Reviewing concerts is an old habit. Just about every Van Morrison concert I saw was reviewed in Wavelength magazine. I’ll gradually put up the reviews in this space.
The first concert I ever saw was Little Eva with Brian Hyland.
For the record, the best ten I’ve seen might be, as of now, but not five minutes ago or tomorrow:
Paul Simon, Hammersmith, 2002
Marvin Gaye, Bournemouth circa 1976.
k.d. lang, Bournemouth, 1990s.
Muddy Waters, Hull, 1968
The Band, Vancouver, 1994.
Flying Burrito Brothers, Lyceum, London, 1970.
King Crimson, Bournemouth 1973 (with Jamie Muir)
Van Morrison, Southampton, 1982 or 1983.
David Bowie, Southampton, early 1972
Paul McCartney & Wings, Bournemouth, mid 70s.
For pure quality on the night, Paul Simon and Marvin Gaye are first equal. For sheer onstage charisma, it’s between Muddy Waters and k.d. lang. Lou Reed is right up there for charisma (Southampton 1972) but I somehow doubt he was in the top ten musically. When McCartney walked onstage it was a shot of pure charisma too. For most exciting as they walked on The Beatles. 1963, 1964 and 1965.
This page has the following sub pages.
- Judy Collins 2010
- Allen Toussaint
- Leonard Cohen July 2009
- Art Garfunkel
- Chris Rea
- Garth Hudson 2007
- Leonard Cohen O2 2008
- Fleetwood Mac 2003
- Dr John
- The Manfreds, P.P. Arnold 2003
- Taj Mahal
- Hal Wilner Leonard Cohen Project
- The Band
- The Imagined Village
- Sly & The Family Stone
- Van Morrison
- Rufus Wainwright
- Zoot Money
- Bob Dylan 2002
- The Mavericks
- NKOTB
- Dave Kelly, Maggie Bell, BBQ
- Simon & Garfunkel 2004
- ABBA Tribute / BSO
- Leonard Cohen Nov. 2008
- Paul Simon Nov. 2006
- The Unthanks 03.11
- The Decemberists
- John Cale Paris 1919
- Andy Williams
- Brian Wilson
- John Cale, Brighton 2011
- Steeleye Span
- Simone Felice 2011
- Garth Hudson 1999
- The Searchers
- Animals & Friends / Steve Cropper
- The Manfreds 2011
- Eliza Carthy
- Glen Campbell
- Roger McGuinn
- Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings 2011
- The Unthanks 12.11
- Jonathan Wilson
- Bap Kennedy
- Joan Baez
- The Civil Wars
- Simone Felice April 2012
- The Waterboys
- The Unthanks 04.2012
- Sandy Denny Tribute
- Bob Dylan 2006
- Simone Felice Sept 2012
- The Mastersons, Hymn For Her
- The Unthanks 10.2012
- Bellowhead 2.2013
- Michelle Shocked 2001
- Fay Hield 2013
- Loudon Wainwright III
- Spiers & Boden 5.13
- The Demon Barbers
- Judy Collins 2013
- Spiers & Boden, 6.13
- Bellowhead 7.2013
- KT Tunstall
- Grupo Lokito
- Simone Felice July 2013
- Zawinul Syndicate
- Leonard Cohen Aug 2013
- Crosby, Stills & Nash
- The Full English
- Glenn Tilbrook
- Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings 2013
- Seth Lakeman 2014
- Rodriguez
- Spiers and Boden 2014
- Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
- The Foundations
- Fay Hield 2014
- Simone Felice April 2014
- Emmylou Harris
- Preston Shannon
- The Platters
- Tom Jones
- Joyce Cobb
- The Grand Ole Opry
- Gospel in West Helena
- American Queen Ensemble
- Suzanne Vega
- The Bleedin Noses
- Hall & Oates
- Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick
- James Taylor 2014
- Bellowhead 2014
- Simone Felice November 2014
- The Unthanks 2.2015
- Paul Simon & Sting 2015
- Lulu
- Albert Lee
- Bellowhead 7.2015
- Jimmy Cliff
- Raghu Dixit
- Raghu Dixit
- Simone Felice – Oct 2015
- Sam Lee & Friends
- Simi Stone
- Thea Gilmore
- Natalie Merchant
- Fay Hield 2016
- The Manfreds – 2016
- Bellowhead 2016
- Rita Coolidge
- Don Henley – Hyde Park
- Carole King – Hyde Park
- Louise Goffin – Hyde Park
- Michael Kiwanuka – Hyde Park
