It's not like yours truly ever had any credibility to flush away in the first place but the truth is, this gig was far from the first time I've seen the Groover from Vancouver. I first saw Bryan Adams live back in the 1980s, at the NEC in Birmingham and in all honesty, he has not changed much from those days. Still in shirt and jeans, still with the short cropped hair, and still playing no-frills rock music to large arena crowds. The things that HAVE changed though, are his audience, and his public perception. Back in the 1980s, he was considered 'rock' enough to merit coverage in Kerrang! magazine; the few outlets for rock on the radio also gave his music airplay then.
It all changed in 1991 (as it did for many 80s rock acts), but in Adams's case it had nothing to do with checked-shirt clad scruffbags from Seattle. 1991 was also the year of '(Everything I Do) I Do It For You', his biggest hit single by a country mile. The song reached Number One in the British Charts in July of that year, and stayed there for what seemed like forever (in fact 16 weeks). From that point on, he was regarded as a soft rock balladeer in the eyes of the public, and nowadays he is probably second only to Nickelback in the uncool rock stakes!
His audience nowadays has a very strong female presence, there were a lot of couples in the crowd at the Echo Arena. The seated part was virtually full when I arrived, but significantly, the standing still had plenty of room. It did fill up later, but this was probably the most civilised standing crowd I've been in since I saw the Eagles back in 1996! Moshpits then, are certainly not the order of the day at an Adams show!
I found two of my friends in the arena while the opening act were on, they had located what appeared to be a small stage on the arena floor. On the main stage, support Black Daniel were on stage. They were not my thing at all, a bit 'alternative, a bit NME for my tastes. They were all clad in black hoodies, one guitarist (no bassist) playing over-distorted riffs, and two keyboard players, one of whom was also vocalist. I'm afraid I didn't enjoy them at all!
The lights dimmed at 8:30 for the main act, the screens showed Adams walking from the dressing room on his way to the stage. Those of us who know the arena well (teehee) looked across to the door halfway up the left-hand side, the small platform was almost directly in line with that door and I knew then that Bryan was to start the show on that small stage. Sure enough he climbed up, and a surge from the crowd further forward ensued as they realised that he was behind them. With just an acoustic guitar and a microphone, he kicked things off with 'Can't Stop This Thing We Started', to tumultuous cheers from the audience. 'Please Forgive Me' followed, then he left the small stage (still holding a microphone) to head over to the main stage, where his bandmates were waiting for him. They had a long wait, they played on while Adams was virtually mobbed on his way to the stage. He took a path down the side of the arena floor, we could see him giving high-fives' to the crowd as he passed, occasionally pausing to sing up close to (female!) audience members.
Once on the stage, the crowd cheered even louder, and it hardly let up all night. He kept the stage banter to an absolute minimum, pausing only to swap guitars over in betwen numbers. This time around he has restored a full band behind him; I saw BA at the MEN Arena in Manchester some years ago, that night he was playing bass and was accompanied only by his long-time sidemen Keith Scott (guitar) and drummer Mickey Curry. Both were present at the Echo Arena, but Adams has given the four-string over to Norm Fisher, and keyboard player Gary Breit is now an integral part of the band. Keith Scott is an effective foil to Adams, the two of them were all over the stage, trading guitar licks and swapping stage ramp positions. Adams does like to give his guitarist opportunity to cut loose, Scott's immediately recognisable tone is a big part of the Adams sound.
Although this tour is billed as a promotional jaunt for his latest album '11', there were plenty of oldies played. No less than SIX songs from his classic 'Reckless' album made the set (though we did notice you cut out the second verse of 'Somebody', Bryan!). The radio favourite 'Summer of 69' was played mid-set instead of in the encores, a sign that he was completely confident in his material. Needless to say, the cheer that resulted almost tore the roof off the Echo Arena! He didn't hang about either, following that up with '(Everything I Do) I Do It For You', accompanied by what I estimated at 5000 female backing singers! ;-)
No Adams show is complete without his take on audience participation; he selects a woman from the crowd to accompany him on 'When You're Gone', in the Mel C role. I did half-expect the one-time Sporty Spice to show up here, as it was in Liverpool, but instead Bryan chose a very excited woman called Phillipa from the crowd. She lapped up the monent on the stage, though her vocal performance was, well, interesting!
