As I’d been enjoying my mini Skunk Anansie tour, I decided to also go to the Newcastle gig. (Surprisingly, i felt really well, considering the circumstanses) I arrived back from Leeds on Saturday afternoon,around 15.30. Had a few hours at home. Then Sunday morning I got a train up to Newcastle.
I’ve gone up to Newcastle to see various bands at the “City Hall” & also “The Mayfair”(R.I.P) even one time the University.
I’m going to see Skunk Anansie in Newcastle for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I’ve REALLY enjoyed this mini tour. Secondly I’ve never been to the Academy. Lastly, I want to do a reckie for where The Riverside venue is. Reason for that is I’m going there later in the year to see “Berlin” there.
Got to Newcastle on time, then i went to find “Roomzzz”. Quite close to the station. This version of Roomzzz is relatively new, even though it looks old outside.
The “Grab & Go” breakfast is pretty much the same as other places, except for one thing ; there’s no seating area to have the food ! But that should soon be sorted out, as they’re extending the property. My room was great (Could I have been upgraded ?) :
Asked the chap at reception how to get to the “Riverside Venue”, it seemed pretty straight forward. Only thing was, there were a LOT of steps to go down to the quayside. But I was also told the best way back is to head towards the Castle & it’s pretty much flat that way back.
Great thing was there’s a Wetherspoons very close to the Riverside.
Jobs a good un !
Made my way back towards the hotel, then went to find the Academy venue. Was easy to find & again not far from Roomzzz. Think I got in the venue through a side door (It’s great when you have a AAA pass) I had food from the bands catering again. Eventually, there was one table full of band members & crew (I was on a separate table). The young lad who had jammed with them, during the AC/DC cover, sat on the same table as me. He was quite timid, but as he’s only 15 years old, it can be expected. I had a little chat with him. Seemed to be a cool kid. When everyone finished the food, all of the storage etc was took away to make room for the people that were attending the gig. (BTW, i must say, the cooks did some very tasty food. Totally appreciated it. Thanks to the band etc for letting me indulge 😉
Another great thing about tonight was that Queen Zee weren’t supporting. Tonight it was the “Pearl Hearts”. Really like them. I watched them
soundchecking (As Ace & Cass also did). This band once opened up for Garbage so i already knew I was going to enjoy them.
After PH soundcheck, there was a table put in the middle of the floor. What could that be for ?
It seemed that the TM & security had a meeting about tonight
Skunk played pretty much the same setlist most nights :
Charlie Big Potato, Because Of You, All In The Name Of Pity, I Can Dream, Charity, My Ugly Boy, Twisted, Weak, Cheap Honesty, Love Someone Else,
I Believed In You ,God Loves Only You , Without You, Hedonism ,This Means War, Intellectualise My Blackness, Tear The Place Up.
Encore Secretly , What You Do for Love, Highway to Hell (AC/DC cover), The Skank Heads, Little Baby Swastikkka.
Here’s all of the songs I filmed :
When they came back for the encore, most of the band were wearing T-Shirts relating to Cass. It was his birthday today 🙂
After the show had finished, there was an after show party. Pretty sure it was in the Academy 2, as it had a bar & a stage. I was getting quite tired by now, so I made my way back to the hotel. Little did I know about the problems I was going to face on my return journey ! The train leaving Newcastle was late getting away. Also late arriving into York. So I missed my connection 🙁 There was a Hull trains service, but, I couldn’t use my ticket on that train. I got the next LNER train. When arriving into Grantham I also missed another train (due to be delayed earlier). So basically I was 2hours late getting home ! I applied for “Delay Repay”, but they only gave half of the cost of the return journey. Bar stewards ! I didn’t bother to go all through the forms contesting it. I certainly had a FUCKIN great time in Newcastle though 🙂
Here’s a few photos I took
Tuesday I’m going to Rock City & my mate Andy T is driving there n back….few 🙂
Was supposed to meet Lorah for this gig, but due to illness she couldn’t make it 🙁
I met Jim at the station. The hotel that I had booked is called “The Clayton Hotel”. Stayed there a few times over the years. It’s approx 15mins walk to there. Nice classy hotel. After we’d dropped bags of at hotel, we went in search of food. There’s a multitude of Wetherspoons in Leeds, but I chose “The Cuthbert Brodrick”. As always, it was rammed. Went upstairs & found a decent table.
After that, I think we went to the venue. Soon got in. Can’t remember if we saw all the soundcheck, but either way, eventually went up to the balcony. Chose the right side (Looking towards the stage) Pretty decent spot.
Again, I’m not going to do a full review of the gig, as Aerosmith would say “Let The Music Do The Talking” 🙂 (+photos)
They started with “Charlie Big Potato”,followed by “Because Of You”. (The majority of this tour they played the same setlist)
I thought “Weak” sounded as good as ever (Even though skin might disagree)
You can always tell they’re going to play “Hedonism” because “someone” gets into the light.
