Status Quo - Thursday 15th August - Dreamland, Margate

Brief review:  Rumours are that the end is approaching for Quo as a live act. Not 100% confirmed by the band, but this could be the actual "End of the Road", 40 years after the tour of that name. And if it is true, then the standard of show suggests they are going out on a high - the band sound the best they have done for years. Even if the touring days are done, someone should persuade them to say a proper goodbye - after all this was the closest show to London (90 miles away) on an eclectic festival-like jaunt to random venues across the country.

Venue and View:  Standing. 50 yds back on right

Setlist
Caroline
Rain 
Little Lady 
Softer Ride
Beginning of the End
Hold You Back
What You're Proposing / Down the Dustpipe / Something 'bout You Baby I Like / Wild Side Of Life / Rollin' Home / Railroad / Again and Again / Mystery Song
The Oriental
In My Chair
In the Army Now 
Roll Over Lay Down
Down Down
Whatever You Want
Rockin' All Over the World 
+
Don't Waste My Time
Paper Plane
Burning Bridges (On and Off and on Again)

Billy Joel - Friday 9th August - Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Brief review:  The roof is closed at the Principality Stadium and the city outside has been very busy during the day. Mr Joel is playing his first ever show in Wales and we are here on a family outing. Chris Isaac provides the support and is fine, but wouldn't persuade me to go to one of his solo shows.

The venue is sold out and Billy is on good form - joking with the crowd and playing a few snippets of old Tom Jones tracks. Besides that, the set is very similar to his recent final run of MSG shows and unfortunately we don't get to hear his new single "Turn The Lights Back On". But otherwise a solid 8/10 as you would expect - even from distance!

Venue and View:  Rear Seats facing the stage, front row of 2nd tier about 100m from the stage.

Setlist
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
Pressure
The Entertainer
Green Green Grass of Home (snippet)
Just the Way You Are
Zanzibar 
What’s New Pussycat (snippet)
Start Me Up 
An Innocent Man
The Longest Time (with parts of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” & “Barbara Ann”)
The Downeaster "Alexa"
Allentown
Vienna
My Life (with Della Rose)
New York State of Mind 
“Take 5” (snippet)
Only the Good Die Young
Sometimes a Fantasy
The River of Dreams (with “River Deep - Mountain High”)
Nessun Dorma (sung by Mike DelGuidice)
Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
Piano Man
+
We Didn't Start the Fire
Uptown Girl
It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
Big Shot
You May Be Right (with “Rock and Roll”)

Bonnie Tyler - Thursday 25th July - Indigo2

Brief review:  A rare outing for Bonnie in the UK. She was meant to be supporting Michael Bolton next door in the bigger O2 arena, but moved here when that show was postponed. She has chosen a decent set here, albeit brief. She did seem at pains to point out several times how popular she is in Europe - I'm guessing the audience either know that (or don't care). Anyway, it was a decent show, so hopefully she will return (or even better, play a venue with slightly cheaper tickets).

Venue and View:  Seated just left of centre - about half a dozen rows back.

Setlist
Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
Hide Your Heart 
Lost in France
To Love Somebody 
The Best Is Yet to Come
It's a Heartache
Notes From America
Straight From the Heart 
When the Lights Go Down
Flat on the Floor
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Faster Than the Speed of Night
The Best
+
Turtle Blues 
Holding Out for a Hero

Cregan & Co - Friday 19th July - Boom Boom, Sutton

Brief review:  Another Sutton outing for Jim, Ben, Pat, Sam & Harry. A slightly mixed up set - still revolving around the Rod Stewart material Jim played on, but also with a few newer choices. See these guys whilst you can as they are brilliant. Hopefully the recent venue issues with promotion (or lack of it) won't prevent them from returning.

Venue and View:  Floor Standing. Half full, but then again hardly anyone would have known this was on!

Spike & Friends - Sunday 30th June - Cavern, Raynes Park

Brief review:  Spike and Chris with their acoustic show of songs and stories. To mix things up a bit, this time they had support from Del Bromham (Stray) and Dave "Bucket" Colwell as pictured above. We keep going back for more, so it must be good!

Venue and View:  Standing - half way back

Taylor Swift - Sunday 9th June - Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Brief review:  A family trip to what I think is my first ever gig in Scotland. We couldn't get tickets for any of the Wembley shows, so not wishing to miss the global superstar that is Miss Swift we decided to make a weekend away of it (as did pretty much everyone else staying in the Scottish Capital from what we saw!). 

