Wednesday 31 July 2013

Patty Griffin At The Union Chapel

Patty Griffin
Union Chapel, Islington
25.7.2013

Two consecutive evenings of Patty Griffin! It seems I can already die a happy man.

Yesterday I reported on the show at the Glee Club (Birmingham). 24 hours later we were in Islington at the Union Chapel. Located just a few minutes walk from the Highbury and Islington tube station, the Union Chapel - a working church - is an incredible venue.


Easily spotted as one heads away from the tube station

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The acoustic and atmosphere are tailor made for such an intimate and powerful concert. I queued for about an hour to ensure a front row (or, more accurately, front pew) seat and curiously enough found myself enjoying an almost exactly opposite viewpoint from the one at the Glee Club.



The set list brought a couple of changes from the previous evening (plus a few amendments in the running order). Trapeze made way for Irish Boy (another song from ''American Kid'') and House Of Gold was replaced by Coming Home To Me (one ''Downtown Church'' song for another - appropriate material anyway, given the  venue).




It hardly needs stating that the show was excellent and saw Patty and David Pulkingham continue their superb form from the previous evening. The magnificence of the venue had at least one stunning impact on proceedings; when the outside light faded, the atmosphere inside the church changed repeatedly as less light filtered through the beautiful stained glass windows. The interior candles appeared to brighten by way of contrast, deepening the mood as the evening progressed.




Set List

Waiting For My Child
Ohio
Faithful Son
Please Don't Let Me Die In Florida
Stay On The Ride
Wild Old Dog
The Strange Man
Up To The Mountain (MLK Song)
Irish Boy
Chief
Flaming Red
Get Ready Marie
Top Of The World
Go Wherever You Want To Go
No Bad News

Encore

Gonna Miss You When You're Gone
Coming Home To Me

I enjoyed both evenings tremendously and am looking forward to a return trip to the Union Chapel whenever the opportunity presents itself.



Tuesday 30 July 2013

Patty Griffin At The Glee Club

Patty Griffin
The Glee Club, Birmingham
24.7.2013

Patty Griffin has long been one of my favourite singer/songwriters. I saw her back in 2010 when she was part of the Band of Joy and have waited a long time to see her present a full show of her own material.
With Robert Plant and The Band of Joy, 2010
Imagine my delight when I heard she was coming to The Sage...and then imagine my frustration when I found out it clashed with one of my trips to London.

Fortunately, two subsequent tour dates where available to me and I quickly booked tickets, trains and hotels for Birmingham and London.


First up - the Glee Club, Birmingham. Five minutes walk from my Travelodge and surrounded by enough eateries to sink a catering battleship. The club has a very intimate atmosphere and friendly staff. I as particularly impressed by the concise pre-show announcement, politely detailing the rules of the venue (photos allowed but please refrain from talking and leaving the room while the show is in progress. If only more venues did this! The ever-growing problem of people chatting away and nipping out every time they encounter a song they don't recognise would become annoyances of the past).

The seats in the Glee Club are unreserved. From the restaurant, one could observe a queue forming about an hour before the official door time. It prompted me to finish an excellent sea bream sooner rather than later but being able to secure front row seats made it worthwhile.

As expected, it was an evening well worth waiting for. The first song was Waiting For My Child from ''Downtown Church'', an album which would be returned to a couple more times during the show. It showcased not only Patty's remarkable voice but also the  guitar virtuosity of David Pulkingham. David's playing (and occasional harmony vocals) augmented the songs perfectly; powerful yet sympathetic, at times loud yet delicate.



The set list naturally drew heavily from the source of ''American Kid'', the album released just a couple of months ago. Seven of the ''American Kid'' songs were included here, mainly written at the time ''when my Dad was getting ready to leave this planet'' and covering the various aspects of his life, from the D-Day landings to a spell as a monk and then as a teacher.  There was still room to showcase some of the many highlights from her other albums, including one or two surprises (such as a reworked Flaming Red and Trapeze).

It was a very warm evening. ''We're Texans and even we think it's hot'' quipped Patty, who also mentioned on more than one occasion that she was feeling nervous (apparently because she had friends in the audience). However, although nerves were certainly not apparent from the outside looking in, they were probably the reason for a couple of unscheduled changes to the set list.



