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The last time that Gilbert played the Liverpool Philharmonic was in June 1998. There was a large expectant crowd awaiting his return. There were many familiar faces in the crowd, with Mike Dwyer, Chris and John O'Hare again in attendance. It was nice once again to meet Paul Griffiths, Paul Yates, Ron Morgan and Ernie Vernon seeing his third show of the tour. Finally a hello to Maureen Christie who came from Edinburgh for the show. I met local musician Billy J. at the sound check. Billy has his own band "Upturned Collar" and Gilbert had invited him along to join in on one of his songs. It went so well that Gilbert invited Billy to join him on stage in the live show. Billy a life long fan was only too happy to oblige.
For the purpose of this and following reports the personel on stage were: String Quartet: Laura Stanford [violin], Eleanor Stanford [violin], Amy Stanford [violin] 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
FIRST HALF
TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF MY TOE - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard] + String Quartet
A PROPER FOOL - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
ONE DOOR CLOSES - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard]
NOTHING RHYMED - [From the album "HIMSELF"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + James [Bass] + Julian [Flute] Gilbert proclaimed "We got here, we got here. They tried to keep us out, nine years ago we last played here. I normally do a small tour every three years with a new album. Six years ago they wouldn't let us in, three years ago they wouldn't let us in so we ended up in Southport just down the road. There was a big Liverpool contingent there. This time....well here we are! [audience cheers].
OUT OF THE QUESTION - [From the album "BACK TO FRONT"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
MISS MY LOVE TODAY - [From the album "SOUTHPAW"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Mick [Keyboard] "The nice thing about this song is that it is not necessarily a familiar song to many of you, a lot of you may only know the well known songs. The nice thing about when you do an album is that people pick up on tracks that are sometimes not familiar. This is a good example of one of those." Gilbert explained
TAKING SIDES - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Nick [Flute] The next song is interesting because it brought it home to me how important and how lyrics can get through to people in all kinds of ways. I know historically because people have written to me and said what a particular song or lyric I have written meant to them, so I'm aware of that. But this was very close to home. When my daughters first heard this song they were horrified. They thought that it was about us, our family and the problems that arise in this particular song. I assured them that it was pure fiction. But they still don't like it. [audience laughter].
YOU CAN'T CON-CRETE - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] Gilbert started the intro to "Don't Let It Get To You" but just couldn't remember the opening lyrics. He was really amused by this. [audience laughter] "A senior moment" he said. Looking at the String Quartet he said "We'll do Con-crete".
DON'T LET IT GET TO YOU - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] "I've always liked puns. When as a lyricist you are on your own for months on end trying to come up with words, it's something that pleases you. Interestingly enough in Japan they don't know what concrete is. I got lots of emails from the record company asking [with an accent] 'What is this, you can con-crete?'. Very strange. If you think that's bad the other day somebody asked [using an accent] 'Is "You Can't Con-crete" about conquering Crete in Greece.' [audience laughter]. Gilbert exclaimed "I remember what it is." and started into "Don't Let It Get To You".
WE WILL - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] "You may not know the story to that because it's a long time since I was here. Andy Williams really liked "We Will" and wanted to record it. He rang me up and said he really like the song but wanted to change one line in it. Apparantly he didn't know what 'Bagsy being in goal was'. He could change it to 'I could be a quarter back or something.'
MR. MOODY'S GARDEN - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Mick [Accordion] + Julian [Voices] "This song dates back to the 60s. I had a disastrous time at my first record company CBS, moved to Major Minor, had a semi disastrous time. I gave them two songs. One I thought was the best song [I Wish I Could Cry], which they ruined completely so I begged them could I just go into the studio on my own. So I went into the studio with a friend from college who did the voices."
"People talk about John Lennon singing 'Picture yourself on a boat on a river, where plasticine people eat marshmellow pies' [Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds] and they ask what was he on when he wrote it? Well in this song there's a verse that goes:
Now down among the Partridge trees 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 asked "Now what was I on when I wrote that?" [audience laughter].
I'M IN LOVE WITH LOVE AGAIN - [From the album "A SCRUFF AT HEART"]
SOMETIMES - [From the album "SOUNDS OF THE LOOP"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Julian [Flute]
OOH-WAKKA-DOO-WAKKA-DAY - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] "We had the 'Do Run Run' and we had 'Do Da Diddy Diddy Dum' and we had 'Da Da Da' by the Police and we had this" and he lead into Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day with a long intro. Extended applause afterwards.