We then get a NEW song (to some of the crowd). Apparently they’ve not recorded it yet, hmm, “This Means War”. They finish with “Political” & “Tear The Place Up”
During the first encore they play “Secretly”, “What You Do for Love”, AC/DC cover & “The Skank Heads”
Of course, everyone wants more! So they do a 2nd encore of “You’ll Follow Me down” (Beautiful) & finish with “Little Baby Swastikkka”
What another great night it’s been !
Walked back to hotel & once there I was out like a light 🙂 The following morning, we go our separate ways on different trains…
I’ve been to Bristol a few times over the years (Think the last time was with Tess when we saw Royal Republic in 2016 when they played on a boat ! “Thekla”) I always stayed at The Travelodge cos it was cheap & I knew the route to Colston Hall OR The Hippodrome. But this time, the price of Travelodge was extortionate. So decided to stay at Premier Inn. As I’d not stayed there before, myself & Jim had a right game finding it. Just goes to show, you CANNOT rely on Google maps. I had the idea that we’d find the route to venue, then walk back to hotel (timing it), crash there for a while, then go back to the venue. Best laid plans eh ? When we finally got back to the hotel, I think it was Jim who said “Stay here for 15mins & then go back to the venue?”. As I’d lost all my energy wandering the streets of Bristol, there was no way that short stay would be any good. Think we stayed there more like just under an hour. Thanks to Jim, HE remembered the route back to the venue. I honestly didn’t have a clue where to go ! Looking back on it all, trying to have a bit a of a laugh about it, I wonder what the people would think of us? Jim holding his nose, as was having a nose bleed, myself eyes glazed over like I was a junkie !
Once we got in the venue i went straight to the position that I wanted to be in. Unfortunately, Mr Security didn’t think the same. So after a small argument, he took us to the disabled enclosure. Got front seats. Then a wheel chair arrived. Ok, move to the left. After a while Pete turned up & said something like “No two venues are the same, so this time you have to be here”. I understood that (before he said it) As he was leaving I called him back. ” Can you let the security know I will be taking photos & clips during the gig?” His reply was positive. Didn’t get any hassle during the gig 🙂
I’m not going to write a full review of the gig , but just to say, it’s ALWAYS a great gig SKUNK ANANSIE put on 🙂
Whilst there was an after show, I decided I REALLY needed S-L-E-E-P 🙂 (Also it was along ride back on various trains 😉
After the recent problems with trains, I decided to take an earlier departure from Boston. Left at 09.42 (1 min late)
Arrived Grantham, where I needed to change trains. Fortunately, the train going from Grantham was slightly delayed, so managed the change over.(There was originally a 10 min change). Upon arrival in Leeds, as I’d not been there for a while, I dropped off my bag at Clayton Hotel. (Couldn’t checkin till 2pm). I then walked to the venue & timed how long the walk was 😉 I was surprised to see a guy putting out barriers so early. There was also some work going on at the venue; pretty much all of the front was enclosed by scaffolding etc. Had a short chat to the guy, to check where I need to queue up. Once that was sorted, I went to get food 🙂 The Cuthbert Brodrick was the closest to the venue. After the grub, I made my way back to the hotel.
Forgot to say, somewhere on Neville Street, there were a group of protesters. The road was closed off to traffic & there was a high police presence. Once back at hotel, I could now check in. Decided to stay there & relax 😉
When I got back to the venue, there was still only a small queue. Someone said “Hello Simon”. It was Jonathan. Had a short chat, then he went back in the queue.
Getting in the venue was quite funny. Security had wands. I took my camera out of my pocket, then was wanded again. It beeped. I had a torch in my pocket. Wanded again, it beeped. Wanded again, it beeped. I had a small packet of mints in my pocket!
Wanded again! Finally I could go in ! I was took up to the balcony, couldn’t have expected it, but the front was reserved for disabled guests! I chose to go on left side & the lass said “Why don’t you go centre?” That was because there’s glass there on front row 😉 The Garbage set was pretty much the same as normal, opening with “Control”, followed by “#1 Crush” & the always present “Stupid Girl”. Just 3 songs in & the crowd is VERY LOUD ! Shirley says “Whoah ! Leeds this is so crazy ! Thank you so much.” She that talks about the last time they were here. Gestures to Steve & said they were talking backstage about the last time they we here was ’95 or ’96 ? Thanks to Radio 1, I can confirm it was in 1996. There are multiple bootleg versions of the gig at Leeds Metropolitan University from ’96.
Here’s a couple of scans of the boot CDs : They then play “Temptation Waits”
After that, we get the funky “Wicked Ways”. Then the more serious “No Horses”. Followed by “Dumb”. Whilst Shirley is having a problem with her in-ears, she takes the piss out of the guy trying to put them back in. She then has a little whiskey (Here’s hoping that this is not the start of messing thing up 😉 )
They then play “Special”. For those that are observant,towards the end,Shirley adds a few lines from The Pretenders song “Kid”.
Next up it’s “Blood For Poppies”(oof) followed by “On Fire”.
