Mott The Hoople - Friday 2nd October - Hammersmith Apollo

Met up with a couple of colleagues by the River before Richard joined us. Had a good chat about record collecting, gigs and the usual rubbish - it turns out we were in the company of a serious Mott The Hoople fan in Steve!

Many beers later - and having skipped the support - we were inside for the much anticipated reunion. I thought it was a little rough around the edges to start (not surprising), but got better later on. The band did look old though! Ironically, Ian Hunter (70) and Mick Ralphs (65) looked in better nick than the others who were 60 or below. I wonder if that's because they've been musically more active over the last decade?

Sitting behind us we spotted Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream) and Paul Guerin and Guy Griffin from the Quireboys. Jimmy Page and Mick Jones were also in attendance and I suspect there were a few more "faces" dotted around.

I was gutted to find out that on the Tuesday Joe Elliot (backed by the Quireboys) was the support act, playing a selection of Ian Hunter / Mott The Hoople classics. Why don't they publish these things beforehand!

Setlist
JUPITER
HYMN FOR THE DUES
ROCK AND ROLL QUEEN
SWEET JANE
ONE OF THE BOYS
SUCKER
THE MOON UPSTAIRS
ORIGINAL MIXED UP KID
I WISH I WAS YOUR MOTHER
READY FOR LOVE
BORN LATE 58
BALLAD OF MOTT
SWEET ANGELINE
WALKING WITH A MOUNTAIN
LIKE A ROLLING STONE / THE JOURNEY
THE GOLDEN AGE OF ROCK AND ROLL
HONALOOCHIE BOOGIE
ALL THE WAY FROM MEMPHIS
ROLL AWAY THE STONE
ALL THE YOUNG DUDES
KEEP A KNOCKIN'
SATURDAY GIGS

Woodedz - Friday 25th September - Half Moon, Putney

Rhino from Status Quo (and most of his family) playing at the popular Half Moon venue in Putney.

The location allowed for a bit of a crawl beforehand and we got to the venue around 9:00 to see Rhino still in the bar. This gave us time for a win on the Quiz machine and a game of Pool where - despite the amount of beer consumed - I was uncharacteristically brilliant.

The show was good (although it was a shame the late start meant a shorter set) and was the normal mix of Solo stuff, Quo Material (mainly lesser played album tracks and 'b' sides) and a smattering of Rock covers. Pretty much every member of Rhino's family seemed to be in attendance and most performed! All in all, good fun. Didn't hang around to chat afterwards - instead went for a bit more listening to some classic rock in the B@1 bar.

Jeff Beck - Monday 21st September - Indigo2

Ambiguously billed as "Jeff Beck with the Imelda May Band", it was unclear if Imelda May and her band were supporting (as they had done on the last tour) or Jeff was joining her band for the evening. A call to the O2 on the day of the show confirmed the latter - no support and Mr Beck in the Band. Knowing that this would mean a night of Rockabilly as opposed to Jeff's normal material, in the bar beforehand Dave was making all sorts of threats to "sue Harvey Goldsmith for misrepresentation" etc.

As it turned out, there was no need to worry. The band were solid, Imelda May's vocals quite stunning and the whole evening was full of enough classic tunes, whatever style they were played in and we all enjoyed it. Ronnie Wood and Jimmy Page were in attendance, but unfortunately had declined the offer to perform - taking a bit of stick from Jeff as a result. Few performers seem so uncomfortable speaking to their audience, but who cares when the guitar playing is so good.

Found out later that Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton are playing the O2 next year. Price £125. Errr... no thanks Harvey. It's good, but not that good.

Setlist
Feel Me
Love Tattoo
Baby Let's Play Outside
Double Talking Baby
Cruisin'
Train Kept a-Rollin'
Poor By
My Baby Left Me
Rockin' is Out Business
Apache
Sleepwalk
Peter Gunn
Remember (Walking in the Sand)
Please Mr. Jailor
Corpus Christi Carol
Lilac Wine
Green Onions
Casting My Spell
The Girl Can't Help It
Brush with the Blues
Rock Around the Clock
Cry Me a River
How High the Moon
Shake Rattle and Roll
Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Setlist from http://www.songkick.com/concerts/2459851-jeff-beck-at-indigo2

Upcoming shows

Looking forward to these over the next month or 2:-

Jeff Beck - Indigo2
Woodedz - Half Moon, Putney
Mott The Hoople - Hammersmith
Magnum - Islington

U2 - Friday 14th August - Wembley Stadium

Let me be honest, I'm not too much of a U2 fan - especially the lead singer! That said, I recognise that they are a pretty good band with some excellent songs, so - pride suitably swallowed, I shelled out for a "view from the Gods" ticket at Wembley. And guess what? Apart from one truely awful song involving words like "password", "click" and "reboot yourself" - I think it was "Unknown Caller" - the rest of the set was very good.

