Concert Reviews

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ May 20 2009, 04:20 PM)

Not that anybody HERE is going to care, but I had a wonderful time at the Coldplay concert Monday night. It was chilly for Alabama in late May - temps in the low 50's, but it was clear and a great night for a show. This was at the amphitheater literally 5 minutes from my house. Our seats were in the 2nd tier about midway back - not bad seats really. It was nearly a sell-out but the crowd didn't get packed in till time for the main event. Coldplay took the stage at about 9:30 after two opening acts: Howling Bells (from Australia and not a bad band atall) and then Pete Yorn (YAWN - typical whiny "college" music). Coldplay put on a fantastic, spontaneous, fun and funny show. Chris Martin is down-to-earth and made a huge effort to connect. The band moved out to small satellite stages in the venue at two different times - once to my right in the front section, and once to my left in the "cheap" seat section, much to the delight of those fans. I got pretty close during that 2nd satellite performance. After Rush's amazing but very strictly scripted shows, this relaxed atmosphere was a lot of fun. I know that nobody here likes Coldplay, but the music made me happy, and actually moved me to tears at the end (The Scientist). Here's the setlist: Life In Technicolor Violet Hill Clocks In My Place Yellow Glass Of Water Cemeteries of London 42 Fix You Strawberry Swing God Put A Smile Upon Your Face Talk The Hardest Part Postcards From Far Away Viva La Vida Lost! Green Eyes Death Will Never Conquer I'm A Believer (The Monkees cover) Viva La Vida dance remix Encore: Politik Lovers in Japan Death And All His Friends Encore 2: The Scientist Life in Technicolor II The Escapist I give it 4.5/5 - a much-needed night of relaxation and fun for me. I hope to see them again sometime.

Sounded great! Great review by the way. Sorry to hear Pete Yorn blew, his debut Musicforthemorningafter is excellent.

[Xanadu93]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ May 20 2009, 12:20 PM)

Not that anybody HERE is going to care, but I had a wonderful time at the Coldplay concert Monday night. It was chilly for Alabama in late May - temps in the low 50's, but it was clear and a great night for a show.  This was at the amphitheater literally 5 minutes from my house.  Our seats were in the 2nd tier about midway back - not bad seats really. It was nearly a sell-out but the crowd didn't get packed in till time for the main event.  Coldplay took the stage at about 9:30 after two opening acts: Howling Bells (from Australia and not a bad band atall) and then Pete Yorn (YAWN - typical whiny "college" music). Coldplay put on a fantastic, spontaneous, fun and funny show.  Chris Martin is down-to-earth and made a huge effort to connect.  The band moved out to small satellite stages in the venue at two different times - once to my right in the front section, and once to my left in the "cheap" seat section, much to the delight of those fans.  I got pretty close during that 2nd satellite performance. After Rush's amazing but very strictly scripted shows, this relaxed atmosphere was a lot of fun.  I know that nobody here likes Coldplay, but the music made me happy, and actually moved me to tears at the end (The Scientist). Here's the setlist: Life In Technicolor  Violet Hill  Clocks  In My Place  Yellow  Glass Of Water  Cemeteries of London  42  Fix You  Strawberry Swing  God Put A Smile Upon Your Face  Talk  The Hardest Part  Postcards From Far Away  Viva La Vida  Lost!  Green Eyes  Death Will Never Conquer  I'm A Believer (The Monkees cover)  Viva La Vida dance remix  Encore: Politik  Lovers in Japan  Death And All His Friends  Encore 2: The Scientist  Life in Technicolor II  The Escapist  I give it 4.5/5 - a much-needed night of relaxation and fun for me.  I hope to see them again sometime.

I recognized about half the songs in the setlist, meaning I need to go pick up Parachutes and A Rush Of Blood To The Head!

 

GG, did they give you the LeftRightLeftRightLeft cd at the show?