After she told all present that she loved drummers, Bryan sent her to go and give Mickey Curry a kiss before she made her exit back to the crowd. That part of the show is always hit and miss, but is also a lot of fun.
The last stretch of the show saw yet more hits, including 'Cloud No. 9' and the older song 'Cuts Like A knife', before BA encored with just himself and his acoustic, ending as he started it.
A textbook arena show, even shorn of pyro and elaborate stage sets, Adams may be the king of soft rock and about as cool as a vindaloo, but there's a reason he has lasted this long, his consistently good live show. He even found time to mention how much he liked our new arena (bonus brownie points for that!) - then again, he did mention that last time he was here, he played in a tent (!)
Hopefully he'll be back to play this new venue again, damn the credibility, I'll be there!
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Monday, 27 October 2008
Nightmares in Nottingham: or how the Ronster saw at least some of Saturday's Firefest
Although I've been to Nottingham a few times now, I always have a hard time of it once there.
The drive over is pretty long but straightforward, until you actually hit the city centre. The city is compact, with narrow twisty roads and filter lanes everywhere but the real problem is the sheer AMOUNT of traffic that is always trying to get through these roads. I had brought along the sat-nav hoping it would guide me to my hotel, which I booked the night before (or so I thought - more later); it did, but there was absolutely nowhere where I could park the Pugmobile nearby, meaning a search for a car park! I know that there is one close to the Rock City venue itself, but it was hard work finding it. You make one wrong choice and you're worse off than Mark Thatcher in a desert, it is so hard to get your bearings. I must have spent at least an extra 30 minutes just trying to find my way back to where the hotel was, then trying to get to Rock City's car park from there. Anyway, after a tortuous half-hour in the Pugmobile I eventually parked up and set out for the hotel. It's just a short walk away, but once out of the car and on the street, once again I found myself walking the wrong way! I don't know what it is about the city, but although I'm the first to admit I've a poor sense of direction, I don't have this much trouble in other towns!
(That said, I even managed to walk straight past my hotel in Tampere this past summer, on the straightest street you could wish for!)
Once I found the hotel, my troubles were just beginning. I had printed out my reservation form before setting off, and presented it to the young lady on reception. She then informed me there was no reservation in my name!! Gobsmacked, I pulled up the copy of my email on my phone (dont'cha just love the N95!) which gave me the link of the company I used in order to book the room. With this information, the receptionist gave me a telephone number to call, but ultimately I was faced with either taking whatever room was available there, or sleeping in the car park! So I checked in, using my emergency cash to pay for the room and set about calling this company to make sure they'd not hit me for another charge. After two attempts, I did eventually speak to a (real!) person who was most apologetic, he assured me that they had not charged my debit card when I booked online, and assured me that this would not happen again. It DID happen to me though, and I was lucky that there was still a room available.
In short - do not use Active Hotels when booking rooms online!!
With two bags on me, I was glad to get into the room eventually. By this time it was already close to 5pm, and I'd missed a few bands already. I had intended to see two acts above all: Jeff Scott Soto and that day's headliners, Tyketto. These two acts were yet to come on stage when I eventually entered Rock City, so despite the eventful arrival in the city, it was not a disaster.
Firefest is a two-day event, now in it's fifth year, specialising in the melodic rock sub-genre. The already packed venue suggested to me that this kind of music is far from dead, and I could just imagine a stray Kerplonk! journalist walking in, sighing 'it's as though Grunge never happened', then walking out again having decided it was not cool enough!
(As an aside, and it's my blog - I can go off on a tangent if I want! - I love it when the rock press come out with statements like that, as though only the current approved style should be permitted. What a load of bollocks, you failed to stamp out classic rock with Punk, you failed again with Grunge, and you failed spectacularly with Nu-Metal - get it through your heads, you report on music, not dictate what we should all like! Rant over!)
For all that, I can't call myself an aficionado of Melodic Rock specificially; yes I do like some stuff in this genre, but I've always been a bit of a headbanger at heart, and do like my Heavy Metal as well!
So for once, I didn't feel 'part' of this scene; I certainly couldn't name every member of every band there!
Put it this way, I felt my Alter Bridge t-shirt might well have been frowned upon had I worn it that day!
