If you haven’t read Part One, I would recommend that you do so now, otherwise, this post won’t make sense.
In 1978, a live album was produced which set a benchmark for all live albums that followed. That’s not my opinion, but a rough approximation of the consensus among music journalists and other aficionados of the time and in subsequent years. Even in the last few years, it has topped polls.
I don’t have the experience or understanding of the technicalities involved to make a judgement. Just as I can only explain my experiences of a live gig from my personal, non-technical, perspective, when I listened to recordings (in those days on vinyl or – more likely – cassette), I just enjoyed it for what it was.
Live and Dangerous formed part of my own collection of albums, and I had a copy before I bought any of the band’s studio albums. If you wanted to play air guitar in your bedroom, this was the one to play it to.
So, when the darkness descended and I heard the words: “Are you out there?” I had a sense of what was coming next, because I’d heard that distinctive Irish voice say the words so many times before. I remember feeling the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.
The pause was brief, just long enough to raise the sense of anticipation.
When Phil Lynott then asked: “Are you ready?” I knew something spectacular was going to happen. This video was taken at a different gig, and doesn’t include the opening words used at Milton Keynes, but this is pretty much what happened next.
With an explosive opening like that, you just knew this was going to be a brilliant show.
I’d been listening to Thin Lizzy since around 1977, and had a few of their albums. I liked the sound, and I liked the themes they sang about. Yes, there was the occasional reference to love and romance, but there were far more tales of cowboys, gangsters, gamblers, soldiers, all manner of heroes and villains. With titles like Jailbreak, Massacre, Chinatown, Killer on the Loose and Genocide, these weren’t songs designed to appeal to the heart; this was pulp fiction set to music. If you listen to those studio albums, and you like rock music, you’d be hard pressed to complain about them. I would argue that there were better alternatives. Live, though, they were in a class of their own.
Phil Lynott’s stage presence was immense. I had the privilege of meeting him backstage on two other occasions and was surprised how slight he was, and self-effacing. If it wasn’t for his hair, you might pass him in the street without noticing, yet he had the ability to dominate a stage.
Brian Downey’s drumming was perfect as ever, thunderous when it needed to be, the beat an essential underpin to each song. The introduction of Darren Wharton on keyboards must have added an extra dimension to their sound (I can’t judge properly, because I never saw them live without him). But the key ingredient (Lynott aside) to any Thin Lizzy performance was always going to be the dual lead guitars. Scott Gorham had been with the band since 1974, and was a permanent fixture by now. He was joined on this tour by Snowy White (who later went on to release the single Bird of Paradise). I didn’t know anything about White at the time, and know precious little more about him now, but he did what he was paid to do with and we were treated to the brilliant guitar breaks that were the signature of every Thin Lizzy song.
I genuinely can’t explain what that performance did for me. You really had to be there. But the energy levels, the interaction with the crowd, the thunderflashes (there were more later) and the clever use of lights, left me buzzing for days afterwards. From that moment on, I became a committed fan, and there would be several other occasions when I saw them play, never to be disappointed.
Memory does terrible things as time passes, so I may be wrong about this, but I seem to think we had to leave before the end of the gig. If we hadn’t, we’d have missed the last train. I hate going before the end – I guess I like completeness. But when I did leave it was with a certainty that I would see Thin Lizzy again. There was no way I wanted to go through life and not experience that heart-pumping excitement.
It had been a mixed day. Travel and alcohol, a bunch of mates you couldn’t do anything than have a laugh with, an unusual choice of acts – none of them seemed to fit together as part of a line-up – though some great songs were played once in a while. And then the introduction to what a great live band could do for you.
Rest assured, I will return to Thin Lizzy gigs in the future. Why wouldn’t I? They are still the best live band I’ve ever seen – and I have seen quite a lot.
For now, though, and just because it was out in the open air at night time, I’ll leave you with this.
Wow, blog fame at last and in a blog which is infinitely more interesting than my work related one on provisioning of IT infrastructure middleware!!!
So what do I recall of the gig beyond your memories mate? Not a great deal to be honest, but there are snippets ….
