You've Been Gigged

17 July 2008 - Leonard Cohen, O2

2008-07-24T13:28:00.002+01:00

For much of the audience, this was an "at long last" event and one we had hardly dare dream of. Despite his age, some 74 years young, Mr Cohen nailed it from the very first song - and kept up the good humour and high standards right through. 'Hallelujah' brought the audience to its feet, in every sense reclaiming the song as his own. Having seen Rufus Wainwright perform this at the Hop Farm earlier, there seems to be a special magic attaching to this number - sing it with conviction, whoever you are, and it will win the day. 'A Thousand Kisses Deep' - recited to a silent, rivetted house - was entirely moving. All in all the audience were as delighted to be there as Leonard was - and his graceful good humour and humility was an example to all.

8 July 2008 - Panic at the Disco, London Astoria

2008-07-24T13:20:00.003+01:00

The Astoria

It’s a real shame that this superb little venue is to be torn down to make way for the Crossrail Link. It looks like a seedy Soho dive on the outside but inside it is a seedy dive with just the right size capacity for a medium-level gig.

Security for the 14-17s was really tight, so the message is bring the ‘rents if you want to avoid hassle (if that’s not an oxymoron). Turning up with your big brother or sister really won’t do, and you’ll be forced to produced passport ID on the spot to prove your age. Not that I could see what the fuss was all about once we got inside. There is no way any of the kids would miss a nano-second of front-of-stage bopping and screaming to even consider looking at the bars.

Two supports – Carter Jonas (parental-advisory lyrics), very Remi Nichol; The Golden Silvers – who amazingly to me were joint winners of the Glastonbury New Talent contest this year. Main act – very slick and professional Panic at the Disco. If “Nine in the Afternoon” hasn’t yet hooked itself into your brain, it soon will have.

6 July 2008 - Neil Young, The Hop Farm

2008-07-21T22:00:00.008+01:00

Festival time - that means the great outdoors and fresh air and sunshine and rain. The Hop Farm paddock is a neat enough site - the ground slopes gently up towards the stage and the acoustics were good - but as far as the traffic logistics went - what a nightmare, one entrance and one exit! If they're thinking of holding this event next year, someone should send Kent constabulary over to the V Festival pronto to see how things should be done.

So - arrived too late for the Guillemots - sorry, but you did sound good from the car park. Rufus Wainwright next, sparking in the pouring rain and once I'd got over my bout of brolly rage (you're standing in a field fer chrissake!) The sun burst out from behind the clouds the moment he starting to sing "Hallelujah" - nice touch that, festival gods.

My Morning Jacket began with a seventies throw-back sound - not unlike John Denver's 'Welcome to My Morning' (just imagine what must have seeped into their subconscious minds when they were little dudes) - but soon pulled out the Flying Vs to get on with some serious head banging. Supergrass were engaging and won the audience over, but Primal Scream didn't seem to get it on - at all.

Nearly six hours after arrival, patience and camel-like tactics paid off (thinking don't eat, don't drink, don't even move) and it was time for the man himself, the king of dirty rock guitar, Mister Neil Young, inspiration for a legion of rockers. The two hours was barely enough to sample a career of such length, of wonderful bravura and devil-may-care musicianship - as if declaring "I'm still here, and I'm still up for it!" Ending with an inspiring "Day in the life" - wonderful. Yes kids, the man did play the Beatles. They're good, these oldies, aren't they!

31 May 2008 - Bruce Springsteen, Emirates Stadium

2008-07-15T22:13:00.004+01:00

It was big, it was rugged, it was your down-to-earth purpose-built entertainment - and that's just the venue. Sadly, the sound was lost even though Bruce did his best to get things moving as the light faded and the torches came out. Quite something to come out of a gig and be escorted by police all the way to the tube - just like a real football crowd I guess.

