Gig Guide

[queenofthehours]

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The BBC Concert Orchestra lorry.

In fact much of the concert put me in mind of Jeff Lynne at Hyde Park. Not just the BBC backing but the whole atmosphere. There was such a feeling of devotion and anticipation in the audience; every one of them there to see the band triumph just as they’d expect them to do. While there were apparently no tears (I almost coughed a few out during ‘A Whiter Shade…’) as there was with ELO, there was just as much love and appreciation for Gary and the boys as there was for Jeff. It was as if, after ELO’s glorious and joyous reinstatement it was now Gary Brooker’s turn for a victory.

While, with Jeff, his BBC concert was a kind of resurrection from the dead, Gary’s was more of a resurrection to national consciousness as he, unlike Jeff, had never stopped working in public. After ploughing away for years and years this was intended to be the concert that finally proves to the country he is still, like Jeff, worth something.   

What Jeff has in modesty Gary has in gregariousness yet both are two of the humblest rock stars I can think of. While Jeff/ELO might be thought of as tardy, Gary and the boys have been playing the track ‘Into the Flood’ live for years yet never found the time to get around to recording it on disc. A kind of casual attitude to the music business I’m sure all ELO fans will appreciate.

Some people criticise Procol Harum for the fact that GB is the only original performing member left within the group. Well, ELO people, all of us at least know that this is no barrier to quality, sincere music and as long as people like Jeff and Gary continue to play their music it doesn’t matter who they play with as long as they believe in it.

[nickheynes]

Couldn't agree more

[Horacewimp]

Great pictures and report QOTH, I'm glad you had a good evening.

[BSJ]

Whoa! That lobby!

[unomusette]

Love the pics, thanks queenofthehours for helping us all experience the atmosphere

[queenofthehours]

I'm glad you liked my blurry pics and review. I had such a great time it was nice to share it with you all .

[wolvesgirlgonewild]

Okay so I'm not sure whether I can post this in this section of the forum as I was going by the title of the thread and I thought I'd say that I'm going to see the lead singer of Keane, Tom Chaplin at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham on 23rd May. Not sure if people are familiar with Keane but they are one of my favourite bands, Tom Chaplin has a fantastic voice, a big example of how great his vocals are, is The Prince's Trust Concert from 2010 where he performed It's A Hard Life with Queen and it was wonderful! If you've never really listened to Keane I highly recommend the album Under the Iron Sea from 2006 as it is my favourite album by them but their debut album Hopes and Fears is really good too, they actually supported the band Travis back in 2004 and it was essentially Travis that helped raise their profile. I also recommend Perfect Symmetry too. So Keane have been on hiatus since 2013 so Tom launched into his solo career and released the album The Wave on 14th October, still yet to listen to it but fingers crossed he plays Keane songs at the concert too! I will try and do a review for you guys and will try and take some pictures too, I am very excited to see him because I have been wanting to see them for a few years now (probably 5 years or so?) and my auntie very luckily saw them at Cannock Chase Forest in Staffordshire and she said they were brilliant. My parents did see them back in 2004 when they supported Travis and my parents enjoyed the night in general, you could say it was my Dad who got me into Keane because he bought Hopes and Fears and Under the Iron Sea and played them round the house!

[Horacewimp]

wolvesgirlgonewild, I've moved your post into this section

[wolvesgirlgonewild]

Thanks Horace, wasn't sure where to put it as I wanted to share with you guys the news, only bought the tickets last night, really good price too!

[queenofthehours]

Earlier this month I went to see Procol Harum for a second time. This time it was their 50th anniversary concert at the Royal Festival Hall with The Senbla Concert Orchestra and The English Chamber Choir conducted by David Firman.

Now, I think I've been over-spoiled. Every time (I know it's only twice!) I've seen them it's been with an orchestra and Procol have only performed with an orchestra five times in this country in 50 years and I've been to almost half of them! Their first orchestral concert in the UK was at the Rainbow, London in 1972 but the band's earliest symphony orchestra collaboration was in 1969 at Stratford, Ontario which is thought to be one of the first rock/classical concerts.

I went to the RFH gig hoping for a great night and I wasn't disappointed. It certainly was a memorable concert full of drama and emotion but perhaps not for the reasons that were expected at the start of the show...