CLAIR - [From the album "BACK TO FRONT"] Gilbert [Electric Piano] + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Harmonica]
SECOND HALF STICK IN THE MUD - [From the album "FROBISHER DRIVE / IN THE KEY OF G"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxaophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Charlotte [Tambourine]
CAN'T GET YOU TO LOVE ME - [From the album "A STRANGER IN MY OWN BACK YARD"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxaophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Nina [Caxixi]
MAKE MY DAY - [From the album "PIANO FOREPLAY"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band+ Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] Simple 1...2...3..4 introduction. After the song Gilbert told us "There's a nice story that goes with that song. When we recorded it for Top Of The Pops 2 in the BBC Television Centre, Clint Eastwood was in the studio next door recording 'Parkinson' [TV chat show]. How ironic is that! Mr. 'Make My Day Punk' himself."
NO MATTER HOW I TRY - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band+ Mick [Keyboard] Gilbert told us "The latest greatest hits album released by EMI about three years ago, I didn't want to have 'The Best Of', or 'The Greatest Hits'. As a kind of novelty I thought I'd put a vest on the front cover and put berries on it and call it 'The Berry Vest Of'. Get it? The record company didn't like it. Recently HMV were stocking more of the album and when the delivery arrived, the person receiving it said 'Oops!' this should read 'The Very Best Of' and sent it all back. [audience laughter].
A FRIEND OF MINE - [From the album "I'M A WRITER NOW A FIGHTER"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING - [From the album "HIMSELF"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
WHY, OH WHY, OH WHY - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] "When you see bands perform they do cover versions. I do cover versions of my songs [audience laughter]. While planning this tour I came across this song, a well known song and we have re-adapted it."
FOREVER WONDERING - [From the album "FROBISHER DRIVE"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte, Nina & Julian [Backing Vocals] This a Fats Domino style song. I like Fats Domino, guitarists look to Eric Clapton, as a piano player I looked look to him. I wrote to him four years ago witha view to doing a duet. he is in his late seventies know and in ill health. I sent him the song I wanted to do, he was a bit worried when he realised that it was a love song [audience laughter]. We might approach him again and maybe I'll change the lyric.
CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOU - [From the album "OFF CENTRE"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
HOLD ON TO WHAT YOU GOT - [From the album "BY LARRY / THE LITTLE ALBUM"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard & Accordion] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals]
HAPPINESS IS ME AND YOU - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"] Gilbert [Vocal] + Bill [Spanish Acoustic Guitar] + Julian [Flute] There was complete silence for acoustic intro but once the audience recognised the song they cheered and sang along.
THE MARRIAGE MACHINE - [From the album "A STRANGER IN MY OWN BACK YARD"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Nina [Vocal] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Billy J. [Guitar + Vocal] "Billy J. is a local lad, a nice guy, who has written to me and sent me CDs. He offered to be the opening act but I'm the opening act so we said he could come along and play on this track. Come on Billy!." He is well know around these parts." explained Gilbert. After prolonged applause Gilbert added "Next time, we'll be supporting him!" [audience laughter].
WHAT'S IN A KISS? - [From the album "OFF CENTRE"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard]
SAY GOODBYE - [From the album "IRLISH"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Flute] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Charlotte [Tambourine] + Nina [Caxixi]
ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY) - [From the album "THE BERRY VEST OF"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] Gilbert left the stage to a standing ovation.
ENCORE
MATRIMONY - [From the album "HIMSELF"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Julian [Saxophone] + Charlotte & Nina [Backing Vocals] + Charlotte [Tambourine] + Nina [Caxixi]
GET DOWN - [From the album "I'M A WRITER NOT A FIGHTER"] Gilbert [Keyboard] + Band + String Quartet + Mick [Keyboard] + Charlotte & Nina [ Backing Vocals] Gilbert left the stage to a second standing ovation. After the show Gilbert signed autographs and posed for photographs for 90 minutes.
Celebrity Watch: Former Middlesbrough and Blackburn footballer Craig Hignett was there.
STATS Gilbert played and sang 32 songs tonight representing material from 13 different albums. The breakdown was as follows:
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