Little stories revealing the motivation often preceded the songs. For example, No Bad News was written at a time when Patty ''was not thrilled with either my President or the man in my life. I don't have those problems anymore - I like everybody!''


Set List

Waiting For My Child
Ohio
Faithful Son
Stay On The Ride
House Of Gold
Please Don't Let Me Die In Florida
Wild Old Dog
The Strange Man
Up To The Mountain (MLK Song)
Chief
Flaming Red
Trapeze
Go Wherever You Want To Go
No Bad News
Gonna Miss You When You're Gone

The duo returned almost immediately for the encore, with the words ''we didn't really want to go anyway...!''

Get Ready Marie
Top Of The World

The original set list, slightly changed on the night



And then suddenly it was all over, with just the guitars left on stage. But the next morning I boarded a train to London to do it all again...

Further Reading

My book reviews in this month's CHESS Magazine feature Botvinnik's Complete Games 1942-1956 and Selected Writings, Part 2 (Moravian Chess), Dreev vs. The Benoni (Chess Stars) and Garry Kasparov on Garry Kasparov Part II: 1985-1993.


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Head here for ordering details.

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My end of year report (in three parts) for the Teesside branch of the CSC is now available on the official website. The Teesside project is set to expand again from September 2013 with a number of exciting developments in the pipeline.

Sunday 28 July 2013

Spot The Theme

This week's postings will follow a set theme and today's pictures provide clues to the theme.

(Can't work it out? Scroll down - answer at foot...)

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Answer - London, of course!

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Wicked

Wicked
Apollo Victoria Theatre
20.7.2013

My mini-trip to London concluded with a jaunt to the theatre to see Wicked. Just before that, there was a little time to spend among the street entertainers, who performed their own brand of vaudevillian shenanigans under the watchful gaze of the London Eye.


I enjoy observing the seemingly endless variety of performers. One used to see such acts regularly on TV before times and tastes changed. Britain's still got talent but it no longer reaches such a wide audience.

Escapologist!
A successful escape from the straightjacket
Puppeteer

Living statue
Limbo dancer
Having second thoughts...?
Soon enough, it was time to head over to Victoria to see Wicked (for the second time). This Wizard of Oz musical prequel easily stands up to a repeat viewing.

It's intriguing to see how the characters ended up as the ones we first saw on the big screen, many years ago. The line between good and wicked is revealed as being very narrow indeed and actions invariably lead to consequences.

The play offers a different aspect to various scenarios from The Wizard of Oz and shows the origins of the Tin Man, the Lion and the Scarecrow.

The story has a strong moralistic element and is both thought provoking and uplifting. Perhaps we can all do with the occasional reminder that we can break free and defy gravity whenever we choose to do so.

Wicked is one of the must-see musicals, throughly deserving of its high reputation. Good news! Wicked goes on tour from September 2013, giving more people the opportunity to enjoy it. My advice is to seize the opportunity or risk ending up green with envy.

Monday 22 July 2013

Santana At The Wembley Arena

Santana
Wembley Arena
19.7.2013

This was my third Santana concert, following on from previous appearances in Manchester (2008) and Newcastle (2010).

Wembley Arena is situated very close to the more familiar Wembley Stadium. With it's capacity of 12,500 seats, it is London's second largest indoor arena (behind the O2, of course). Despite its size, the venue had a relaxed atmosphere, good facilities and friendly staff.

Turn right here for the Arena!
There was no support act. Santana appeared around 8.10 p.m. - a little later than advertised - and played virtually non-stop for nearly two and a half hours.


It was loud! Almost certainly the loudest of my three Santana gigs. The set list was geared to the up-tempo end of things as Santana produced an evening-long assault on the senses via the mediums of sound and vision.

Two guitars for Maria
At one point, the music temporarily stopped for the band to gather around Santana to sing Happy Birthday (a day early - he turned 66 on 20 July).

After the song and gifts, it was back to business.
There were a couple of odd moments. Santana's usual spiritual message centred this time on the impending Royal birth, but it prompted a somewhat eccentric reaction. Santana claimed it was to be an important moment in modern history and stressed the new child's duty to unite the people with a greater sense of equality, peace and justice. This led on to his stated belief that we are all kings ''inside''.


Everyone worked hard all evening and the crowd was relaxed and appreciative. A few years ago, Santana hinted at an impending retirement. On this form - and with the crowds still turning out in force - he seems set to continue for some time to come.