24 May 2008 - Richard Thompson with Mary Gauthier, Royal Festival Hall

2008-05-26T16:45:00.004+01:00

Double Treat - no, make that Triple Treat

It was good to see Mary Gauthier in London again - this time in her classiest UK venue yet, in support of Richard Thompson at the South Bank concert hall. Mary was in fine form as she gave the Thompson audience a "sampler" set from 'I Drink' and 'Camelot Motel' to the most recent 'Last of the Hobo Kings'. After battling courteously with the lack of feedback in the opening number, Mary wrapped us up in her spell of tales from life on the road and the hurt of post-Katrina New Orleans. Her wry tales between songs are a feature of her performances; tonight there was only time for the back-story to 'Hobo Kings' - which raised much laughter. I think Mary won quite a few converts - if the brisk trade around the cd table was anything to go by - and hopefully she'll be back soon.

Richard Thompson put on a masterful solo performance - as ever making light work of sounding like a full band, rather than a lone guitarist. Only a few songs in, he gallantly abandoned his set-list to play requests - 'Cold Kisses', 'Valerie' etc - although he drew the line at 'My Daddy'. 'Dad's Gonna Kill Me' thrilled again, as did 'Vincent' - but 'Bright Lights' is better sung as a duet. And on it went - preaching to the converted. There were no real surprises until the second encore when he introduced his daughter Kamila for a couple of numbers - her voice very reminiscent of her mother's. Rather like the Wainwright/McGarrigles, the talented Thompson clan is clearly another folk/rock dynasty - look them up at a festival near you this summer.

13 May 2008 - Willie Nelson, Hammersmith Apollo

2008-05-26T16:40:00.003+01:00

The gigs this months are a bit like buses - nothing for ages, then along come several at once. Still, it doesn't do to pass up the chance to see the big W. Audience was full of die-hard Brit fans and teary-eyed Texans as Mr Nelson gave a faultless performance - stronger and better than before. If this is what it's like to be 75 then can I have some of what he's on, please - and lots of it.

12 May 2008 - Chess in Concert, Royal Albert Hall

2008-05-25T17:03:00.008+01:00

Taking a Bow - (courtesy of http://www.icethesite.com/)

Tim, Benny and Bjorn have been tinkering with this musical for a quarter of a century now, but they may at last be on to something. Don't be fooled by the "in concert" tag either - this was almost a full-blown musical with orchestra, choir, two sets of dancers, fireworks, the RAH organ and of course the fantastic lead vocals.

This show attracted a wide audience - from the Grobanites (who knew they were in for a treat), to Abba fans and musical afficionados. Knowing they were being filmed (for cd and dvd) the cast and orchestra gave it their all - no doubt the audio problems will be sorted out in the mixing studio. Josh Groban's powerful voice was outstanding - and obviously a pleasant surprise for those unfamiliar with his talents. Idina Menzel's performance was somewhat scratchy in the first half, good support from Adam Pascal, David Bedella and Marti Pellow, but the new discovery for me was Kerry Ellis, whose "I Know Him So Well" has finally blasted Elaine Paige's voice out of my head. 'Quartet' sung by the principals was absolutely thrilling, the choir's 'Merano' was a joy and 'Anthem', with which Josh closed the first half, was perfection. An evening of total delight - and we rewarded the cast with a five-minute standing ovation. Hopefully everyone can enjoy this when it comes out on general release!

3 March, 2008 - Rod Thomas, The Macbeth, Hoxton

2008-03-06T22:08:00.005Z

Launch party for 'You Get Goodbyes'

Packed out night for the launch of Rod's new single 'You Get Goodbyes' - a catchy number which turns the usual end-of-relationship angst on its head, in an upbeat celebration of honesty and moving on. Toe-tapping-tastic. Check out the 'B' side too, for the gorgeous 'Debris' (now that really is a sad break-up song) and multi-layered acoustic versions of two earlier hits 'Good Coat' and 'Your Love is a Tease'.

A brilliant set from the multi-talented Mr Rod, and he even got the audience included in the loop as chorus to his ukulele number 'That's How It Is'. Check out his Myspace for more gigs and go dance your socks off.

