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Purple, it’s a standing thing
Thin Lizzy were good but couldn’t seem to get the crowd going. Are they the tribute
band some have suggested? With Sykes and Gorham having been in Lizzy and written many of the songs, I don’t think so.
Styx grew on me. Aurally they were excellent, a real surprise. Visually they out-Darknessed the Darkness with more cheese than cheddar, but hey, rock is supposed to be fun. I lightened up and enjoyed them.
I read the signs in the foyer, DP on at 9:30, strict curfew at 11:00. At 9:20 I headed for the stage front, got a good place and then along with everyone else got told to sit down. Back to row F then.
The lights dropped and no one went for the stage, only a few even stood. I excused myself along my row, walked down the aisle and straight to the front as a few more brave souls did likewise. Leant on the barrier right in front of Steve Morse.
In this location you get a load of Steve’s amps and the rest is slightly buried. But the atmosphere! Superb, and we could see every smile, and in Big Ian’s case, grimace. At one point as he finished a scream during Fireball he turned to Steve and said “that hurt!”
Set list was as previous shows. They were watching the time and cut Steve’s medley short, a bit of doodling, a bit of Sweet Child of Mine and then in to the Well Dressed Guitar.
They were on superb form, obviously having a great time themselves.
As they came out for the encore Big Ian was running around talking to the others about how to play it due to the impending curfew. They agreed Roger wouldn’t solo, something Ian went back to check part way through Hush. Ditto Little Ian.
Back to that bit about rock being fun. I’ve been going to gigs for over 25 years now and still can’t understand why, as three quarters of the audience did, you would sit down at a gig like this.
Here’s looking forward to the next time, catch them while you can, they ain’t getting any younger.
Brian Hensley
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
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