Your next gig

  • March: James Grant & The Hallelujah Strings, Secret Night Gang (MF Robots postponed, Big Big Train cancelled)

    April: Lloyd Cole, Corinne Bailey Rae

    May: Nick Mason

    June: Mama's Gun, Jacob Collier, Brother Strut

    September: Dexy's

    October: Snarky Puppy

    and The Musical Box in 2023, hopefully.

  • These are what I have lined up so far

    for this year.


    Lifesigns - Wolverhampton.

    Hawklords - Coventry

    Alice Cooper / The Cult - Birmingham

    Whitesnake - Birmingham

    Stray / Vambo - Wolverhampton

    New Day Festival - Kent ( August - ft Jethro Tull and John Hackett amongst others)

    Steve Hackett - Birmingham

  • Toying with the idea of seeing Roger Waters in July. I'm not a fan of his solo work at all, but I think it would be a good spectacle and he'll probably do some Floyd numbers (though I also don't like his interpretations of the group's songs! Hmm... Maybe I'll not bother).

    Worth it. His shows are spectacular.

  • For the moment, my next show in in early March, and - wouldn't you know it - it's a Genesis-tribute band! ^^ It's a band called "Rael" - apparently, they do Gabriel-era Genesis and Gabriel solo songs during their shows. I have been trying to see this band for a while now; however, something, would always come up that would prevent me from seeing them. Now, it seems I will finally get my chance (stay away, Omicron variant)! :thumbup:

    …and the Omicron variant has faded enough for this show to happen later today! 😎


    I’m looking forward to it! :thumbup:

    Stepping out the back way, hoping nobody sees...

  • Genesis next monday :)

    Enjoy the show like you have never enjoyed a show before! (I know that you will - it’s a great one! 😎).


    I really feel like this tour was an unexpected gift, and I am so happy the European shows are going off as planned! 👍

    Stepping out the back way, hoping nobody sees...

  • We have tickets for the New Day festival in August, featuring John Hackett. Haven't heard any of his stuff so am interested. Saw him with Steve many years ago on an acoustic guitar/ flute tour. It was so dull ,boring and tedious and I struggled to stay awake. It was.so bad that even now 35 plus years so after the event o have to use 3 adjectives that mean the same thing to describe it and still haven't recovered from the experience. I blamed myself though for not researching what i was going to see properly. I was polite and I think clapped in the right places. This year it'll be outside in a. hot sunny British summer with other other great bands to follow so all.good either way.

  • We have tickets for the New Day festival in August, featuring John Hackett. Haven't heard any of his stuff so am interested. Saw him with Steve many years ago on an acoustic guitar/ flute tour. It was so dull ,boring and tedious and I struggled to stay awake. It was.so bad that even now 35 plus years so after the event o have to use 3 adjectives that mean the same thing to describe it and still haven't recovered from the experience. I blamed myself though for not researching what i was going to see properly. I was polite and I think clapped in the right places. This year it'll be outside in a. hot sunny British summer with other other great bands to follow so all.good either way.

    Presume that was the Momentum tour? I heard people moaning on the way out of the Manchester Opera House gig about "no band" "no guitars" etc. but the tour was billed as promoting Momentum, an acoustic album, so it was what I was expecting. The bit with the Stepp digital guitar was a highlight though. Also, the support act, Mae McKenna, was so good I bought her album when it came out a few weeks later. Saw him do similer gig in around 2005. Frankly, I'd prefer another of those to a "Genesis revisited + his new albums" gig.


    My next gig: Justin Hayward, New Brighton Floral Pavilion, Sept.

    Ian


    Putting the old-fashioned Staffordshire plate in the dishwasher!

  • The Unthanks at the Lincoln Drill Hall on 13 April. Stunning folk band with a minimalist feel. From a prog perspective their take on Starless is breathtaking.

    This week the main task is to try and get tickets to see Roxy at the O2 in October - good luck to everyone on Thursday morning.

  • The Zombies.


    Probably one of the only touring bands older than Genesis. When I saw the little picture of them in the ticketmaster app, I couldn't but think of Phil's phrase from the intro to Old Medley; "these magnificently preserved torsos" 😆

  • OK, well, my next gig is Steve Hackett at the Scottish Rite Auditorium on April 8th. Of course, I am looking forward to it very much! 👍


    However, I am really here to tell you about a ticket I just bought, for an act I thought was not ever going on the road again (just like with Genesis before they announced “The Last Domino?”).


    Roxy Music is doing a small run of shows in honor of their 50th anniversary in North America and the UK! The original band (minus Brian Eno, of course) is going on the road again - yes, even Andy Mackay, who had somewhat recently announced his retirement from live performance due to his Dupuytren’s Contracture. I guess he found a treatment/training regimen that worked for him.


    There is a pre-sale going on RIGHT NOW. If you want to take part in it, the password is “ROXY50” (without the quotation marks) for pre-sales on both sides of the pond.


    I already have my ticket for Philadelphia, three days before the general on-sale. If you are a Roxy fan, now is your chance to see them again, and very likely for the last time.

    Stepping out the back way, hoping nobody sees...