- Simone Felice- Oct 2016
- FLIT
- Ralph McTell 2016
- Paul Simon Oct. 2000
- Paul Simon 2016
- The Manfreds, P.P. Arnold, Zoot Money, Nov 2016
- Margo Price
- The Cactus Blossoms
- The Transports
- The Unthanks 5.2017
- 70th Party …
- Bob Dylan 2017
- Legends: Joanna Lumley, Twiggy, Lulu
- Richard Thompson 2017
- Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings
- The Bootleg Beatles 2018
- Paul Simon – Hyde Park 2018
- James Taylor, Hyde Park 2018
- Bonnie Raitt, Hyde Park 2018
- Johnny Flynn, Hyde Park 2018
- Shawn Colvin, Hyde Park Review
- Ward Thomas, Hyde Park
- King Crimson – 2018
- Chuck Prophet & Stephanie Finch
- Cliff Richard 2018
- Ian Felice 2018
- P.P. Arnold 2019
- The Unthanks 2019
- Saving Grace
- The palmer james group
- k.d. lang
- Kiefer Sutherland
- John Lydon
- Symphonic Pink Floyd
- The Australian Pink Floyd
- Judy Collins – 2020
- Roger Chapman
- The Bootleg Beatles 2022
- Emma Swift
- Joni Mitchell’s Hejira and Mingus
- The Unthanks 2022
- Al Stewart
- Bob Dylan – 2022
- The Delines
- BSO: Triumphal Elgar
- BSO: Coming to America
- Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary
Peter Viney's Blog 
Hi. Some enjoyable reads, thank you.
I am currently trying to gather information, stories, anecdotes on Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust tour of 72/73. I note with interest you list Southampton 72 as one of your favourite concerts. This is one of the concerts there appears to be very little written about and so I was wondering if you have any recollections you could share. In particular I’m interested in things such as how many people attended (and what sort – I assume standard 70’s audience, ie. 18 – twenty somethings in denims with an abundance of long hair). Obviously any tracks you can recall would be great – but given it’s nearly 50 yrs past, that may be a stretch…..and anything else really.
Thanks.
Tim
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Hi Tim, It was at the Guildhall, now the O2. We had front row tickets for some reason and it was a low stage too. ‘Hunky Dory’ had been played non-stop for weeks at our place, and I recall more from Hunky Dory. I think he played most of it. I’m sure he did either White Light white Heat or I’m Waiting For The Man. One or the other. Don’t forget “Ziggy Stardust” is a later name for the tour. This was 11 March 1972 (I checked online) and Ziggy Stardust was released in June. Anything he played from it would have been ‘unknown track.’ He was doing incredibly fast costume changes, literally off into the wings in an instrumental passage, and out in seconds. I recognized Mick Ronson and The Rats because they were the standard support group at Hull University. We saw Bournemouth Royal Ballrooms (now also an O2) a few months later, and they were nowhere near as good- the venue has terrible sound, but he seemed to be going through an act, whereas at Southampton he was completely on fire. To me, it was virtually all of Hunky Dory plus Space Oddity. Possibly The Man Who Sold The World. I’d say it was full, but it’s not a big venue. I was 25, Karen was 23. We went with friends our age and we were about the average age group – older than fans a few months later, then.
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Hi Peter – this great. Thanks. I don’t think that Starman had even been released then…..so anything “Ziggy” related will, as you say, be entirely unknown to the audience…hard to imagine in these days of internet/social media and streaming services. Thanks again. Tim
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