Following on from Blueshawk's blog. One of the best bands I ever went to see was Fairground Attraction. It must have been in 1989 and it was at the Leadmill in Sheffield (which I think is still going). Eddie Reader was the lead singer of the band and I thought her voice was amazing (still do!). I remember it so well, because I went with my friends from school and wasn't actually old enough to be there. It was all a bit of an adventure.
I saw Sam Brown at the Stage (now Sugarmill) in Hanley. She was incredible too - the energy of the woman. She stood on top of her Fender Rhodes piano and jumped onto the floor of the auditorium! Must have been 8 ft drop and she's just a wee thing.
I went to see INXS at the NEC - I wasnt a big fan but my best friend was a huge fan. We were really near the front and Michael Hutchins threw some dog tags he was wearing into the audience. They hit a poor woman, who was standig virtually next to me, on the head. She was completely oblivious to what had happened on stage. Suddenly 300 people (OK, maybe I'm exaggerating) dived on her to retrieve the reward. A minute or two later, after it was claimed by the quickest of the pack, the woman stumbled to her feet thoroughly bewildered.
I think the best gigs are the ones at smaller venues. When it's a stadium gig it all feels a bit unreal- even if you're near the front.
Gigs that I would most loved to have been at but wasn't - Live Aid and Nelson Mandela's Birthday bash at Wembley Stadium. I did go to the Wembley gig after he was released and heard him speak. There are loads of mixed views about live Aid - but I believed in it and it made me think beyond my own shores at 13 years of age - surely that's a good thing.
Thanks for sparking those memories T - I was in a school on Friday and the music teacher had quote on her classroom door - it read - 'without music...life would be a journey through a desert'.
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5 comments:
Tone pointed me in your direction. I didn't see many gigs until I met him - after University - the few gigs I saw before that were Fairground Attraction at the Queen's Theatre in Burslem in 1986, INXS at the NEC and Billy Joel at Wembley. At the Fairground Attraction gig Brian Kennedy was the support and I was completely spellbound. I waited for his album to come out - it was 3 years until it did and then T and I saw him at the Wheatsheaf. INXS was a fantastic gig - it was an all day-er - the Hothouse Flowers and Debbie Harry (very bad!) were also on the bill. Michael Hutchence was so sexy!
Not sure whether the live shows I have attended can be described as gigs,(and could not be more diverse) but I took my daughter who was about 10years old at the time, to see KYLIE MINOGUE at the N.E.C. in Birmingham, when she first launched her pop career.
Also got tickets last year (and expensive they were too - £107 each)to take my Mum to see PAVAROTTI at Chatsworth House, but unfortunately the show was cancelled because he had developed a throat infection. (We obviously had our money refunded - but it was disappointing at the time)
Am now waiting to see if it will be re-staged at some future date. (hope so)
I think that this year i'm going to try and go to some gigs. I've never actually gone to a big gig. The only ones' i've seen are my friends' bands and a blues group at the leek arts festival. There's loads af bands i like, it's just something i haven't got around to yet. I'll makesure i go to the big Donnington festival this year.
hya,
well i think i'm yet to have my best gig of all time, and to be honest the 1 i think ud take the top spot is 1 that could never happen. It'd be queen! Freddie was a leg-end!
purkul
x
I thought I'd left a comment here yesterday about seeing Queen in concert in 1980, but it seems to have disappeared.
In my opinion, it was just at the point when Queen started to decline, so I'm glad to have seen them then.
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