[Spindrift82]

GhostGirl, I just saw Coldplay live too in Riverbend on June 4th. They put on an amazing show, I'm still reeling from the concert. I had lawn seats, so I was overjoyed when they came out on the lawn and did an acoustic set.

 

I'd say Coldplay are one of the few mainstream bands that I dig. All four of their albums are killer, and they're a fantastic live band.

Edited June 10, 2009 by Spindrift82

[irishguyincc]

I saw Nightwish here in Corpus Christi, TX on May 11. My wife turned me on to this band, returning the favor for getting her into Rush I guess. The show was great; but the poor Finnish band was dying in the south Texas heat. These guys put on a great show; especially their new vocalist Annete Olzon. My wife and I were front row in front of guitarist Emppu Vuorinen. We also saw Nightwish in Austin, TX last September directly in front of keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen. Both were cool vantage points.

 

I've seen Nightwish twice in the last year and they put on a great show both times. I highly recommend checking them out if you get the chance.

 

[rotting]

I just saw mayhem last night in toronto.

 

it was pure mayhem

 

they were decent live, and had some creepy cool visuals. The sound was a 6 /10 . A little loud and bassy, hard to make out what was going on at times. Hellhammer is an amazing drummer though...... the singer is weird...... looks like the pope with corpsepaint on ........ creepy stuff.

 

 

I have seen better, but its black metal....... whatever.

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

AC/DC - Punchestown Racecourse

 

The Blizzards blew chunks.

 

The Answer blew chunks.

 

The weather blew chunks.

 

The assholes queuing for hot-dogs whilst I was there, were a disgrace. Starting a fight over the rights and wrongs of hot-dog queuing? I didn't know there was a manual. And then, giving the fantastically friendly and accommodating staff grief, when it's finally your turn to get served? Please, never have children. It's not fair on the world.

 

The organisers blew chunks. Not enough bars, not enough toilets(I saw way too many genitals yesterday, and I'm no gynaecologist.), not enough food stalls. The traffic plan. Oh, there was one, was there? "Tell ya what lads, we'll have 100's of buses lined up, but won't bother our arses using them for hours." Wankers. This is a racetrack, served only by secondary single lane roads, it cannot take 70,000 people and their dicky bladders. Pure greed, nothing more.

 

Many in the audience actually blew chunks.

 

AC/DC were bloody marvellous though. From the train scene at the start to the giant Rosie straddling said train, this was irony-free, balls to the wall gigantic rock'n'roll theatre. AC/DC are primeval, they don't do double-entendres, especially when a single-entendre will do.

Brian Johnson is like your dad fronting the best bar-band in the world, not sure whether he's a brilliant front man or shite, but you gotta love the mad, flat cap wearing Geordie all the same.

 

The bells, the train, the cannons, Rosie, the fireworks, it was absolutely fantastic.

 

The setlist kicked ass too. And Angus' mad solo in Let There Be Rock out on the hydraulic mini-stage was just mental.

 

The real pisser was not meeting Donal(Madra Sneachta), he rang me at 2am, stuck in a bus in the venue. God knows what time he got home.

[madra sneachta]

QUOTE (Hatchetaxe&saw @ Jun 29 2009, 02:36 PM)

The setlist kicked ass too. And Angus' mad solo in Let There Be Rock out on the hydraulic mini-stage was just mental. The real pisser was not meeting Donal(Madra Sneachta), he rang me at 2am, stuck in a bus in the venue. God knows what time he got home.

How's she cuttin' boy!!

 

I endorse the comments of my learned friend - The sight of Angus on the cherry picker in the pissing rain, with relentless sheets of water framed by spotlights like an aura around him, was nothing short of iconic.

 

We caught the end of The Blizzards - They were on stage in the distance, but it felt more like a radio on in the background. As one person said in a post on one of the Irish message boards, the fact that the only real reaction they got was when they played a snippet of Jacko's 'Beat It' says it all. It was supposed to be Thin Lizzy, but Tommy Aldridge (drummer) fell off his bike and broke his collarbone.

