6 months to 30 June 2023 | Time may change me

2023

As we entered into 2023 I already had some old favourites, such as Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, the Darkness, Sting and the Who lined up. I also had some performers I had never seen before to look forward to including Coldplay, Kiss and the Arctic Monkeys.

I then did a bit of juggling during the year to fit newly announced gigs into my spreadsheet, with some acts falling by the wayside sometimes deliberately and sometimes due to changes in circumstances.

Index

I had originally planned a longer venture involving a bit of sport as well as a gig, but a bout of illness delayed my trip. Hence this became a short trip over on the ferry to Fishguard, a drive to Cardiff returning the following day. My first gig in 2023. I had planned checking into my hotel before heading to the arena, but I was under a bit of time pressure and drove straight into the city, joining the queue outside the arena about 50 mins before the 6pm opening time.

Someone in front of me had the stage times and I therefore found out that the Darkness were on before Black Stone Cherry in this “joint-headliner” event. That suited me as the Darkness were the act that drew me to this event, and if I did not like Black Stone Cherry I could always leave early.

When I got into the arena there were already people occupying the front barrier, and it was only after some time that I spotted many had green paper wristbands – I had either missed a trick, or there were some special invitees allowed in early. Still I was in touching distance of the barrier, with only a couple of people in front of me.

Danko Jones

Cardiff International Arena

28 January 2023

A three piece from Canada started the evening. And they were very energetic – an appropriate start to what was essentially a head-banger’s convention. 30 minutes of heavy and entertaining music.

The Darkness

Cardiff International Arena

28 January 2023

As always with the Darkness it was an enjoyable set, although I did get the feeling Justin Hawkins was not as exuberant as the prior occasions I had seen them where they had been the only headline act. I suspect knowing the audience comprised fans of another band as well as their own they maybe felt they had to rein things in a little to try and win those others over. The fact they were limited to around 70 minutes also meant they would get through their songs quickly with little opportunity to chat to the audience.

We did have one issue when a couple of people tried to push past, but me and the woman next to me held ground and the interlopers moved along to another part of the stage. Between acts someone spoke to security and the two of them retreated further back when they saw the security guys getting involved.

Black Stone Cherry

Cardiff International Arena

28 January 2023

The final act of the evening were clearly there to entertain. Any doubts I had were quickly dismissed as they were all energy and very entertaining. The main issue I had was my legs were suffering with all the standing. It was a little unusual as I had stood for a good while longer for the Taylor Hawkins tribute and indeed the Iron Maiden Belsonic and Whitesnake events the previous year without particular issue. Still I was struggling and about 15 minutes before the scheduled end I decided to retreat to the back of the arena.

I then had a fairly leisurely peruse of the merchandise stand before heading back to my car. By the time I was at the car I felt fine to drive the 10 miles or so to my hotel.

Willie J Healey

3Arena, Dublin

8 February 2023

The next event was a late decision that fitted into another road trip schedule. Florence + the Machine had originally been due to play Dublin in 2022 but that had been postponed due to Florence fracturing her foot on the opening night of the tour in London.

When I joined the queue to enter the arena I was a little apprehensive. I did not know what to expect but the garb many people were wearing was perhaps something that would have been on display in the Summer of Love in hippy San Francisco in 1967. What was more concerning was the youthfulness of so many. Indeed throughout the evening I probably saw less than a dozen people of a similar vintage to myself. I reckoned a significant majority would have been less than half my own age.

I positioned myself as near to the front of the standing section as I could. Perhaps a couple of metres behind the barrier which was another couple of metres away from the stage. The support was solo artist Willie J Healey.

Florence + the Machine

3Arena, Dublin

8 February 2023

When Florence appeared on stage the place went wild. I don’t think I have never seen someone command an audience as well as Florence did. And she somehow performed magic, turning the teeny boppers into punk rockers. I had not seen pogo dancing like that in over 40 years. She had everyone eating out of her hand. She did instruct us all to put away our phones, but that was over 30 minutes in when I already had hundreds of snaps. I was a little more circumspect for the rest of the show but still had a few opportunities to take more pictures as others raised their phones again.

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons

The Tramshed, Cardiff

21 February 2023

My original plan was to see Black Star Riders in Cardiff. That changed when a trip over to Britain allowed me to take Black Star Riders in on my return journey through Belfast. Except I was feeling quite ill that day and ended up giving that evening a miss altogether. At short notice I had booked ferries and hotel accommodation in Wales, nothing to do with Black Star Riders as I had other things I needed to attend to at short notice. It did though give me the opportunity to use the ticket for the gig at the Tramshed in Cardiff.

I had some recollection of the band name Hanoi Rocks but had pretty much bypassed them when they came to the fore in the 1980s. That was all to change. I had no clue to who Michael Monroe is until one February evening in Cardiff.

I was surprised to see the first of the 3 acts that evening was Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons. Campbell had formed the band with his children after the demise of Motorhead following the deaths of the other 3 main members of that band. And I had heard of them so why was this Michael Monroe guy on after them?

By the end of the evening I was left wondering why Michael Monroe was not topping the bill. Why were there still tickets available for the Thursday night in Bristol?

I thought Phil Campbell was good for a support act. He could dip into the Motorhead stuff as well as playing songs from their own catalogue. Very much a heavy metal tone, and setting an excellent tone for the evening.

