Back to tonight. As usual the Assembly Hall provides the perfect setting for a concert and the sound again is spot on throughout. It’s a strong start with ‘Slainte Mhath’ one of the stand out tracks from ‘Clutching’ it’s then a new song ‘Man with a Stick’ which I didn’t really connect with on first listen.
Sadly Fish can no longer hit those same notes from thirty years back and dodgy knees and back sap him a little of his energy on stage with regular stops off on a stolen bar stool from Norway. But this in no way detracts from the show and songs take on a more subtler nuance. Always one for a story the between song banter and interaction with the crowd is amusing with the cries for Grendel given their usual short shrift. Unusually and deviating from the setlist he indulges a request from a wee Scottish lassie from the Scottish borders and we get a great rendition of ‘Lavender’ sending the crowd into raptures singing along to every word.
It’s the same for pretty much each song from ‘Clutching’ as our old memory banks dig deep into those teenage recesses to get the lyrics out. Most of the new songs work well although maybe a couple outstay their welcome a bit but are certainly more suited to his new vocal range.
With one eye on the clock and thoughts of last trains home I was determined to stay till the end for set closer and ‘hit’ from the album ‘Incommunicado’ and it didn’t disappoint. A perfect end for this old man to indulge himself back to his youth.
Keep on prog rockin y’all