During “Empty”, Shirley REALLY sings it out
Next we get an old clasic,”Vow”. Next up is “Bleed Like Me”. Must confess, it’s not one of my favourite G songs.
Thankfully, it’s followed by an oldie but goodie “(I Think I’m) Paranoid” 🙂
Seems like we’re getting towards the end of the show now & they play a song that is timeless to me, “Push It”.
It gets the crowd up & jumping
They the play the early song “Only Happy When It Rains”. Looking down on the crowd, everybody seems to be going for it!
We’re then brought back to (the sad) reality of “Even Though Our Love Is Doomed”. I can certainly relate to this one 😉
They then walk off stage, during which, Duke gives a little wave to the balcony. But hey, don’t be sad & gloomy, there’s more to come !! What better song to finish the night with than “When I Grow Up”
So that’s it. Thought it was a great gig. Now I’ve got the 15minute walk, out in the cold, to my hotel. Btw, I’m not into Garbage as much as I used to be & was thinking “If this gig goes tits up, I doubt I’ll go see them again”. This gig semi-restored my faith in them 😉
Got there early. Jim got there before me. Went to have grub, checked into hotel. Then the fun n games started 😉 Was told to go to box office to collect our passes, but the box office wasn’t being used as Shinedown were doing a M&G. The security were really helpful…NOT ! I even asked a guy with a Shinedown laminate where we should go “try round the back”. Did that & still no progress. As we’d been there a while, i realised time was moving on & i hadn’t took my camera with me. So whilst i waited, Jim went back to the hotel to collect it & the spare battery ( Jim put a smile on my face when he came back 😉 ) Eventually we got in after a right old game. Of course, many people got in before us, so most of the prime seats were already taken. I spotted a couple on opposite side of balcony & we made our way there. Not perfect, but still good. Starset put on a typically classy show. The addition of the violins/cello was cool. (Before the gig, Adam had told me they were toying with the idea of playing an acoustic set. Personally, i didn’t think that would work as when your up against Shinedown playing full on loud rock show, i don’t think the crowd would appreciate it. Thankfully, they chose to do their usual show with additions of Violin/cello. It worked well)
Shinedown have some bloody great songs, but the thing that annoys me is that Brett has a tendency to talk a lot. Not only that, when you know the “….look to you left, look to you right” speech starts i often think how they could get another 2 or 3 songs in if that didn’t happen 😉 But saying that, they’re a well oiled machine & still put on a great show 🙂
After everything had finished we went to the back of the venue to meet Adam (Plays drums in Starset). Didn’t take long for him to appear. He invited us to go in their tour bus. Had a good, no GREAT long chat. He’s a good un is Adam. This is a photo took on my camera : And this is Adams selfie :Eventually it was time for us to leave & by sheer fluke/luck we walked round corner & Brett from Shinedown was still there. So the photo opportunity was took 😉
Back tracking a little bit…When i purchased the M&G package for Sheffield, there was a link for downloading the photos that were took with the band. Somehow, it didn’t seem to work 🙁 So i tried to contact Judy via FB. Pretty much at the same time, she emailed me saying “I actually wanted to reach out to you to see if you were coming to anymore shows, Brixton if I remember correctly, and wanted to see if you could come out to that M&G(free, of course) and let’s redo the group photo and make it a nice one worth framing, ehh?”. Yeah, i’m up for that ! A bit later, i found out that she wasn’t happy with the photos she took that night & was going to offer anyone else who was there a free M&G on the next tour. So this worked out fine for doing it again in Brixton.
Rob was meant to be going to tonight’s gig, but also today he was having an operation on his wrist.I had my doubts that he’d make it to the gig, so sent a msg to him asking if he could give his ticket to Kristina so that it wouldn’t go to waste.(He told me he’d already thought of that. Great minds…) The thinking behind this is that Anette is coming over from Norway ( to do a kind of interview with me) so maybe she could use said ticket. Oh yeah, Kristina had also managed to work it out with Judy that Rob could join for the M&G. So if he couldn’t make it, then obviously Anette could do it.