One of my other reasons for wanting to attend was to meet some friends I rarely see; however the place was extremely busy (and dark! There was a band on as I went through, I only caught the end of their set but their singer must have been gutted to miss out on the gig singing for a much better-known Melodic Rock band - he had all the moves and the look of that band's most fondly-remembered singer ;-)
I found my friend Janette on the steps to the side of the stage; it was packed in that area but I managed to find a good spot on those steps for the JSS set which was next up. It's been a long time - almost 2 years - since I last met Janette and it was wonderful to see her. It's been even longer since last I saw JSS!
This was only the second time I'd caught the former Journey (and Yngwie!) singer live and in truth, I'm not well up on his music. For the Firefest stage, he brought out the funk, much of the material played was new even to this crowd but it still went over well, much to Soto's relief! He did make sure they got some songs they knew, performing material from 'Prism' (the only album by him I've got!) before ending with a light-hearted cover of Wild Cherry's 'Play That Funky Music'. This was padded out with snippets of other songs, including the Commodores' 'Brick House', and even New Kids' 'The Right Stuff' (changed thus: 'Wo-oh-oh oh-oh, THIS SONG SUCKS!') JSS guitarist Howie Simon is equally at home gettin' funky as he is shredding, he was excellent. I should look out for more from Soto really, he was electric onstage, and had the crowd in his hand throughout.
Following that set, I went for a wander round the venue - having got myself a beer, I almost took a tumble down the steps from the bar to the floor. I wasn't drunk (honest) but it was dark, and it is very easy to misjudge that first step. The floor is black, but subsequent steps are covered in that steel floor stuff, and I almost took down some poor woman when desperately trying not to tumble head first! I think it's something that should be looked at, I actually misjudged the step twice that day, but that time was pretty dangerous. From the back of the venue I watched some of the set given by Pink Cream 69. They were not bad, but not terrific either (and I really hate that name!), they just didn't *grab* me as anything special. As I say, I'm not a specialist in this music, so I'm sure a MR expert would be able to point out where I'm wrong here, but I just didn't get them. So I finished my beer and headed to the steps outside, whereupon I met Janette, and also Eleanor chatting outside. At around this time a minor commotion took place when Tall Stories singer Steve Augeri showed up. He signed a few things and greeted fans, he even greeted me! I'd not sought him out (his band were playing the Sunday, which I was unable to attend) and had nothing to sign, but he still gave me a cheery handshake on his way in! Shortly after that, we filed back in ourselves, in order to catch Tyketto, the headliners that night.
I decided to go into the main crowd for this set, the others headed back onto the steps for the vantage point. The band were billed as Tyketto, but this line-up had more resemblance to the Vaughn line-up of the early 2000s. PJ Zitaroza lined up on guitar alongside long-time Vaughn collaborator Tony Marshall, with Michael Clayton Arbeeny back on drums after 'the shortest retirement ever' according to the singer (!)
The set was a pure nostalgia-fest, Danny led the band through their best loved songs and delivered everything magnificently. It's not the first time I've seen Danny Vaughn perform, but whereas before when I've seen him, I've been impressed with his singing, this time I was totally blown away. He was absolutely fantastic, when in this form he can wipe the floor with almost anybody. It really was one of those times when you're watching a guy at the top of his game, wondering why he is not a massive star. On introducing the song 'Standing Alone', Vaughn himself joked about his own standing ('I'm not driving a Ferrari, in fact not even a Fiat Punto!'), before stunning everyone present with an exemplary rendition.
The gig flew over, and it went down an absolute storm. One thing I didn't get was the sporadic booing of Tony Marshall; I suspect it's some sort of in-joke because he did nothing wrong, and was far from put off by the booing, in fact he seemed to play up to it!
As I said earlier, I was unable to make the Sunday event and so trudged back to my hotel via the nearest branch of Subway (!), the city was in full swing for a Saturday night but I was tired, and so hit the hay!
Whatever was served up on Sunday however, it would have had to go some to top the performance of Danny Vaughn on the Saturday night. Hopefully he will get the recognition he deserves - even though that would mean we would no longer see him in intimate venues, he is worthy of top billing anywhere.
