With the country still in the midst of lockdown and no sign of any live music in the foreseeable future if at all this year I thought I would take the opportunity to look back in the archives, sounds posh I know but it’s just an spreadsheet, and revisit gigs I attended on this day down the years. I will keep this going until I can attend my first gig again in person so hopefully this also brings back memories for my gig going chums who have joined me on this great musical journey down the years.
A couple of brilliant shows for today’s trip down memory lane for you down the years.
2015, Ryan Bingham with Sons of Bill, Koko, London
A superb double bill on this night I reviewed here at the time. Bingham can do no wrong in my eyes whether its hushed, moving, acoustic sets to full on country rock shows with his band like tonight he is equally adept. Great stuff and he’s always a must see whenever he is in town.
1988, John Hiatt, Dominion Theatre, London
One from way back in the day with the magnificent John Hiatt. Strange choice of venue as we take our seats in this West End theatre now home to ‘We Will Rock You’. This would have been the ‘Slow Turning’ tour which followed shortly after his masterpiece ‘Bring the Family’. On reflection it more than holds its own with choice cuts like ‘Drive South’, ‘Tennessee Plates’ and ‘Trudy and Dave’ to name a few. Looking at similar setlists around this time it essentially is most of both of those albums so you cannot fault the choice and quality of songs.
I think that this was also the first time we had seen him live and have subsequently seen him countless times in the intervening thirty years. Hiatt is truly a master songwriter and is still going strong as we saw him play through this album with the same band on its thirtieth anniversary.
That’s it for today’s trip down memory lane. Here’s hoping we can get to some form of normality soon although I have now had my first gig of 2021 cancelled today so that will take it to a full twelve months at least between gigs.
Support your small local venues and smaller artists in these difficult times, stay safe and keep on rockin y’all.