I’d already booked my trains a while back & i left Boston quite early. As Rob would be having the op & Kristina would be at work, i realised there wasn’t a chance to drop my bag off at Hotel Rob. So i took a smaller one as i’d have to take it into the venue.I’d arranged to meet Jim at Montagu Pyke later in the day (again, why change with tradition).When i changed train at Grantham, they’d cancelled the train i was taking to London! (Hull trains!) Barstewards! Managed to get on the next one, LNER, was super lucky to get a seat ! Got to London & one of the tube lines was closed, but didn’t matter as it wasn’t as i was in a rush 😉 Also, totally unexpected, i got a msg from Jorge that he’d be in London later on & was meeting with Kitti. Said they’ll try get tix for the show. I headed to Camden market for a look around. Wasn’t as busy as i thought it would be.Then went down to Tottenham Court Road to have a wander around. Ended up at FOPP & they had an absolute bargain (which i didn’t buy,as already have it) Had a bit more of a wander, reminiscing about the old LP/CD shops such as “Shades”. Really should have visited “Reckless Records” & “Sister Ray” but i didn’t want to wear myself out, as it was going to be a long day. I did consider going to “Flat Iron” for food, but as i was on my own & as ever, there was a wait for a table, i decided to not do it. Eventually went to Montagu Pyke, Jim & Paul were already there 😉 I’d not met Paul before,but he knew a lot about me as Jim had told him. He’s a decent chap, with a good sense of humour. Eventually we made our way to Brixton & for a change we went to the Beehive. Time was getting on & Anette hadn’t arrived yet. Think she got there around 5pm & the M&G was for 5.30. Couldn’t believe how much luggage she’d brought with her ! ( “Just the essentials”) There was quite a few people doing the M&G, so once again, i suggested we go last. When Judy was checking off peoples names, i had a quite word with her that i’d got something for the band, so would like a couple of extra photos if poss. Going in, bags were searched, it seemed to be quite a quick M&G today. Maybe cos of the numbers? We all had a group photo, then individual photos. Then finally a photo of me giving the band a present 🙂 I’d previously done this before when i saw them at Glasgow 2015 ( Read about it here https://www.gigaddiction.co.uk/halestorm-nothing-more-wilson-barrowlands-glasgow-scotland-6-3-15/ ).
I’d got them some marshmallows with photos of them ! The band seemed to again appreciate it & i doubt they’d last long before they were consumed (The cakes!) Once again, huge thanks to Judy for the great photos. I hadn’t took a proper pic of the box, so took one on the train down to London haha After the M&G we were all kicked out of the venue (as usual) & formed a queue again. Of course, if you had a bag with you, then security search it again. I still don’t get it how we can’t just stay in the venue,but gotta follow the protocols 🙂
I got a decent place on front row of balcony (well, i thought i had). As most times, i get talking with people near by. The lass next to me was moaning about how hard her life is…seemed to be making a mountain out of a mole hill…pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to cope with what I’ve been going through for the last 2 & half years 😉
Once again, “Rews” didn’t do anything for me. Seen it all before. Sorry. Sometime during the night, Jorge & Kitti came to see me. They then went to try get some seats, but i think the seats they went to were already occupied (Probably went to get merch or go for a pee!) So didn’t see them any more till briefly after the gig.
Once again, i really enjoyed “Avatar”! They’re great showmen. I even filmed one of their songs tonight
So, to the main act & what we’re all here for : Halestorm !
I think it’s great that they’re mixing the setlist up. Changing the order of songs & sometimes adding extras. I’m pretty sure it makes it more fun for the band & of course anyone who’s seeing multiple shows. Tonight they start with “Vicious”, then go straight into “Love Bites”. The screams/reaction from the crowd, when everyone realises they’re playing the classic “Love Bites” are quite amazing ! (However, i do have to say, from where i was, the sound wasn’t yet dialled in as it should be)
Next up, from their latest album “Vicious”, it’s “Skulls”. I’ve only managed to get to two shows on this tour, but I’ve noticed both times that “Skulls” goes down very well with the crowd. I’m pretty sure that for future tours, this will be kept in the setlist.
After that, they go back to the album “Into The Wildlife”. They play “I’m The Fire”. It’s a great song & really shows of Lzzys vocal prowess.
Next they play “Do Not Disturb”. Personally, i’m still a bit unsure about this one. Can’t make up my mind if it “plods along” or is “really heavy” ! Obviously, the subject matter of the lyrics is interesting though 🙂 I think it really works well on the album,especially as it’s followed by “Conflicted”, but still unsure about the live setting. Hey, maybe i just analyse stuff too much ? 😉
Lzzy then says to the audience “London, what can i get you to do? Anything ?”. “Alright London, i want you to go yeah yeah”. It’s the typical call & response. Whilst doing this, she noticed a little skirmish down the front. From where i was, it looked like a lass with a pony tail headbutted a guy. But straight after that, they seemed to hug each other. Lzzy ; “Are you alright?” “Shall we continue?”. “Now let me hear you go Hell Yeah!” Audience reacts as they should. Lzzy then steps it up a bit “Now let me hear ya say fuck yeah!!” Audience is even louder 😉 Then Lzzy finally says ” London..can i get it…can i get a A-a-a-men?” Now what i like about “Amen”,in the live setting, is how they have a jam towards the end of the song & they really extend it. You can tell they’re all having so much fun up there doing this! To think on the album the song lasts just shy of 3 minutes long, yet live, it’s getting on for 9 minutes ! Fantastic stuff 🙂
After this, it’s the irrepressible “Mz Hyde” followed by Arejays drum solo (Which as always, includes the “Big Sticks”). They then go back to the album “Strange Case Of..” & we get “Freak Like Me”. Again, fantastic stuff 🙂 I love how fast the start is on “Uncomfortable”…straight ahead rock n roll. But also, if you listen to the lyrics, Lzzy is really making a statement. I love this new song.