As a postscript to the night, I found one of my friends from Finland outside the club - Ede had travelled over for this event and I'd spent quite a while trying to find her while inside, to no avail. It was great to catch up, albeit briefly and I hope to meet her again when in Helsinki for Whitesnake's concert in December. That's not too far off now, but there are still a lot of gigs to see between now and then in this country! :)
The drive over is pretty long but straightforward, until you actually hit the city centre. The city is compact, with narrow twisty roads and filter lanes everywhere but the real problem is the sheer AMOUNT of traffic that is always trying to get through these roads. I had brought along the sat-nav hoping it would guide me to my hotel, which I booked the night before (or so I thought - more later); it did, but there was absolutely nowhere where I could park the Pugmobile nearby, meaning a search for a car park! I know that there is one close to the Rock City venue itself, but it was hard work finding it. You make one wrong choice and you're worse off than Mark Thatcher in a desert, it is so hard to get your bearings. I must have spent at least an extra 30 minutes just trying to find my way back to where the hotel was, then trying to get to Rock City's car park from there. Anyway, after a tortuous half-hour in the Pugmobile I eventually parked up and set out for the hotel. It's just a short walk away, but once out of the car and on the street, once again I found myself walking the wrong way! I don't know what it is about the city, but although I'm the first to admit I've a poor sense of direction, I don't have this much trouble in other towns!
(That said, I even managed to walk straight past my hotel in Tampere this past summer, on the straightest street you could wish for!)
Once I found the hotel, my troubles were just beginning. I had printed out my reservation form before setting off, and presented it to the young lady on reception. She then informed me there was no reservation in my name!! Gobsmacked, I pulled up the copy of my email on my phone (dont'cha just love the N95!) which gave me the link of the company I used in order to book the room. With this information, the receptionist gave me a telephone number to call, but ultimately I was faced with either taking whatever room was available there, or sleeping in the car park! So I checked in, using my emergency cash to pay for the room and set about calling this company to make sure they'd not hit me for another charge. After two attempts, I did eventually speak to a (real!) person who was most apologetic, he assured me that they had not charged my debit card when I booked online, and assured me that this would not happen again. It DID happen to me though, and I was lucky that there was still a room available.
In short - do not use Active Hotels when booking rooms online!!
With two bags on me, I was glad to get into the room eventually. By this time it was already close to 5pm, and I'd missed a few bands already. I had intended to see two acts above all: Jeff Scott Soto and that day's headliners, Tyketto. These two acts were yet to come on stage when I eventually entered Rock City, so despite the eventful arrival in the city, it was not a disaster.
Firefest is a two-day event, now in it's fifth year, specialising in the melodic rock sub-genre. The already packed venue suggested to me that this kind of music is far from dead, and I could just imagine a stray Kerplonk! journalist walking in, sighing 'it's as though Grunge never happened', then walking out again having decided it was not cool enough!
(As an aside, and it's my blog - I can go off on a tangent if I want! - I love it when the rock press come out with statements like that, as though only the current approved style should be permitted. What a load of bollocks, you failed to stamp out classic rock with Punk, you failed again with Grunge, and you failed spectacularly with Nu-Metal - get it through your heads, you report on music, not dictate what we should all like! Rant over!)
For all that, I can't call myself an aficionado of Melodic Rock specificially; yes I do like some stuff in this genre, but I've always been a bit of a headbanger at heart, and do like my Heavy Metal as well!
So for once, I didn't feel 'part' of this scene; I certainly couldn't name every member of every band there!
Put it this way, I felt my Alter Bridge t-shirt might well have been frowned upon had I worn it that day!
One of my other reasons for wanting to attend was to meet some friends I rarely see; however the place was extremely busy (and dark! There was a band on as I went through, I only caught the end of their set but their singer must have been gutted to miss out on the gig singing for a much better-known Melodic Rock band - he had all the moves and the look of that band's most fondly-remembered singer ;-)
I found my friend Janette on the steps to the side of the stage; it was packed in that area but I managed to find a good spot on those steps for the JSS set which was next up. It's been a long time - almost 2 years - since I last met Janette and it was wonderful to see her. It's been even longer since last I saw JSS!
