience where the boogied, rocked and set the air afire… eventually it ended.. the audience was blown away by what I am sure was the greatest performance of their lives… and watching the video of the event many years later you couldn’t think otherwise… and the band felt it as well… absolutely amazing set… who would want to follow that… certainly not 10CC or the Stones… which is why there was such an almighty gap after Skynyrd… they had blown everything else away…
In the event, after an interminable delay 10CC came on and played well enough, and after another huge delay the Stones came on and played a set featuring the “Black and Blue” album and “greatest hits”… they played well enough, but after Skynyrd they felt limp and unexciting…
A massive triumph for Lynyrd Skynyrd
ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
So, Friday lunch the bunch of us are meeting up for lunch and a trip, via the off-licence, to the railway station heading to Stevenage to go to the Bucolic Frolic at Knebworth House… the first such event there so no-one knows what to expect.
Like any major event with multiple artists you aren’t going to enjoy everything, there will be highlights and bands when the time is right to wander off for a burger and/or another beer… such was the case at this event.. and for me the highlights came right at the beginning with a mercurial magical set by Tim Buckley and ended with a southern rock barnstormer from the Allman Brothers Band… in between was the filler. The filler comprised the Sensational Alex Harvey Band who I haver never liked… e3arly afternoon a good time to go get a burger… Following was John McLaughlin Mahucishnu Orchestra.. musically I think brilliant, but how many notes can you play in a second.. not really my cup of tea. Van Morrison up next, what seemed a far more relaxed sort of set, and one of the best sets I heard by Van the Man… thoroughly enjoyed it. The we had the Doobie Brothers.. they were fine, a bit plodding maybe quite enjoyed their set but for me it was nothing special.
Then headlining, the Allman Brothers Band… I believe their first show in Britain, and they brought a mighty reputation from legendary shows across the USA, particularly the Fillmores, as exemplified by the magnificent “Live at Fillmore East” double album. Famed for their jamming, soloing, epic extended Sts and the brilliance of their playing… sadly Duane had died some years earlier so the guitar work was all in the hands of the brilliant Dickie BettsThe set composed a batch of blues covers and some of their own originals, which all blended together perfectly. Not a band big on showbiz and pazzazz… and not overly communicative between songs.. they just rely on quality material played with feeling, fire and brilliance…
The first set was great, ending with a terrific version of one of their instruments classics, “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, after which they took a break… it wasn’t clear it was a break, many thought that was it, all over.. but someone one stage confirmed it was just a break..I don’t know what inspiration they found in that break (I could have a guess, probably not Sir Alex Ferguson throwing teacups… !) But when the came out for the longer second set it was like they were breathing fire.. they had gone up a couple of gears and exceeded all exception in a simply tremendous performance… starting with ”Stateboro Blues’ and running seamlessly through a set of blues covers and classics ending with “Ramblin’ Man” before coming back for a“Jessica” and a few other piecesDickie Betts playing exceptional guitar and Gregg Allman, Lamar Williams, Chuck Leavell, Butch Trucks and Jamie matching him every step of the way… and after the encores… a further encore of “Whipping Post”
What had started out as very good performance lifted off after the break into something very special…
I had to research who the musicians in the band were, different sites gave different personnel, including two sites who credited Duane Allman as playing though he had died 3 years earlier… but I think the consensus of opinion names the band as I have now listed them… on a personal level, I knew Dickie and Gregg were there but couldn’t have named the others!!
Incidentally, the crowd was estimated as around 60,000 , pretty good I think for a first event and not really any household names, chart toppers, but a modest turnout compared to later events.
