ANONYMOUS GIG REVIEWS: part 4 of The Bloodliners Festival

ANONYMOUS REVIEWS

The Sunday gig was at Fibbers (left) – I think it’s the first time John has played there but it is another typical bar with a stage.  John was great – the sound was crisp, clear and loud and he did six of the “Havana” songs and a good sprinkling of older and newer ones.  He used a twelve string Taylor and a Godin nylon strung [Acousticaster?].

We bought Havana and the book and he signed them and did a little drawing for a few of us who hung back at the end, he
looked a little tired but the set was good.  It was great to see Bloodliners there including Dan and his wife Olivia who had come from NEW JERSEY for two at Dalry AND two at York.

On Monday it was back to the Winning Post (right) , the scene of many great JS gigs in the past.  It was full but not as packed as last time [he could get to the stage without climbing over bodies].  Terry from LA was there and a couple from Holland – International fandom.  We got there early and queued but  they opened the room earlier than I remember at 7.45 for an 8.30 kick off so we got good seats.  John has mentioned the “dressing room”???? at the Winning Post many times before when he has appeared here [I think it was a stair well with a dog called Otto, who is dead now] – this time there was a problem even with the stairwell [someone said – “the light bulb has broken” – maybe it was an excuse for something else].  Anyway John did not appear until 8.50 p.m. and began by apologising that he was having to take his coat off and set up right on stage.

After plugging in the stomp boxes the guitars came straight out of the cases and of course, as twelve strings tend to, the tuning was difficult.  But he started, then stopped when someone with a flashing light on a tape recorder disturbed him, then again on ‘Wingless Angels’ when a tech tried to alter the stage lights from the side of the stage in mid-song.

After three songs John said, “I feel like I am in the band on the Titanic.”  I feared the worst, but hey, this is the Winning Post and the audience is always 100% with him.

Despite some more minor tuning hiccups things began to pick up and the second half was brilliant.  The show was quieter than at Fibbers but we joined in more and after a rousing ‘Daydream Believer’ someone requested ‘Botswanna’ as an
encore.  John said, “do you really want that type of song to finish?”  We said yes and he did a medley of quieter songs to end the night, with the audience mesmerised.

IT WAS GREAT.

Just experienced two magical nights of John at Fibbers and The Winning Post, York.  In over 19 years of seeing John perform in the UK I can’t remember a more magical night than the Winning Post gig.

The first at Fibbers could, in hindsight, be regarded as a taster.  Fibbers is a cafe bar small music venue in the centre of historic York.  Unknown to most JS fans it is heavily camouflaged by the tower block of which it forms part.  Amongst the familiar faces there were tales of passing the venue two or three times before realising this really was the venue.

It being Sunday with a strict curfew, John gave an excellent performance, previewing the new songs – ‘Waiting for Castro To Die’ really is a killer and ‘Who Stole the Soul of Johnny Dreams’, wow! – but one sensed that this was a prelude to the big one.

We joined up again the following night on more familiar territory – The Winning Post.  Could it match the performance of two years ago to the day?

First in the queue, chatting with Helen, the young English lady who supplied the set list for the Monsoon’s June 12 1997 review posted to the Cellar, were a couple from Holland who had come across just for the concert.  Not far behind were Bloodliners Olivia, Dan and Terry.

By 9pm, when John took the stage (there was no dressing room, its never been the same since Otto the dog died!)  the place was heaving. No Buffy or Dave – just John, solo acoustic but with The Winning Post Choir waiting for the right moments to fill out the chorus and moments there were in plenty.  Who could have guessed that John would open with ‘Get Rhythm’, following which John remarked that, after being told by so many people that he resembles Johnny Cash or Garry Shandling, he felt compelled to remark to Johnny Cash on his first introduction – “tell me, do people say to you that you resemble Garry Shandling?”

 Looking out at the audience John could see young and old alike.  Sat enthralled on the floor in front of the stage was 11 years old Laura, who confessed to being a fan of the Spice Girls when John asked-but knew all John’s songs ‘because my Daddy plays them all the time.’  In deference to Laura, John resisted the frequent calls for ’18 Wheels.’

John was on stage until 11-50 with just a 15 minute break between sets – nearly three hours of magic and what about this for a set!

Get Rhythm

Strange Rivers/Ticket to the Stars
Wingless Angels/Survivors/Seven Angels(segue)
Dreams of the Starman
Cannons in the Rain a beautiful version with stunning acoustic guitar and choir)
Dreamers on the Rise
Bringing Down the Moon
Irresistible Targets
I Want to be Elvis
Living in a Rock and Roll Nation
Midnight of the World
Who Stole the Soul of Johnny Dreams
The Eyes of Sweet Virginia
intermission
Johnny Flamingo (complete with Winning Post Choir)
Dogs in the Bed
Turn of the Century
July You’re a Woman (with choir)
Anna on a Memory
California Bloodlines (with full choir)
Armstrong
Miracle Girl
The Star in the Black Sky Shining
Angels with Guns
Neon Road
Daydream Believer
Kansas
Fire in the Wind
Looking Back Joanna
Pirates of Stone County Road

There followed a standing ovation throughout and then autographs and fond farewells to friends old and new as we trooped off home or to hotels, hoping against hope that he would be back before another two years.

So yes, John had scaled new heights.  It was an awesome performance, even better than two years ago, and the new songs must be amongst the finest that John has ever written.

Andy sold out the merchandise stall and what a shame that only a dozen or so copies of “Teresa” CD’s managed to make it to the U.K

cover the turf at Dalry