 

The Answer were OK - Honest to Goodness heads down, no nonsense mindless boogie, with a glorious accent on the lead singer that was half Belfast, half Memphis.

 

I've waited 30 years to see AC/DC, and they were everything I hoped they'd be, and more. I had my 15 year old son with me, and the look on his face was priceless.

 

The queue for the bus lasted longer than the gig, we finally boarded a park and ride bus at 2am, got out of the car park at 3am and climbed into bed at 6 after a 156 mile drive home, accompanied by Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds, the Decemberists' Hazards of Love and some live Moxy Fruvous, underscored by the snores of my angelic offspring splayed over the back seat.

 

F**k it, t'was worth it, although I did feel a bit like Danny Glover at one point. Perhaps I am getting too old for this shit!!!

 

 

About six minutes in, there's some lovely shots of Angus' rainy solo.

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

[Xanadu93]

[Transylvania Twist]

Billy Joel/Elton John Face-Face:

 

Saw them two nights ago at Nationwide Arena here in Columbus. Overall it was an excellent show with great showmenship from both gentlemen. I really liked how they designed their show in comparison to when I saw them in 1994 at Ohio Stadium. They came out together and played together each others piano songs, alternating back and forth. Then Billy left and Sir Elton played about an hour of his songs with his band which emerged from underneath the stage in a very efficient and cool manner. Then Billy came out and played for about an hour with his band emerging from underneath the stage. Then they played all together each others songs for about another 1/2 hour then the bands left and the two of them finished with Candle in the Wind and Piano Man the same way they started with just the two of them on piano. Only real annoying part was Elton's keyboard player a few times got too loud and overpowered the song.

 

Again a wonderful show with a lot of great sing-a-longs with their classics.

[Xanadu93]

SPOILERS

 

Green Day w/Kaiser Chiefs

Gwinnett Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

August 1, 2009

 

The show was absolutely terrific! Kaiser Chiefs were good, but the bass dominated the sound in the mix. They started with "Never Miss a Beat", the single from their most recent album, which was a good choice. I didn't know all of their songs, wrote what I knew down, here's the setlist for the show in New York, where they opened for Green Day (I presume it's the same).

 

Never Miss a Beat

Everyday I Love You Less and Less

Ruby

Can't Say What I Mean

I Predict a Riot

You Want History

Take My Temperature

Oh My God

 

Now, for the headline act, GREEN DAY! Excellent show, great setlist, definitely more fun than the Rush shows I went to. Lots of crowd interaction (Billie Joe choosing three people to sing each verse of "Longview", getting a little girl to dance during "East Jesus Nowhere", getting someone to play guitar during "Jesus of Suburbia" - yes, the whole damn song!), the "hey-oh!" during a lot of the songs, and the sheer satisfaction of seeing people jumping up and down and singing along to every song. There were two encores, the first was the first two songs from American Idiot as well as "Minority", and the second was Billie Joe, playing three songs unplugged. I will admit, I got choked up hearing "Good Riddance" live, such a great choice for the final song in the show.

 

Song of the Century

21st Century Breakdown

Know Your Enemy

East Jesus Nowhere

Holiday

The Static Age

Before the Lobotomy

Are We the Waiting/St. Jimmy

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Hitchin' A Ride (snippet)/Welcome to Paradise

Stuart and the Ave. (snippet)/Scattered

Brain Stew/Jaded

Longview

Basket Case

She

King For A Day

Shout

21 Guns

American Eulogy: Mass Hysteria/Modern World

 

Encore 1:

American Idiot

Jesus of Suburbia

Minority

 

Encore 2 (acoustic):

Coming Clean

Last Night on Earth

Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)

[*Limelight*]

The Tragically Hip, in Abbotsford.

 

Oh wow, what an amazing show. The venue was smaller, we sat back bowl got a perfect view, sound was incredible. Gord Downie did his antics on stage just priceless, the whole band was amazing. Great setlist too

 

Not much of a review, but the show was just stellar, above and beyond what i expected.

