Friday 23 May 2008, Astoria 2, 157 Charing Cross Road, LONDON WC2 0EN
Words and pictures by John Waters

You know the feeling. Sometimes, you have one of those days. You’re convinced it’s going to be good. So good, in fact, you would put money on it?

Everything works out just so. The sun shines. Things go according to plan and everything fits in perfectly. There’s no hanging around. You catch the train just on time. The cash point machine works. The food and drink, at the pub, hit the spot.

Well, today, Friday 23 May 2008 was one of those days. ‘The cold wind’ couldn’t ‘blow’ and the man upstairs was not going ‘to look down on this poor child’. Oh no. No way. It proved to be a day to remember and for all the right reasons.

I’d attended the opening UK stop of the ‘first farewell tour’ in Brighton. The boys were finding their feet again on home soil (Glenn’s an honorary Brit). That was a great gig, in my opinion. I knew that tonight, London, was going to be top class too. I could feel it in my bones.

This was a packed house at The Astoria 2 and a very, very warmed up crowd after the Aynsley Lister set (all credit to Aynsley and his band, they were spot on).

With an air of anticipation during the interval, it was good to study the crowd. It was interesting to see more of a varied audience amongst the Trower hardcore. I’d noticed this at Brighton too.  

I spoke with one lad who introduced me to his parents (both of whom remember Robin from the 70’s). They liked Robin’s music very much but had never seen him live! Boy, were they in for something special tonight? “We are talking about one of the finest guitarists in history, you know”.

My daughters were in the crowd somewhere watching from the balcony to get a wider view. They have both seen Robin before, so they knew the drill. My friend Jacky was there too.

Just before 9.00pm, someone asked me if Robin usually came on stage, on time. How did they guess I’d done this before? I reassured them the band was always on time (no prima donnas here, I thought) and right on cue, and to my relief, the boys duly hit the stage to a rousing reception, and we were off

After some tweaks, the sound settled down during the first number ‘Twice Removed from Yesterday’. “That’s our hero up there, don’t you know?”

I knew the show had started for real with the opening bars on the second number ‘Shame the Devil’. This was it! The track, a favourite of mine, has something rather special. I was hooked. Robin’s tone, reminiscent of the fat tone on the ‘For Earth Below’ album, was superb. The band gained so much momentum during this number. It was now impossible to stop it.

At this early stage, the crowd was already fired up and responding. Robin and the boys picked up on it quickly. They were bouncing off each other, helped in no small part by the venue. The sound system was great and pretty well balanced from my vantage point 3 to 4 rows back directly in front of Davey (and indeed to the right of Mr Alan Howard).

Atmosphere, ambience (call it what you will) can’t be physically measured. It’s a feeling and I think this was the main element of the gig’s success.

I just love it when Robin smiles and Davey acknowledges members of the audience because you just know it’s working for them. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that if it works for the band, it works for us. It’s a two-way street.

‘No Time’ was just brilliant. It’s such a great number and the move on to ‘Fool and Me’ saw Robin and Davey so in the groove, with guitar and vocals, it was unreal. Just like those occasions when your car motors along so nicely it seems every bit of it is ‘in sync’.

It was as if Robin and the band had arrived from another planet when their sonic journey reached ‘Bridge of Sighs’. IMHO, this is, without doubt, the finest song ever written. If the solo went on for an hour it wouldn’t be enough. In the event, I could not tell you how long it lasted, as it transported me to a different time continuum and in a parallel universe - pure magic!

It does not get any better than this evening. No way. The set list may be common knowledge but, for me, the highlights were:

o   Shame The Devil (the brakes were off)
o   No Time (and no cigar)
o   Fool And Me Bridge of Sighs (well what else can I say)
o   Gonna Be More Suspicious (superb funky version)
o    Little Bit Of Sympathy (would you still be a friend to me?)
o   Go My Way (great tone, the strat was made for this)

All credit to the band. Glenn played some beautiful bass throughout (oh, those bendy notes!). Pete’s drumming was top draw. He really was in his element and his use of the cymbals – wow ‘Little Bit of Sympathy’ - was incredible. Davey, the guy does such an excellent job, has something very special and holds his own superbly. As for Robin, of course, I’m lost for words.

Nice touch: All the band members made an appearance to meet and greet after the show.
Audience: Fantastic
Gig Score: 11 out of 10 for content, commitment, effort, entertainment and passion! I only wish it had been recorded
Postscript: Highlights for my daughters - Aynsley Lister - “Dad, he’s so good looking!”
PPS: Final memory - Saying ‘Thank You’ and ‘Goodbye’ to a certain Mr Pattison standing at the Astoria exit on our way home, what a Gent!

Return to homepage for more fan photos and reviews or click below for more robintrowerlive.co.uk reviews

Brighton No Time for farewells      Exeter Totally sold      Bilston Blistering Bilston
Glasgow Dedicated to Jimmy      London Let me hear you say YEAH!      Manchester Pride comes before a fall
Sheffield Balls of steel      Southampton From Portswood to poignancy
Stratford-Upon-Avon The play’s the thing      Birkenhead Fab Four in Birkenhead
Fleetwood Fulfillingness’ Fleetwood Finale      For more reviews visit Steve Shail’s site here!
 

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