Top 5 Live
Come on, chaps, time for another traipse back to the golden days of our youth, or to last week, if you prefer. Top 5 concerts. Doesn't have to be the opportunity to gloat or to lie that you were there at the dawn of punk/folk-rock/dubstep etc etc, more to share the flavour of the moment and why, including, preferably, where and when(ish).
To give an idea, not in order:
1. Procul Harum : The Dome, Brighton, circa 1973. My first and only trip to this evocative venue. Lasting memory is the stage set up, with Gary Brooker far stage L, with the rest fanning out as a half circle around to BJ Wilson far stage R, messrs B and W being at the front of the stage. The drummer at the front of the stage, even if at the side! And what a drummer, may he RIP.(Any doubts, check out the into to "Bringing Home the Bacon" on "Grand Hotel"
2. Steve Gibbons Band : Breedon Bar, B'ham,31/12/84. What a venue and what a show. Venue sadly defunct, but the King of Cool rolls on forever. Even if he still does "Tulane"...
3. Van Morrison : Glasto, sorry Glasters, sorry Gla(r)stonbury 1993 : the exception to the rule, as mentioned in the "crap live" trail by sundry, and confirmed at subsequent witnessings, but that sunny sunday he hit the spot, perhaps not unrelated to the 2 tins of blue can lager imbibed in haste and error.
4. Gillian Welch : Irish club, B'ham 2003. Blimey, still looking for my socks..... First show I took Mrs Path to, admittedly worrying that it may have been a bit, well, austere and extreme. Not so, just Gillian and Rawlings, abso-bloody-lutely phenomenal. She liked it too.
5. Dr. John : House of Blues, NYC 2004. Sorry, sounds like a show off one to finish, but this is actually the best show I think I have ever seen in 34 years of live music. And the style of presentation, with the drummer acting as MC, introducing and re-introducing good Mr Mac, as the band plays on. (Curiously redolent of latterday Lonnie Donegan shows, strange to say.) Good venue too, reminiscent of "The Venue" at Victoria, London, that existed for a while in the 70s.
Over to you......
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My Top 5
About to go into a meeting so dont have time to write reasons but mine are (off the top of my head):
1 - Radiohead - Glastonbury 2003
2 - Elbow - Other Stage, Glastonbury 2002
3 - U2 - Millenium Stadium, 2005
4 - Sigur Ros - Bristol Anson Rooms, 2003
5 - Bright Eyes - Other Stage. Glastonbury 2007
Mine would probably be...
Radiohead - South Park, Oxford 2001
The rain lashed down with biblical intensity, but I didn't care at all. I found a quiet spot quite far back, away from the kids phoning their friends during the quiet songs and shouting "LISTEN! IT'S FU**ING AMAAAZING!", and let the music and rain wash over me. They were stunning. During "Pyramid Song", Thom Yorke's voice was so haunting... I knew I was experiencing something very, very special.
Neil Young with Booker T and the MGs - Finsbury Park, London 1992
If you're going to have a break from playing with Crazy Horse, then the MGs aren't a bad substitute. In fact, I would suggest they were superior. They could play so many different styles of music so well. Neil was at the top of his game, the wind swirling around the park making his guitar sound like it was coming through a Leslie speaker... distorted, swirling and wonderful.
Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham - Embassy Rooms, London 1999
A beautiful, old fashioned, intimate venue... and two men playing some of the finest songs ever written with a quiet intensity. I felt so happy when I left that gig... it was magical.
Stevie Wonder - Wembley Arena, London 1987
Perhaps the tightest, funkiest, most joyous noise I've ever heard. He was incredible that night. Classic after classic, sounding better than the records. The highpoint for me was when he said "This is called 'I Just Called To Say I Love You'" and I took the opportunity to go the bar. The next song was 'Part Time Lover'. Still at the bar. I walk back into the arena, and 'Sir Duke' kicks in. What perfect timing.
Richard Thompson - 100 Club, London 1999
A great place to see RT. He was on fire that night. At one point his guitar started playing up, and he looked really annoyed. He quickly replaced it and went into a lengthy guitar solo that was quite out of character. He was conjuring Hendrix feedback and finger-tapping like Eddie Van Halen. It was as if he was teaching the new guitar a lesson. The crowd were gobsmacked, and the roar at the end of the song was immense. The whole concert was just stunning.
Mmmm, nice.
Sounds good, PC. Envious of the Penn/Oldham, having the "Live from this room" (or whatever it's called). Bootleg of Booker Young is such poor quality, but bitterly rue missing that one, too. RT always good, but prefer him accoustic; Sounds in the Round, MAC, B'ham 2006, nearly made my list, as did Oysterband at the same venue, a year or so ahead, suggesting the where can be as important as the who.(Not "The Who")
Mrs Paths lifelong ambition is to see Stevie before he/she shuffles off.