Michael Monroe

The Tramshed, Cardiff

21 February 2023

Michael Monroe’s band appeared. My first thought as a 5th individual appeared was perhaps she was a backing singer. Wrong on both counts – she was a he, and he was what can perhaps best be described as a force of nature. What a show Mr Monroe put on. A 60 year old performing like he was a teenager. Without doubt the best support act I can ever recall. 50 minutes or so of pure energy. I was stood at the barrier and perhaps 15 minutes or so into the act. He leapt from the stage onto the step attached to the other side of the barrier, perhaps a foot or so above the floor where security can step if they need to deal with someone in the audience. Before I knew it he had grabbed the arm of the guy next to me and was upright on top of the barrier, his other hand holding the microphone, with quite literally the audience at his feet. He stayed there for a couple of minutes belting out the song with me wondering if he was going to fall onto the top of us. There was nothing to fear though and later on he did something similar from the other side of the stage, using the “pit” to get close up to the baying crowd.

Black Star Riders

The Tramshed, Cardiff

21 February 2023

The headline act was not going to disappoint, but equally they were only going to be put in the shade by their main support. Yes a bit heavier than Thin Lizzy, but they did a couple of Thin Lizzy and one of the Osmonds’ covers. Yes the Osmonds, but I guess Crazy Horses was by a long way their “heaviest” song and Ricky Warwick and his band did a considerably heavier version.

Scott Gorham appeared about 4 songs into the setlist. And I had chosen the right side as he was just in front of me. I even had an opportunity to flash one of my photos of him, Phil Lynott and the rest of the then the Thin Lizzy line-up from 1983 on my phone, which he acknowledged giving me a smile when he saw it.

It was a good set from the Black Star Riders.

When I got back to my hotel I was searching Ticketmaster to check on availability the next evening in Bristol, I really could not believe this show had not sold out what were quite small venues, but there were tickets available and it was an easy decision to head over to Bristol for what would otherwise have been a quiet evening in a Cardiff Travelodge.

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons

O2 Academy, Bristol

22 February 2023

Onto the Thursday evening at the O2 Academy in Bristol. I got there with plenty of time to spare. There were already people queuing 90 mins or so before the doors were due to open. It was raining and I headed off for a coffee, returning around 5.45, 45 minutes before scheduled opening time. Alas it quickly became apparent that those with O2 phones could join a priority queue. Fortunately there were only a handful in front of me in the General Admission queue and when the doors opened there was still a bit of space where I could stand one back from the barrier, but on the other side to the stage to where I had been the previous night, meaning I would have Phil Campbell in front of me.

In Cardiff there was a lot of smoke/dry ice circulating during the first act and there was little light to help with picture quality. This night the stage was clear of any mist making for much better photos.

The lead singer was the only person on the stage during the first act that as not a Phil Campbell (A Welsh Wanker according to the shoulder strap on his guitar), or one of his bastard sons. They were an excellent support and the audience enjoyed them as they moved towards their final song, Ace of Spades.

Things seemed to be better planned the second night with the first act being on about half an hour before they had the previous night and I think they ended up cutting a corner or two in Cardiff to meet the 11pm curfew. No such problems in Bristol and there was a quick turnaround between acts.

Michael Monroe

O2 Academy, Bristol

22 February 2023

Michael Monroe did apologise for his voice which was definitely croakier than the previous evening with him explaining he had perhaps picked a lurgy up, but it was not going to hamper him. Yes there was something affecting his voice, but he was if anything even more energetic this evening but that may have been as much down to his sweating all the more which could have been down to some kind of bug.

And like on Wednesday I was treated to the sight of him clambering up on the barrier just in front of me this time with the guy next to me providing some stability for him. That actually resulted in him at one stage staring right down into the camera, although the lack of stage lighting did mean the pictures were not as good as some of the others that evening.

As I headed back to my hotel that evening one question remained in my mind. Why was Michael Monroe providing support in non-sold-out small venues and not headlining at big arenas? This is one act I will go out of my way to see again should the opportunity arise.

….and if I had stuck to the plan of seeing Black Star Riders in Ricky Warwick’s home city of Belfast may never have made this trip to accommodate them in Cardiff. A completely different act supported them in Belfast and I may never have witnessed that force of nature that is Michael Monroe.

I have got to say I was blown away by this performance and knowing now how he performs it’s another act I will not turn down the chance of seeing again.

Black Star Riders

O2 Academy, Bristol

22 February 2023

Sweet Savage

3Olympia, Dublin

3 March 2023

Back to Dublin and the 3Olympia for a metal band that had been around for the best part of half a century, but beyond Wheels of Steel and the fact they had started out in Barnsley I really had not paid much attention to them. That was perhaps a mistake as they showed they were a force still capable of creating great music.

A couple of things struck me about this gig – firstly I have never seen so many disciples of proper head-banging crammed into such a small place and secondly the audience as a whole was much more enthusiastic than any I had seen certainly in 2023. However it is something I have experienced at numerous gigs in the Olympia and indeed the large indoor 3Arena in Dublin. Audiences in Ireland warm to good acts and the acts themselves put more effort into their performances as a result.

First up it was a band from Northern Ireland, Sweet Savage, who’s lead singer/bass player said he had played with Thin Lizzy when Phil Lynott was still around, although I have no photographic memories of this.

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Saxon

3Olympia, Dublin

3 March 2023

Another trip to Manchester provided the opportunity to see an act I might not have been too bothered about but for this guy’s incredible reputation. I was anticipating being surrounded by teeny boppers, but the audience primarily comprised millennials with a few, like myself, part of older generations.