MELANIE
Excitement was peaking as I caught the train to London for this gig… this was to be my first time in the Royal Albert Hall and to see my darling Melanie… couldn’t be better!… I was early and wandered around the hall taking it in before going inside… we’ve all seen the hall on TV but until you go inside for real you don't realise just how huge the auditorium is… or how elegant…
After looking around the general areas I go look for my seat in the auditorium and settle back in the seat, just looking at the stage… then suddenly find myself in conversation with a couple of folk nearby… comparing the “validity” of our kind of music as opposed to the nonsense of the Top 10 music… the time flies but my concentration is more on the stage, more so as it gets close to showtime,,,
As the houselights dim the hubbub of chatter dies down to a hush which is broken with a cheer as Melanie appears on stage… she is looking relaxed and smiling… there are flowers and by the time she has greeted the audience there are a group of people sitting cross legged at her feet around her stool as she kicks into “Tuning My Guitar”… she hits all the big notes strong and true and continues with the set… some chat and some tales but it is all about the songs… the music… and she delivers the whole range… sure Melanie can be twee and childish, which is part of her charm, but she can also be sharp, political, philosophical and funny… and whatever type of song it gets the pure Melanie treatment… she can be soft and soothing, vibrant and powerful and hugely emotional. Many of the songs are quite personal ("Close to it all”) and all top class…
Mainly, of course, Melanie originals, but a few covers, including a couple of Rolling Stones songs… her outstanding version of “Roo-bay Toos-Day” and tonight a cover of “Wild Horses”. Not long into the latter a figure appeared on foot moving towards the stage and hurled a bottle at Melanie screaming abuse… I guess he didnt like someone covering the Stones song…
Melanie stopped… looked shocked and distressed.. and in an unrecognisable shaker voice said that every time she plays London there guy does that when she does that song…
The fellow was dragged away unceremoniously by the officials and the audience didnt seem to know how ro react after the initial gasp… but Melanie composed herself and carried on with the show, albeit not with “Wild Horses”
The rest of the evening went on without further disturbance and Melanie delivered a marathon magnificent set including just about everything you would want to hear… at the end, an ovation.. the inevitable encores and she was gone… leaving the audience to sigh and agree all round she had been sensational…
So, back tot the tube then train home, basking in the warmth of a beautiful monday evening and looking forward to seeing her back in Leicester on the Friday…
However much you like the records, until you have seen Melanie at full cry on stage you haven’t heard anything… she is a force of nature… a magnificent, captivating, charismatic artist and if you dot fall in love with her you are made of stone!!
DON MCLEAN
Cambridge Folk Festival… Saturday night… it has been a long hot day with many a highlight and maybe a couple of lesser lights over the two main stages… but as night is growing darker all eyes are on the main stage for the headline act… in many ways a surprise choice… because Don McLean is more steeped in rock’n’roll than folk… but he plays solo with an acoustic guitar so with Cambridge’s very cosmopolitan booking policy he has a huge crowd crammed into he main arena anxious to see him… I’d seen him a number of times before,, and knew that he is a high class singer/songwriter, but acoustic guitar and voice doesn’t automatically make a folk singer… and Don isn’t
However… when he was announced and came on there was a wealth of warmth and good feeling in the audience and he was warmly welcomed… and quickly kicked into he usual starter, “Dreidel”… as the set developed it became more and more clear that Don was revelling in the occasion and reception and playing and singing as though his life depended on it… he was outstanding… I hadn’t seen him this good… his warmth… charisma… and sheer quality of performance had everyone on a high…
Somewhere mid-set he announced “Babylon”… where as always he divides the audience into 3 and plays the song as a round… as he had drawn out the 3 areas of the audience, totally out of character someone started heckling and yelling… Don corrected his original audience split… said “Tonight we’ll split into 4 groups… the first three go… then you go… out… away form here”… if there were any doubters left in the audience this won them over and as he continued the audience sang “Babylon” with him… quiet and respectful in three part round.., they also sand respectfully along with “Vincent” and roared along with “American Pie”…
When he finished the set, playing more than twice as long as he was booked… the audience rose and cheered him demanding encores… He came back looking shocked and emotional… and said “I’m not a folk singer but would you mind if I sang a couple of traditional English ballads”… the audience were all for it… and as everyone remained on their feet Don kicked into (if memory serves me correctly) “Barbary Allen”… as he sandg the first line everyone sang along with him… and he stepped back from the mic… wiped his eyes… then continued performing both songs beautifully with the mass choir of Main Stage 1 accompanying him… he was at times clearly wiping tears away as the audience had taken him fully into their collective heart… a hugely emotional end, for artist and audience alike, to a superb set by a highly accomplished performer…
BEACH BOYS
June 1975… A Wembley Stadium event… and a tad patchy it was… we’d travelled down the night before to be sure to be on time… and were looking forward to a great day in the sun with lots of great music… however… first up were Stackridge who delivered a warm entertaining set to get things going. Next was Chaka Khan with Rufus not someone I knew, and to be honest though they seemed to play well, not really my taste at all
First real highlight was Joe Walsh who demonstrated clearly why he was so highly rated a a guitar player… he was a real treat to see and hear.. Joe was followed by a real disappointment… the ersatz cowboys the Eagles who played their soporific soft rock with a hint of country and just bored me
The band I want to talk about though, the Beach Boys, were up next.. a sunny summer afternoon and the Beach Boys came on and were outstanding.. perfect conditions for the band to excel, and excel they did… no messing about, no special effects, just a Beach Boys greatest hits show starting with the older surf material and building into the high tech master works of the late sixties.
