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 Post subject: The thrill of it all
PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 9:55 pm 
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Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 3:37 pm
Posts: 83
Apologies for any inaccuracies in this. It’s Christmas Eve Eve and the kids, dog, etc are excited.

As we have been doing such a fascinating and marvellous job on album tracks, I just wondered about gigs.

I thought it would be lovely to hear everyone’s two favourite gigs.....and if we have time a little bit of why.

I’ll try to do a similar thing on the BF side of the tracks.

For me, for Roxy, it is:

1. 27 or 28 October 1974 at the Newcastle City Hall, on the Country Life tour (the first one I was allowed to attend). I’d love to know which night it was (someone may know from the costume).

The hall was absolutely jumping and the chords of Prairie Rose rang out over a dark stage. Then there was a spotlight on BF at the back of the stage, slowly shuffling forward with the big gaucho hat obscuring his face until he reached the mic and threw it off. Honestly, the most exciting moment of my young life to that date.

2. Having witnessed many others, the next most exciting was the reunion gig on 12 June 2001 at the Newcastle Arena. I was so nervous in case it would be terrible, but when the lights went down and the big curtain (the Roxy eagle) was illuminated and the cocktail party chatter from Remake Remodel kicked in, I was elated. It was absolutely first class. I saw another five gigs on that tour, some probably better (Glasgow 29 September), but nothing beat that excitement.


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 Post subject: Re: The thrill of it all
PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 9:46 am 
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Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 7:23 pm
Posts: 1568
Renowned Roxologists,

Encore une fois, VivaVoce a pose la question la plus importante.

Here we go :

ROXY MUSIC, 4th June, 1972. Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar - on Sunday evenings it was always a toss up between Kirk Levington Country Club and Redcar Jazz Club. Happily we chose Redcar.
Nobody had heard of Roxy and although W2 knew Ferry from ‘The Gas Board’, he had no idea he was in the band.
At the Jazz Club, you queued up around the block and bought tickets on the door. The venue held a few hundred seated and bands performed on a stage in front of a dirty velvet curtain.
After much humping of gear, the boys appeared in their inaugural costumes and struck up.
We were immediately transported to a different place.
This was the past, present and future all rolled into one and we were completely intoxicated.
Nobody knew the songs, but the music had immediate appeal and the band had an aura of a cool outfit that had been together for years. Folk were completely blown away and W2’s life long love affair with all things Ferry had begun.
The debut album came out a few weeks latter and the rest, as they say, was history.

ROXY Reunion, 23rd July, 2001. Madison Square Garden, NYC
Twenty nine years latter, this was Roxy back and on steroids.
With the original band (sans feather boa wearer) supported by Colin Good, Zav Katz, Chris Spedding, Lucy Wilkins, Julia Thornton and Sarah Brown, this was RoxyPlus.
They received a rapturous reception at the Garden and from the moment they struck up with ‘Re-Make/Re-Model’ it was clear they’d done exactly that and by the time the chorus girls appeared both ends were definitely burning. The new intro for ‘Song For Europe’ alone was worth the ticket price.
Amazing show, amazing programme and the most honed performance ever.

Choosing the aforementioned has been difficult.
W2 has seen every Roxy/Ferry tour but these are the two that stand out. The first and the best !

Salutations,
W2


Last edited by Windswept2 on Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: The thrill of it all
PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 6:48 pm 
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Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 3:37 pm
Posts: 83
Beautifully written as always W2, many thanks for your enthusiasm. And best wishes to all for Christmas.

VV


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 Post subject: Re: The thrill of it all
PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 10:08 pm 
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Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2010 2:21 pm
Posts: 390
This is in danger of North East parochialism, but my memories are tinged with melancholy, par for the course being from Sunderland!

First gig was Newcastle City Hall in 1975, like VivaVoce I was too young (and too poor) to see earlier gigs. When the hall went completely black as night and the electronic twinkly keyboards of Sentimental Fool became a bit more sinister, I thought "I'm going to concentrate and remember every second of this night!"