What does everyone love to do at concerts? Yep, visit the merchandise stall. What's on offer is very important and this is why I was disappointed to only take home a bottle of Carlsberg from my last Procol Harum show. This time, however, they had a stall. Sadly the hats and badges were sold out by the time I got there but they had plenty of t-shirts. Of course I got one! The design is lovely and features the cover of Procol's latest LP printed in white on a black tee. There were a lot of older fans who had other t-shirts on. Many with the 'A Salty Dog' design which is my favourite and which I am desperate to have!

Anyway, the RFH is a strange old place. It feels as if you have gone back in time to the 1950s. The place looks like a school; all wood and railings. The auditorium itself is like a school hall and I can't say it's one of my favourite places to watch music. It's very boxy, very modernist and the flooring is wooden (adding to the "school" vibes). The seating is in steps so I didn't really feel safe walking up and down them as they felt a bit slippery underfoot especially when someone dropped their drink as it ran EVERYWHERE which is just plain dangerous (I'm a big believer in carpeted venues).

Little did I know that danger was just around the corner…

As a good little concert goer I heeded the steward's sign saying "no photos" so the few poorly executed pictures I have will appear here in lower quantity than I'd have hoped.

This was what the stage looked like from my seat -

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[queenofthehours]

The show kicked off with ‘Shine on Brightly’. It was a cracking track to begin with especially as I hadn’t heard it live before. And the added treat was that the orchestra was involved. However, because it was the opener I wasn’t really paying attention as I was so excited to be sat so close to the band! Row F, and I could see Gary Brooker really well. He was looking very smart during the first half in a black velvet jacket with a sparkly badge. Very dapper.

I didn’t know who to look at – Gary, Geoff Whitehorn on guitar (my first time seeing him – he was ill at the Dominion so the band decided to replace him with a guy with a broken leg...), Geoff Dunn on drums, Matt Pegg (son of Dave of Fairport Convention fame) who is a superb band member to watch or Josh Phillips (who wrote the theme tune to Strictly!). I also wanted to watch the conductor (David Firman who PH have used many times) and the orchestra.

Gary gave away the secret of his vocal preservation – wine and Riccola sweets and, inspired by some Scotsmen in the audience, told a tale about some Scots who had shouted at him all night at one gig to play ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ and when he did they shouted “play it again!” Unlike Jeff Lynne, Gary Brooker is very talkative indeed at concerts. In fact Procol Harum gigs are worth seeing just for Gary’s geniality.

The rest of the first half was a mixture of regular concert tracks plus a few unexpected treats. One of which was parts of ‘In Held Twas In I’. Not the whole thing as that would have taken over 20 minutes to perform. If you don't know the piece, it's the equivalent of Jeff performing 'Concerto for a Rainy Day'. There was some great guitar from Geoff Whitehorn in it. Guitar doesn’t usually play a huge part in PH's songs but when it does it really does have a voice and it’s always played perfectly and never too intrusive – a bit like Jeff Lynne’s guitar work. Don’t forget Robin Trower started with Procol Harum.

It was a bit odd to hear the ‘Finale’ part of ‘In Held Twas In I’ played here as it's such a showstopper and makes a good final track but tonight the band were mixing it up. It was a special night and they had some surprises up their sleeves. Gary had a better song to end the first half on…

This was one of the treats we had all been anticipating but before Gary introduced the track he mentioned that the last Procol Harum LP had come out on 03/03/03 and this Royal Festival Hall concert was on 03/03/…17!

An extra mike was set up on stage. A bit of shuffling about ensued. Then Gary introduced a new song called ‘Neighbour’. This was to be played without orchestra but with some friends – Sam Brown (daughter of Joe, who had sang at the Concert for George along with her father, Jeff and Gary) and two of her pals on ukuleles. So far the surprise was VERY Procol Harum but next Gary got up and put on his accordion - nothing is surprising in Procol Harum's world! Unusual instruments are not unusual with this band.