1. Judie Tzuke being harangued by a bloke stood in front of us to ‘get her kit off’. Eventually she snapped back that subject to him de-robing first, she would! Fortunately for Judie, the bluff worked and he shut his cake hole from then on
2. The small attendance. According to reviews afterwards, it was circa 8,000 – which for a 50k venue was pretty slim pickings. I would imagine it came close to cancellation. It was however at the ‘peak’, if that’s the right term, of the recession, so a lot of gigs around that time struggled to sell. The Police opened the venue the year before, to a 35k crowd, which was a sell out at the time. Once the authorities had witnessed the success of that first event, they upped it to 50k for future gigs. In 1983 Bowie did three nights there. So those three artists were the only times I went to the bowl, and I can honestly say I’m really glad I’ve never been back since!
3. An enormous bottle/can ‘fight’ during one of the interludes. Some cans and bottles I well recall arching through the air and coming back to earth a lot faster than others – most of them half full of pi$$!
4. You are correct, we did leave early as it was impossible to get home otherwise. Again, a review afterwards in I assume Melody Maker or the NME, quoted Lizzy giving ‘Black Rose’ a rare outing during the encores. Didn’t mean much to me at the time, but looking back, a loss to my live catalog of what I witnessed bands play – A great song, and possibly the last time they played it.
More info here: –
http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/Milton-Keynes-1981.html
Ah! And here is the Leg End himself! Don’t hold your breath, Zim, but you will be putting in appearances at a later date. I may even go off-piste at some point and relay a story about a certain incident with a railway signal…
In the mean time, thanks for the reminders – although perhaps I could have done without the image of urine-laden receptacles being reinstated in my mind.
Personally, I only went to one other gig at the MK Bowl, and I thought you were there, but didn’t mention it here. The seriously mis-named End of the Road Tour? I’ll say no more here, because I will write about it at some point.
Perhaps you can jog my memory about who else was at this one, though. I know Ellis came along (oh the tales I’d love to tell about him – but they wouldn’t make sense because you really had to be there!), but did anyone else come with us?
And don’t do your blog down. I personally have spent hours in front of it. Usually asleep, to be fair…
Ahhh yes, the famous signal – now back in its rightful place on the Great Central Railway I hasten to add. So we are no longer thieves, we simply took it without consent …. for three decades!
And yes, I’d forgotten, or maybe tried to blank out, The Quo! So yes, make that four trips to the bowl so to speak!
As for who was with us at these gigs? Bula for sure at Quo, dunno about other folk although I have a recollection of El being at some gig or other we traveled through London to. Too long ago mate!
As for my blog, it’s company internal only so you have not slept thru it (my blogs actually used as an antidote to the funniest joke in the world – Ripping Yarns possibly? – which kills you with laughter. If you can get them in front of my blog within five minutes, it acts as a serum.
Well, you say “it”, but there were three of them!
El wasn’t much of a concert-goer – at least, I don’t remember him being at many – but he was definitely at this one. Did wonder if Boo was at this one – I know he came to quite a lot of the gigs we went to. As you say, definitely Quo. I remember he and I being concerned that a Quo gig at De Montfort would sell out, so we got an early train to Leicester and stood outside the box office for an hour and a half waiting for it to open. By the time it did open, there were about 10 of us there. Don’t think we needed to worry!
I think the funniest joke in the world was Monty Python, but if anyone else reading this has the answer, feel free to put either of us right.
Great memories! I remember going to see King in Lancaster for my 18th birthday… first concert I ever went to. I got right near the front… I could have reached out and touched Paul King’s ankle… lol!… and was crushed by frenzied (male) fans and the bouncer had to drag me out by the scruff of my neck and rush me to the medical room. I was fine but missed most of the performance. I made sure to stand right at the back after that. Have never been able to handle crowds since. ?
That’s such a shame, Ali. Some of my best concert experiences have been in the crush at the front, though I do understand how uncomfortable – even frightening – that could be. As I will relate in more detail in a later post, I did have the joy of spending a good 20 minutes or so at another Thin Lizzy gig actually sitting on the edge of the stage without any interference from security or the other fans. I was still there when they finished the set and Scott Gorham came over and shook my hand as he left the stage. It wouldn’t happen these days.
But that’s what my heart yearns for now…
Thank you Graeme. The raw energy of a Thin Lizzy gig was quite unique. Like you, my sister and I stood at the front of the stage a number if times-smitten by Phil. 😊
Good times, Brigid. Happy memories that will stay with us for a long time. I will eventually get round to writing about some other Lizzy experiences, though I really ought to be concentrating on other writing stuff before then.