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SHUNI AMPHITHEATRE
Gilbert played his first ever show in Israel at the Shuni Amphitheatre, about an hour's drive outside Tel Aviv. The Shuni fortress holds an unique Roman theatre, with some 1200 seats, providing the perfect location for performing arts such as clasical music, jazz, rock and special events.
Up coming acts include, Joe Jackson, Members of ELO and Nik Kershaw.
Filming of the documentary of Gilbert's career continues with documentary-maker Adrian following his every move aided by local sound technician Oren.
I'd like say thank you to Yuri for all his help during our trip to Israel. He made everything so easy for us. Thank you Yuri!
There were two stand-ins for the Israeli shows with Emma Owens [Viola] and Graham du Plessis [Cello] replacing the unavailable Amy Stanford and Jessica Cox.
For the purpose of this report the personnel on stage were: String Quartet: Laura Stanford [1st violin], Eleanor Stanford [2nd violin], Emma Owens [viola] and Graham du Plessis [cello]. Band: Martin Ditcham [drums + percussion], Bill Shanley [guitars] and Nick Scott [bass]. Backing Vocals: Charlotte James and Niamh McNally. Saxophone & Flute: Julian Webster Greaves. Keyboard and Accordion: Mick Parker.
TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF MY TOE - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + String Quartet
A PROPER FOOL - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet
ONE DOOR CLOSES - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] Gilbert greeted the audience in Hebrew, which was met with cheering and continued [in English] to say "I hope your English is better than my Hebrew....it's really nice to be here." 'Nothing Rhymed' was greeted with loud applause at the beginning of the music and again at the beginning of the lyrics. It wasn't possible at this venue to utilize the projector and screen, so unfortunately the audience missed out on the various videos that normally accompany the show.
NOTHING RHYMED - [From the album "HIMSELF"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Nick [Bass] + Julian [Flute]
OUT OF THE QUESTION - [From the album "BACK TO FRONT"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals]
MISS MY LOVE TODAY - [From the album "SOUTHPAW"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Mick [Keyboard]
KNOW WHAT, YOU'RE RIGHT - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet
WE WILL - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Bill [Guitar] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals]
MR. MOODY'S GARDEN - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Mick [Accordion] + Julian [Voices]
I'M IN LOVE WITH LOVE (AGAIN) - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet
Gilbert explained "The next song I'd like to do for you might be unfamiliar because I haven't had records released in Israel since the last century [Audience laughter]. The important thing for me as a songwriter, because I love songwriting...I've never thought to myself when I've written a song, 'Could this be a hit?' I just think to myself 'Do I like this song?', 'Is it a good song? If I'm happy with it, then that's the most important thing. When records are released and are successful, it's more often through luck, through timing, the right release at the right time. So you have no control over that yourself. So the key for me is just to write the songs and let other people worry about the other things."
TAKING SIDES - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute]
OOH-WAKKA-DOO-WAKKA-DAY - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute]
DON'T LET IT GET TO YOU - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano]
CLAIR - [From the album "BACK TO FRONT"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Bill [Acoustic Guitar] + Martin [Drums] + Mick [Keyboard]
INTERVAL
STICK IN THE MUD - [From the album "FROBISHER DRIVE / IN THE KEY OF G"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals]
CAN'T GET YOU TO LOVE ME - [From the album "A STRANGER IN MY OWN BACK YARD"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals]
MAKE MY DAY - [From the album "PIANO FOREPLAY"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band+ Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals]
NO MATTER HOW I TRY - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band+ Mick [Keyboard] "Can't Think Straight" is normally played at this stage but had to omitted because of the absence of the video.
"This is a really nice theatre. [Cheers] The history of the place is that the pool behind here was used for fertility...those Romans knew what they were doing!" [Cheers]
A FRIEND OF MINE - [From the album "I'M A WRITER, NOT A FIGHTER"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals]
CAME TO SEE ME YESTERDAY - [From the album "THE LITTLE ALBUM"] Gilbert [Vocal + Tambourine] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals] "I wrote that song many years ago and it was one of the first songs of mine to be covered. It was done by a very famous American folk singer in the late 60s called Tom Rush. People like Tom Rush and Jeff Buckley were very well known in America and covered unknown songwriters. So that was my first cover."
CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOU - [From the album "OFF CENTRE"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals]
"Before I do the next song, it's interesting. You hear the stories of Irving Berlin when he wrote music calling them his 'trunk songs' and he'd put them away. When you write words and music, music is always the hardest thing to come up with. I've been writing songs now for forty years and when I go through a writing period, I come up with a tune, hopefully and then I put it away. I put it onto a cassette and then I store it because a good melody will survive any length of time. I think Paul McCartney wrote 'When I'm 64" when he was something like 12 years old. [Audience laughter] It's not funny...it's true! The point being that good melodies will survive. You must never complete the lyrics because arguably if you write a songs years ago and complete the lyric and put it away and take it out later, it's arguably the lyrics that will date it, because you might have beenwriting about something that was relative in those days. So that's what I do. I always have little ideas that I start but don't finish because I feel if you don't finish a song it's kept alive. I only ever finish a song when I record it."
Gilbert mentioned the song "Delaware" by Perry Como which included the line 'What did Delaware, She wore a brand New Jersey'. [A pun on two American state names]. Gilbert quoted some lyrics from a song that he is working on, but hasn't yet finished. One verse featured Singapore. Some time later he added a verse about Rhodesia, proving the point that finishing a lyric dates a song as Rhodesia is now known as Zimbabwe. More recently he added a verse about Israel all of which he recited.
HOLD ON TO WHAT YOU GOT - [From the album "BY LARRY / THE LITTLE ALBUM"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard & Accordion] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals]
SAY GOODBYE - [From the album "IRLISH"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals] Gilbert included a chorus in Hebrew and sang it a second time after the song ended to loud applause and cheers.
THE MARRIAGE MACHINE - [From the album "A STRANGER IN MY OWN BACK YARD"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Charlotte [Vocal] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute]
FOREVER WONDERING - [From the album "FROBISHER DRIVE / IN THE KEY OF G"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals] As always a suberb saxophone solo from Julian including that bass note that always brings a smile, which is followed by a great guitar solo by Bill.
WHERE PEACEFUL WATERS FLOW - From the album "I'M A WRITER NOT A FIGHTER" Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Backing Vocals [Bill, Nick & Mick]
WHAT'S IN A KISS? - [From the album "OFF CENTRE"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard]
ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY) - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard]
ENCORE
MATRIMONY - [From the album "HIMSELF"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals]
GET DOWN - [From the album "I'M A WRITER NOT A FIGHTER"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Charlotte & Niamh [Backing Vocals]
STATS Gilbert played and sang 30 songs tonight representing material from 12 different albums. The breakdown was as follows:
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