Next it’s a total change & totally unexpected. From the live ep “One & Done” (which is hard to find at a reasonable price,as it was released in 2006) they do “Takes My Life”. Wow !
They finish the main set with “Killing Ourselves to Live”. Already, to me, this sounds like an anthem.
The encores were the same as they previously played in Sheffield. Namely, “The Silence” , “I Miss the Misery” & “Here’s to Us”.
The lighting seemed a bit better (than Sheffield) for “The Silence”, so i filmed it 😉
As is always the case, the last song , “Here’s to Us”, finishes on a high with everyone swaying their arms in the air. So yet again, it was another fantastic night out. Once again, i still had the thought “I wish i could go to more shows,like i used to”, but my useless body won’t let me do it. I suppose i should be thankful for the fact i can still get to a couple of gigs…but i’ll always want more 🙂
Afterwards we met up at The Beehive again.I think there might have been a queue for the cloakroom as it seemed a long time before Anette etc got to the Beehive. Briefly said our goodbyes to Jorge & Kitti, then got on the tube to Hotel Rob. Once there, it did seem a little strange that Rob wasn’t there. Had a good nights sleep (i needed that) & following morning we were all up early-ish. As is always the case, left Hotel Rob with plenty of time before train back to Boston. Once at Kings Cross, there was still a bit of time to kill, so myself & Anette went into the Parcel Yard for coffees before we left. I’d prebooked my seat on return journey, whilst Anette just booked a ticket in the hope we could sit near each other on way back to Bostonia. It totally worked ok as someone didn’t make the train in time (or some other reason).
When we got back to Boston, walked the route to my place. This way Anette could see the various photo opportunities. Over the next couple of days, Anette did the video interview with me,took photos of my memorabilia etc. Looking forward to seeing the finished article.
Been looking forward to this one for a long time. Last time i saw Halestorm was at the crappy Download festival, back in 2016 !
I used to follow them all around the UK & also saw them abroad in Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, Milan, Paris. As i could only make it to 2 shows this time (Sheffield & Brixton) i decided to do the M&G at Sheffield. What a great decision that was 🙂
I’d arranged to meet my old Halestorm touring friend Kristina at Sheffield. We both messed up by booking hotels which were stupid prices. If only we knew our plans before, we could have saved a lot of money by sharing a room. Live n learn i guess.
My train journey to Sheffield included changing train at Nottingham. From Boston, it was only 2 carriages & pretty busy. Once at Nottingham, i was amazed that once again it was only 2 carriages. Good thing i reserved my seat as it ended up standing room only! They even stopped people from getting on board at some stops ! Well done EMT for spoiling a few peoples day 🙁
Arriving in Sheffield, there was a high presence of police. They even had horses. I assumed there must be some footy happening.
Managed to check into hotel early & arranged to meet Kristina so we could go for food. Only problem with my hotel is there’s 2 entrances & it seemed that Kristina took the wrong one. But hey, we met up still. I’d decided the “Bankers Draft” would be the best option to go to as it’s bigger than the other Spoons in Sheffield. It was still very busy though & we were lucky to get a table. Kristina insisted on paying for our meals. They seemed to be taking a long time to bring the food to us, so Kristina went to investigate. Would you believe,about a minute (or less) after she’d gone, the food was brought to our table ! Damn did i need that food ! (Thanks Kristina). After that, we both went to our own respective hotels. This time we arranged to meet at the venue 😉 There were already a few people queued up when i arrived. Most of them doing the M&G. The box office wasn’t open due to staff being ill. Great ! After various emails to both Stuart & Kirstie, i’d got everything sorted out so could get in early & Kristina could also join me at the same time…they said go to the box office once there lol. Fortunately, for once, there was a GREAT security guy who understood what i needed & he even said he’d show me where the disabled area is, after the M&G. When Judy came out to hand out the laminates etc, she had exactly the number of them for the people doing the M&G. I explained to her that Kristina wasn’t doing the M&G, but it had been arranged she could come in as my “helper”. This is where Kristina got very lucky 🙂 Judy said she could also have photos took ! So i decided we should be the last in the line.Thought this way, would get more time to chat with the band.(I mean, there’s been a lot that’s happened since Download festival). To my surprise, Arejay still remembered me ! I think Lzzy remembered me. When chatting with Josh i asked if he remembered when after the Oxford gig he stayed outside talking even though it was raining like hell. He didn’t remember, but as it was 5 years ago & MANY gigs during that time, it’s hardly surprising 🙂 I told Joe that i’d be up in the balcony. So if he wanted to throw a guitar pick up there, that would be cool. He then gave me a pick,which caught me off guard! (“in case my accuracy isn’t good enough” ) It was really nice to “reconnect” with them all.
Tonight it was Judy who took the photos (Where’s Detroit?). Unfortunately, there was a problem with the link to download them, so i emailed her & she said she’d send them via email. We said our goodbyes, then went back out to join the queue. Once inside, i didn’t see the “Great Security guy”. When i got up on balcony,i saw another security chap & explained to him i didn’t want my seat to be in the disabled area & to start off he didn’t agree to it. But i talked him round to it 😉 Got what i consider the perfect position, on the left side.
