Re: O/T If music be your love..... : Mon Mar 19, 2018 9:23 am  

JINJER wrote:

U2, now you've got me talking.
Went to see U2 on the War tour, early '83. We went to Leeds uni, Friday evening, before we went into the gig we watched U2 playing live on the Tube tv program. It never registered at the time that they were playing live in Newcastle at 6pm, what could possibly go wrong. We waited an age in the uni, bands generally came on stage at the uni at about nine o'clock. They eventually turned up at 10-45, taxi booked for 11, no mobile phones in those days. We only saw 15 mins, next day I phoned Leeds uni up to complain, left my phone number etc. Within an hour I got a call back from a guy called I think Paul McGuiness, never heard of him, he said he was U2's tour manager, he asked if we could get to Newcastle on Tuesday, he said ask for him and he'd sort us out.
We got to Newcastle city hall (I think) asked for him. He took us to our own box, gave us waiter service, free drinks all evening, free program and told us to wait around after the gig.
Gig finished, he came up to us and ushered us to the front of the stage, U2 sat, legs dangling over the edge, four Normy loads and U2 sat talking gigs. After an hour PM walked us out then gave us £30 (in'83) petrol money and his address to get in touch if we ever wanted tickets. Fantastic gesture and something I've always appreciated.
Ps. Three of the band were amazing but Larry Mullen Jr was a right knob even that early in his career.

Also saw them on War tour. They were a great live band in them days. Your assessment of Larry is pretty much spot on, he may have changed a lot since then though.

Re: O/T If music be your love..... : Mon Mar 19, 2018 9:25 am  

Biggest regret is never seeing The Clash live, I had ticket to see them in Newcastle but was scuppered by tonsillitis

Re: O/T If music be your love..... : Mon Mar 19, 2018 10:33 am  

NEwildcat wrote:

Biggest regret is never seeing The Clash live, I had ticket to see them in Newcastle but was scuppered by tonsillitis

Leeds uni x2
Leeds Queens hall
Sheffield top rank
Bridlington spa
London Finsbury Park Rainbow
London Mile End, cancelled gig as we were sat in a boozer next door.
Manchester Apollo.

Re: O/T If music be your love..... : Mon Mar 19, 2018 11:01 am  

JINJER wrote:

Leeds uni x2
Leeds Queens hall
Sheffield top rank
Bridlington spa
London Finsbury Park Rainbow
London Mile End, cancelled gig as we were sat in a boozer next door.
Manchester Apollo.

Not jealous at all

Re: O/T If music be your love..... : Mon Mar 19, 2018 1:35 pm  

My first gig was The Human League - my brother took me (under age) and I've been hooked on live music ever since; incidentally, I'm off to see them again later this year, 30odd years after the first time - which is sobering.

My favourite gigs have invariably been small rooms - especially during my metal/grunge years; I was at the infamous Nirvana gig in Bradford, which was far too small a venue given that Nevermind went ballistic a couple of months before; these days, it would never have gone ahead with the number of people who managed to squeeze in. I saw all the Grunge big hitters - with Alice in Chains at Rock City probably the pick of the bunch. Pantera at the same venue was probably the scariest, most intense experience I've ever had. I saw Henry Rollins in Leeds and had a curry with him afterwards, Danzig at Braford when the man himself tried to steal my then gf onto the tour bus from right under my nose, and I had a fag with the lead singer of L7 outside the Leadmill in Sheffield. And I was in the video for the first single released by a thrash band called Toranaga - stagediving backwards at Queens Hall in Bradford.

I've seen Radiohead several times - including on the circus tent tour in Warrington; that was like a religious experience - they're a phenomenal live band. Numerous festivals, with mixed experience - they're a good drunken party, but not always a good way to see a band at its best in my view. Leeds a couple of years ago made me realise that despite my advancing years, I'm a secret Grime fan - much to my kids amusement.

More recently, Fleet Foxes and Lucius were amazing live - I went as a last minute thing and ended up a big fan of both bands; Father John Misty (formerly of the Fleet Foxes) Jesca Hoop, and in the past couple of weeks, Django Django and Everything Everything in Leeds.

My biggest gripe with gigs now is the ticket buying process; anyone who attends a lot of gigs will be familiar with the agonising process of refreshing a website to no avail, only to see re-sellers offering tickets at multiples of face value, while you're still trying to buy them from bloody Ticketmaster or whichever rip-off agent the band have decided to use - that needs fixing - I'd prefer to go back to queuing outside a record shop or wheedling from contacts, but then I'm an old fart that way.