What did surprise me as I parked up at the Arena in Manchester around 2 hours before the doors were scheduled to be opened was a queue which already had perhaps 200 in it snaking back from the Arena entrance from the car park.

I continued with my plan to go and grab something to eat ahead of the event and returned around an hour before the 6pm opening time. My only other experience of standing at the Arena was for Queen + Adam Lambert the previous year. I arrived at the main arena entrance on the Victoria Railway Station concourse at a similar time for the Queen gig. However I was told there was to be no queuing at all at that entrance ahead of 6pm. I asked if we could queue for the queue and was told there was not to be any milling around the area.

I retreated to a Costa across the other side of the concourse and observed plenty being turned away as I sipped my coffee. Then around 5.30 they started allowing people up. A signal to finish the coffee and head over where I was told that yes we could now queue. I knew the queue from the car park was already very long and another queue had built up at another entrance outside the station. Hence I was more than happy to take my place with a couple of dozen ahead of me.

As I entered I decided this was one t-shirt I could give a miss to. A quick scan identified 4 different queues to sets of stairs down to the arena floor. One was already quite long, probably as a result of priority ticket holders, and I moved on to another where again there were maybe 20-30 already in the queue..

When the doors opened there was a rush at each of the 4 sets of stairs, although I was not party to that as I tentatively descended the stairs conscious of recent balance issues as well as the replacement knee.

By the time I got to the stage area there were perhaps half a dozen people between me and the front barrier. To the right of centre, and a position I was more than happy with.

Cian Ducrot

AO Arena, Manchester

23 March 2023

The support act arrived on stage at 7.15. An Irishman who had started out as a classical flautist but had then decided to give pop music a go. He played guitar, would on occasion sit at the keyboards, and indeed would pick up the flute for a while as well. He was accompanied by a bass player and drummer. Fortunately he did quite a few of his setlist without the drums as the drum sound was, frankly, awful, and drowned out a lot of what else was going on. Perhaps a symptom of the fact they may have never played in such a venue before.

Overall the bits that did not involve the drums were good enough, and he earned a decent round of applause as he concluded his set at 7.50.

Ed Sheeran

AO Arena, Manchester

23 March 2023

The main man arrived at 8.15—a quick turnaround, but what I had not realised was he would be the only person on stage throughout. Just him and his acoustic guitar. Well actually perhaps 3 or 4 acoustic guitars which were changed between each number and sometimes within a number as he frequently seemed to break strings. None of that detracted from his performance though, which I thought was incredible. He even managed to record his own backing vocals on occasion through a second microphone which he would purr into with the sounds then being fed back as he delivered the “lead” vocal. One man, a massive stage, and a completely captivated audience. He said the show had originally been part of a commitment to Disney, but that no longer being the case meant he could be flexible throughout the first gig of quite a short tour. He played one song he said he had never played before and one or two others he had not played in years, perhaps taking advantage of the complete flexibility of a one man show permitted. Having said that the lights and graphics were in some cases clearly geared towards the relevant songs. However structured or unstructured it actually was, it was a brilliant show.

My knee, back and indeed balance was playing up and I retreated towards the back of the arena to get a bit of space after around 75 minutes, but by then had plenty of photographic memories of Mr Sheeran.

Elton John

3Arena, Dublin

28 March 2023

My 3rd time on Elton’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” Tour.

This time I was to the right of the stage in the first row of tiered seats. I knew Elton would spend a lot of his time at the other side of the stage and would have to choose my moments for any close-ups. However it was also a bit of an opportunity to get pictures of the band and indeed one or two panoramics of the whole stage.

Lighting this time was a particular issue with the Sony compact as it’s relatively lower magnification resulted in over exposure when trying to take pictures of Elton at his piano from the other side of the stage. Equally the piano would cut off some of his face when I did get some pictures with the higher zoom Canon. I did know that he would stand up at the end of each number and picked my moments to take photos.

I was all set for the piano moving to “my” side of the stage when I was approached by a steward and told I was not allowed to take photos with these cameras. This was the first time anyone had told me to stop when phone pictures were clearly allowed (and indeed encouraged with the big screen asking people to share their photos from the gig online).

I pointed out my cameras had no detachable lens. That counted for nothing in the eyes of this steward. I then pointed him to the venues terms and conditions where it clearly stated that professional cameras were not permitted. He said anything with a zoom lens was “professional”. An absurd position, but I was not going to drag him out of the arena to get someone more senior to opine. I told him my camera was allowed but waited until the encore to use them again—a time when he was busy trying to keep the gangways clear. He spotted me but gave an “I give up” pose and I carried on knowing this side was where Elton would exit the stage on his custom “stairlift”.

At least the 9th (and last) time I have seen Reg live over more than 4 decades. Back to pretty close to his best during this 4 year long farewell tour. A unique musician who has helped drive popular music forward since he started collaborating with Bernie Taupin over 55 years ago. Hopefully he enjoys a happy future off the stage. I don’t think he will be completely retiring as he advertised this as his last “tour”. Indeed since his final show he has been seen sitting at a piano entertaining people as he has done over an incredibly long and successful career

Francis Rossi Tunes & Chat

Y Theatre, Leicester

3 May 2023

Billed as “Tunes & Chat”, there was no Status Quo, just Rossi on a lounge chair with his guitar and a second guitarist sat on another red lounge chair providing him with support, both with guitar and vocals.

This was a small venue – accommodating maybe 300, a long way from the usual Quo audience, but making for a deliberately more intimate show.