The band are simply outstanding live, especially in the sun outdoors, and this afternoon they hit a peak from the off and simply dazzled and thrilled from the start… as always, a real tonic and a real feelgood gig.. even though the theramin was wavering around out of tune for much of the time… whether playing the early classics like “Help Me Rhonda” “Surfing USA “ etc which all rocked along like crazy… or the more sophisticated musical works of art like “Good Vibrations” and “God Only Knows” the band kept up the intensirty, power and brilliance through the exhilarating set…
The band are always geared up to deliver a great show they take the music seriously but they play everything with energy and great love and joy as well as huge musical ability. You simply cant fail to be thrilled by a Beach Boys gig, especially like this one, out doors in the sun…
Absolutely exhilarating uplifting superb show.
Headling the day was Elton John with his band and despite rumours of spectacular entrances and effects we thought he just cant follow the Beach Boys after that set… and how right we were… Elton flopped totally… generating little interest and being nothing but boring… I viewed the day as a Beach Boys gig.. and in that context is was great…
THE BAND
Wembley… September 14th 1974… and a trip to Wembley Stadium for one of the best bills I can ever imagine… mind you… I got in trouble at home over it… I was meant to go to my mums friends sons’ wedding on the day… but I said at the time, and still holds true… I’d miss my wedding for a days featuring Jesse Colin Young, The Band, Joni Mitchell with the Tom Scott LA Express and Crosby Stills Nash and Young… the only worry… would it live up to expectations… plot spoiler… yes, and so much more!!
It was hearing the Band play a couple of songs on the Isle of Wight that night in 1969 when I didn’t hear Dylan that set Mme off on the quest to see as many bands as I could… and I was longing to see the Band
When we took our seats, Jesse Colin had just started what proved to a very enjoyable ad accomplished opening set… after he finished, to a fine reception, the stage was made ready… the crowd was buzzing with anticipation for the Band. As the minutes ticked by to the start the audience on the arena were streaming forward… confederate flags everywhere… to greet them…
A huge cheer as they were introduced and hit the stage… a set of classic Band pieces including the biggest ones… “The Weight” “The Night they Drove old Dixie Down” “The Shape I’m In” as well as a couple of covers, including an inevitable Dylan song (“I Shall be Released”… each piece cheered eagerly and sounding fresh and vital… the Band have the ability to merge southern sensibilities, fine melodies and rock’n’roll into a glorious new fusion of laid back americana… they rocked in such a relaxed way!!…
They have four very different vocalists for different styles… while Garth concentrates soles on organ and saxophone the other four Jamie, Levon, Rick and Richard all take lead vocals… all strong and clear… and very different… yet it always looks somehow wrong to have Levon delivering his wonderful vocals from behind the drums!!
The sun shone… the Band excelled with a simply wonderful performance that had everyone engrossed from start to finish… and had the day ended there it would haver been a day so well spent… but there was more to come!!
JONI MITCHELL
And how to follow the Band on that sunny September afternoon in 1974… a short set by the Tom Scott LA Express before some magic with Joni Mitchell backed by the LA Express.
Joni was another artist I had loved from the off, blessed with a wonderful voice and armed with a raft of her own deeply personal wonderful songs, her music had evolved from the early folky to a more jazz influenced style and here she was backed by the Tom Scott LA Express, who had played a short but great set of their own but when Joni appeared the sun seemed to shine brighter and the atmosphere in the arena was one of love and joy
I dont recall much of her set list, but seem to recall she kicked off with ”Free Man in Paris” and delivered a set of Joni classics from across her career. She has a reputation of being very introverted as a song writer but here she delivered the more upbeat jazzy pieces with same mercurial ease and assurance as the more inward looking songs, indeed in “Big Yellow Taxi” her whoops at the end were full of life and came with a huge smile…
There were occasional technical issues during the set which didn’t seem to phase her as she breezed through her set with warmth and great style… as she finished you were left in awe of her voice and performance…
Strangely, from memory I dont recall her singing “Both Sides Now” which was maybe her best known song… could be wrong there though!
Having been blown away by both the Band and Joni, it was going to be a challenge to top what had gone before… but next up, and headlining, were CSN&Y!!
CROSBY STILLS NASH & YOUNG
So to end a glorious day… the headliners were Crosby Stills Nash & Young… so what of them…
A rare UK performance by the band… and long anticipated and looked forward to… the band were backed by long time side-kicks Tim Drummond, Russ Kunkel and Joe Lala, all legendary session players in their own right.
Anticipation was high as the evening was drawing in and CSN&Y took the stage to a great reception… I was hopeful that they would deliver… a tough challenge after the previous acts… so anticipation was edged with a slight trepidation… I needn’t have worried!!