This was only the second time I'd caught the former Journey (and Yngwie!) singer live and in truth, I'm not well up on his music. For the Firefest stage, he brought out the funk, much of the material played was new even to this crowd but it still went over well, much to Soto's relief! He did make sure they got some songs they knew, performing material from 'Prism' (the only album by him I've got!) before ending with a light-hearted cover of Wild Cherry's 'Play That Funky Music'. This was padded out with snippets of other songs, including the Commodores' 'Brick House', and even New Kids' 'The Right Stuff' (changed thus: 'Wo-oh-oh oh-oh, THIS SONG SUCKS!') JSS guitarist Howie Simon is equally at home gettin' funky as he is shredding, he was excellent. I should look out for more from Soto really, he was electric onstage, and had the crowd in his hand throughout.
Following that set, I went for a wander round the venue - having got myself a beer, I almost took a tumble down the steps from the bar to the floor. I wasn't drunk (honest) but it was dark, and it is very easy to misjudge that first step. The floor is black, but subsequent steps are covered in that steel floor stuff, and I almost took down some poor woman when desperately trying not to tumble head first! I think it's something that should be looked at, I actually misjudged the step twice that day, but that time was pretty dangerous. From the back of the venue I watched some of the set given by Pink Cream 69. They were not bad, but not terrific either (and I really hate that name!), they just didn't *grab* me as anything special. As I say, I'm not a specialist in this music, so I'm sure a MR expert would be able to point out where I'm wrong here, but I just didn't get them. So I finished my beer and headed to the steps outside, whereupon I met Janette, and also Eleanor chatting outside. At around this time a minor commotion took place when Tall Stories singer Steve Augeri showed up. He signed a few things and greeted fans, he even greeted me! I'd not sought him out (his band were playing the Sunday, which I was unable to attend) and had nothing to sign, but he still gave me a cheery handshake on his way in! Shortly after that, we filed back in ourselves, in order to catch Tyketto, the headliners that night.
I decided to go into the main crowd for this set, the others headed back onto the steps for the vantage point. The band were billed as Tyketto, but this line-up had more resemblance to the Vaughn line-up of the early 2000s. PJ Zitaroza lined up on guitar alongside long-time Vaughn collaborator Tony Marshall, with Michael Clayton Arbeeny back on drums after 'the shortest retirement ever' according to the singer (!)
The set was a pure nostalgia-fest, Danny led the band through their best loved songs and delivered everything magnificently. It's not the first time I've seen Danny Vaughn perform, but whereas before when I've seen him, I've been impressed with his singing, this time I was totally blown away. He was absolutely fantastic, when in this form he can wipe the floor with almost anybody. It really was one of those times when you're watching a guy at the top of his game, wondering why he is not a massive star. On introducing the song 'Standing Alone', Vaughn himself joked about his own standing ('I'm not driving a Ferrari, in fact not even a Fiat Punto!'), before stunning everyone present with an exemplary rendition.
The gig flew over, and it went down an absolute storm. One thing I didn't get was the sporadic booing of Tony Marshall; I suspect it's some sort of in-joke because he did nothing wrong, and was far from put off by the booing, in fact he seemed to play up to it!
As I said earlier, I was unable to make the Sunday event and so trudged back to my hotel via the nearest branch of Subway (!), the city was in full swing for a Saturday night but I was tired, and so hit the hay!
Whatever was served up on Sunday however, it would have had to go some to top the performance of Danny Vaughn on the Saturday night. Hopefully he will get the recognition he deserves - even though that would mean we would no longer see him in intimate venues, he is worthy of top billing anywhere.
As a postscript to the night, I found one of my friends from Finland outside the club - Ede had travelled over for this event and I'd spent quite a while trying to find her while inside, to no avail. It was great to catch up, albeit briefly and I hope to meet her again when in Helsinki for Whitesnake's concert in December. That's not too far off now, but there are still a lot of gigs to see between now and then in this country! :)
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Caught Live: Hot Leg - Barfly Liverpool 21 October 2008
During the encore of this set, frontman Justin Hawkins could not stand the heat any longer... and ditched his top. Not that remarkable, maybe, but last time I saw him live in this city (July 2006, with The Darkness) he was far less willing to lose his shirt!
The reason for that of course, is that he is now back in shape after his well-publicised stint in rehab. That night in July, he was noticeably tubby and the shirt remained buttoned up. Now looking trim once again, he has lost several pounds, lightened his hair, ditched the catsuits in favour of 1980s style ripped T-shirts and headbands, and gained more tattoos. All I know about the new band is that he sings for it, so I attended this gig having heard none of their music before.