1 February 2008 - Stackridge, 100 Club, Oxford Street W1

2008-03-02T18:29:00.002Z

Lummy, Stackridge are back!

YBG debated long and hard over this one - nostalgia for the Colston Hall, Bristol and all - but, s*d it, everyone deserves a mid-winter treat, so off down to the Dad pit it was. Labelled in the press as 'Prog-rock', the moniker doesn't do this band any favours - they're quirky and unique, dating from the time when the 'Prog' bit applied to just about anyone who wrote a song over 3.5 mins long. To the basic line-up (guitars, keyboard, drums) add violins, flute, trombone and you start to get the idea. Top this with catchy lyrics (famously the student favourite, Syracuse the Elephant) and you're nearly there. But performance and execution is all - and this they had in spades.

It was good to see most of the original line-up too - Andy Davis, James Warren, Mutter Slater and Jim 'Crun' Walters, plus fine contributions from Glen Tommey and Andrew "Codge" Marsden. Sarah Mitchell and Rachel Hall on violin added the essential string section to Stackridge's unique sound. The band seemed reconciled to the fact that the Stackridge brand is bigger than their individual musical careers and are making sure that this is (at long last) their big comeback year. The delighted punters were of the variety who would book Genesis for their school dance BITD and a hero's welcome was given to the die-hard who had flown in from New York for the occasion. Happy in the Lord were we.

A new album is promised for the summer and the band returns to the 100 Club on 23 May - go and see for yourselves - I promise it'll be fun (and it's not that often you can say that these days).

8 December 2007 - Hello Goodbye + Sherwood + Go-Audio, Folkestone

2008-01-27T17:46:00.000Z

Folkestone never fails to please.

Back to the excellent Leas Cliffs Pavillion - on chaperone duties this time. The RW band (see below) noted the place was like a school hall - well this was Folkestone's Christmas high school hop. The place was heaving with kids having a good time - couples snogging in the corridors, girls crying/throwing up in the loos, lads over-moshing in the mosh-pit, girls girly dancing and the queue for the sweet stall longer than the queue for the bar. Still, the view from up in the Mom'n'Dad pit was excellent.

Another four-act gig - can't remember the first, but second-up Go-Audio were really good. A defo for 2008 festivals, please. Third-up Sherwood - ok, but was that soundcheck really part of the act, lads? Hello Goodbye v good indeed - audience thought they were ace and went mental enjoying themselves - which is always the aim of a good evening.

22 November 2007 - Amy Winehouse, Remi Nicole, Brixton Academy

2008-01-01T17:05:00.000Z

Yes, I know this show was ages ago, but I wanted to process my shock before writing anything. I'm glad someone eventually had the guts to pull the rest of Amy's tour - this night did her no favours at all.

The warm-up - the likeable Remi Nicole - played a competent set, but was let down by her material. I mean you soon get bored with lyrics along the lines of "My boyfriend's c**p, I told him so, Oh-oh-oh-oh, Oh-oh-oh-oh.." (my words, not hers, but you get the idea). Anyway, not bad all round but then there was over an hour to wait before the headliner. Management kept the pa music up loud - every time it dipped you could hear the booing. At last Miss Winehouse put in an appearance - of which you will have read plenty elsewhere. Enough to say, that she has enough talent to become truly great - the building blocks are there (such a stunning voice) - let's hope she overcomes her troubles soon.

15 November 2007 – Rod Thomas + si-cut.db, The ICA

2007-11-18T17:32:00.000Z

A Roundhouse/ICA collaboration

Concentrate, because this blog gets a bit art-house now. The proposition, as cooked up by Henry T’s Entertainment and Nick Luscombe, was to hook up two musicians in a roots’n’shoots’ collaboration, to see what they produce – the Anderson principle here being that for every 1000 near-misses, the occasional success will make the whole thing worthwhile. The set – a bit of Doug, a bit of Rod and then the collaboration - the result of 10 weeks rehearsals at the Roundhouse.