CSNY were in blistering form… just like the well loved “Four Way Street” live album, they started playing acoustic as a band… a session that included each of the four doing a batch of their own solo material with the others backing… before going back to the full band playing acoustic… every song in the set familiar from the band or solo recordings, and every one a real gem…eventually the band put down their instruments, we may have thought it was all over, but they said they’d be back shortly to play some electric… we should have known!!…
When they came back, full electric rock band it was exhilarating… more familiar material played with fire and superb musicianship… whether the jams were rehearsed or improvised is hard to tell… I felt they were for a large part improvised and they rocked like fury… the crowd had been thrilled by the acoustic session, but the electric music was absolutely scintillating… at the end encores were of course essential…
Although I couldn’t quote the set list, every song was well known and loved and greeted as an old friend… I am pretty sure the encores were “Carry On” and “Ohio” for which they were joined on stage by Annie Ross and Joni Mitchell.
I have researched the set list… and find they played 32 songs in a marathon set lasting over 4 hours… an incomparable set closing a memorable and glorious day… yep, I’d have missed my wedding for this one!!
ROLLING STONES
It was a dilemna whether to go to this gig at Wembley Arena… had tickets for this and also Chuck Berry at the Rainbow… the Stones won out!! I had loved them with Brian in the band… but fine player as Mick Taylor is they had lost more than just Brian.
However… we chose the Stones gig… it was 1973 promoting “Goats Head Soup” with Mick Taylor playing lead… the show was opened by a band I don’t remember at all, which suggests they didnt make a huge impression, followed by a set by Billy Preston who was pretty good and wowed the audience with his “Thats the Way God Planned it”
Then the break, and I must admit a mixture of excitement to see the band for the first time since losing Brian, other than a tv recording of the awful performance at Hyde Park, and trepidation as I didn’t really know how they would be… needn’t have worried… the band were on fire. They played with fire and passion and musically superb.. .Mick Taylor playing some superb guitar breaks and Billy Preston augmenting the sound with his keyboards.
The set was based around the “Goats Head Soup” album along with a mixture of classics and sure fire winners and flowed beautifully from start to finish… as ever, Keith was at his most elegantly wasted best contracting with Mick Taylors style…
The audience was with the band form the first chord and it was party time through the set with paper airplanes and frisbees and huge cheers throughout…
The band ended with “Star Fucker” (it’s called “Star Star” one the album) and as the audience, on a high, left the theatre the sound of crowds still singing it filled the air… this had been an absolutely fabulous performance… so glad we chose the Stones that night!!…
The down side to the evening was crossing the road to the tube we found the station closed and hordes milling around either still singing “Star Fucker” or complaining about the closure… Eventually the authorities took charge… the station opened and a tube arrived… once on board it proved the most packed transport I have ever been on.. absolutely impossible to move… then.. a guy sneezed, rummaged in his pocket for his handkerchief and as he extracted it the sound of loose change hitting the floor and peoples feet echoed around… poor lad had to stay on til the train started to emptied a bit to start retrieving his money!!!
ELTON JOHN
So, we come to Mr Elton John… this gig in the lovely Crystal Palace Bowl… where the crowd enjoyed a wonderful day with some great music, starting with sets by Hookfoot and Tie Na Nog, followed by a great set by Yes, then promoting the Yes album and before they became hideously pompous and overblown and superb sets by Fairport Convention and Rory Gallagher…
Eventually as evening came in, it was time for Elton… he was a fairly new name to most. He’d had an illustrious career in various blues bands and as a session musician, he’d released 4 singles before “Your Song” became his first international hit, so there was a fair bit of interest around him because of that and the hype…
When he appeared we weren’t too sure what to expect… I didn’t expect what we got.. .boy, could Elton thrill and engage an audience!!… to be honest, on this show, emphatically no.. .I cant say he lost the audience, he never really had them as he proceeded to whine out dirge ofter dirge which after not too many numbers saw the first people packing up and heading to the exits… this grew to streams of people leaving not long into his set… I dont know how long he played.. .but after such a great day 30 minutes of this doleful fair was more than enough for me as I joined the straps leaving… well up there with the most terminally boring gigs I’ve ever seen and one of the few times I have given up on a headliner early in their show…
To put it into perspective, I saw him several times after this… a couple of fine gigs and a couple of stinkers!!
STONE THE CROWS
Stone the Crows were a superb rock band, who for some reason never quite achieved the status they merited… they were hard working and building a reputation when disaster struck on May 3rd 1972 when brilliant guitarist Les Harvey reached for his vocal mic to sing and caught it with his mouth… however much care the band took with their equipment this mic was unearthed and electrocuted him, he was pronounced dead with seconds of paramedics reaching him…
We were due to see the band at a prestigious gig at the Great Western Festival on the 27th May… we assumed that they would need to cancel, apart from the band’s guitar player, Les was engaged to singer Maggie Bell.