I had booked a front row meet and greet ticket, meaning I would get a chance to sit down with him for a minute or two before the performance. I had some photos from prior Quo gigs, hoping to get one signed and looking to remind him of the day after his 35th birthday when 2 scantily dressed young ladies had been “invited” on the Manchester Apollo stage by Rick Parfitt as a “birthday treat”. And of course I had a picture to show him. He’s on record as not remembering much of that 1984 “End of the Road” tour, but he did seem to recall something about this particular incident.

And I also had a photo to remind him of the Knebworth gig supporting Queen in 1986. He did surprise me when he recalled having played 3 gigs that day. I had seen reference to gigs in Denmark and Switzerland on that day, but had always assumed that was a mistake, but Rossi confirmed 3 gigs in 3 different countries on a single day.

Another reminder I had for him was a photo I took of him at Live Aid. He studied it closely remarking on the graininess of the B&W photo compared to the digital cameras of today. He happily signed that and a photo from Knebworth. I said I was happy for him to have the other prints I had. He would later comment during the gig about Live Aid and the fact they had opened up the Wembley show. He said normally bands wanted to avoid the first slot, but with this particular event the news stations and press wanted to get their reports published meaning in the pre-digital age getting photos and videos back to the media organisations as soon as possible, resulting in Quo getting much more publicity than pretty much everyone except probably Queen who stole the show, and the finale.

The front row would normally mean great opportunities to get good photos. However just as he was about to enter the stage an announcement was made that there would be no cameras or phones allowed to record any of the show.

I decided not to try anything, particularly as no-one else was taking pictures or videoing anything. There was an interval and before the second half of the show the same announcement about not using any recording equipment was made.

I knew Caroline would be the final song and decided to wait until then before trying anything. I was very discrete with the camera largely invisible hidden by my hands on my lap. Others started recording with their phones and I managed a few half decent photos and was happy enough with that

The India Electric Co

Hall for Cornwall, Truro

4 May 2023

An early start for a 460km+ drive to our place in Cornwall and on to Truro for a two-time Covid delayed gig by Midge Ure that evening. I was 3 rows back. There was nothing to suggest a prohibition of recording equipment and people were holding up their phones during the support Act, the India Electric Co.

Midge Ure

Hall for Cornwall, Truro

4 May 2023

It was a bit unusual as it was mentioned by the lead singer of the support that the 2 piece band had borrowed Midge Ure’s drummer. That in itself may not be that strange, except that when Ure did enter the stage not only did he have his own drummer back, but both members of the Electric India Co made up the 3rd and 4th members of the act led by Ure. The lead singer of the Electric India Co swapped lead guitar for bass guitar with Ure playing lead guitar. Both members of the support band also played keyboards, meaning that on occasion we had 3 keyboards and the drummer providing the music. The second member of the support act would also play the violin on occasion and the drummer also played flute. A group of very talented musicians.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

RDS Arena, Dublin

7 May 2023

Back to Ireland overnight arriving Saturday morning then heading up to the Royal Dublin Showground for Bruce Springsteen the following day. This was the second of 3 shows at the venue and I had seen some feedback over timings after the first. This was a Sunday though which probably meant an earlier curfew for the near 3 hour event. Gates were advertised as opening at 5 but it was around 4:15 when they started letting people in. I was close enough to the front of the queue to ensure I got a wristband for the front “pit” standing section. However there was to be around 8,000 crammed into this section which must have covered less than a third of the rugby pitch/show jumping arena at the venue. Indeed after many people had sat down on the plastic matting covering the pitch they were told to stand up and move forward to allow more in at the back. That meant I ended up maybe 15-20 metres from the main stage and perhaps 10-15 metres from the lower section to the front of the main stage which Springsteen would regularly walk down to during the gig.

The show itself was spectacular with a total of around 18 people on stage with the full brass section and backing vocalists, and when they were not we still had a drummer, percussionist, keyboard player, bass player and 4 guitarists filling a large stage.

I suspect they were cutting things close with the curfew as they left the stage only to return immediately for the encore. I started moving towards the back of the pit section to discover the only exits were at the front on either side. I got a few shots from that distance and then started moving towards the exit, listening to the final two songs as I walked along the road at the back of the stadium. I say walking, but it was much more of a hobble with my suffering legs.

Post Malone

3Arena, Dublin

10 May 2023

My next trip to the 3Arena in Dublin was for a rapper. An act I would never have considered attending but for specific circumstances I found myself in. I had bought two tickets for Post Malone for my daughter and her boyfriend. They split up and my daughter needed to get to Dublin and back, so I volunteered and took up the spare ticket. It was in the seating section quite a way away from where I would normally try to get at a gig, but I had my cameras with me. The support was Rae Strummurd who also took to the stage for a while when the headliner was on.

Brian Downey's Live and Dangerous

The Well, Dublin

19 May 2023

A new venue for me. Was there early enough to get a place on the rail which was placed directly in front of the stage. I had read the capacity was 1,000, but someone mentioned 1,200 – maybe that was without the stage. Not that it mattered much as I understand the venue was less than half full at either figure.

Another artist I had seen, and indeed photographed, during the 1980s. It was over 40 years since I had seen him at the Queens Hall in Leeds as Thin Lizzy’s drummer. Alas both our hairlines had suffered significantly over those 4 decades.