Now the keener reader of this blog will have noticed that I know Rod Thomas’ music quite well – from the unplugged sound in the tiled corridors beneath Liverpool Street Station, to noisy bashes in the livelier bars of Hoxton and Shoreditch. This time Rod had a real theatre to play in, with good acoustics and a professional sound system – oh, and the happy accident of seating – focussing the audience’s attention, which performers can struggle with at Indie gigs.

On the other hand, I don’t know a lot about si-cut.db (Doug Benford), but I can see where he’s coming from and he is clearly well-respected in his own circle; back in May he performed in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern, so I guess that puts him firmly in the experimental musician category.

So, back to the roots’n’shoots premise – established/emerging musician, old ways in collaboration with new ways. Well, not quite. In fact the whole preconception is turned on its head. The ‘elder’ party being an electronic techno-wizard – his sole set a composition of music files - layered, pulsing, overlapping and echoing; electronica in free-form with no two performances ever the same. That said, I think his style is more suited to recorded cds rather than a live theatre performance. As he sat slaving over a hot lap-top, I found myself wanting to see what was on his computer screen – was he moving files around in time to the music, or was he watching the swirls from Media Player? The projector screen above his head was begging to be filled with pictures - give this man an interactive whiteboard, please!

The counterpoint to si-cut is young Rod, who has gone back to music’s purer roots, using ‘old’ technology to record and loop real sounds as he goes along, so that he too builds a unique performance each time. And – and he sings. Rod showed what he could do with a loop pedal, handclaps, keyboard and guitar, putting in a short set of his beatier tunes, including ‘Your Love is a Tease’, ‘You’re So Disco’, ‘Good Coat’ and ‘As If’ – one man band meets disco/folk – erm, it really is his own niche.

For the joint performance Rod and Doug presented a set which displayed their respective skills, at the same time showing how two individualists can work respectfully together to produce something new and rather special. Someone had the brainwave of adding graphics – step forward Matt Collet, whose themed films worked a treat and were the necessary third element (see Youtube clip here.) Taking the theme of Play Room, they used different combinations of their respective styles to cast an imaginative spell where electronica gave way to pure notes, and back, sometimes both mixing together under a pulsating overhead echo. Laptop, guitar, keyboard, ukulele, piano, melodica, glockenspiel and vocals were all used (what, no stylophone?). There were instrumental pieces and sung melodies too – the heartbreaker ‘Plastic Lullabye’ being one of the highlights.

Dues were paid to each musician’s particular style, but I couldn’t help wondering which of them gained the most from this collaboration. Rod had the edge in terms of vocals and the sheer number of instruments at his command but there is no doubting si-cut’s über-cool technical skills. It added a spark to see him come out from behind that laptop to play the glockenspiel and keyboard – maybe next time he could sing too.

So hats off to the performers and lots of cred to the brains behind the project. Look them up here for more information and pod casts to download. I'm told there will be an i-tunes EP in 2008 also.

30 October 2007 – Rufus Wainwright, Hammersmith Apollo

2007-11-14T21:38:00.000Z

My final date in this fantastic year of Rufus (although DVD of Palladium performance due in early December). Rufus’s audiences are always an interesting mix of young and old, gays, gals and guys and the large circle bar at Hammersmith is a good place to mingle with the (RWMB) fans, the glitterati and the metropolitan crowd. Had a really interesting chat with two Americans who had been fans of Rufus since whenever and one of whom (like yours truly) had seen R’s mother and aunt - Kate and Anna McGarrigle – perform BITD. So missed the support act completely – apologies to Sean Matthews.

Rufus and band were even more “broochilicious” than before and the set has held up well, with more back catalogue material finding its way onto the set list. Thank you, thank you for including ‘Consort’ – such a beautiful song. The dear boy is working his neenies off this year, what with the Judy project, the new album and world tour and all – come back soon, London loves you, honey!