The first band “Rews”, i’d never heard off (Same goes for the second “Avatar”). Rews didn’t really impress me. Found them a bit repetitive. Avatar though were quite a fun band. They wore costumes, as did the roadies/techs. Quite liked some of their songs. So much so, that i even filmed a song :
Apparently Halestorm have been changing around their set list on this tour. I totally applaud them for doing this. I wish more bands would do the same. It was a pretty safe bet they’d open with “Black Vultures”, so decided to film the opening song
Next up we get “I Am The Fire”. Btw, i think the latest album is their best so far. They’ve really progressed, but it’s still a rocky album.
“Uncomfortable” is both great on the album & also great live. Only 3 songs in & i’m enjoying it all so much. We then get a full on rendition of “Skulls”. Those guitars are so heavy. Love it.
Next up, Lzzy does a short Acapella version of “I Get Off” which melds into “Do Not Disturb”. Very nice 🙂
Lzzy then says how happy they are to be playing Sheffield again & she asks “What can i get you to do?”. So this is where we see how loud the audience can be.And yes, we were loud ! I’m pretty sure that they’ve extended “Amen” when playing it live (that’s excluding the to & fro of the chants with the crowd)
After “Vicious” it’s time for Arejay to showcase his talents. Cool to see he’s still using the big sticks 🙂 Years back, there was a time he didn’t have the big sticks, so he used umbrellas ! What i sight to see 🙂 After that it’s a song for all the freaks here tonight. Yes, you guessed it “Freak Like Me” 🙂 Damn this gig is just flying by ! We get some old classics such as “Love Bites (So Do I)”, “Mz. Hyde” & the stomping “It’s Not You”(from their debut album back in 2009).Sometime during the latter part of the show, Joe points to me & throws a guitar pick. It lands just in front of Kristina. it’s only fair that she gets to have that. From the old, to the new, the main set is finished with “Killing Ourselves to Live” (from the latest album “Vicious”) Btw, When i think about the title of that song, i always think about the Black Sabbath song ” Killing Yourself To Live” 🙂
“Sheffield, thank you so much. I’ve got to tell you something. We’ve been a band for a while.This year marks 21 years of Halestorm (huge cheers from the crowd) Of course, i started it when i was two 😉 We’ve always,always, always dreamed of commin to the UK. We’ve always said that since we were little. Do you think anyone will let us go to the UK ever…Tonight, you are making our little dreams come true, thank you so much” Then both Lzzy & Joe sit on a box together & do an acoustic version of “The Silence”. ( I wonder if this song is about their relationship?) Lzzy really sings this with such emotion.
Next it’s another old classic Halestorm song “I Miss the Misery”. Again fantastic stuff.
Last song of the night is “Here’s to Us”. This is & has always been, one of the main connections between the band & the fans. Music really does bring people together.
So that’s it. Over & done. We stay in the venue until they kick us out. I decide to get one of the T-shirts. Very reasonable price as £20. When we go outside, there’s a few people already hanging around to meet the band. We’d already decided to wait & meet them again. ( Me? Psycho eyes?”Psycho Killer” Qu’est-ce que c’est, Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better Run run run run run run run away oh oh” Whilst waiting, i jokingly said to Kristina ” I need £50 from you”. Kristina “Huh?. I paid for lunch!”. Me “C’mon you can’t compare that to getting a free M&G!” Me again “Ok, just a thank you would be fine”. Kristina ” Oh, i thought i’d said that. Well thank you anyway 🙂 “. During this time, we see Detroit going back n forth to the bus. Kristina reminds me that i was too shy to ask for a photo with her years back 😉 I decide i need to have a chat with Detroit as we’ve not seen each other for so long. She’s now been upgraded to the role of tour manager. Nice one. We have a nice chat about old Halestorm gigs etc. I tell her about my health problems & she said that she knew already as the band had been talking about it & told her. They’re all such a nice bunch of caring people.
Arejay is the first of the band to come out. He does it in his typical quiet fashion….not! 🙂 Gets swamped with people wanting stuff signed or wanting photos. The big guy near him, who i assume is the bodyguard for the band, makes everyone form a queue. You can see he want’s this to be over quickly. Dunno how “new” he is,but, he should realise this band will always stay chatting with the fans for as long as they want to. (I remember a time when we saw them in Oxford 2013 that Josh still stayed chatting even though it was raining!). Eventually the rest of the band come out to chat, sign stuff, have photos took. It was a nice way to finish the day.
As everyone was going to the bus, Kristina spotted Judy walking back as well. She had a question for her. She’s going to the Birmingham gig & someone let her down(?) so she doesn’t have a ticket. Judy is so nice that she said “Give me your full name & phone number & i’ll sort you out” (Or words to that effect). How cool is that ?
Shortly after that, we make our way to our respective hotels. Kristina has to be up early as she’s going up to Glasgow to see them the following day. I would have loved to have followed the tour, like the old days, but there’s now only so much i can do, due to the shitty chemo etc.