But where is all the Supertramp, Yes and ELP you have previously wound some correspondent up with (me)?
Actually, Yes at the NEC in 2005, was a goody too, and I hate the NEC with o'blimey. All big venues, really. Especially football pitches, but the Stones at Sheffield Wednesday in (?) 1999 were an honourable exception.
Prog!
Erm... how shall I put this... prog for me was a teenage thing. I loved it, but I rarely listen to it now. But, when I do, I feel ridiculously happy. If I ever liked something, it always stays with me.
So best prog gigs...
Yes - Wembley Arena, 1984
Unfortunately it was the 90125 tour, so not the classic line up, but this 15 year old loved it.
Genesis - Birmingham NEC, 1984
They still played lots of old stuff, I went "Wowwww" at the light show. Brilliant.
Supertramp (not prog) - Earls Court, 1983
My second gig, and I bloody loved it. The 14 year old me could not have been happier.
South Park
i was also at the South Park gig. Was stunning. Only didnt put it down as didnt want 2 put Radiohead gigs in Top 5 and for me Glastonbury 2003 topped it slightly.
Also have the great memory of walking away from the gig in the lashing rain and the conversation of 2 strangers in front of me went as follows:
Mate 1: Christ its wet isnt it?!
mate 2: Yeah, its like having 2 big wet haddock's strapped to your legs!!
mmm quite!!?!
In no particular order
Mojo Nixon (Glastonbury 1989)
He played the acoustic tent, which was full of people sheltering from the rain and seemed indifferent to who was playing. Within 3 songs he had everybody doing the Uh hu hu backing vocals to Elvis Is Everywhere and drinks were being ferried to the stage from the audience. He announced that his band had been renamed The Sultan's of Scrumpy.
Robyn Hitchcock (Oxford Zodiac 2007)
Always great value for money, on this occasion Robyn was accompanied by The Venus 3 (Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey,Bill Rieflin) and for the encore Michael Stipe and Mike Mills joined them.
Van Morrison (Glastonbury 1988)
A baking Sunday afternoon and Van, with Georgie Fame's band had one of his good days and put the cherry on the cake with a bizarre encore which featured a song where he shouted out names of snooker players and members of The Goons for the verses, leading up to a chorus chant of: Max Wall, Max Wall, Max Wall. I know this actually happened because I have a cassette recording of it somewhere.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse (Finsbury Park 2003)
I'd seen him with Crazy Horse a couple of years previously and been disappointed, good but not as good as I'd anticipated. This time they were magnificent. Like A Hurricane, with the lights shimmering in the rain, went on for the best part of 20 minutes. I could have taken another 20. Great acoustic segment too, especially Pocahontas.
Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band(Wembley Arena 2006)
Described by a Mr Hepworth of this parish as one of the best gigs ever. He wasn't wrong.
And I've just thought of a couple more but rules is rules.
Some memorable moments
Steve Harley in the Ship and Star in Sudbury, about 1992.
He always used to top and tail tours with a pub gig, and they were always great. This particular night, he did astonishing versions of Absolutly Sweet Marie and The Wonder of You, with the whole pub on backing vocals.
Joe Jackson band, Oxford Zodiac, 2003.
As every gig should be, down the front in a sweaty club. My friend had a broken leg, so the bouncers let us jump the queue and found him a bar stool right near the stage. It was great.
Prince, O2 Arena, July 2007
Just the best live performer ever, when he's on. Wembley, 1995 would be on my worst gigs list.
Jazz Jamaica All Stars, Greenbelt Festival, 2002
Big band Jazz, the skaiest ska one can imagine and loud in a way that only massed brass can be - something Marshall Amplifiers will never replicate. Their version of The Liquidator is something to behold.
The Polyphonic Spree/Billy Bragg, Greenbelt Festival, 2003
See above for notes on massed instruments. BB joined them as part of the choir, white robe and everything, before his own solo set, doing all the best BB songs. Only spoiled by the single drunk at the front (it's a Christian festival -they don't do drunk).
Thanks for the memories
Bob Marley and the Wailers - Leeds University hot summer 1976. Missus heavily pregnant with second child, and although we had previously, and did subsequently, live in Jamaica, this was where we saw them. Magic.
Gregory Isaacs - Legends Night Montego Bay 1998. What a voice. We were revisiting JA 20 years after leaving.
Toots and the Maytals - Holmfirth Picturedrome winter 2007. Late starting (classic JA 'soon come') but wonderful.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Tunnel of Love tour Sheffield 1988. First time seeing Bruce, and even better than later gigs I saw as he had the brass section from the Asbury Jukes (that's another great set of gigs).