I had an idea of what they would play, and indeed how long they would play for. In one way it was pretty much a Thin Lizzy tribute band, and they would only play Thin Lizzy numbers, but in this case we actually had one of the two founding members of the band, so they were a “genuine” legacy, and indeed did not use the Lizzy name, although they were named after pretty much the most famous of Thin Lizzy’s albums.

I was not expecting anything spectacular, and I was not disappointed. A professional performance and it was great hearing those Thin Lizzy songs live again (although there were a couple that Lizzy themselves had covered in “Rosalie” and “Whiskey in the Jar”)

The Pretenders

Cyprus Avenue, Cork

20 May 2023

A day later and another new venue. This one held 500 and had long since been sold out. They had played Limerick the previous evening and were to play the 3Olympia in Dublin the following evening

There was no support and based on prior gigs I was expecting an 8.30 start finishing around 9.45. As it turned out they played until nearer 10pm. A lot of their newer stuff along with a handful of classics. Again I was up against the barrier, although there was a 1 metre or so “pit” between the stage and barrier. One photographer was sat in the pit area.

The gig started and something was very clearly bothering Chrissie Hynde. I thought it was to do with the sound quality, It was only at the end of the first number that it became clear the photographer had been bothering her. She accused him of pointing the camera up her “snout”. She said she wanted to interact with the audience and not be distracted by a camera. The cameraman quickly retreated and she said he could come back later. He was never seen again though and the gig went on.

Normally professional photographers are allowed to take pictures for the first couple of songs but then expected to head out of the venue altogether, and this was the first time I had seen any “camera rage” at a gig.

Being very conscious of that incident I kept my camera in my pocket for most of the gig. As it became clear the photographer was not coming back I had to evaluate when best to try and get some shots. However a number were using their phones. I was slightly to one side of the stage, nowhere near her “snout” and I discretely started taking a few shots, with my confidence rising as the gig moved towards its conclusion. I managed to get a few decent photos as well as enjoying the gig. Their original drummer, Martin Chambers, who had played at the Taylor Hawkins tribute in September, was not there and there was no explanation of this. Hence there was only one “original” playing, but she had a very good band who put on an excellent show.

Tigertailz

Cyprus Avenue, Cork

26 May 2023

Having only been in Cork city on one prior occasion this was my second trip to Cyprus Avenue in Cork in less than a week, for Steel Panther. Based on their gigs in Britain I had expected the support to be Winger which included two from Alice Cooper’s band that I had seen in 1986, but a look at the setlist for the previous evening in Belfast revealed it would be a Heavy Metal band from Wales, Tigertailz. I say from Wales, but only one original member (the band was formed in 1984), guitarist Jay Pepper remained and I’m not sure if there were any other Welsh accents on stage.

They were excellent and put on a good set and indeed a dynamic performance

Steel Panther

Cyprus Avenue, Cork

26 May 2023

The main act appeared on stage just before 9pm. Their setlist was relatively short in terms of number of songs, but that was because there was a lot of talk between numbers. Billed as “comedic” Metal, they were definitely funny. Well on occasion hilarious. They may not be the sort of act to win over people of a woke disposition, but if you accept the inherent sexism that was at the core of their comedic act, they put on a brilliant show. All very much tongue in cheek. The main butts of their jokes were the band members. I knew their songs were sexist and vulgar, but that is exactly what made it such a good show, and one I will look out for in the future having gone into the venue with some trepidation over what to expect.

Roger Waters

This is not a Drill

OVO Hydro, Glasgow

2 and 3 June 2023

VIP or not VIP—that is the question

A 5am start for a 350km drive up to Belfast catching a ferry over to Cairnryan before more driving to Glasgow, stopping off at Kilmarnock to check into my hotel.

On getting to Glasgow I managed to get into the OVO Arena car park with plenty of time to spare ahead of the arena doors opening at 6.30pm.

Those with VIP packages had been told to enter via the East entrance but they were having none of it there as apparently that entrance was only for "OVO VIPs", and I was one of “VIP Nation’s” VIPs. Not that it mattered much as once inside it was a case of walking back round the concourse to just inside the East entrance to "sign in" and pick up my VIP package.

The package had been advertised as containing:

"brilliant collection of Roger Waters themed merchandise”

"Official commemorative tour laminate + lanyard"

Well as it turned out those two items, plus the bag in which they came was the sum total of this "brilliant collection".

But of course we were really paying for the view. For me on the Friday evening this was a front row view from the floor of the arena, switching to the other side of the stage for a 2nd row view on Saturday, with the “VIP package” each evening.

The stage was in the centre of floor area of the arena. However the shape of this arena meant that in one direction there were only people seated on the floor of the arena with the opposite end having the most of the tiered seats.

This configuration made things a little odd as at certain times Waters would only have those few seated patrons in his line of vision.

My view on the Friday night was not too bad as he did spend quite a bit of time at this side of the stage and I could usually see him when he was sat at the piano. However there was no visibility when he was at the other side or in front of the larger tiered section beyond a few glances on the big screen between all the political messages he was relaying.

There was certainly some irony in some of those messages given the way he was getting the most out of his "VIP" guests while preaching equality for all with his net worth estimated at more than $300m.

Between the political interludes the music was good despite the limited opportunities to actually see him perform. The stage was quite high and I'm sure those in the "cheap seats" higher up got a pretty good view.

The second night started a little earlier and there was a little less political ramblings. The view though was quite a bit worse with a couple of keyboards together with players obstructing any view of the centre stage.