20 October 2007 – Richard Thompson, The Roundhouse

2007-10-24T22:16:00.000+01:00

A circular tale

One of the grand old men of folk-rock, Richard Thompson drew the audience into a neat circular tale at the superb Roundhouse. He would have us believe that he train-spotted there back in 1959, returning for some hi-jinks in the 60s/70s – pointing out the spot where someone set their hair on fire, right up to the present day where he was playing to a mixed bunch of former train-spotting hippie types and showing the young ’uns a thing or two. (Industrial) circle of life in the old turntable shed, or what – I could go on with the metaphors, but I’ll spare you …

Thompson and his three-piece band played a selection from his excellent new album ‘Soldier of Fortune’ and included a few oldies too. There were nods to Maddy Prior and Linda Thompson – ‘Bright Lights’ sounding odd when sung by two male voices. Ever a protest singer, his latest lambast at the Iraq war (Bag) ‘Dad’s Gonna Kill Me’ is a fierce denunciation of the situation the ordinary grunts find themselves in. But folk is not his only strength – this guy can really punish an electric guitar too – as in rock guitar, not thrash rock guitar.

So an excellent night in an excellent venue (Mary Gauthier could fill this house with a proper bit of promotion – see below). Lots of Dad dancing, Dad air guitar and Dad rock – the young ‘uns seemed to like it too.

14 October 2007 – Mary Gauthier, Arts Theatre

2007-10-23T22:26:00.000+01:00

A small West End theatre is not the ideal venue for Mary Gauthier. With an act far better suited to bar-rooms and stand-up venues, this seemed a strange choice for Mary’s only London date on her 2007 tour. Comparing with her Bristol gig at St Bonaventure’s Social Club, I am guessing that this was a showcase for industry-type guests. It seemed that the fans were seated from Row G back, with guests to the front or even upstairs. Not that there’s anything wrong with hearing gems from the back catalogue, ‘Drag Queens and Limousines’, ‘Camelot Motel’ and ‘I Drink’ to name a few, but there are songs from her new album ‘Between Daylight and Dark’ that deserved an outing. So the very moving ‘Thanksgiving’ gave way to ‘Christmas in Paradise’ as a selection from Mary’s repertoire of “miserable holiday songs” and so on. Another surprising omission was ‘Soft Place to Land’. But enough carping – we can all think up our dream gig.

Mary’s stories, like her songs, are full of truth and wit, particularly when explaining why she’s “a freak” in Nashville, as she can’t sing the usual he-loved-me-and-left-me songs – “that wouldn’t be honest”, she said with a wink. Lots of powerful songs too, with ‘Mercy Now’ (Iraq) and ‘Can’t Find The Way’ (Katrina) being the most topical.

If Mary’s playing at a dive near you, then don’t miss out – you’re in for a treat.

05 September 2007 – Rod Thomas, Hoxton Bar and Kitchen

2007-10-21T16:16:00.000+01:00

“Let’s dance”

I wrote earlier about a gig with a snappy 30-minute slot at the Spitz – well this was Rod Thomas headlining for his home crowd. Opening with his current single ‘Your Love Is A Tease’, Rod then stormed his way through a set of superbly-crafted lyrics set to folkie-pop tunes and genuinely grin-making dance-your-socks-off beats. Others have commented that the lack of a band can be a drawback, but Rod was fully the master of his tricky loop system. This talented Welshman’s assured mix of acoustic guitar and/or loop pedal numbers delivered an infectious set of get-up-and-dance delights. Liverpool Street Station’s favourite busker, make sure you catch him live – utterly brilliant.

August 2007 - Barcelona

2007-10-17T22:10:00.000+01:00

Busker in the Barri Gothic

Not much happening in August, unless you fancy yet another festival of all the 'K' bands (Kaiser Chiefs, Kooks, etc) and the obligatory Amy Winehouse no-show. So to Barcelona - which by the way is a good place to spot buskers, too.

04 July 2007 – Rod Thomas, The Spitz, Shoreditch

2007-10-16T22:14:00.000+01:00

Sadly, The Spitz is now no more – it’s Commercial Street site has been given over to the developers – let’s hope it resurfaces someplace else – preferably soonish.