[Choose/the/light]

I saw Modest Mouse a few weeks ago in Salt Lake City. They were totally amazing, i'm not even a big fan of theirs, but they were awesome.

[bigman208]

A FEW SPOILERS

 

I saw Styx on Thursday night in Niagara Falls, Ontario at the Fallsview Casino & Resort. What a beautiful place it is. The venue is quite small and intimate, and Styx excelled in this show. I have waited for a long time to see these guys. I grew up listening to their music because my mom was a big fan. I didn't really like them growing up, but as I got older I slowly grew to like their music and now love them!!!

 

These guys for their age (ranging from 40 all the way to 60 years old) are still VERY energetic. Running around the stage, jumping around, not to mention still masters of their instruments, and all of their voices are still great. Particularly Tommy Shaw, he does not sound any different than he did when he joined. Even the original bass player Chuck Panozzo made an appearance at this show!!

 

The show was a little short, setlist a little predictable, I was wishing for a few deep cuts, but overall it was a fantastic show. I LOVED seeing them. And to see the showing of support for Gowan (a HUGE star here in Canada in the 80's, virtually unknown in the US except for his tenure in Styx). When he played his song Criminal Mind the crowd went NUTS, myself included. Plus this guy is very witty, at times weird, but a great performer and showman on stage.

 

GREAT SHOW. See them if they are in your area. You will not be disappointed. The setlist played is below....

 

Light Up (intro)/Put Me On (intro)/

Miss America

Too Much Time On My Hands

The Grand Illusion

Lady

Lorelei

I Am The Walrus

Suite Madame Blue

Crystal Ball

A Criminal Mind

Fooling Yourself (with Chuck on bass)

Come Sail Away (also with Chuck)

 

Encores:

Blue Collar Man

Tommy Shaw/James Young guitar battle (these two guys are GREAT)

Renegade (once again with Chuck)

[daveyt]

U2 GILLETTE STADIUM

 

traffic was a freakin' nightmare omg everyone was aggrivated. i arrived a little late but was able to smoke a fat cigar on the way down so i was like whateverz. i had to eat my extra ticket wtf

 

U2 LOVERS AVOID THIS REVIEW

 

i should have gone to see u2 in 1985 but i detested them because i was an idiot at 15. still am-

i thought they ruled with their actung baby release in 1991. f***ing awesome comeback. big suprise. should have seen them in 1994 but i was like whateverz i'll see them wheneverz

 

love zooropa. some dvd's looked alright

 

OK ff to the present. i was like OK i'm going to finally see them so i could shut myself up about not ever seeing them.

 

the show was a 5/10 for me. first, you think you have a good seat and in a stadium but you are FAR AWAY from the band. strike 1 for stadium shows.

 

the band is not energetic this night; they just kind of kicked it and walked around looking relaxed. they had all these walkways but rarely used them to work the crowd. i'm spoiled by rush. strike 2.

 

i went to go see the edge because i worship his playing but just didn't get into him that much i dunno.

 

their setlist kind of sucked and was too short for the $$$$$$$$$$$$ and time they put into their act imo. it was kind of like rush and how they play for the casual fan these days which i understand.

 

they played a couple older songs which helped a lot. i like the mood of city of blinding lights. their new music is good and i wanted to hear those songs most. they went techno on one of them and i was like WTF

 

bono got all religious and political and it was a part of the u2 show and i was like on 10 occasions although i respect him for sending goodwill out to various places on earth trying to help people. many do not use their influence for much these days

 

omg some fans were kind of like all these tough guys dancing and singing i was like but that's just me. they were looking at me like "who's this loser with no jacket?" i forgot my jacket earlier.

 

the lighting was was amazing! great surround screen with a sweet accordion-like lighting/screen rig. go see youtube. impressive and cutting edge.

 

b4 i knew it they were like THANK YOU and i was out of there! grabbed some of the oldest french fries eveer and returned them for some slightly less shriveled ones and sent them to the trash immediately. just keep my money ok i don't want to hastle you ne more thanks for the service.