I also think there was a lot more alcohol flowing the second night. Maybe that's something to do with it being a Saturday night in Glasgow. Quite a few people were stumbling and spilling their beer, or just looking a little the worse for wear. During the interlude there was a commotion over to my right in the seated section on the floor with one guy laid out on the floor and another being bundled out by security. The guy who had been knocked over then started chasing after the "security entourage". I would guess he was in his forties with the "guilty party" probably in his fifties and both clearly under the influence of alcohol. And of course both were VIPs for the show. Well one was for the full show but the other only for half of it, leaving his brilliant collection of merchandise somewhere near his allocated seat. I suspect he had his partner sitting next to him, although she seemed happy to stay there for the second half and look after his goodies as he was escorted off the premises, Maybe this was just a regular Saturday night for her. The good news was I had more visibility of the “action” over there in the audience than on the stage.

Hana Lily

The Principality Stadium, Cardiff

6 June 2023

The first of two support acts for Coldplay, Hana Lili, a 23 year old Welsh girl. She hadnot been at the prior gigs in Manchester and I presume was deliberately chosen as an up and coming local one. She played guitar as well as doing the vocals, but had another guitarist, bass player and drummer on stage.

She clearly enjoyed her moment of fame, and looks to be someone who could go on to bigger and better things.

Chvrches

The Principality Stadium, Cardiff

6 June 2023

The second support, Chvrches had played earlier gigs supporting Coldplay. They were again fronted by a woman and had a decent 40 minute or so set.

Coldplay

Music of the Spheres

The Principality Stadium, Cardiff

6 June 2023

I had purchased a VIP package which comprised a free water bottle (which we were told must remain in the bag, as policy at the stadium was not to allow bottles with lids on), plus a wristband and a few badges, although it seems there were plenty of the badges going spare.

Of course one of the main reasons (actually probably the only reason in most cases) of buying a VIP package is to get a decent view, and in this case we got early entry into the stadium. We were given numbers via a black marker pen on the back of out hands to keep our places in the queue and I was #150. I know with a large stage that would get me very close up, particularly as there was a long gangway leading to the second, “centre” stage. I placed myself right up to the barrier in a similar position to when I saw the Stereophonics in 2022, although this was at the “join” between the barrier in front of the stage and the one in front of the gangway.

As we awaited the entrance of the headline act a number of people around me started pointing their phones to a gap in the fabric around the stage which allowed entry into and out of the area below the stage. It only then dawned on me that I was right in front of the entry point for the band!. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to fully set the camera for this but I did get some shots of them walking up alongside the gangway as they made their “proper” entry onto the centre stage.

I was close enough to know I would be getting pretty decent photos throughout, and the band, and in particular Chris Martin, provided plenty of opportunity to get them.

The Who

Hits Back

La Defense Arena, Paris

23 June 2023

My first trip for a gig outside the UK and Ireland with cameras in pockets.

I had picked up the ticket and made travel arrangements when this "European tour" was announced as at that time no UK or Ireland gigs had been confirmed.

I had checked the Arena website which suggested only cameras with "telephoto" lenses were not permitted. I took that as meaning removable telephoto lenses. This was France though so who knows?

Who knows? The Who know of course. La Defense Arena in Paris was the destination. A quick turnaround. Up at 5am, driving to Dublin Airport for morning flight to CDG on the Friday, returning to Ireland on the Saturday. And no reports of Air Traffic Controllers striking. This was France though so who knows?

Well actually it all went relatively smoothly, arriving at La Defense Metro station around 2pm. Now to find the hotel. I had been messing around in Google Maps already and was being directed to the Ibis in La Defense. Except I was supposed to be at the one in Courbevois. That was some 2km away. I had convinced myself the hotel was a lot closer to both Metro station and the Arena. Never mind, this was an easy way to get to my 10k steps and I set off with the temperature in the high 20s.

I got there and gave my name. I was slightly alarmed at the puzzlement in the face of the receptionist. He said I was not booked in but there was another Ibis next door.

I dug out my reservation. Ibis Styles, not Ibis Budget. But it's not the one next door, Google maps was telling me it was 1.8km largely in the direction of the station! Still another 4-5k steps in the bank courtesy of this detour.

The act though would be worth it. My all-time favourite band, the Who.

Having spent an hour or so at the hotel "drying off" the perspiration it was a leisurely walk to a local Starbucks for a cold drink then onto the arena.

Security was tight but there was not much clothing to pat down and the cameras were hidden in direct sight, one in each hand. I don't think they would have caused a problem but it's always best to err on the side of caution.

A lot of people were milling around in front of the stage - certainly more than there were seats in the front row begging the question of whether it could end up a free for all. This was France though so who knows?

First up though were the Arrogants. A French R&B band who's songs are in English. Fortunately security were quick to disperse the front of stage interlopers. Can't say I was that impressed with their English singing although the music itself was OK. Until the vocalist/guitarist tried to play his guitar behind his head. This clearly failed as he brought it back to the front within a second or two. I got the distinct impression that the lead vocalist/guitarist thought he had to put on the sort of show the Who had been famous for, albeit not having resorted to such “tricks” for a few decades.

Onto the headliners. Pete turned up looking remarkably healthy compared to when I saw him last year at the Royal Albert Hall. He must have lost a lot of weight and he was well up for a 2 hour 15 minute gig. Well actually I was not sure how long it would be and whether there was a local curfew in place. They were on stage at 9 and did not leave it until after 11.15. This was France though…

What did intrigue me was what looked like a woolly hat on Pete's head. This was an air conditioned indoor stadium though so I guess the high 20s temperature outside did not really matter. Perhaps there was a bit of a clue as to what it might be hiding later on when he mentioned later on that he had been talking to Elton John earlier in the day!