"Siren" hadn't been released before this gig so it was full of surprises.

It was fabulous, the band was so tight and I loved the girl backing singers' outfits and moves.

Fast forward to 2001 reunion at the Newcastle arena and it's a warehouse. Soulless. My partner is 4foot 11inches tall and the third row seats we are in -which cost a fortune- are bloody wooden picnic chairs.....remake remodel starts and everyone stands up , she can't see a thing and chairs are all over the place. I miss the opening 2 songs battling away to find a steward and "decent" seats at the side.

Worse to come.... "A Song for Europe" begins with a beautiful intro by Colin Good....it's gorgoeus, my heart is thumping, Bryan has disappeared to get changed.....the new Good intro shimmers into the piano chords of Europe that we have adored for 30 years....then Bryan appears, shadowy and heartbroken from the back of the stage, shaking his head as he regretfully hits his palm......the crowd roar.

Except for me. He's wearing a white double breasted jacket for God's sake! Not a tuxedo - and no bow tie!!!!! It's like some outfit from Burton's!!!!!

Check out any DVD or performance elsewhere and see if he wears that sodding cheap thing.

You cheated your home brethren Bryan!!!!!

Happy Xmas folks!!!!


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 Post subject: Re: The thrill of it all
PostPosted: Sat Dec 26, 2020 4:26 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2012 10:58 am
Posts: 237
1. Siren Tour, Birmingham Bingley Hall (1975)
Bingley Hall no longer exists, but when it did it had a terrible reputation for sound quality. This didn't seem to bother Roxy and they produced a great performance! After all of the rumours in the musical press about Roxy spliting, BF not touring with the other members etc I was just relieved that the tour had gone ahead. Also, this was in the days before the extra musicians started to appear, other than the two Sirens on backing vocals, and I've always preferred a compact Roxy. As you might expect from me, a lot of my focus was on Phil who managed to get through the set with the stoney face that he had then :D He used 4 guitars and I think there must have been an issue with his amp as he spent alot of time changing setting before solos (there is a version of Editions of You on Youtube where a roadie has to get onto stage to do this for him). Probably FYP was the highlight.

2. F&B Tour, Birmingham Odeon.
I didn't expect to enjoy this gig very much mainly because of no TGPT, but I did. I think the drummer was Michael Dawe who was impressive. Neil Hubbard on second guitar was also in the band and this seemed to signal the end of a 6 piece Roxy. Again for me the evening belonged to Phil. I took a couple of guitar playing mates along with me who weren't particularly fans of his, but they left the gig raving about his performance and rightly so - he was on fire that night!


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 Post subject: Re: The thrill of it all
PostPosted: Sat Dec 26, 2020 5:44 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2009 1:26 am
Posts: 1119
Despite nailing my colours firmly to the Roxy mast in '73, I lived in Small Town, Nowhere and was reliant on public transport; seeing the band live was a pipe dream until I moved to London at the end of '79.

My first opportunity was therefore the Flesh & Blood tour and, while still special for me, by then Roxy were playing venues the size of Wembley Arena, which left you feeling a bit removed from where the action was taking place.

Helsinki in 2010 was an entirely different feeling; the first time I'd travelled abroad to hear Roxy perform and I got to experience the whole thing draped over the crash barrier at the front (it was an all standing, festival type gig in a large marquee in Kaisa Niemi Park).

The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in NYC in 2019 is probably the pick for me, though. Only 20 minutes, but I was fairly certain it would be Roxy's last hurrah and it marked EJ's brief return to the fold after 43 years. And I finally got to meet up with Sal Maida too. :D


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 Post subject: Re: The thrill of it all
PostPosted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 7:01 am 
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Posts: 263
Not sure of the actual date in October 1974 but the Country Life tour at the famous old Glasgow Apollo. Hadn’t managed to get tickets for the Stranded tour so it was my first. 11th June 2001 Glasgow SECC. Roxy were back.


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