Setlist
Breathe, No Line On The Horizon, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, London Calling (snippet) / , London Bridge Is Falling Down (snippet) / Beautiful Day / Blackbird (snippet), Elevation, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Movin' On Up (snippet), Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, Unknown Caller, The Unforgettable Fire, City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo / Acquiesce (snippet), I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes (snippet) / Reverend Black Grape (snippet), Sunday Bloody Sunday / Rock The Casbah (snippet), Pride (In The Name Of Love), MLK, Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone (snippet), Where The Streets Have No Name / All You Need Is Love (snippet) / Acquiesce (snippet), One, Mysterious Ways / Norwegian Wood (snippet)+ Ultra Violet (Light My Way), With Or Without You, Moment of Surrender

Setlist from http://www.u2setlists.com/360.shtml

Dan Baird & Homemade Sin - Sunday 26th July - Borderline

Mr Baird and friends at the intimate Borderline. When we got there for the early start, the place was empty. By the time the show was 30 minutes in, it was totally rammed. Great band, great set with some unusual covers. 2 hrs 25 minutes almost non-stop and we even made the tube!

Anyone got the setlist?

Scouting For Girls - Thursday 23rd July - Epsom Racecourse

2nd visit in a fortnight to evening racing + gig at Epsom racecourse. This time it's for Scouting For Girls - a band whose album I bought on the strength of a single - and really enjoyed.

The relative lack of material led to a set that included all the songs that I liked plus an excellent cover of "Live and Let Die".

Thunder - Saturday 11th July - Hammersmith Apollo

A week on, and Thunder's final headline show. An emotional evening at a packed Hammersmith Apollo provided a fitting end for a great band. after 20 years.

Thanks for the memories guys - hoping to see you back for the 25th Anniversary!

Setlist (from Thunderonline.com)
Loser / On the Radio / Higher Ground / Low Life in High Places / The Devil Made Me Do It / Gimme Some Lovin' / Empty City / Like a Satellite / River of Pain / You Can't Keep a Good Man Down / Love Walked In / I Love You More Than Rock ‘n’ Roll Encore: A Better Man / Backstreet Symphony / She's So Fine / Dirty Love (Including ‘Billie Jean’ excerpt and ‘Shakin’ All Over’)

Bryan Adams - Tuesday 7th July - Southampton Guildhall

An acoustic outing from Mr Adams (a first for me) at the pleasant (seated) Southampton Guildhall. An outrageous £69 (with booking fee) ticket, but this was just about justified by a good perfomance including some rarely heard material.

As you'd expect from an acoustic show, a few too many ballads, but with the bonus of some amusing tales between many of the songs, this was an evening not to be missed.

Setlist:
Run To You / Tonight We Have The Stars / Back To You / Here I Am / Thought I'd Died And Gone To Heaven / Let's Make A Night To Remember / Can't Stop This Thing We Started / I Thought I'd Seen Everything / When You Love Someone / Heat Of The Night / Not Romeo Not Juliet / Everything I Do / Cuts Like A Knife / Lonely Nights / This Time / Mysterious Ways / Please Forgive Me / Summer Of '69 / Walk On By / Heaven / When You're Gone / The Right Place / The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You + Somebody / Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman? / Never Let Go / Straight From The Heart

Thunder - Sunday 5th July - Cambridge Corn Exchange

Thunder's farewell tour (sob!). Decided to do the Cambridge show as well as London next week, especially as the band are promising an ever changing setlist for this final fling.

A packed and extremely hot venue meant we were stuck 3/4 of the way back, but a fine show was delivered. Trains and nightbuses meant I wasn't home until 3am, but this was one show that was worth the hassle.

Setlist (from Thunderonline.com)
Loser / Welcome To The Party / Higher Ground / Low Life In High Places / Gimme Some Lovin’ / Moth To The Flame / The Devil Made Me Do It / Love Walked In / Stand Up / You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down / Don’t Wait For Me / I Love You More Than Rock ‘n’ Roll Encore: A Better Man / Just Another Suicide / Dirty Love (Including ‘Billie Jean' excerpt)