More Rules – Indie Gigs (Shut up, already!)

Your bar tab will be more than the cost of entry.
Given the entry/drinks price ratio, some punters natter away loudly as if in a pub (which they are really) – so be warned.
Up to four acts per show – expect short sets.
Start late, finish late.

Rod Thomas by day is a busker on the London Underground (yes, the one who makes you catch your breath). By night he becomes a one-man-band outfit with guitar, keyboard, loop pedal and handclaps. Buskers’ “sets” last around 30 seconds, the time it takes to walk past them, so turned up out of curiosity to hear the full versions and was glad I did. Using a live loop pedal means that Rod has to enter the various layers (handclaps, backing lines and so on) before the song can get going. This looks tricky, but the end effect is a gorgeous multi-layered sound – something of an art form here. So a short set of up-beat songs – you can catch samples on his Myspace site – with my favourite, As If. Definitely a feel-good experience, a mixture of folk and pop, but not schmaltzy - Rod has a way with words and there’s always a phrase or two to chew on. Go see for yourself. Go soon.

27 June 2007 – Rufus Wainwright, Leas Cliffs Hall, Folkestone

2007-10-10T22:48:00.000+01:00

(Above, Rufus morphing into Loudon?)

This time it’s not so much the show, it’s more to do with the venue. Leas Cliffs Hall is a hidden gem – one of the best-kept secrets on the concert circuit. It must have started life as a regular seaside ballroom. Now it makes for a wonderfully intimate venue for any sort of act with spot-on acoustics. The hall literally perches on the side of a sheer cliff – the entrance is via a small structure at street level, then you descent two flights of stairs to a small but perfectly-formed, wooden-floored hall. The stage was set along one of the long walls with a wide standing area in front and some seating in a small gallery opposite. Bars in ante-rooms at either end completed a perfect set up. Tip – if a band you’re interested in is to play Folkestone, don’t hesitate, pick up the phone or mouse and book – you won’t regret it. My spies tell me the likes of Motorhead play there, even if it means you’re deaf for a week afterwards.

Rufus and band were clearly taken with the place too – lots of quips about it being like playing at a Barmitzva, or “you kinda expect the floor to open up and there’s a swimming pool”. His Rufusness had spent the afternoon “sitting in my room looking at the ocean while listening to opera and playing with my jewels with the door locked.” Ouch – that’s not (quite) as bad as it sounds – fans have been sending in brooches so that Rufus has enough to deck out his whole band. Just picture this – before each show he sits before the huge jewellery box and doles out items as he sees fit .. and collects them all in at the end of the show. Sometime, if they’ve been good, they get to keep one. Yes, I know, mind-boggling isn’t it.

As for the show – because the songs and the band had settled in so well, and because of the very special venue – this really was a wonderful evening. With the stage so close it was possible for Rufus to interact with the audience properly – he could see we were having a rocking time, so that fed back into the performance. For the spoken section of ‘Between My Legs’ Rufus could see several of us evidently knew the words so he decided on the spot to “let you guys” do the piece – nice idea, but we weren’t miked up. Top marks for the thought, though. Yes, I have lost my critical faculties over this one – but many agree that this was a rather special evening. It almost makes you afraid to go to another show for fear of spoiling the memory. (Well, not for too long.) I’d be hard-pressed to pick out the best moment, but I think ‘Macushla’ did it again. Rufus, honey, you were perfect.

24 June 2007 – Aerosmith/Chris Connor/Jet, Hyde Park, London

2007-10-07T22:33:00.000+01:00

To Hyde Park on a very damp Sunday. Festival Rules here, so a quick look at the merchandise then on to the main stage. Crowd very crowded, herding together to shelter from rain – hah!

Jet played a competent set (in a hey-we’re-supporting-the-mighty-Aerosmith-kinda-way), followed by a commendable performance by Chris Connor. Audience were soaked through by that point and getting a bit tetchy about it. However Chris earned muchos respect y kudos by venturing out onto the stage’s apron and getting soaked too. Big “aah” moment when he brought on his own little guys to sing with their Dad.