This was the Who Hits Back tour. It was certainly not a Greatest Hits tour with quite a few favourites missing. However I have witnessed pretty much all of them across the half dozen or so prior times I had seen them.

There were still quite a few of their most popular numbers, but also a lot of lesser played songs where the full orchestra they had on stage could enhance the music. When I saw them last year I thought they were well past their best, certainly in the case of Pete. However I've reassessed that now. This format worked very well.

Of course I wanted some photographic memories of the gig and settled into my seat. Alas when they came on stage everyone in front stood up. Fortunately though there was only one row in front of me!

I was happy enough to stand myself until my leg and knee started playing up. I decided to give it a break and settled back into my seat. Within a few seconds everyone in front had sat down at well leaving me with a pretty good view of the whole stage.

One “trick” Roger did try was the swirling of his microphone and throwing it up in the air before catching it again on its descent. Nowadays though it’s a pretty pathetic effort – maybe one metre or so and still not catching it. A far cry from Live Aid when I have a picture of it being hurled 5+ metres into the air. Roger is not far off 80 though, so perhaps not something to be too critical about!!

Security had moved in a few times to shoo on more interlopers. As the gig moved towards its conclusion security ran a plastic red and white tape a foot or so in front of the barrier. I could see Roger was tutting at that. He made his feelings known which became a trigger for masses of people to fill the space between the first row and the barrier. Security tried moving them back but gave up when Roger told them to **** off! This was France at its best!

This was a great gig. I had seen them last year at the Teenage Cancer gig in London, when I thought them past their best. I think though that was down to lack of preparation and indeed Pete not being as engaged as usual. This compared favourably to when I saw them in Manchester in 2017, when I thought they were still pretty close to their best. Without doubt the orchestra, some very talented musicians including Pete’s brother, Simon, and Zak Starkey, a decent bassist and backing vocalist all helped, but I am certainly now looking forward to seeing them again in a few weeks in Hull.

CDG airport is no different from when I was last there nearly 20 years ago. A complete pain. In fact I ended up in an immigration queue on the way back. I was a bit confused when I had to go through passport control to exit the country but it all became clearer when I realised I had carried straight on rather than turn right on one of the concourses. No harm done as I had plenty of time and got perhaps another thousand steps out of it as well as a second passport stamp in less than 24 hours.

I guess there were improvements with nice chairs to sit on, a decent Wi-Fi service and indeed power points in the chairs. But what have the Parisiennes ever done for us? Who knows?

This had become an experiment. And it is one I am likely to repeat. Tickets were about half the price of equivalent ones in the UK and to some extent Ireland. Flights, car parking at the airport, hotel and travel within Paris came to quite a lot less than an equivalent gig in the UK.

Postscript

3 days after returning to Dublin a Paris police officer shot dead a 17 year old black teenager who was driving a car in the Nanterre region (La Defense is in the same district). The officer was arrested on suspicion of voluntary homicide. What followed were some of the worst riots seen in Paris and indeed across France. A sobering thought that I was walking the streets where some of the most violent riots took place feeling entirely safe and secure only a few days before. If the gig had taken place a week later I suspect it would have been cancelled as the city was largely closed down from early evening through the night and this area was a particular focus of some of the riots.

Peter Gabriel

I/O

3Arena, Dublin

26 June 2023

I had a ticket for Row H, which meant I would be around 8 rows back. Except when they showed me to my seat there were no rows A to F, so like for the Who on Friday, I was actually in the second row. Quite a way over to the left of the stage when looking at it, but that was the side Gabriel’s piano/keyboard was located and he did use the whole stage throughout the gig.

After the show some were complaining about his voice, but for a 73 year old I thought it is still pretty good. Some complained about the band music, but from where I was it was absolutely fine. Some complained about the price—well we all knew that when we bought our tickets. Some complained about the length of interval. Well I know from the timestamps on my photos that was only 18 minutes, meaning we had him on stage for 157 minutes or so. One of the longest I’ve been to for a single act Some complained about the narrative and underlying messages. This is Peter Gabriel, what on earth do you expect?

The vast majority seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves including myself. It was nearly 35 years since my only other gig involving Peter Gabriel—The Human Rights Now Concert at Wembley Stadium. There were only 8 songs that day but the setlist ran to 22 in the 3Arena. Of course it included some of his new stuff, but it was always advertised as part of the I/O Tour. And we still got quite a few classics, including Sledgehammer, Solsbury Hill, and as always (I think) bringing his gig to a conclusion with Biko. I’ve seen better performances, I’ve seen worse ones. This was definitely leaning towards the former though.

Joe Sumner

Malahide Castle, Dublin

28 June 2023

A new music venue, but one I had visited a number of times for Irish international cricket.

Malahide Castle is in a large park in, as you might guess, Malahide, just north of Dublin.

Having lived a bit further north for 15 years or so I was familiar with the area. I knew the only ways out of Malahide were to the South or West, unless you have a boat, wish to swim, or want to catch a train.

I had considered the train option, not from/into Dublin, but northwards to Donabate or Lusk. There would be a lot of people heading into Dublin after the gig (and there was another outdoor gig taking place just north of the city centre where attendees would be dispersing around the same time) and I thought I could make better use of the waiting time walking back to the car.