I arrived at The Barfly (a small converted theatre) to find around 200 there and the band had just started playing. Despite the different setting to the old Darkness days, it soon became clear Justin had lost none of his showmanship, and none of his humour. He had little trouble getting the small crowd to roar and shout when required, and a really bizarre moment came when they began to play a power ballad (I don't know ANY of their song titles yet!) - he stopped it one verse in, having spotted a few people at the front linking arms and swaying. Sure enough he got the whole audience to do the same, and the band even tried it themselves!
Justin and fellow guitarist Pete 'Liquid Guitar Hands' Rinaldi were climbing all over each other and attempting to play each other's guitars, while performing the song! This soon caused another stoppage since it made their axes go out of tune, but nobody minded! The gig was appealingly ramshackle throughout; they often drew out the endings to songs, one even ended up with an impromptu bass solo from Sam 'SJ' Stokes!
The material was exactly the kind of Glam Rock suggested by the outfits, the falsetto is present and correct, as are the squiggly lead solos. I thought it was a lot harder-hitting than the later Darkness days; there were no keyboards, precious little effects, just straightforward rock 'n' roll.
Even shorn of the big stage set, the stuffed white tigers on which he used to sit and play guitar, and without seven different sparkly Les Pauls, Justin Hawkins remains a star. Fingers crossed that this time around, he keeps himself together for the success that beckons for his new band.
Hot Leg will be supporting Alter Bridge on their October UK tour, and will return the next month with Extreme. If you're going to see either band, get there early and catch Hot Leg, they'll put a smile on your face!
The reason for that of course, is that he is now back in shape after his well-publicised stint in rehab. That night in July, he was noticeably tubby and the shirt remained buttoned up. Now looking trim once again, he has lost several pounds, lightened his hair, ditched the catsuits in favour of 1980s style ripped T-shirts and headbands, and gained more tattoos. All I know about the new band is that he sings for it, so I attended this gig having heard none of their music before.
I arrived at The Barfly (a small converted theatre) to find around 200 there and the band had just started playing. Despite the different setting to the old Darkness days, it soon became clear Justin had lost none of his showmanship, and none of his humour. He had little trouble getting the small crowd to roar and shout when required, and a really bizarre moment came when they began to play a power ballad (I don't know ANY of their song titles yet!) - he stopped it one verse in, having spotted a few people at the front linking arms and swaying. Sure enough he got the whole audience to do the same, and the band even tried it themselves!
Justin and fellow guitarist Pete 'Liquid Guitar Hands' Rinaldi were climbing all over each other and attempting to play each other's guitars, while performing the song! This soon caused another stoppage since it made their axes go out of tune, but nobody minded! The gig was appealingly ramshackle throughout; they often drew out the endings to songs, one even ended up with an impromptu bass solo from Sam 'SJ' Stokes!
The material was exactly the kind of Glam Rock suggested by the outfits, the falsetto is present and correct, as are the squiggly lead solos. I thought it was a lot harder-hitting than the later Darkness days; there were no keyboards, precious little effects, just straightforward rock 'n' roll.
Even shorn of the big stage set, the stuffed white tigers on which he used to sit and play guitar, and without seven different sparkly Les Pauls, Justin Hawkins remains a star. Fingers crossed that this time around, he keeps himself together for the success that beckons for his new band.
Hot Leg will be supporting Alter Bridge on their October UK tour, and will return the next month with Extreme. If you're going to see either band, get there early and catch Hot Leg, they'll put a smile on your face!
Sunday, 19 October 2008
Caught Live: Queen + Paul Rodgers - ECHO Arena Liverpool, 18 October 2008
I go to a lot of gigs and have been writing about them to my MySpace blog for a while now.
Starting from now, they will also appear here.
__________________________________________
The Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University paid a visit to the city last night with some colleagues, not something that would normally draw more than 10,000 people to an arena you might think. When you discover that the aforementioned university head is Dr Brian Harold May, CBE, you soon see why it did!
Brian (or should I say, Dr May!) has been a frequent visitor to our city over the past year, mainly in that capacity, but here at the Echo Arena, he was in his more famous role as guitarist, along with Roger Taylor and Paul Rodgers. The Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration has split the Queen fanbase down the middle since it was launched; although May and Taylor have been at pains to say that Rodgers does not, and never would wish to, imitate the iconic Freddie Mercury, still the fact that he is up there singing Mercury's songs on stage does not sit well with everyone. Others take a more pragmatic view: why should Brian or Roger pack their gear away when they feel they still have something to offer? Even with such polarised views from Queen die-hards, there were still plenty who wanted to come along and see this band, and the Echo Arena was just one of the string of sold-out dates they are playing in the UK.