Re: O/T If music be your love..... : Mon Mar 19, 2018 1:39 pm  

My first gig was Mott the Hoople at Leeds Town Hall 73 or 74 can't remember. Support band were called Queen. Whatever happened to them ?

Re: O/T If music be your love..... : Mon Mar 19, 2018 1:41 pm  

LyndsayGill wrote:

Support band were called Queen. Whatever happened to them ?

Brilliant - didn't they go on to have some limited success for a couple of years?!

Re: O/T If music be your love..... : Mon Mar 19, 2018 2:29 pm  

bren2k wrote:

My first gig was The Human League - my brother took me (under age) and I've been hooked on live music ever since; incidentally, I'm off to see them again later this year, 30odd years after the first time - which is sobering.

My favourite gigs have invariably been small rooms - especially during my metal/grunge years; I was at the infamous Nirvana gig in Bradford, which was far too small a venue given that Nevermind went ballistic a couple of months before; these days, it would never have gone ahead with the number of people who managed to squeeze in. I saw all the Grunge big hitters - with Alice in Chains at Rock City probably the pick of the bunch. Pantera at the same venue was probably the scariest, most intense experience I've ever had. I saw Henry Rollins in Leeds and had a curry with him afterwards, Danzig at Braford when the man himself tried to steal my then gf onto the tour bus from right under my nose, and I had a fag with the lead singer of L7 outside the Leadmill in Sheffield. And I was in the video for the first single released by a thrash band called Toranaga - stagediving backwards at Queens Hall in Bradford.

I've seen Radiohead several times - including on the circus tent tour in Warrington; that was like a religious experience - they're a phenomenal live band. Numerous festivals, with mixed experience - they're a good drunken party, but not always a good way to see a band at its best in my view. Leeds a couple of years ago made me realise that despite my advancing years, I'm a secret Grime fan - much to my kids amusement.

More recently, Fleet Foxes and Lucius were amazing live - I went as a last minute thing and ended up a big fan of both bands; Father John Misty (formerly of the Fleet Foxes) Jesca Hoop, and in the past couple of weeks, Django Django and Everything Everything in Leeds.

My biggest gripe with gigs now is the ticket buying process; anyone who attends a lot of gigs will be familiar with the agonising process of refreshing a website to no avail, only to see re-sellers offering tickets at multiples of face value, while you're still trying to buy them from bloody Ticketmaster or whichever rip-off agent the band have decided to use - that needs fixing - I'd prefer to go back to queuing outside a record shop or wheedling from contacts, but then I'm an old fart that way.

I need to hear more about this Henry Rollins curry? I'd have killed to have been there. I went to see him perform his spoken word 5 or 6 years ago at Salford Quays. Intriguing character.

First gig I ever went to was Nickelback when I was about 13. My dad took me to Sheffield insisting I come with him while he meets a client from work and whacks two tickets out. That was exciting as a 13 year old who was just starting to get into rock musi. Silver Side Up was massive at that point. Best arena gig I've been to was Green Day at the MEN just after American Idiot so they played lots of their older stuff too which was good.

These days I tend to stick to smaller gigs and bands at local venues. Best live bands I've seen in recent years are The Bronx most recently at the Key Club, Letlive. at cockpit before it was closed and The Menzingers at the Brudenell Social Club. There's a compilation video of the letlive lead singer (Jason Aalon Butler). The guy is nuts.

Re: O/T If music be your love..... : Mon Mar 19, 2018 3:12 pm  

LyndsayGill wrote:

My first gig was Mott the Hoople at Leeds Town Hall 73 or 74 can't remember. Support band were called Queen. Whatever happened to them ?

I had a similar thing when I went to watch the Music at Brid spa, watched the support band who were OK, turned out to be Kings of Leon.

Re: O/T If music be your love..... : Mon Mar 19, 2018 3:28 pm  

Adam_Harrison9 wrote:

I need to hear more about this Henry Rollins curry? I'd have killed to have been there.

I saw the Rollins Band in Leeds on the Weight tour in the mid 90's - I want to say 94? It was a brilliant show, including Rollins dressed only in running shorts, dragging a guy who was harassing girls in the crowd onto the stage, and ejecting him himself. I went for a curry nearby after the gig, and various members of both bands were in there - so I went over and declared my fandom, and ended up eating with them. He was quite amenable - way friendlier than I expected, given the persona he had at the time.

I've also seen the spoken word stuff and read most of his books - he's a fascinating character, a kind of punk renaissance man; still does the occasional show on 6 music as a guest presenter - he seems to have finally mellowed a bit.