Following morning, my train home is at a reasonable time of 10.35. Walking to the station, there’s still the fresh aroma of the horse shit from yesterday! In fact, they hadn’t fully cleaned it up ! On the route back, i change at Nottingham. Once there, i automatically walked towards platform 2, where it usually departs from. This time though, it was from a totally different platform, 6a ! So over the bridge i go 🙂
On the way home i was thinking about the fact that on Sundays myself & me mum go for Sunday lunch. So i phoned her & asked if she fancied a late lunch at The Endeavour. Jobs a good un, table booked for 2.30.
All in all, a great weekend 🙂
The following day, i tried to download the photos that Judy had took. The link wouldn’t work 🙁 Later i got an email from her saying “…I actually wanted to reach out to you to see if you were coming to anymore shows, Brixton if I remember correctly, and wanted to see if you could come out to that M&G(free, of course) and let’s redo the group photo and make it a nice one worth framing, ehh? “. Around the same time, Kristina sent a msg to me saying that the photos were messed up, but we both thought they looked ok. So it now looks like myself, Kristina & Rob will all join the M&G for free at Brixton Academy on Friday.
Something i should say is that Hotel Rob is great! First thing in the morning, the barrista (Rob!) always serves up a nice coffee for his guests!
But not only that, the chef (Rob) provides a nice breakfast if required. I don’t want you to think that i don’t appreciate it or take it for granted, so i’m saying it here : Thanks Rob for everything 🙂
After having brekky, some of the guests go purchase some beers from the local shop. All different kinds of beers! They even got “Tramps beer” aka Special Brew (yuck!). I guess they need it as will be watching the footy later 😉 Rob handed out some wafer snacks which had chocolate in the middle. Unfortunately, Greg didn’t realise they also included nuts so he had a bit of a scare as he’s allergic to nuts. Rob offered to take him to the hospital, but Greg said he’d just wait here to get over it.
Eventually we all set off to have a meal. Today we go to a Mexican restaurant in Soho, called “Wahaca”. This is a first for me. Gradually, pretty much everyone arrives. After the meal, we make our way to Brixton. Would you believe it, we again all met up in the Beehive ! As i had checked in, i’m pretty sure Neil saw that, so he also joined us all. Time was getting on, so myself & Neil went to the Academy. Unknown to me at the time,someone (Anne ?) had took a photo of me & then everyone in the group took other photos of them with said photo. I’ve seen this happen a few times & it can be quite funny. Same as yesterday, the M&G peeps were in a queue to get back in. When we were going in, there was someone in front who seemed to be taking an age to get their tickets ! (Annoying) But thankfully, we still managed to get the front row of balcony. Unlike last night, the balcony had some lights on, so you could actually see where you were going down the steps! (After the darkness or an accident waiting to happen last night, i took a small torch with just in case 😉 ) During “Dream Wife”, we couldn’t believe what someone was doing sat next to Neil : A guy had a video camera & was openly filming a song ! He then later filmed quite a bit of Garbage, again openly ! Surprised he got away with it. Sat to my right was an old chap. We got chatting & he told me he was a sound engineer. This was also his first time seeing Garbage live. After Dream Wife had finished, he said that their sound wasn’t very good. I guess that’s one of the traits when your in the business 😉 Even though i’d not drank much, i was bustin for a pee ! Managed to nip out & back before Garbage started. Phew. My mate Neil didn’t quite time it as well, so i decided to record the first song “Afterglow”.
Tonight’s gig was pretty much the same as last night, so i wont go into depth reviewing it all. I’ll let the photos/video clips describe it 🙂
There was only one slight problem, which was during “Lick The Pavement” Shirley had monitor problems. She stopped the song, then they restarted it.
Again, like the previous night, they played the extra “No Horses”. For the last song of the night, Shirley gave the crowd a choice out of 2 songs. It was either “Starman” or “Cherry Lips”. The crowd made themselves heard to decide which one 🙂
So it was another great night. The chap next to me said he’d enjoyed his first experience of seeing Garbage live. My mate Neil had a nice uncomplicated evening. I myself had a great night also. Out of the two nights, i reckon that the 1st one had the edge. Once again, we agreed to meet at The Beehive (This time Anne didn’t have Robs keys). Whilst waiting, i briefly saw Diletta. Been a while since we last saw each other.
Some people stayed for the after party, but i think most of us head back on tube pretty quickly.
Got a train from Nottingham to Birmingham & once there i totally remembered the route from station to The Academy & Pentahotel. This one didn’t get off to a good start for me. Why ? Because i’d not received the details about the VIP M&G i’d booked. I’d sent numerous emails etc, but got no replies. So today i’ll be winging it lol
After hanging at the hotel a while, i thought i’d just nip round the corner (literally!) to see what was happening at the venue. There was already quite a queue. Multiple queues in fact lol. I asked if anyone was doing the M&G, so once confirmed, i joined that queue. After a while someone came out & started handing out the M&G lanyards. When he got to me, i told him i’d not recieved the full info etc, but it wasn’t a problem as my name was on his list, i was then duly ticked off. We all went into a side room, where we lined up around the edges of the room. There were so many doing the M&G, the line circled the whole room & then some. After a while the band came in & slowly,but surely, every filed past, got an item signed, had a brief chat & then a photo with the band.