 

i saw a perfect 10 from brazil run to her car omg

 

got the f**k out of there and got home to see interesting things like football highlights.

 

d

 

[Natch]

QUOTE (daveyt @ Sep 21 2009, 10:48 PM)

U2 GILLETTE STADIUM traffic was a freakin' nightmare omg everyone was aggrivated. i arrived a little late but was able to smoke a fat cigar on the way down so i was like whateverz. i had to eat my extra ticket wtf U2 LOVERS AVOID THIS REVIEW i should have gone to see u2 in 1985 but i detested them because i was an idiot at 15. still am- i thought they ruled with their actung baby release in 1991. f***ing awesome comeback. big suprise. should have seen them in 1994 but i was like whateverz i'll see them wheneverz love zooropa. some dvd's looked alright OK ff to the present. i was like OK i'm going to finally see them so i could shut myself up about not ever seeing them. the show was a 5/10 for me. first, you think you have a good seat and in a stadium but you are FAR AWAY from the band. strike 1 for stadium shows. the band is not energetic this night; they just kind of kicked it and walked around looking relaxed. they had all these walkways but rarely used them to work the crowd. i'm spoiled by rush. strike 2. i went to go see the edge because i worship his playing but just didn't get into him that much i dunno. their setlist kind of sucked and was too short for the $$$$$$$$$$$$ and time they put into their act imo. it was kind of like rush and how they play for the casual fan these days which i understand. they played a couple older songs which helped a lot. i like the mood of city of blinding lights. their new music is good and i wanted to hear those songs most. they went techno on one of them and i was like WTF bono got all religious and political and it was a part of the u2 show and i was like on 10 occasions although i respect him for sending goodwill out to various places on earth trying to help people. many do not use their influence for much these days omg some fans were kind of like all these tough guys dancing and singing i was like but that's just me. they were looking at me like "who's this loser with no jacket?" i forgot my jacket earlier. the lighting was was amazing! great surround screen with a sweet accordion-like lighting/screen rig. go see youtube. impressive and cutting edge. b4 i knew it they were like THANK YOU and i was out of there! grabbed some of the oldest french fries eveer and returned them for some slightly less shriveled ones and sent them to the trash immediately. just keep my money ok i don't want to hastle you ne more thanks for the service. i saw a perfect 10 from brazil run to her car omg got the f**k out of there and got home to see interesting things like football highlights. d

You have the best reviews Davey!

 

Informative and entertaining at the same time. Thanks for reporting.

[Zanadoo]

QUOTE (daveyt @ Sep 21 2009, 09:48 PM)

U2 GILLETTE STADIUM traffic was a freakin' nightmare omg everyone was aggrivated. i arrived a little late but was able to smoke a fat cigar on the way down so i was like whateverz. i had to eat my extra ticket wtf U2 LOVERS AVOID THIS REVIEW i should have gone to see u2 in 1985 but i detested them because i was an idiot at 15. still am- i thought they ruled with their actung baby release in 1991. f***ing awesome comeback. big suprise. should have seen them in 1994 but i was like whateverz i'll see them wheneverz love zooropa. some dvd's looked alright OK ff to the present. i was like OK i'm going to finally see them so i could shut myself up about not ever seeing them. the show was a 5/10 for me. first, you think you have a good seat and in a stadium but you are FAR AWAY from the band. strike 1 for stadium shows. the band is not energetic this night; they just kind of kicked it and walked around looking relaxed. they had all these walkways but rarely used them to work the crowd. i'm spoiled by rush. strike 2. i went to go see the edge because i worship his playing but just didn't get into him that much i dunno. their setlist kind of sucked and was too short for the $$$$$$$$$$$$ and time they put into their act imo. it was kind of like rush and how they play for the casual fan these days which i understand. they played a couple older songs which helped a lot. i like the mood of city of blinding lights. their new music is good and i wanted to hear those songs most. they went techno on one of them and i was like WTF bono got all religious and political and it was a part of the u2 show and i was like on 10 occasions although i respect him for sending goodwill out to various places on earth trying to help people. many do not use their influence for much these days omg some fans were kind of like all these tough guys dancing and singing i was like but that's just me. they were looking at me like "who's this loser with no jacket?" i forgot my jacket earlier. the lighting was was amazing! great surround screen with a sweet accordion-like lighting/screen rig. go see youtube. impressive and cutting edge. b4 i knew it they were like THANK YOU and i was out of there! grabbed some of the oldest french fries eveer and returned them for some slightly less shriveled ones and sent them to the trash immediately. just keep my money ok i don't want to hastle you ne more thanks for the service. i saw a perfect 10 from brazil run to her car omg got the f**k out of there and got home to see interesting things like football highlights. d