On the night, the Crows played.. .there was speculation about who would play guitar, it turned out to be Steve Howe… The Crows gigs were alway packed with power and energy and musically superb, but this night Maggie was like a thing posted moving and singing her heart out.. delivering an incredible vocal performance while the band played what must have been the greatest set of their lives… they were absolutely sensational.. had there been a roof on the arena it would have been blown away… a truly outstanding performance… no way to follow it! The doubtful pleasure of being on next went to the Faces, though I’m sure they played well very few had an appetite to hear them after Stone the Crows incredible set
DOC WATSON
Cambridge Folk Festival has always been a really adventurous event, featuring traditional British musicians and international stars… and sometimes they feature bona fide legends of the music.. 1979 was such a year when Arthel Lane Watson was on the bill… Arthel Lane Watson is better known as Doc Watson.
Doc had been blind from the age of 2, and was in his mid-fifties when he played the festival. Sometimes the presence of such a legend can make expectations rise beyond the reasonable… he appeared on a bill that featured among others Maddy Prior and Ry Cooder and shone… he delivered everything you would hope for in a tremendous set which featured among other features his trademark flat picking traditional fiddle tunes as well as his immaculate finger picking of traditional songs and ballads.
The quality of his playing and warmth of his singing, his voice was as good as ever, delighted the audience and nobody wanted him to finish… so, this day in 1979 a true legend of country music appeared, bringing with him huge expectations and he simply played a superb show, his presence warm and relaxed and proved beyond doubt that his reputation was justified, this legend lived up to everything and enhanced his reputation
SONNY TERRY & BROWNIE McGHEE
So, onto Cambridge Folk Festival in 1980… and of course more legendary artists were booked… also on the bill were Rambling Jack Eliot and a return of Ry Cooder, … but the real legends were the old time blues masters, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee…
They were scheduled on the second stage on the sunday afternoon, with a slightly unenviable job of following Richard Digance, who had become a firm favourite and legend at the Festival… as he finished his set and left the stage the crowd continued to roar for more… the call wasn’t easing off when quietly unassumingly Sonny & Brownie we’re on stage and the roar changed to a roar for them…
Of course they had a wealth of experience behind them and knew their job well… both men were around their 80’s but that didn’t quell the spirit or energy of their performance… they were relaxed and playing superbly… nothing you wouldn’t expect… just quality guitar work and relaxed fine singing from Brownine and Sonny blowing his harp for all he was worth and whooping along… a lot of familiar blues songs and instrumentals including a Sonny Terry tour-de-force harp piece… they had the audience with them from the moment they walked on stage until the next act, I have no idea who it was… had the daunting task of following them… they ended , of course, to huge applause with their key song… “Walk On”
Another appearance by a legendary act… and they showed their reputation was no hype… It was a privilege to be there to see and hear them.
CLEO LAINE
A visit to the legendary London Palladium for a different kind of gig… this was to see Cleo Laine and the Johnny Dankworth. The concert was either an anniversary or special event for the artists, but I dont recall what the anniversary was…
The first half of the show was an instrumental set of jazz by the John Dankworth Band… the band were absolutely top of the tree musicians so we expected something special from them… and we got just that… superb musicianship, and a hugely enjoyable performance.
After a break Johnny and his band reappeared, followed, by huge cheers, by the unique Cleo Laine. I had seen Cleo before, at De Montfort Hall, so knew what to expect… a mixed bag of jazz standards and some contemporary pieces and of course she delivered a superb varied programme including a fair bit of the scat singing she is known for…
The difference with this show was that, as a celebration, there were celebrity guests and friends coming on and off to go through their paces with the band… most memorably was when Cleo introduced legendary impressario Mr Jack Parnell to take the drum seat for a number… Jane turned to me and said “I thought he was a wrestler!”… (no love, Parnell, not Pallo!)
The evening was a triumph and a joy… Cleo was as ever in great voice, her voice ranging through the octaves from deep and sultry to top ‘C’ with apparent ease and grace and ranging from soft crooning to belting out jazz/blues numbers with enormous power and being able to switch mid line without ever sounding strained or pressured.