Sometime before this show, i’d asked my niece what she wanted from me as an Xmas present. She said “Something more personal than usual”.Just need to back track a bit here… Last year a bunch of my “Garbage friends” clubbed together to buy me a M&G with Garbage. They did this shortly after i was diagnosed with brain tumors.I was shocked & astounded that they would do this for me. It was a gesture i’ll remember forever. If you’d like to check out that day, it’s in my blog here : https://www.gigaddiction.co.uk/garbage-troxy-london-13-6-16/
Jump forward a few months, a friend in the USA went to see Garbage & took a copy of my M&G photo with them at Troxy. Again a nice gesture.
So, back to the now, Kevin inspired me to take a photo of when myself & Alice saw PVRIS at Norwich last year & get the band to hold it as well. I had to explain it all to the band & as i was doing so, i just broke down. Once again it was the reality of my situation that caused this. So, through teary eyes, i told them as much as i could. After my photo with the band was took & i started walking away, i got a tap on my shoulder. It was Lynn. She gave me a massive hug. Again started to walk away, but the photographer stopped me & said something like “Can you hang around whilst we finish the M&G? The band want to talk more with you & give you some free merchandise”. I was gobsmacked ! I went & sat on a little chair watching everyone file past the band. Eventually, it was finished & Matty (photographer) told me to follow him & the band through a side door. Once there, we had a longer chat. Lyyn asked if i’d tried Rekki to try help my situation etc. I was also asked if there were any other gigs that myself & Alice could make it too. If so, they would help us to do so. I was pretty sure i could maybe fit in Brixton, so i suggested that. Matty took my email etc & said he’d contact me tomorrow. After a few minutes a lass turned up saying “Are you ready to go on your shopping trip?”. She took me to the merch booth & said “You can have anything you want!” I’m not one to be “greedy”, so i was a bit timid about what i should take. But Leealia (SP?) kept saying “What about that also?”. In the end , there was so much that it took a box to carry it all !
We next went up to the balcony to find a good viewing point. As luck would have it, especially as so many had already took the seats, there were 3 empty seats on front row! So i went there. When we were walking past security, they asked “What’s in the box?!!”. Leealia was having nothing of it. “It’s band merchandise for this guy! Have a look!”. I was still a bit paranoid that security might try shutting me down for taking photos/video clips, so i asked Leealia to explain to them that i had permission to do so.
The first band of the night, i didn’t think much of them. The second on, “Coin”, were pretty cool. I enjoyed their set. Sometime later, Leealia came back as she’d found a big bag to put the merch into. Would be a lot easier to carry than the box (Don’t forget i gotta take this home on the train). Not only that, she also said she’d spoke with security so they shouldn’t hassle me. But as a back up, she also handed me a AAA laminate ! Wow ! 🙂
Soon enough, PVRIS took to the stage. They opened with “Heaven”. This is also the opening track on their latest album “All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell”.
Even though this is a “new” song, it feels like i’ve known it for years. It’s certainly got all the key elements of a PVRIS song. There’s a single white light pointing at Lynn as she sits at her keyboard & starts singing away. (During the M&G we’d been told that Lynn had some kind of cold/flu, so she wouldn’t be talking much. It was immediately obvious that she wasn’t quite her usual powerful self. It still sounded good though…& i doubt many in the crowd would have even noticed she was struggling a bit) Still, a great song to start the evening with. Next we have a trip back to a song from their debut album “White Noise”. It’s the classic “St Patrick”. I absolutely love this song. When the crowd recognized the song from the keyboard into , they screamed & were totally up for this one.
Next up, another from the debut album, it’s “Smoke”. As with all their songs, it’s very “real” emotional lyrics
We next get another new song from AWKOHAWNOH, which is called “Half”. It starts with a haunting vocal, but soon kicks in to be another “new classic” song. It’s also pretty cool seeing Lynn take to the drums.
It’s great seeing/ hearing the audience chanting the “Woah o oh os” during “You & I “. (Just a shame my camera can’t quite cope with the darkness)
As i’m writing this, i’ve realised that there are not many bands where i can say that i love ALL the songs on ALL their albums. PVRIS is one where i do love everything.
They have such a uniqueness about them. So much passion in both the lyrics & the music & it really connects with just about everybody.
The evening seems to just fly by. They finish the main set with “My House”
Obviously, they’re gonna come back for an encore. We’re treated to another new song to finish the night with ; “No Mercy”.
What a great day/night it’s all been. Never expected that all that would happen. Many thanks to the band/crew etc for EVERYTHING !
Went back to my hotel pretty soon as was knackered. Can’t help thinking what Alices reaction will be when i tell her all about it 😉