This was the first time I’d heard 'Neighbour' as it’s from the new album out in April but I ended up still singing along when I got home two days later! The first time I heard it I enjoyed it immediately. Straightaway I loved it which is a rare thing for new music. Usually you have to hear a song a few times to get used to it but this was immediate. It was as if I’d enjoyed it for years. It’s so catchy and upbeat and will probably be the jokey number on the new LP – all PH albums have a jokey fun track. (And we all know how much we adore 'Jungle'!) The chap sat next to me said that it sounded like a Ronnie Lane song. I agree.

Next Gary announced the interval. That’s when it happened.

While descending the step between the stage and the dressing room, Gary tripped and took a nasty face-first fall. I didn’t see him go down but he was on the floor for a while before being helped back up to cheers from the audience. It was an anxious time. The interval went on and on and nobody could talk of anything other than if Gary would come back on stage or not. Would the concert be cancelled? Was he ok? A voice came over the tannoy to say that the interval was being extended which was understandable. We took this to mean that Gary was being checked out medically and he must be feeling well or the show would have been cancelled by now? I had great hope in Gary – after all he’s a fighter. He’d already suffered a serious head injury in South Africa a few years ago.

We would have all waited all night but Gary courageously returned to the stage at 10pm albeit covered in bandages. He’d changed his shirt and was now sporting a hat – his forehead and nose were all taped up. There was a massive standing ovation with many calls of “bravo!”.

There was so much appreciation for the Commander for returning to the stage after the fall but he didn’t dwell on the accident. Only after mentioning the new LP and the future Shepherds Bush Empire gig did he say that “I’ve actually got a bit of a broken hand and a broken head”. He was still in good humour and said that there was a man sat onstage just to look out for him! After that there was no dwelling on the matter and the band got down to business with new track ‘Told on You’. (Geoff Whitehorn later said that Gary was the most accident-prone man in show business!)

With such a wonderful voice you’d never guess he’d been in an accident. This song may have been Gary’s best vocal of the evening. It was made extra special and enjoyable because you could hear the defiance and triumph in the performance. Procol Harum feed very well on adversity and turn it into power. It was the best song of the night for me, the highlight of the concert. Gary’s defiant vocals were as good if not better than if he had been 50 years younger. A lot of singers sound nothing like their records when they sing live. For instance Jeff Lynne in reality has such a small, sweet-sounding voice in comparison to his LPs. Good but not very strong – it just goes to show what production can do for you! Obviously Jeff can boost his vocals with his studio skills but Gary sounds exactly the same only better. Better because he is able to break the rules and try new things with his vocals unlike our Jeffy who is a very strict advocate of recreating perfection. Just once I'd love to hear Jeff try something new but then if he did he just wouldn't be our Jeff!

[queenofthehours]

‘Man with a Mission’ came next. I love this song! It’s one of my favourite ever PH numbers and really rocks when played loud. It was the surprise of the night for me and I got as excited as I did when Jeff did 'Secret Messages' on tour. But poor Gary had to be careful of his hand in the solo and played the piano one handed. What a hero!

There were no cuts to the set list, no song was shortened, and there was no loss in quality whatsoever. Only the task of playing the piano was improvised with Gary relying on Josh to help fill in the parts he couldn’t manage. But you’d never know. In fact the show was made better by the extra effort that was needed and the extra passion that was generated. Things like that add creativity and edge.

This version of Procol Harum has a great rapport. There were lots of lots of chat, light humour and good feeling throughout. It was the first time I’d seen Geoff Whitehorn play so I was happy to find he is very much at the heart of the band and great fun to have onstage. He looked as if he was having the best time and genuinely thrilled to be part of a great group of guys. In fact the whole band appeared to fill the stage with joy and laughter and genuine good feeling. They reminded me of Jeff's band, of Mike Stevens and the gang - all enjoying themselves because they are fans of the songs and of each other.

Geoff Whitehorn was absolutely brilliant on guitar – even though he’s only been with the band 25 years! Geoff could make his guitar sing almost like George Harrison. There was much stage discussion over how to adapt parts of the tracks for Gary’s hand problem but that proves just what a tight unit the band is. Sadly there was no ‘Pandora’s Box’ – what kind of group don’t play one of their few top ten hits? It'd be like ELO not playing 'Telephone Line'. Never mind.

‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ was the final track of the night – the band like to get audience participation in this song when live: you have to cheer when “the crowd called out for more”! Josh had to cover much of the track for Gary who was unable to play all of the piano parts himself. It was very interesting to watch Josh juggle both organ and piano on his keyboards and the cooperation between the Commander and Josh that was needed to make this happen seamlessly was admirable to see. Gary attempted what he could on his grand piano. From my seat I could see his reflection in the door at the other side of the stage and he made game attempts to play but you could see he was in pain especially at the end when the band all joined together and embraced at the front of the stage. Gary was obviously very uncomfortable in his right hand by the way he held it and was surely going to need medical help after the show.

It was a brave thing to do to come back onstage after such a horrific accident but Gary wasn’t going to give up on such a big gig as this, he wasn’t going to disappoint the fans or himself. This was the special 50th anniversary show, the chance to showcase the new music so soldier on he did. He’s made of sterner stuff than today’s musicians! I know I wouldn’t have been able to get back on stage. I’d be too shaken. To come back on and perform as well as that for a man of Gary’s years, well, I’m in awe. Younger bands have cancelled for less. It might be the rough and ready attitude to live music Gary has. I suppose you get that from gigging with the Stones and from being bottom of the bill on a Beatles tour. No man who can survive being in a Madonna movie or becoming the 1987 European fly fishing champion is going to quit that easily.

The concert ended late but there was still a party at a nearby bar for the fans to which band members also went to.

Here is the best photo I managed to take of then band at the end of the show -

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I only got the back of Gary's head! But there's Josh doing the thumbs up.

[queenofthehours]

Even the accident couldn’t dent the wonderful atmosphere of the show. It was always going to have a special feeling but after the Commander’s heroic return it changed into something more. I doubt I’ll ever go to another like it. A review from the Telegraph here - www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/04/procol-harum-lead-singer-gary-brooker-given-standing-ovation/

I often wonder what would happen if, God forbid, Jeff took a tumble?

There are pictures of Gary looking very beaten up and bruised with two black eyes on his twitter page here - twitter.com/truegarybrooker . Gary later went to A&E and was told he'd broken a bone in his hand - a boxer’s fracture apparently. The fifth metacarpal. www.procolharum.com/2017/rfh-london_gb-fall.htm .

This is the Commander's own account of the night. Entitled 'Gary Takes a Trip' (As you can see, many Procol Harum lyrics are appropriate for such an accident!) -

www.procolharum.com/2017/rfh-london_gb-fall-account.htm

"I was so happy on leaving the stage for the interval that in the darkness of the night I didn’t see a step down, the ceiling flew away, and I fell from grace and hit the ground. In the words of the great Chas & Dave “Wallop! – he's gone down.”

"I lay there for a moment sending messages around my body and brain doing a self-assessment, and thought I wasn’t too bad apart from the blood. A choir member and Franky were soon at my side and I said “Get me up and to the dressing room”, where a RFH medic gave me the once-over."

"I was a bit bashed but I had not landed on my mouth – and having spread the impact incredibly evenly between both knees, nose, and forehead I told everybody I was fine and we should get back on. There was absolutely no way that wasn’t going to happen – the audience had made a great effort and I could only return the honour. I had in fact fallen on my right hand under my chest (broken bone) and it needed some ice-packs before I was ready, and a bandage round me bleedin’ ’ead !"

Finally, here is a video of the RFH performance of 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' that somebody took -

[BSJ]

queenofthehours. I truly love your writing. This was a great read. You let us in with the sharing of your passion.

The 'teaser' of an impending disaster threw wild thoughts into my head! Obviously you are fine, so I let that worry go.

Thanks for all the extras. Have played the video many times.


They did play 'Conquistador'?

[Eloise]

I went to see the Beach Boys this past January. I've always liked them and thought it would be fun. But, there was one thing I had not realized....after seeing our Lord Damey last year in New York City, I have been ruined for all other bands. While I had a good time at the BB concert, I confess to yawning a couple of times and looking at my watch, wondering how late we'd get out. It was fun but not half the fun of seeing Jeff. Is anybody like me? So ridiculously spoiled that you are not much of a fan for anybody else? It's kind of sad because there are other bands that I like but I don't think I'll have near as much fun at their concerts. I am a one band woman who will occasionally dabble with other music but not often.  Is anybody else so devoted to Jeff? Please tell me I'm not the only one.