Simply a master class of vocal skills, a performance of rare brilliance and passion which quite rightly earned a standing ovation… this was something special
PINK FLOYD
A second gig in this section by the Floyd… some nine years after the previous one, and the band had changed enormously in that time, moving on from the more spacey psychedelicy material to full shows and themed albums…
We knew the album of “The Wall” and loved it… and had heard interesting stories about the forthcoming concerts playing it… so we got tickets for Earls Court for the second night of the run…
So, looking forward immensely to seeing what was going to be happening in the show we took a train to London and tube to Earls Court… the actual concert area was closed until, I think, 30 minutes before show time so it was a good chance to look around the concourse and the pictures and memorabilia on display… As the doors were opened, we walked in and to our surprise found ourselves only a few rows behind the press/vip area… and on the stage the bands equipment was set up with a second band set-up behind…
On the sides of the stage large white bricks were in place and workers in white overalls were building the huge wall block by block…
The band hit the stage and the shadow band took their places behind… the quiet opening them started and slowly built from the almost inaudible… tenth show really started… the opening chords of “In the Flesh“ rang out while simultaneously fair size aircraft (albeit on a wire) hurtled overhead and smashed into the bottom corner of the wall… (assuming you know the story you will know the significance of this…) while the band soared through the track and the gnomes continued to build the wall…
Gradually we lost sight of the band behind the wall, as the gnomes continued building, but the songs were illustrated with Gerald Scarfe’s cartoons, in huge size and/or gaps appearing in the wall and one or more members of the band being seen in the spaces… as the half continued everyone was awestruck by the amount of things going on on stage and on the wall as well as the glorious music of the project… standing out of course were the track that had been a hit single, “Another brick in the Wall” and “Mother” and as the show continued we got to the delicate tragic “Goodbye Cruel World” with just Rogers face showing through the last gap in the wall delivering the plaintive and touching lyrics with an air of resigned despair… as the last soft “Goodbye” was heard the last brick went into place to complete the wall and the house lights came up for the interval… a breath taking show…
The second half of course continued to follow the album… enhanced with an appearance of the giant Pig from the “Animals”tour a few years earlier… Throughout the second half the musicians were predominantly out of site behind the wall with Scarfe cartoons and film showing as well as cut-outs from the wall where one or more meters of the band were seen…
As we moved towards the finale the intensity was growing until the conclusion where the Wall was knocked down and the band wandered through the rubble on stage playing “Outside the Wall”…
And so an incredible evening ended… there was a brief silence before anyone reacted… but what a spectacle the show was… magnificent
Roger Waters was quoted as saying you won’t fully appreciate it until you’ve heard the album… seen the show and seen the film which was to be released two years later… I have done all three… and it is all perfectly clear and a superb piece of work
BOB DYLAN
I guess this gig squares the circle to some extent…my passion for gig going was triggered by not seeing His Bobness on the Isle of Wight… a dumb move if ever there was one!!
So sometime in 1978 I got a call from Dave, he said Gwynn was going to queue all night to get tickets for Dylan at Earls Court… should he get me one… yes please!!
So, on the appointed day, finished work an hour or so early… changed into the denims and off to London Road for the train to London, then tube to Earls Court… once there caught up with Dave, Gwynn, Chris and a few others… Gwynn had come up trumped and got a fistful of tickets…
I was really looking forward to this… but with some trepidation as Bob already had a reputation for, shall we say inconsistent performances… some shows hitting the heights, other poor… and many in between the two extremes so we didn’t know what to expect
Bob had assembled a bunch of stellar session players for his band.. google tells me it was Billy Cross (lead guitar), Alan Pasqua (keyboards), Steven Soles (rhythm guitar, backup vocals), David Mansfield (violin & mandolin), Steve Douglas (horns), Rob Stoner (bass), Bobbye Hall (percussion), Ian Wallace (drums), Helena Springs, Jo Ann Harris, Debbie Dye (background vocals).
There was an air of expectation in the room… and the general hubbub of chatter which died instantly as the lights dimmed and Bob and the band took the stage to a great cheer… but initially no Bob.. the band played a couple of numbers before the main man walked on…
Bob was looking spruce and seemed up for it… and the band kicked into the show with no fuss… opening I think with “Hard Rain”… maybe a strange opener but the first line of “Where have you been my blue eyed son” seems in many ways an appropriate opening as he hadn’t played here for a while…
I dont recall the set list… but remember many of the classics as if it was yesterday… “Rolling Stone” delivere3d without the spit and anger of the The
remarkable and wordy “It’s Alright Ma” was outstanding… delivered with total clarity… Again I have resorted to google to check the set list… he played 29 songs… all his except for a cover of Tampa Red’s “Love me with a Feeling” early in the set… By 1978 Bob had a massive repertoire of great songs, so I’m sure everyone would have felt “he didn’t play so and so”… he didn’t do “My Back Pages” which is a particular favourite of mine, but you couldn’t pick a song from the set list and say he needn’t have done that one… one cover and 28 solid gold classic Dylan songs.