Aerosmith - So on to the main act. Stage hands sweeping water off the runway, putting out the fairy lights and deckchairs, the whole bit. Just to amuse itself, the crowd alternately booed or cheered two of the sweepers – must have been worrying for the one who got booed. Rain easing up a bit and then, voila! – out comes the sun and the stars. Messrs Tyler, Perry and co ripped their way through a set packed with anthemic standards – this is not the crowd quietly mumbling-alonga-Bob, this is the full-volume, air-punching, audience-louder-than-the-band type experience.

Thanks to the runway (essential – please note, everybody) had the surreal experience of being about 6 feet away from a spot-lit Tyler and Perry while they sang against the backdrop of a darkening stormy sky. The biz, every second of it.

28 May 2007 – Rufus Wainwright, The Old Vic Theatre, London

2007-10-04T21:57:00.000+01:00

Rufus Wainwright – The Old Vic – each one made for the other. A mid-week evening during the week-long residency, the curtain-raiser on RW’s most ambitious tour so far – UK, US, Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia well into 2008. The theme is Stars and Stripes, the stage decorated with a huge black and white star spangled banner, Rufus and band decorated in stars (brooches) and stripes (jazzy, stripey mis-matched suits and shirts). I quote: “It’s great to have a band – they do as I say and I get to dress them like faggots.” Well, you all looked lovely, guys.

Oh yes, the show – mostly the luscious ‘Release The Stars’ collection, but with a few oldies and Garlands thrown in. Obligatory costume change from dazzling suit to lederhosen (oh my) to fedora tux’n’tights for the finale. As an experiment Rufus sang an old Irish folk song, ‘Macushla’, acapella – you could’ve heard a pin drop. Apparently this was at his mother’s request “Whatever Mamma says, Rufus does!” (such a good boy). So it was tear-jerker one moment, then we were ripped along to the full-on Judy Garland finale of “Get Happy” – see various Youtube clips for the full delirious experience. Audience left gagging for more – just as it should be.

25 May 2007 – Josh Groban, Birmingham Symphony Hall

2007-10-03T21:46:00.000+01:00

'Awake' tour.

With only two UK dates, it was a choice between Hampton Court with doubtful weather and the guaranteed acoustics of distant Birmingham – the day trip to Brum won.

This likeable young performer already has a devoted following of ladies (the Grobanites) – the gig trademark being glowsticks (see Dec 2004). Combine a seriously good venue (a modern, wooden-panelled hall with the ultimate design for acoustics and sight lines) with a seriously good artist (with the ultimate voice for depth and reach) and you have pretty much a perfect evening. One fly in the ointment for me - the West-coast banter was a bit cheesy at times, along the lines of “..even the guys here love me because they brought along the ladies who love me, and they’ll be getting their (“thanks”) later …” Cringe.

Enough of the negative, get back to the voice. Josh’s voice is clear and mesmerising – it’s like listening to opera without the difficult bits. Every song is moving, whether sung in English, Spanish or Italian. There was quite a bit of joshing around with the band, particularly the drummer who had been teaching him “a few tricks” – only turned out to be a 5-minute drum solo from JG which shook a few rafters. Also to be mentioned was a fantastic violin solo (Led Zeppelin) from Lucia Micarelli.

I’m thinking New Three Tenors, I’m thinking Josh Groban, I’m thinking Enrique Inglesias, I’m thinking (fill in your own suggestion) but, hey, Harvey Goldsmith – how about it?

09 & 14 May 2007, Rufus Wainwright (in-store appearances)

2007-10-03T09:06:00.000+01:00

At HMV and Virgin Megastore, Central London, to promote ‘Release The Stars’

Ok, this is the UK Year of Rufus. Thought I’d check out the store previews as a bit of fun. Some more rules:

Store appearance rules:

HMV – turn up early and join the scrum at the back of the store while they block of aisles and set up the stage.