The new album 'The Cosmos Rocks' was more Paul Rodgers than Queen to this listener, however in the live setting, the Queen + Paul Rodgers billing makes a lot more sense. It's a full stage production featuring a high-tech lighting rig as befits a Queen show, and a giant screen over the stage providing visuals. The set was heavily weighted towards the harder-rocking Queen hits, presumably chosen to suit Rodgers' bluesy delivery.
The set is broken up so that all three main men get some time in the spotlight (and some time off stage!), Rodgers gets to play the Bad Co song 'Seagull' (dedicating it to the recently-departed Levi Stubbs) before giving the stage over to Brian May, he came to the front of the ramp for the traditional 'Love of My Life' singalong. After a rousing '39' during which he brought the band over, including Jamie Moses on guitar, keyboard player Spike Edney, and returning bassist Danny Miranda (now recovered from illness which ruled him out of two shows, replaced by Neil Murray), he left it to Roger Taylor to play a bizarre drum solo. Starting off with just a bass drum, he had a kit built around him, all the while playing the expanding kit! Finally he got a microphone, in order to sing 'I'm In Love With My Car' with the band back on the main stage.
Brian May's solo spot was a little different to the 'Brighton Rock' improvisation of old; it was shorter, and included a short burst of The Beatles' 'I Feel Fine'. He also included 'Bijou', from the 'Innuendo' album. When the voice of Freddie Mercury came through the PA the crowd roared, as May played on.
'Bohemian Rhapsody' closed out the main part of the show. As was the case in 2005, they used video footage of Freddie for the song, while the band played below. It is very spooky indeed to see a huge projection of Freddie on screen while May and Taylor are playing in front of you. I can only imagine how spooked out the guys must be themselves! During the 'Galileo' bit (always on tape, the original band never performed that bit live) the screen showed a montage of Freddie photos, to another loud cheer. They also put in several slides of John Deacon, Queen's bassist who elected not to participate in this project. The 'headbanging' bit sees Rodgers come to the stage and sing that part, before he 'trades vocal' with Freddie at the end. That was the main set, and it was a long one. They were not quite finished of course, returning to play 'The Cosmos Rocks', then 'All Right Now', and ending with the traditional 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are The Champions' pairing.
All in all it was a triumphant night for Queen + Paul Rodgers, Rodgers in particular looked delighted with it all, he is in his element playing to such large crowds. My only real quibble was the shortening of some songs, it was a long set still and I realise they have to fit as much in as possible, but still it was a shame that stuff like 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' - a song that takes on a new life when done live, was shorn of its usual jam at the end. It's not 'Queen' as they were, it never could be, but those that came along had a great night with three legends of rock. Perhaps it's this which keeps them going, all three represent a golden era of music unlikely to be replicated in the current 'c-lebrity' climate. On this showing, there is no reason why they should not carry on for as long as they wish.
Set list (from www.brianmay.com)
HAMMER TO FALL (Short Version)
TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN
FAT BOTTOMED GIRLS
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
I WANT IT ALL
I WANT TO BREAK FREE
C-LEBRITY
SURF'S UP… SCHOOLS OUT
SEAGULL
LOVE OF MY LIFE
'39
BASS IMPROVISATION / DRUM SOLO
I'M IN LOVE WITH MY CAR
IT'S A KIND OF MAGIC
SAY IT'S NOT TRUE
BAD COMPANY
WE BELIEVE
GUITAR SOLO
BIJOU
LAST HORIZON
RADIO GA GA (Short Version)
CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE (Short Version)
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
COSMOS ROCKS
ALL RIGHT NOW
WE WILL ROCK YOU
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
Starting from now, they will also appear here.
__________________________________________
The Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University paid a visit to the city last night with some colleagues, not something that would normally draw more than 10,000 people to an arena you might think. When you discover that the aforementioned university head is Dr Brian Harold May, CBE, you soon see why it did!