And what of the performance.. he was in great voice, strong and clear and the band were superb.. friends who were there and had seem him a time of two before said they hadn’t heard him play that well… so I guess it was one of the better shows… whatever, I loved it from start to finish… it was another special night…
After the shows a few “see ya laters” and off to the tube and train home in the company of Chris… I must say home on the milk train I was ofter pretty knackered by the time I got home… not this night however… I was a bit high!!
WATERSON FAMILY
Any one who knows me well would surely be surprised if the Watersons and the next band weren’t included in this document. The Watersons had been my introduction to English folk music back in the sixties and I lived everything they did… whether as. The Watersons, or in the many solo projects… Norma, Mike, Martin Carthy and later Eliza have been worshipped to this day… I wish I could hear the Watersons for the first time again… it had such a profound effect on me… I have seen the various members of the band many times in many combinations and love them whatever line up they are in… but this gig, on May 12th 2007 was something extra.. “The Mighty River of Song” at the Royal Albert Hall, performed by, as I recall, 14 members of the family, led by Norma, Mike, Martin and Eliza with a host of relatives.
It was overwhelming when they came on to see them lined up across the stage… 14 singers and one acoustic guitar (Martin). They kicked off in an inauspicious way with “The White Cockade” where the sound balance was a bit off and concerned glances went down the line.. .the second song was absolutely spot on and those fabulous harmonies, augmented by the expanded family filled the hall.
Throughout the show various member of the family took a back seat while others took solos or performed numbers in smaller groups… at one point Martin took centre stage along with Brass Monkey (John Kirkpatrick, Howard Evans, Roger Williams & Martin Brinsford) for a few numbers from their repertoire and later Eliza left the stage to return in her Morris Outfit, to play for the Goathland Plough Stots Longsword Morris side, for which she was the regular musician, Eliza played fiddle while the side danced their elaborate routine ending holding the linked sword over the head to the rapturous applause.
Throughout the show, we heard countless classic mainly English folk songs performed authentically and magnificently by the singers… at times the singing and harmonies left you awestruck and breathless… but enraptured throughout…
It is impossible to pick out highlights… I would have to list the whole set which I cant do but have fond memories of “Jim Boyes’ “The Goodnight Song” sung by the whole case… where the harmonies shone and the emotion of the lyrics grabbed your heart.
A simply magnificent concert… and one to prove you don’t need electronic effects or ear splitting volume to be exciting.. this show which was totally acoustic sent shivers down the spine and made the hairs on the back of your neck tingle…
When it finally ended to a standing ovation and we filed there was a tv crew in the lobby interviewing some folk… they asked the guy in front of me “what is so good about them”… He looked the interviewer ion the eye and said “Why do you need to ask… you’ve just heard them”. Yes, that makes sense… they are the first family of English Folk Singing… wonderful singers and harmonies… superb repertoire… just listen to them and you will realise there isn’t really an answer… they just are that good… simply magnificent
FAIRPORT CONVENTION
The band I’ve probably seen more than any other… and so there are many shows to talk about but I’ll consider the 1983 Cropredy Festival performance.. .because it was the last Cropredy I went to, in fact the last festival I went to…and a terrific day it was…
I’ll confess I have had to look up who else played… but the highlights of the day, before the Airports were the Albion Band and Vin Garbutt both of which I’ve seen countless times and love!
But however great the day is.. everyone is waiting for dusk and the main event…
The band have gone through so many changes of line-upend all of the ex-members seem to maintain a closeness to the band, and many of them come to Cropredy to play cameos on the Saturday night show… it remains difficult to remember who the members of the were, and who was guesting… not no matter, they are all Fairports…
This time Cathy Le Surf, and fabulous singer in her own right, took on the bulk of the sadly missed Sandy’s vocals… and did a superb job.
Again, how do you pick out highlights?… or indeed remember the set list!!… but the Liege & Lief album was well represented with Cathy to the fore.
I remember fondly a breathtaking version of “Sloth” with Swarb and Richard Thompson duetting magnifivcently in the extended instrumental break… all the classics were there… and the first set ended with a spellbinding beautiful “Who Knows Where the Time Goes” which is always emotional.. but standing in that field with thousands of fans on that warm pleasant evening the performance brought dampness to the yes… breathtaking.
