Deacon BlueDeacon Blue| Date |
11/10/99 |
| Length |
120 mins |
Previous to about a week before the concert my entire knowledge of Deacon Blue amounted to the Greatest Hits album Our Town, and the Radio 2 broadcast part of Our House - The Braendam benefit concert. In the preceding week I found a cheap copy of Whatever You Say, Say Nothing, and so my repertoire of songs was slightly increased. Ironically it meant that I actually knew more of the support band's material than of the headliners (see Celtus).
However I didn't let that disuade me, nor even the £20 ticket price, nor the fact that the recorded delivery that contained my tickets, never arrived, nor no one else wanting to go with me, so I went on my own. None of that managed to stop me going. So I arrived, sorted out the ticket debacle, or perhaps that's too strong a word, ne'ermind. And I queued up. Alone. Well, obviously not alone, there where other people in the queue, otherwise it wouldn't be a queue, just a guy standing there. What I mean is I stood on my own within the queue, watching all the couples talking together, seeing all the mates laughing and joking, and thinking 'God, how sad can I be.' Quite obviously the answer was that sad. Anyway, getting inside didn't solve the situation. Having arrived at a reasonably early time, (knowing I was standing), so as to get a good position, I did end up with quite some time to read and re-read the programme, while trying not to look pathetic, I guess I failed. I always do. Anyway enough with the self-pity.
After Celtus which were warmly received, see here, there was a half hour interval while they sorted out the set, and I ear-wigged the conversations, I can't believe how mundane they were, at least when I go to a gig with my dad or brothers or whoever, the conversations border on the surreal so even for the casual spy there is something of a novelty value. But in this instance it was simply people saying what they were going to do tomorrow, or did that day, possibly of interest to the intended person, but of little to me. How self-centred can people be?
Anyway Ricky Ross sauntered on centre-stage, and Jim Prime took his place at the keyboards and then there was... Born In a Storm leading to Rain Town, what more perfect opening could you hope for. The moody exposition of Born... to the singability of Rain Town, to which the audience was in full chorus-mood. Unfortunately, for me that is, they went on to several tracks that were unknown to me, which was fine, and made me want to buy more of the albums (I think Rain Town is next to get).
For the songs I did know I have to say the highlights were Spencer Tracy, with the explanatory story, and now, more than ever, it's one of my favourites, Loaded was preceded by a request from Ricky for heckling (not something you hear everyday) to which the best, and about only reply, was 'Are you available', which shortly after was followed by 'Lorraine, are you available' and an 'I am now' reply. The audience was, for the most part, in fine voice, though the seats, up and to the back, were, according to Ricky, seemingly not very vocal (and being at the front, and not looking round too much, and when I did the smoke and the darkness made it kind of hard to see, I had to take his word on it). The singing, was, for me, a slight problem. You see, like Lyndon B Johnson once said of Gerald Ford, he can't fart and chew gum at the same time, I can't clap a beat and sing a refrain, which kind of made it hard when the rest of the audience were managing, to some slight extent, both. Yet I managed reasonably well, it's easier when you know the songs, so Fergus..., Real Gone Kid, Twist and Shout etc. were fine, as were the non-clappy ones, Sad-Loved Girl, Bethlehem's Gate.
Of course, there was the obligatory plug for the album, though seemingly grudgingly, perhaps implying Ricky and the group were happier to be re-united for the tour than for a compilation album. The advert was followed by one of the new tracks off the album, (Walking Back Home, hence the tour title...) All I Want, which was, as expected, a ballad (the whole album is a collection love songs), very Deacon Blue, may grow on me, but hard to say on first hearing, it did sound something like Love and Regret, but that could just be me.
To finish the main part of the show, two great up-tempo numbers to get the audience jumping, and jump they did. Wages Day went down quite well, that is in comparison to Dignity. To hear every single person in the room, save for Ricky, singing the opening verse, and to hear it clearly (unlike the usual garbled out-pourings you normally get) was incredible, and to know everyone was enjoying themselves totally, it was just fantastic. Yet that still fails to do justice to the experience, it's just something you have to be there for.
This of course left a problem. To return after Dignity for an encore, would be hard, you'd have to try and out-do it. Your Town was the only logical choice, and that was simply breath-taking, not literally you realise. Queen of the New Year followed, then Chocolate Girl, maybe on the set-list, maybe impromptu (I say that, as someone shouted it out as a request just after Queen...), one of my favourites I have to admit, and when it faded in to My Girl, it was rather impressive, if slightly surprising. And then finishing with I'll Never Fall In Love Again, simply beautiful.
Without a doubt I would see them again, however, not without someone else to go with, though...
Given my unfamiliarity with some of the songs, and a bad memory, the set-list was of disputable chronological order, or even completeness. Fortunately, I found a web-site that listed them, so that's what's listed below, though to add to it I would say that also one of the songs went into Just My Imagination, and I think Love and Regret was also in there somewhere (given the other set-lists, these two may have gone together)...
Encore
Score 10/10
Page last updated on 16th October 1999
Maintained by Julian Fletcher (julian@innocent.com)