Virgin – basement stage . For wrist-band entry queue early in the morning to buy cd and get entry wristband for later show. Tip – if you just roll up on time you can get a pretty good view from the stairs above.

At HMV the chief prop was Rufus’ sequined scarf with a sequined bear attached. Apparently the naughty dangling bear with interfering with said performer’s performance (you fill in the quote ….) Anyways, first of all were the standard warm-ups ‘Pretty Things’ and ‘Vibrate’, followed by two of the newies ‘ Sanssouci’ and the very moving ‘Going To A Town’. Definitely most promising – definitely looking forward to Old Vic later in the month.

Virgin Megastore. Unable to spend all morning in a queue, took a chance and rolled up a lunchtime for a stairwell spot – excellent view (big thank-you to my tipster at HMV). This time Rufus had his band in tow, including the fabulous Hall and Petruzzelli. More of a buzz to this showlet – Rufus genuinely pleased so many had turned out to see him -and a pleasant surprise for passers by. Hubby on phone to wife “I’m in Virgin and guess who’s playing ….?” Never mind what was he doing spending his lunchtime in town while she was stuck at home – you can just picture it - “That’s nice, dear,” wifey thinking “Lucky so-and-so!”

Live UK premieres of ‘Release The Stars’ and ‘Rules and Regulations’, repeat of ‘Sanssouci’, old standard ‘Art Teacher’ and finishing with ‘Going To A Town’. All compelling, kicking band – looking good for the UK tour.

15 April 2007 – Bob Dylan, Wembley Arena

2007-09-13T22:32:00.000+01:00

Overheard: “Daddy, Daddy, which one’s Dylan?” - “The one in the hat, son.”

‘Modern Times’ tour.

Further Rules of Dylan:

Expect to stand in the stalls, even if you happen to have a seat. There still exist people who are outraged when the front audience stand for Dylan.
More accessible Dylan = wider audience. Wider audience = take the kids (Ok, guilty as charged, but it’s a duty, right?)

Bob and his cool dudes returned to Wembley to promote the most ace ‘Modern Times’ album. On top form, Dylan even played a few songs on guitar (a first for me). Very wide audience this time – lots of kids brought to the shrine of Bob by caring parents (it’s an education, after all, to see the greatest living poet since John Keats). Even if the kids couldn’t see much, they were impressed by what they heard. His Bobness was on top form, playing the best of the excellent newies, as well as a hefty selection of Dylan classics. The set enhanced the general mood of laid-back, good-times toe-tapping bluesy-folk, and I think the mighty one was enjoying himself as much as we were. Ace times.

18 February 2007 – Rufus Wainwright, London Palladium

2007-09-11T22:45:00.000+01:00

The ‘Judy Garland’ Show (first night)

The long-awaited Rufus-does-Judy show finally touched down in London for a starry-starry night at the spiritual home of music theatre. As it was a Sunday (Sound of Music’s night off) the theatre was packed with more luvvies and media types than you could shake a stick at – Sian Phillips, Sir Ian McKellen, Richard E Grant, Ray Davies, David Furnish et al ..

The audacious idea was to recreate Judy Garland’s legendary 1961 show (also performed at the Palladium BITD) song by song. This seems to be something of a life-long ambition for Rufus – the programme note by mother Kate tells of a young Rufus listening almost in paid to worthy folk songs but coming alive when she played a Broadway hit – “That’s what I wanna learn!”

This was no camped-up traipse through Judy-land, this was the genuinely felt channelling of a much-loved singer, with Rufus – as he does – “becoming” the song each time. Obviously there had to be some re-arrangements to allow for his vocal range, and a few songs were turned over to Lorna Luft (Garland’s daughter) and his sister Martha Wainwright. Even so, a whole range of styles were covered that night – no surprise really that he can sing jazz as well as he can sing anything else. The most moving of all was ‘Over the Rainbow’, which Rufus sang sitting on the edge of the stage – I swear I saw a tear in his eye at the end.

What else can I say – this was what theatres were built for.