  • OK, well, my next gig is Steve Hackett at the Scottish Rite Auditorium on April 8th. Of course, I am looking forward to it very much! 👍


    However, I am really here to tell you about a ticket I just bought, for an act I thought was not ever going on the road again (just like with Genesis before they announced “The Last Domino?”).


    Roxy Music is doing a small run of shows in honor of their 50th anniversary in North America and the UK! The original band (minus Brian Eno, of course) is going on the road again - yes, even Andy Mackay, who had somewhat recently announced his retirement from live performance due to his Dupuytren’s Contracture. I guess he found a treatment/training regimen that worked for him.


    There is a pre-sale going on RIGHT NOW. If you want to take part in it, the password is “ROXY50” (without the quotation marks) for pre-sales on both sides of the pond.


    I already have my ticket for Philadelphia, three days before the general on-sale. If you are a Roxy fan, now is your chance to see them again, and very likely for the last time.

    I read about this yesterday and was shocked. I envy you - I hope they consider coming here. I saw Ferry in 2019 & he was very good.

  • Regarding Roxy, I like the first 5 albums but have no interest in Manifesto onwards. When they toured about 20(?) years ago I ignored it, believing they'd focus mainly on the later stuff. A friend did go, for the same reason. We both ended up frustrated as apparently they did mainly pre-Manifesto stuff which he didn't know or like much and which I'd have liked to see.


    This time around though, either way I'll skip it anyway.

    Abandon all reason

  • Presume that was the Momentum tour? I heard people moaning on the way out of the Manchester Opera House gig about "no band" "no guitars" etc. but the tour was billed as promoting Momentum, an acoustic album, so it was what I was expecting. The bit with the Stepp digital guitar was a highlight though. Also, the support act, Mae McKenna, was so good I bought her album when it came out a few weeks later. Saw him do similer gig in around 2005. Frankly, I'd prefer another of those to a "Genesis revisited + his new albums" gig.


    My next gig: Justin Hayward, New Brighton Floral Pavilion, Sept.

    As I said didn't research it properly. I knew it acoustic and flute don't know what I thought I expected. My own fault.

  • I read about this yesterday and was shocked. I envy you - I hope they consider coming here. I saw Ferry in 2019 & he was very good.

    Yes, I hope they come down there as well. Ferry solo is very good. The first time I saw him was when I went on vacation to Dublin in 2000. I just happened to be there when he put on two concerts at the Olympia Theatre (I think those shows were a part of an annual festival there; they were widely acknowledged later as the surprise hit of the festival). I got a ticket at the last minute, and the show was AMAZING! He sprinkled a LOT of Roxy into the setlist. My greatest memory from the show was the performance of "Bitter-Sweet" from the "Country Life" album. WOW...just WOW! In fact, I think this tour was what inspired him to think about reuniting the band. He had worked with Phil Manzanera for the first time in a while on the album he was promoting on this tour (the "As Time Goes By" album; I think Phil played on "I'm In The Mood For Love"). Just a great show. I saw him again at the Beacon Theatre in NYC on the "Frantic" tour, not too long after the first RM reunion in 2002. That was great too.


    Anyway, if this is a retirement tour (and I can't see how it isn't), I hope they come down there too.

    Stepping out the back way, hoping nobody sees...

  • Regarding Roxy, I like the first 5 albums but have no interest in Manifesto onwards. When they toured about 20(?) years ago I ignored it, believing they'd focus mainly on the later stuff. A friend did go, for the same reason. We both ended up frustrated as apparently they did mainly pre-Manifesto stuff which he didn't know or like much and which I'd have liked to see.


    This time around though, either way I'll skip it anyway.

    Well, if you're not interested, you're not interested. ^^ You did miss out on the 2002 tour, though - that was mostly the first five albums, and they played the songs from them amazingly well.


    Yes, the last three studio albums from them always divide opinion. "Manifesto" is the single weirdest album they ever recorded. It is completely unlike any other album of theirs. Every time I listen to it (which isn't often), I am puzzled at the end. I don't hate the album, but I definitely don't love it either. Paul Thompson was so disillusioned by it that he left the band after the tour. ^^ "Flesh And Blood" is more palatable, but still a bit unusual as well. We'll have to agree to disagree on "Avalon", though - yes, it's unlike the first five albums, but it is still a superlative piece of work. Despite its being different from the original sound of the band, it's still great.


    I wanted to see them in 2011 too (which everyone thought was their farewell tour, just like everyone thought 2007 was the last tour for Genesis). I was living in the UK at the time, and the closest show to me was in Nottingham. Unfortunately, the show was in mid-February and on a Tuesday night, so I just couldn't rationalize going. It pained me not to go. Then, after Andy Mackay's retirement announcement, I thought that was it for good for RM. So, my shock yesterday morning was intense! ^^ I missed them in 2011 when I thought it was the end; I'm not missing them now when I'm even more positive that it's the end. I'm just happy they scheduled a show in Philadelphia. They were very selective about which cities they were playing (again, just like Genesis on their just-finished tour). I would have gone to NYC since they are playing at MSG; however, a Monday night in NYC vs. a Thursday night in Philly - that's an easy choice. I'm just glad I had one. :thumbup:

    Stepping out the back way, hoping nobody sees...