The second half started with a brisk “Walk Awhile” and as it continued more and more guests were joining in… some had done cameos earlier, others were on stage for the first time as the band went into such as “Million Dollar Bash” with the mass voices of the band singing out… “Matty Groves with Swarbs wonderful fiddle getting the dances moving, their big hit,,, |”Is Tu Does Partir”…
That ended around 11.55 pm… we all knew what was coming next.. longed to hear it, but longed not to, because that was the final end of the show… but with little fanfare the familiar chords sound… there was an intake of breath, then the so familiar, so loved line.. “We used to say… “ by the time they reached “there’ll come the day” everyone seemed to hold whoever they were with that bit closer… and the whole field was singing… when it came to the chorus “Meet on the Ledge” was sung out passionately by I think everyone in the field.
This song took on a deeper significance after the untimely loss of Martin and Sandy and even to this day closes every Fairport gig.. .and they will never play another note after it… quite rightly.. .it has an emotion of it’s own, especially in this context… Jane and I had held hands and sung it back to the band so very many times… it meant a lot to us both, as it does most Fairport fans… and I chose to have it as the music to leave the crematorium to at Janes funeral…
Meet on the ledge
We’re gonna meet on the ledge
When my time is up I’m gonna see all my friends
Meet on the ledge
We’re gonna meet on the ledge
If you really mean it, it all comes round again
SOME OTHER RANDOM MEMORIES
At the Cambridge Folk Festival… getting breakfast on the Sunday morning, talking with a random group in neighbouring tents, the topic was Steeleye Span who had headlined on the previous night… their first gig with a drummer, opinions were divided but the was a majority supporting “I wasn’t keen”… I guess we are luddites who don’t like change.. .one guy was fairly quiet.. eventually he said “I’m disappointed… I AM the drummer!”
Another year, I’m in a crowded toilet and hoping to be out inn time to sit down to enjoy Planxty when a guy charged in trying to push everyone aside screaming he didn’t want to miss a second of Plenty… he didn’t get much sympathy, we all felt the same… when a soft Irish voice behind said “Don’t worry… they’ll not start til I get there”… t’was Christy Moore
There was a regular busker for a few years… Warren T Wyse aka Rudy. He entertained the crowd with comedy mime, juggling and similar activities and generally got a big crowd around enjoying his performances… he was doing a juggling trick with Apples and eating one in the process when someone started to heckle him… Rudy looked at him… carried on… then walked over to him, still juggling. And led him to the centre of the ring… handed him an apple and went and sat in the crowd leaving the heckler looking foolish and embarrassed… nice way to deal with a heckler!!
I’d seen Man many times, but went down to the Rainbow to see them.. .cracking show… but they played on after the curfew so the management switched off the power to the stage while the band were in full flow… the crowd cheered for more… the band stayed where they were and someone restored the power… and they carried on from where they left off for a good long while..
Also at the Rainbow for another band I’d seen many a time… Dr Hook and the Medicine Show… it was virtually a sell out and when the band were well into their first song half a dozen people trailed in late… walked towards the front and couldn’t find their seats… it seems someone was in some of the seats and a bit of a dispute broke out…with comment Ray and Dennis walked round and into the audience to sort it out… checking tickets.. moving people here there and everywhere until everyone was sitting and happy…
Again at the Cambridge Folk Festival, Dick Gaughan played, a fine set, very traditional and acoustic styled.. but he spent rather a long time castigating musicians for coming and playing electric, and condemning the authorities for booking electric music… the following year he appeared with the very electric Five Hand Reel playing a Stratocaster.
My first exposure to John Cooper Clarke was at the Cambridge Folk Festival… all it said was that he was a punk poet. Sitting in the main arena interested to hear him when a matchstick figure with a mass of tousled hair wandered down the side, carrying a couple of supermarket carrier bags… this was the arrival of JCC… and I was hooked from the off. He did a set later on the 2nd stage… he started by saying that the organisers had asked hm to cut out the bad language… as he said it would be be wrong for everyone to do 40 minutes and he only do about 5 minutes!… He didn’t moderate his language (of course). His first set had polarised the audience, this was was to people who’d loved him… and everyone was on board with him.
Seeing Edgar Winters White Trash playing a superb set at Crystal Palace, when Edgar announced a “special friend and great guitar player”… everyone got excited thinking “It’s gonna be Johnny”… he then welcomed Rick Derringer!.. Palpable sighs of disappointment… though to be fair Rick is damn good!
Also at the Crystal Palace… another Stone the Crows gig not long after losing Les Harvey… and another great performance… a lone figure walked across the lake to the stage and handed Maggie a Red Rose
After sublime sets from two of the greatest writers we’ve seen, John Prine & Steve Goodman, the joy of seeing the pair of them together having fun playing a set of covers by Buddy Holly and others, at the Cambridge Folk Festival