Brian (or should I say, Dr May!) has been a frequent visitor to our city over the past year, mainly in that capacity, but here at the Echo Arena, he was in his more famous role as guitarist, along with Roger Taylor and Paul Rodgers. The Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration has split the Queen fanbase down the middle since it was launched; although May and Taylor have been at pains to say that Rodgers does not, and never would wish to, imitate the iconic Freddie Mercury, still the fact that he is up there singing Mercury's songs on stage does not sit well with everyone. Others take a more pragmatic view: why should Brian or Roger pack their gear away when they feel they still have something to offer? Even with such polarised views from Queen die-hards, there were still plenty who wanted to come along and see this band, and the Echo Arena was just one of the string of sold-out dates they are playing in the UK.
The new album 'The Cosmos Rocks' was more Paul Rodgers than Queen to this listener, however in the live setting, the Queen + Paul Rodgers billing makes a lot more sense. It's a full stage production featuring a high-tech lighting rig as befits a Queen show, and a giant screen over the stage providing visuals. The set was heavily weighted towards the harder-rocking Queen hits, presumably chosen to suit Rodgers' bluesy delivery.
The set is broken up so that all three main men get some time in the spotlight (and some time off stage!), Rodgers gets to play the Bad Co song 'Seagull' (dedicating it to the recently-departed Levi Stubbs) before giving the stage over to Brian May, he came to the front of the ramp for the traditional 'Love of My Life' singalong. After a rousing '39' during which he brought the band over, including Jamie Moses on guitar, keyboard player Spike Edney, and returning bassist Danny Miranda (now recovered from illness which ruled him out of two shows, replaced by Neil Murray), he left it to Roger Taylor to play a bizarre drum solo. Starting off with just a bass drum, he had a kit built around him, all the while playing the expanding kit! Finally he got a microphone, in order to sing 'I'm In Love With My Car' with the band back on the main stage.
Brian May's solo spot was a little different to the 'Brighton Rock' improvisation of old; it was shorter, and included a short burst of The Beatles' 'I Feel Fine'. He also included 'Bijou', from the 'Innuendo' album. When the voice of Freddie Mercury came through the PA the crowd roared, as May played on.
'Bohemian Rhapsody' closed out the main part of the show. As was the case in 2005, they used video footage of Freddie for the song, while the band played below. It is very spooky indeed to see a huge projection of Freddie on screen while May and Taylor are playing in front of you. I can only imagine how spooked out the guys must be themselves! During the 'Galileo' bit (always on tape, the original band never performed that bit live) the screen showed a montage of Freddie photos, to another loud cheer. They also put in several slides of John Deacon, Queen's bassist who elected not to participate in this project. The 'headbanging' bit sees Rodgers come to the stage and sing that part, before he 'trades vocal' with Freddie at the end. That was the main set, and it was a long one. They were not quite finished of course, returning to play 'The Cosmos Rocks', then 'All Right Now', and ending with the traditional 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are The Champions' pairing.
All in all it was a triumphant night for Queen + Paul Rodgers, Rodgers in particular looked delighted with it all, he is in his element playing to such large crowds. My only real quibble was the shortening of some songs, it was a long set still and I realise they have to fit as much in as possible, but still it was a shame that stuff like 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' - a song that takes on a new life when done live, was shorn of its usual jam at the end. It's not 'Queen' as they were, it never could be, but those that came along had a great night with three legends of rock. Perhaps it's this which keeps them going, all three represent a golden era of music unlikely to be replicated in the current 'c-lebrity' climate. On this showing, there is no reason why they should not carry on for as long as they wish.
Set list (from www.brianmay.com)
HAMMER TO FALL (Short Version)
TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN
FAT BOTTOMED GIRLS
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
I WANT IT ALL
I WANT TO BREAK FREE
C-LEBRITY
SURF'S UP… SCHOOLS OUT
SEAGULL
LOVE OF MY LIFE
'39
BASS IMPROVISATION / DRUM SOLO
I'M IN LOVE WITH MY CAR
IT'S A KIND OF MAGIC
SAY IT'S NOT TRUE
BAD COMPANY
WE BELIEVE
GUITAR SOLO
BIJOU
LAST HORIZON
RADIO GA GA (Short Version)
CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE (Short Version)
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
COSMOS ROCKS
ALL RIGHT NOW
WE WILL ROCK YOU
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
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