I don't know which day you went but I went to the Monday show and it was absolutely mind blowing. The whole show was so surreal and it felt like you were taking a trip to outer space with U2. I thought the set list was awesome and I definitely thought the energy level was high.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

......then again I was in the second row......

[*Limelight*]

Matthew Good November 10th.

 

The opening band "Mother Mother" not bad, they set themselves up in one song for a perfect synth solo, but did not take it.

 

As for Matt Good, just simply amazing. The band played amazingly, and it was funny as hell some of the stuff in between songs.

 

All i can really say, just a solid concert.

[Jaye]

Oh, f**k yeah!

 

Steve Hackett, Wirral, 20th Nov

Well, I could not ask for a better show! Near the beginning of the first song, (one of my faves, Mechanical Bride) I was looking up and thinking "Oh. My. God, that's Steve Hackett!" (I was quite close too, btw)

He played five songs from the new album, and quite a few old Genesis songs, sang by the drummer, Gary O'Toole. Everyone was singing along to all the Genesis songs! Los Endos was just amazing! The keyboard player (Roger King) did a great job on Firth Of Fifth too.

 

There was a bit of a coincidence at one point too: Just before Steve started a song called Slogans, he joked that this song was written to 'put off the girls', "The more notes, the less women"! I think he was touching on the old thought that girls don't like prog! (Like that topic we have going atm!)

No surprise then that's it's one of my fave songs!

 

It lasted about 2 and a half hours, and with no break! Great fun all round. Nick Beggs on bass (and Chapman Stick) was

 

Unfortunately, my photos didn't come out very well, POS phone...

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/Jett_Moonwing/1Subalbum/JSteve1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/Jett_Moonwing/1Subalbum/JSteve2.jpg

[wrekinboy]

Gov't Mule - HMV Forum London 21st November

 

That Warren Haynes guy is really quite good - should go far. He would've fitted well into bands like the Allmans or the Dead....

 

 

But seriously, I've never heard a stronger positive reaction from an audience to a guitarist - the collective jaw was on the floor. And he seemed to be doing it all with a damaged finger(nail) judging by the way he kept fiddling with his digit.

 

Rest of the band superb as well.

 

 

[edie]

QUOTE (Jaye @ Nov 21 2009, 01:49 AM)

Oh, f**k yeah! Steve Hackett, Wirral, 20th Nov Well, I could not ask for a better show! Near the beginning of the first song, (one of my faves, Mechanical Bride) I was looking up and thinking "Oh. My. God, that's Steve Hackett!" (I was quite close too, btw) He played five songs from the new album, and quite a few old Genesis songs, sang by the drummer, Gary O'Toole. Everyone was singing along to all the Genesis songs! Los Endos was just amazing! The keyboard player (Roger King) did a great job on Firth Of Fifth too. There was a bit of a coincidence at one point too: Just before Steve started a song called Slogans, he joked that this song was written to 'put off the girls', "The more notes, the less women"! I think he was touching on the old thought that girls don't like prog! (Like that topic we have going atm!) No surprise then that's it's one of my fave songs! It lasted about 2 and a half hours, and with no break! Great fun all round. Nick Beggs on bass (and Chapman Stick) was Unfortunately, my photos didn't come out very well, POS phone... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/Jett_Moonwing/1Subalbum/JSteve1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/Jett_Moonwing/1Subalbum/JSteve2.jpg

Ditto for Holmfirth Picturedrome, mostly. I loved the majority of it and loathed the few excursions into what can only be described as free jazz. The venue is excellent, despite being in the back of beyond.