Ron Sexsmith - Manchester Academy 2004 (or indeed any of the Ron gigs I've been to). Fabulous songwriter and performer. Despite it being the occasion of the nattering woman who had to be told to STFU.
Could add loads more, but am intrigued to notice that I've not included any of the huge number of gigs I went to when a student, when it was at least one gig a week, including the Who, Genesis, Frank Zappa etc.
Bliss with ringing ears; five from the 70s.
The Clash - Bristol Locarno - 1979 - floor bouncing up and down, sweat dripping of the acoustic cladding in streams, the whole gig likely to register on the Richter scale. Excitement personified shouting to the faithful. Dangerously lively.
Bob Dylan - Blackbushe Aerodrome - 1978 - a whole saga of events crammed into a long weekend, climaxing with Bob's delivery of Street Legal mixed in with back catalogue. Awesome day.
Joan Armatrading - Plymouth ABC - 1974 - on her first ever tour, backed by a band called The Movies (from Brum I think), visibly shaking with fear when she emerged onstage, but gaining confidence with each song. A brilliant, brilliant performance. And she was only the support act. I went home stunned by Joan, despite Supertramp's really rather excellent efforts.
Elvis Costello - Bristol Locarno - 1978 - Oliver's Army belted out in fine style, all the songs from the first two albums as well. Absolutely knackering for the audience, Elvis must have been on strong drugs or very good coffee.
Captain Beefheart - Bristol Colston Hall - 1979 - Not a vintage performance by the Captain, from what I can tell, but a real event. Ended the gig (55 minutes, no encore) by throwing his harp across the stage and walking off. The Magic Band looked startled, then amused, then bored, finished the song and left quietly. Audience stunned, faint applause, goodnight. Far Out.
Hey Mr Retropath.....
I was at the same Gillian Welch show which considering the size of the audience is actually a good coincidence. I remember it being a very cool show - Dave Rawlings is a very fine player indeed.
The odd thing though is that Steve Gibbons would also appear in my top 5 but not the same show. I saw him at the Birmingham Odeon many years ago about a week before xmas. He finished his main show at around 10pm came back on for the encores and left the stage close to midnight after conducting a fantastic medley of Beatles etc that went into a mad party atmosphere.
Others in the top 5 would be:-
Nils Lofgren - acoustic at Birmingham Ronnie Scotts.
Paul Simon at Birmingham NEC last year.
Pink Floyd at Knebworth - first open air festival
Elvis Costello and the Imposters - Manchester Bridgewater Hall.
Great Gigs
The Go Team/Flaming Lips - Usher Hall, Edinburgh.
Susanna and the Magical Orchestra - Hall 2, Sage, Gateshead.
Siouxsie and the Banshees/Cabaret Voltaire/Human League - Top Rank, Sheffield.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Munich Olympic Stadium
The Futureheads, Cluny, Newcastle.
Tried to remember which gigs I set out from ears ringing and walking on air.
My gigs
Radiohead - South Park Oxford again
REM - Hyde Park, 2007
Morrissey - Oxford, New Theatre, recent
Supergrass - Hollybush pub Oxford, in early days, 199?
John Martyn - Oxford, New Theatre mid 80s
Get around a lot don't I?
Gigs
Dexys Midnight Runners (Projected Passion Review) - Oxford New Theatre (completely spellbinding, it has reached mythical status in my head!)
Kraftwerk - Royal Festival Hall, London (with robots and everything)
Thin Lizzy - Oxford New Theatre (Live and Dangerous days)
The Clash - Lyceum Ballroom, London (with Topper)
A bit of jazz
Jan Garbarek - Stirling 1987
Miles Davis - RFH 1989
Hancock/Carter/Williams/B Marsalis - RFH 1986
Tyner/Henderson/Hubbard - RFH 1986
Pat Metheny - Hammersmith 1987
Was Pat Metheny...
wearing his stripey breton shirt?! I don't think I ever saw a photo of him in the 1980s in which he wasn't wearing one.
I saw him three years earlier, and he was excellent. The 'Full Circle' tour.
Never saw Miles, much to my great sadness. Was that the band with Stern and Scofield?
I can't remember
if he was wearing the stripey shirt although I know exactly the one you mean! I think he wore it the first time I ever saw him, which was on Whistle Test.
As for Miles, unfortunately it wasn't the Stern/Scofield band. Truth to tell the band was rather anonymous. The only one I can remember was a chap called Foley playing "lead bass". Rather odd. It just sticks in my mind as one my most memorable gigs as Miles is a real hero of mine and seeing him was an ambition fulfilled. In fact, it was two shows on the one evening and I went to both.
That was EXACTLY...
when I first came across him as well! There was a very soft-focus video with him grinning a lot at Lyle Mays. Good teeth and a breton shirt = a surefire recipe for success.