Again I discounted the option of parking South of the venue as a lot would be driving that way after the event.

I was familiar enough with the area to find a place where there would hopefully not be too much traffic, and outside the advertised tow-away zone.

Traffic in Malahide can be a pain at the best of times and would be a lot more than usual after this event. I knew though that traffic on the estuary road is generally very quiet and gives a couple of options back to the motorway.

I quickly found a place perhaps a mile from the park entrance. I parked up and started walking in the direction of Malahide.

After about 10 mins I found a better place just off the estuary road that should reduce my return trip from the park in half. Having an hour if two before the gates would open I went back to my car and moved it to this better location.

Then it was back into Malahide for a coffee before heading off to the venue. Well it actually took over 20 mins to get through the park to the entrance. Hopefully I could take advantage of this and do some overtaking on the walk back.

The advertised gate opening time was 5pm. I was there around 3.40, and there was already a queue formed. However it was not entirely clear which was the front and which was the end of the queue as it was some 50m or so away from the actual entrance. I finally established which was the end and counted up around 150 ahead of me as I took my place.

The doors were actually opened just after 4, and the queue quickly moved forwards as the front moved towards the entrance. It was clear though that many were simply joining the queue at the front (when there was no doubt which was the back of the queue given it was moving forwards).

I reckon the numbers ahead of me had doubled, and I did my usual mouthing off at a couple who had very clearly joined at the front. They were not happy, claiming they had been there an hour, but had sat away from the queue. Well that’s not my problem and everyone could make similar claims. They knew there was a queue but did not join it. They feigned offence, but I did not care and continued having a dig at them before joining one of the queues for the Gold Circle section.

There were not too many in there when I got into the front section, and I could place myself against the barrier, to the left pretty much opposite the end of the usable stage.

I knew it would be a near 7 hour marathon, and sat until just before the first act, Joe Sumner son of Sting, entered the stage at the advertised start of 5.25.

Sumner had also supported Sting last time I saw him on an earlier iteration of this “My Songs” tour at the London Palladium in 2022. He had the stage to himself apart from one of his entourage who was filming the show presumably on Sumner’s own phone as he took it off him as he left the stage.

Lyra

Malahide Castle, Dublin

28 June 2023

Next up was an Irish woman, Lyra. I did not know what to expect. She appeared on stage in quite a revealing outfit, although some of it was clearly flesh coloured fabric. She had a great voice and an even greater personality. She was clearly enjoying herself and her banter was the sort you could often get in less formalised places in Ireland. She put on a very enjoyable act and is someone I will probably look out for in the future. Oh! and she has a lot of hair.....

Blondie

Malahide Castle, Dublin

28 June 2023

Then onto Blondie. Again I had seen her last year in Cardiff. For someone who would be 78 in 3 days-time her voice remained excellent. She would play most of her classics, although understandably her set was a bit shorter than when I had seen her as a headliner.

During her act my legs were playing up and I was starting to feel a bit dehydrated. I had not been particularly well over the previous couple of days and had almost no sleep the previous night due to pains in my shoulder blades. When I got home I discovered I was 2.5kg or so lighter than 3 days previously. Fortunately they were handing out water at the barrier and throughout the gig I managed to get 3 paper cups of the stuff to quench my thirst. But I had other problems , including more pain in unusual places. I had taken painkillers earlier in the day and took another at the gig.

Three times during the rest of the gig I had sharp pains in my lower back. Not quite spasms, but feeling as if it would turn into one. Extremely painful and I had to manoeuvre my back to get rid of the pain. I’m pretty sure it was a nerve being trapped (something I have suffered on may occasions, but had not been able to get rid of in the same way I had on this day)

Sting

Malahide Castle, Dublin

28 June 2023

By the time Sting came on I was wondering how long I would last. Indeed the 3rd time my back went I thought I would not be able to continue standing. Maybe the painkiller was working a bit as things got no worse, and as happened last time I saw him, Sting put on a completely professional and excellent show. As he left the stage I though it best to retreat for the encore, and I managed to get myself to the back of the venue and got a couple of photos from distance.

It was then a case of heading back to the car without further incident and indeed I went though a Garda traffic control point confirming I had managed to get myself just outside a controlled zone. I had one 5 minute or so delay at traffic lights but was back on the Motorway within 15 minutes of getting back to my car, so the parking turned out to be pretty much as good as I could have hoped.

Shortly after getting on the motorway a sign appears telling me the Southbound exit from the M1 onto the M50 was closed and to follow a diversion. Fortunately I know the backroads very well and rather than join what seemed a lengthening queue ahead I took the Airport exit planning to get onto the M50 at either the 2nd or 3rd exit.

The 2nd exit worked fine. As I was entering the slip road entry onto the M50 I experienced something I have never witnessed before. I heard a buzzing noise, getting louder. Then looking to my left I saw a moped with 2 people on, both in dark clothing and no lights. But they were not going onto the motorway, they were coming off it. Yes they were driving up the entry slip road on what there was of a hard shoulder (not much more than a metre wide). Madness are due in Dublin on 1 July, but Midsummer Madness had already arrived. Hopefully something I will never experience again, but this is Ireland…

There was another 30 minute or so delay as part of the M11 down to Wexford was closed. Presumably some resurfacing work, which is a bit unusual as this is one of many very quiet motorways in Ireland. Would not have thought it has had enough traffic to warrant resurfacing particularly given the poor quality of most of the non-motorway roads in Ireland.