Entertainment For Lively Minds
Willie Nelson
Posted by NigelSmith on 13 June 2010 - 12:02pm.
When:
Friday 11 June 2010
Where:
Hammersmith Apollo, London
Comments:
Starting promptly at 8pm Willie rattled through a greatest hits set in 90 minutes. I'd expected a more laid-back vibe from the Marijuana Man. Instead Willie's main priority seemed to be getting back to his hotel for Newsnight Review. The breakneck pace was typified early on when three Nelson classics 'Crazy', 'Night Life' and 'Funny How Time Slips Away' were breezily dispatched as a medley. Willie rushed through them so quickly it was impossible to absorb the songs' brilliance. Willie's now 77 and his tours of duty on the road again are taking their toll. His distinctive voice is weakening and his knackered guitar Trigger is on its last legs. I love Willie Nelson's records and having never seen him before was really looking forward to this show. There were highlights - I particularly enjoyed a trio of Hank Williams' songs towards the end - but ultimately it was disappointing to see someone once famed for energetic and epic-length gigs no longer able to perform at that level.
The Audience:
One younger bloke was wearing an 'I Love Slayer' t-shirt but the majority of the audience were white-haired folk in their 50s and 60s. A good showing of people wearing cowboy shirts, at least two in bolo ties.
Food & Drink:
The usual overpriced drinks at the bar (£4.20 for a lager). Beforehand I had a cheese and ham toastie and a couple of pints of Adnams at my favourite pre-Apollo gig pub, the Chancellors, opposite the Riverside Studios.
It Made Me Think...:
I wish I'd seen Willie Nelson 10 years ago when he was a spry 67 year old and still played three-hour shows.
More about the gig...
I've written a longer review of the gig on my blog:
http://carnivalsaloon.blogspot.com/2010/06/willie-nelson-hammersmith-apo...
He Ain't Superman
Nigel, I broadly agree with those sentiments, although the idea of 3 hours of Willie these days is not one I'd want to contemplate for too long. At the Edinburgh gig he displayed a few flashes of real brilliance, but generally I think some time ago touring simply became a means of facilitating his preferred way of life. And his band really needs to be put out to pasture.
I reviewed the Edinburgh show for theartsdesk:
http://www.theartsdesk.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1642:wil...
Spot on
Graeme - your review of the Edinburgh gig is brilliant. The comment that "for the first part of the show he reeled off lyrics like a man whose mouth was running three bars ahead of his hands" is exactly what I was trying to sum up and what frustrated me. There were highlights of the London gig, sure, but they were overshadowed by what you say about the road being more important for Willie now than what he does when he gets to his destination. I certainly wouldn't want to see three hours of what I saw on Friday, it's just a shame it's taken me this long to get round to seeing Willie live. My impression is that it wasn't that long ago that he was still turning in strong performances.