Bargepole’s review of A Playground of Broken Hearts reminded me that I’d seen a few of the neo-proggers at the time, most notably Marillion, who I saw supporting Girl at the Marquee and then headlining it themselves a few weeks later. I knew I’d also seen a few of the second division acts at Reading in 1983 but couldn’t remember which ones exactly. When I went to check who’d actually played that year, I realised that I remembered next to nothing of what I’d seen apart from Steel Pulse getting bottled off and a few dim recollections of the headline acts. For the most part though, the weekend is a total blank. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t drinking or hepped up on goofballs or anything like that, but still, to all intents and purposes it’s like I was never there. Were Stevie Ray Vaughan, Suzi Quatro, Big Country et al so unmemorable that I’ve managed to entirely excise them from my memory?
So who have you seen who you don’t remember?
Reading Festival 73 and 75.
I’ve just looked at the line-ups there are several bands I’ve no recollection of seeing.
I went to The Fleadh in Finsbury Park 3 times around the millennium. I’ve just looked at the bills and aside from the headliners (Bob Dylan, Neil Young and , um, The Corrs) I barely remember any of the acts. There were 3 stages so I wouldn’t have seen everyone, but at most points I must have been watching someone.
That’s what confusing me. I was there the whole weekend. What on earth was I doing?
Same here re ’75, Hubes! (I wish I could blank out the memory of Hawkwind’s set that year…)
Easy, @nigelthebald! I was there and “present” when Hawkwind headed the Friday night. No recollection. Mind you, I can neither recall Yes or Supertramp from the other nights. Yet I remember Joan Armatrading (a little dull), Caravan (superb) and the Ozark Mountain Daredevils (failed to capitalise their expectation). Also Gary Holton’s Heavy Metal Kids, more for scenery and stage climbing than the music.
Jesus Jellett was there too, the famous naked dancer. And “wally” was shouted a lot.
As befitting one of the three members of the Holy Trinity, Jesus was everywhere when he walked among us.
His dancing was similarly all over the place
I’ve just read someone’s recollection of the Stones at Leeds Roundhay Park, I think the main recollection was the firework display at the end.
As Retro has said he remembers the Heavy Metal Kids, more for scenery and stage climbing than the music.
I think it’s the visual things that are easier to remember as they stick in your mind. Genesis at Reading as Gabriel came on in the hydraulic pyramid with ultra-violet makeup eyes. I know I saw R Stewart and the Faces as I stood up for about a minute to say that I’d seen them.
I found an Altered Images ticket stub from 1981 at Mountford Hall (university) Liverpool. I have no recall of the concert
The trick is remembering a gig that you don’t remember.
For 50 years or so I recalled vividly seeing Bob Dylan play the Usher Hall in Edinburgh 1966. “I was there!” I proudly exclaimed.
Looked up dates, in fact it was the ABC in Lothian Road.
In those days I would have had little or no alcohol and the days of spliffs and acid for me were at least a year away.
I can still see myself in the Usher, a venue I loved, watching Bob go electric. How come it was in fact in a bloody cinema?
Glastonbury, 1979. I recall drifting off (a surfeit of hash fudge earlier in the day), watching Steve Hillage’s laser show through the walls of my tent. Apart from that, nada.
Acts also on, a google search tells me, included Peter Gabriel, Alex Harvey, John Martyn, The Only Ones…
I know I saw The Pop Group somewhere at some point over 40 years ago, but I suspect a more likely location, given the huge blank in my Glasto memories, would’ve been at the Ashton Court festival.
@nigelthebald
How are you doing?
Without wishing to go into the tedious details, I’m stubbornly persisting.
Well, erm, that’s surely better than not?
For now, yes…
I wish you well @nigelthebald
Looking forward to the new football season?
According to a diary I found in the loft a few years ago I saw the Style Council in Liverpool in 1985: ‘…they were good but Weller seemed a bit grumpy’.
One band I DO remember seeing in Hyde Park was the Edgar Broughton Band, but I have no idea which year – if it was 1969 they were apparently supporting Blind Faith and I know I wasn’t at that one, and if it was 1970 then it was the Pink Floyd gig. I have absolutely no memory of PF, but I have always claimed I was there!
I have a huge envelope containing ticket stubs from almost all of the 441 gigs that I’ve been to in my life.
One ticket in the envelope is from an Orange Juice gig at the Haçienda, Manchester on 23 March 1983.
I have no recollection of this concert whatsoever.
What should I do with the ticket stub? Maybe I should just Rip It Up. Arf!
Were you Punch Drunk and Out For The Count at the time?
For the last 20 years, I have kept a record of everyone I have seen at folk festivals, and I have kept programmes. This has brought frustration at learning which budding artists I could have seen in their infancy, if only I had known. Cambridge 2009, I saw Los Lobos instead of my beloved Lau, ferChrissakes. However, that same festival, apparently I saw Mumford & Sons – no recollection whatsoever. Probably some kind of defensive reflex.
According to my diary I saw Man supported by Alcatraz at Sheffield University and have no recollection of this at all. I also saw Ted Nugent apparently but I have no recollection of that either.
Oh dear! Where do I start? One of my big regrets is not ever seeing The Band. Oh wait: I have. It turns out they were at Wembley, along with CSNY (I actually remember that I saw them, even though no images of them performing come to mind). Also on the bill was Joni Mitchell (pretty much ditto, although I do remember that The LA express were good).
Next big memory failure was seeing James Taylor et al at the Crystal Palace Bowl. I remember him and, even better, his excellent support band, The Section. But also on the bill was Lou Reed (apparently), Golden Earring (nada) and Tony Joe White (ríen).
The list goes on. Van Morrison at Knebworth (zero awareness of him being there). Even worse, I’ve just looked at the lineup for the great Western Express festival at Bardney, Lincolnshire, in 1972. I know I saw the beach Boys there, but as for all the others, once again, not a sausage.
I am not sure why this is, not least as I wasn’t particularly into ‘altered states’, alcohol, or whatever. I can also remember vividly loads of other performances, big and small. Who supported them, who I went with, etc. To this day, I have a Top Ten list in my head of fave raves, including King Crimson, Roxy Music, Faithless, Little Feat, John Grant, Jan Akkerman, Martin Carthy and PIL… and so it isn’t really a diversity or single genre issue either.
Oh well, it’s not important in the great scheme of things. I just wonder who else I don’t remember seeing and why!
I do recall seeing The Band and Joni at Wembley if that helps, mainly because I’d gone to see both of them.
Blimey, Stanley Baker was one of the promoters of the Western Express festival!
Rikie Lee Jones at Tottenham Court Road in the early nineties. I remember her arriving on stage and promptly flouncing off again because someone had had the temerity to take a photo. I know she was eventually coaxed back but everthing after that is a complete blank.
I saw The Stones at Maine Road. I think the set had inflatable penises but I may be wrong. I couldn’t tell you one song they played. They seemed so far away.
Gregory Isaac at (I think) the Lyceum. No warning at all. We got there to find dozens of pissed off people wandering about and a CANCELLED sign pasted over the poster.
My sister travelled from near Nice to Marseille to see Bruce, found the venue, went for a meal and came back at entry time to find it was canceled. Zut!!
Er..Wrong thread?
Yes! I couldn’t understand why it wasn’t in the Jeff Lynne thread! DOH. I was watching the Men’s Singles final at the same time.