 

You failed to mention that Nick Beggs was sporting blonde plaits, a leather waistcoat over an otherwise bare (and quite shapely) torso, and a leather kilt.

 

 

[Wartypig]

Hackett at The Lowrey was superb.....Here's a couple from the gig.

 

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g21/leemillward/Steve%20Hackett%20Lowrey%2009/DSC_0254.jpg

 

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g21/leemillward/Steve%20Hackett%20Lowrey%2009/DSC_0119.jpg

[Jaye]

QUOTE (edie @ Nov 26 2009, 07:23 PM)

You failed to mention that Nick Beggs was sporting blonde plaits, a leather waistcoat over an otherwise bare (and quite shapely) torso, and a leather kilt.

I did. Would you have wanted a 'warning' about that?

 

Wartypig, awesome pictures! Wish mine were that good

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

Marillion - Button Factory, Dublin - 03/12

 

Ireland is in the mire. We're bankrupt. Financially, religiously, politically.

Flooding has left 1000's of people displaced. Reports on the Catholic Church continue to leave us all aghast, disgusted and ashamed.

No, we're not in a good head-space.

 

Now and again, you gotta take your head out of the smog and head up for some clean air.

 

Enter Marillion.

 

The venue, small, but full. The band are promoting their acoustic album Less Is More. This is not some by-numbers rendition of old faithfuls. No, this is Marillion. What you get are album tracks from the H years, de-constructed, torn apart, gutted, until all you're left with is a raw, bleeding stump. And then they rebuild. God, how they re-build. Hard As Love is the high point for me, both on the album and last night, and a new tune, "A lullaby for adults", H's words, called It's Not Your Fault. A song so gossamer light, it could break into a million shards, it's that brittle.

 

The stage was creaking with organs, dulcimers, autoharps, acoustic basses and the odd finger-cymbal.

 

Of course, this was Mark Kelly's homecoming gig, so the Guinness was passed onto the stage, like a precious chalice. Tiger Woods jokes flew to and fro, the band in a very good place, having suffered a nightmare gig the night before.

 

Taking a leaf from their songbook, the night was a celebration of being in the present, screw the past, it's a different country, it doesn't even exist.

The audience listened in cloistered silence to the entire new album, Steve Rothery cutting loose every now and again, Pete Trewavas, playing the acoustic bass & xylophone, once or twice at the same time, everyone was locked in to the moment.

The guys came back for the second half and the smorgasboard was laid on the table. 80 Days, Easter, Beautiful, Answering Machine, Gazpacho and on and on.

 

OK, analogy city.

 

Some gigs are like a night on tequila, great while you're there, but the morning after, you're not sure was it such a good idea.

Last night was something else entirely. A different animal. Seeing as it's me, I can only compare it to an 18 year old Highland Park Single Malt, something to be cherished, savoured, a warm fire against the howling winter.

 

There is not a band on this earth to touch them. Not one.

[nebbish]

Joe Bonamassa @ the Waterfront hall Belfast 06/12

 

What a guitarist that Joe is! He is just superb and the sound was absolutely fantastic and crystal clear. I thought the sound at Jeff Beck in the Ulster hall was good but this was just exquisite.

Every note he hit was spot on...

 

The support band was Sandi Thom and her band...

 

...and to top the night off we headed into the Garrick Bar (Belfast) for a few Shandies and guess who walked in for a few pints of the black stuff...JOE BONAMASSA!! ---Sandi was there too!

 

We ended up talking to him and he signed our tickets and had photos taken ...he really is a top bloke!! Alas it was all over when the tour bus picked him up outside - he didn't even stay over in Belfast