|
String Quartet: Laura Stanford [violin], Eleanor Stanford [violin], Amy Stanford [viola] and Jessica Cox [cello]. Band: Liam Bradley [drums + percussion], Bill Shanley [guitars] and James Blennerhassett [bass]. Backing Vocals: Charlotte James and Nina Ferro. Saxophone, Flute & Harmonica: Julian Webster Greaves. Keyboard and Accordion: Mick Parker
Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard] + String Quartet Usually Gilbert plays the first three songs before addressing the audience and tonight is no different.
Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard]
Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + James [Bass] + Julian [Flute] Gilbert [wearing a blue shirt] says "I got the right colour right?" [referring to the local football team Birmingham, who play in blue shirts]. What Gilbert hadn't realised is that there are two teams in Birmingham, Aston Villa and Birmingham who are fierce rivals. So his opening question was met with cheers and boos. Realising his mistake Gilbert continued, "In Manchester and Liverpool I wore a red shirt, so what other colour do I need to get? Alright I remain neutral. I feel an affinity with Birmingham, some great writers have come from Birmingham, Jeff Lynne [Electric Light Orchestra] and Roy Wood [The Move] and I think the three of us are keeping the long hair tradition going. [Audience laughter].
Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Mick [Keyboard] False start from Gilbert before he realised he was in the wrong key. As Gilbert himself explains it the controls on the keyboard are like something from NASA, so it is to be expected that he sometimes forgets to change a setting or two.
Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute]
Gilbert [Electric Piano]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Mick [Accordion] + Julian [Voices] "This next song was written in 1968. My first record company in 1967 was CBS, actually I was a boy soprano, I was only three years old. [Audience laughter]. The record they made was pretty awful. I was new, I was just learning, I was told what to do, I didn't have an input. I thought it would be better when I moved to the new record company, I was promised stuff. the song I gave them was the best song I had at the time, they ruined that. So I asked them if I could go into the studio on my own. So I went into the studio with a friend from college [Ken White] who did the voices, and this became the b-side. John Peel gave my career a boast by inviting me to appear on his radio show 'Top Gear'. I dressed up the cap, jacket, trousers and boots for the show and John Peel and producer Bernie Andrews liked me because I was different. The funny thing is John Peel completely ignored me when I became successful. Kenny Everett [DJ] liked this song and played it a few times."
Lives a "Don" who loves his knees So much so he's framed them in a jar And if by chance one should escape Then "to put on" must in it's place Eat half a pound of shredded tar
Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet.
This song is becoming a favourite and has been praised in a couple of newspaper reviews.
Gilbert [Electric Piano] "We were in York yesterday and I received a letter in the dressing room, it's to do with school bullying. A woman wanted to know if I could send a signed CD for this organisation that she runs that helps with bullying. It's incredible how relevant bullying is today, it seems to be more relevant than ever and I'm sure you all remember times at school times when an element of bullying was applied to us. I remember it. As a lyricist I've written about it and I'll do it for you now."
Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] "We had the 'Poppa Oom Mow Mow' and we had 'Do Da Diddy Diddy Dum' and we had 'The Do Run Run' and we had this" and he lead into Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day. Gilbert ad-libbed "Ouch" after the line 'He got his nose trapped in a gate'. The audience sang "Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day" each time when Gilbert looked to them.
Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Harmonica] A compilation of footage and photographs of Gilbert and Clair was shown as Gilbert sang this number one hit. The first half closed to whistles and applause.
STICK IN THE MUD - [From the album "FROBISHER DRIVE / IN THE KEY OF G"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Charlotte [Tambourine]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Nina [Caxixi]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band+ Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band+ Mick [Keyboard] The intro of this song was received so well by the audience that Gilbert stopped midway through and said "Next".
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Nina [Caxixi] This song returned to the set list having missed a few shows. Gilbert messed up the lyrics by singing a verse over where the guitar solo should be, but rectified the situation by calling on Bill for the solo after the verse. The string quartet wern't quite sure where they were but they coped admirably. Gilbert owned up to his mistake afterwards and added "I love playing live!"
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] "When a singer or a band perform live they very often do cover versions of other people's songs. I do cover versions of my songs. When you have a back catalogue like my own going back forty years, maybe even forty five years. When you are putting a tour together it's really fun to investigate songs, because you don't usually listen to them. If you write the songs you record them and sing them and tend not listen to them. You listen to all of other people's records but not your own. It's kind of like they become new again. So what's nice is that you can take an old song and adapt it. If it's good enough it will work. This is a good example of re-adapting a fairly well know song."
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard & Accordion] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] All six girls now don green cowboy hats for this 'bit of country'. Where before just Laura stood for the violin solo, all four of the string quartet stand and play along now.
Gilbert [Vocal] + Bill [Spanish Acoustic Guitar] + Julian [Flute] During the introductions of everyone on stage Gilbert referred to the Rhythm Section [Liam, James & Bill] as "The Wrecking Crew". This was a nickname given to a group of session musicians in Los Angeles, California, who earned wide acclaim in the 1960s. They backed dozens of popular singers, and were one of the most successful "groups" of studio musicians in music history. The best-known 'members' of this unofficial group are bassist Carol Kaye [one of the few women instrumentalists to achieve success in the recording industry at the time], drummer Hal Blaine, who has played on tens of thousands of recording sessions, and guitarist Tommy Tedesco. High praise indeed.
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Nina [Vocal] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Charlotte [Tambourine] + Nina [Caxixi]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Charlotte [Tambourine] + Nina [Caxixi]
Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Charlotte & Nina [ Backing Vocals] What's become the usual ending to the show with Gilbert standing on top of the piano orchestrating the singing of the audience while they clapped along and danced. The second half slowly builds to this final crescendo. Gilbert leaves the stage to a standing ovation.
Gilbert played and sang 33 songs tonight representing material from 13 different albums. The breakdown was as follows:
|