Now, my other family members are more Swifties than me these days and my song knowledge runs a bit dry after the excellent "Red" album meaning I don't really know 2/3 of her output. But that doesn't stop this being an amazing show. And show is the word - so much thought has been given to making everyone in the vast arenas on the tour feeling involved. That said, we felt very lucky to have the front pitch tickets and be relatively close to the action.

A fantastic experience!

Venue and View:  Pitch standing - Front half, left hand side.

Setlist
Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince
Cruel Summer
The Man
You Need to Calm Down
Lover
+
Fearless
You Belong With Me
Love Story
+

22
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
I Knew You Were Trouble
All Too Well
Speak Now
+
Enchanted
+
...Ready for It?
Delicate
Don't Blame Me
Look What You Made Me Do
+
Cardigan
Betty
Champagne Problems
August
Illicit Affairs
My Tears Ricochet
Marjorie
Willow
+
Style
Blank Space
Shake It Off
Wildest Dreams
Bad Blood
+

But Daddy I Love Him / So High School
Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?
Down Bad
Fortnight
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
+
Dorothea
Haunted
+
Lavender Haze
Anti‐Hero
Midnight Rain
Vigilante Shit
Bejeweled
Mastermind
Karma

Jon Bon Jovi - Thursday 30th May - Pryzm, Kingston

Brief review:  Here's something I didn't expect to write - "Bon Jovi" does a show in Kingston! To be fair, Jon isn't playing unfortunately, it's more a Q&A and playback of some of the best tracks from the new album.

Jon is a good interview, being informative, sharing about his recent illness and desire to get back on stage. He was also amusing and caring - especially when a couple of audience members fainted and had to be treated (and one carried out) - it was very hot. He went to check on their wellbeing during a break.

Let's hope for some full shows in 2025 or 2026.

Venue and View:  Standing - Front left. Hot!

Quireboys - Sunday 26th May - Triangle, Deptford

Brief review:  Launch Party for the new Wardour Street album from 'Quireboys' (as this incarnation with Spike seem to have settled on). A slightly chaotic brief show (it was a freebie for pre-orders of the Boxed Set), the whole thing was held together by the brilliant Luke Morley (of "Terraplane" as he was constantly teased) in a sort of musical director role.

On this showing, the album should be good.

Venue and View:  Very small venue - standing, effectively 2nd row to the left.

Warner E Hodges - Friday 24th May - Camden Club

Brief review:  What a thoroughly nice chap Warner is. He was generous enough to have a chat with us after the show and we talked about his upcoming trip to Spain to see a couple of AC/DC shows (he is a huge fan!).

The show tonight was really good with Warner's own brand of Southern Rock interspersed with a couple of choice covers. A brand new venue for me too which was fine apart from the high (even for London!) drinks prices.

Venue and View:  Standing - front and central.

Bryan Adams - Wednesday 15th May - Royal Albert Hall

Brief review:  The third and final night of Bryan at the RAH. One of the reasons these shows have been so good is in addition to the variety of songs played across the 3 nights is the fact the full 5 piece band get involved (long term readers may recall my dislike of the 3 piece line-up sound a while ago with only one guitar). 

Tonight's album is the one that has been toured over the last couple of years - "So Happy It Hurts". It's a decent album generally, but has a couple of real duds on it - most notably the dreadful "On The Road". Still, that is done and dusted early, and the rest of the show bought a very enjoyable 3 nights to a decent conclusion. The 3 shows are due to make a boxed set in the future, so a purchase will no doubt be on the cards.

Venue and View:  Floor standing, 2nd row on right

Setlist
Set 1: So Happy It Hurts
Kick Ass
On the Road
I've Been Looking for You
Always Have, Always Will
Just Like Me, Just Like You
Never Gonna Rain 
You Lift Me Up 
Let’s Do This
I Ain’t Worth Shit Without You
Just About Gone
These Are the Moments That Make Up My Life
So Happy It Hurts

Set 2:
Can't Stop This Thing We Started
Somebody
18 til I Die
Please Forgive Me
Shine a Light
Kids Wanna Rock
Heaven
Go Down Rockin' (with Midnight Rambler snippet)
It's Only Love / The Best / What's Love Got to Do With It
You Belong to Me (with These Boots Are Made for Walkin' snippet)
The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You
I Will Always Return 
Here I Am 
When You're Gone 
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You
Run to You
Summer of '69
Cuts Like a Knife
+
Straight From the Heart
All for Love