Ah well, the wait was finally over for me, after catching Ian numerous times over the last few years doing solo acoustic shows, this was the 1st time since the Merseybeast tour that I have seen him playing with a full band. And boy have we been missing out! Although during his acoustic shows he still manages to entertain and excite you, there are some things that are meant to be--and Ian is meant to be a rocker!! After watching the excellent 'Real People' open the evening and stir up the crowd, it was time for the 'night to begin.' Opening up with the customary 'Hollow Horse,' Ian then proceeded to run thru some old classic's such as 'Love is a .....' and 'Birds Fly' with the usual medley in the middle. He then launched into an absolute shit kicking version of 'When It All Comes Down' with a guitar solo from heaven. All of this was suitably impressing my bird who was making her McNabb debut. So far so good.
Then as Ian prepared for a spot of acousticness, gremlins set in with the equipment, so we were advised by Ian to "get a drink and return in ten minutes." On his return there was still no joy with the gear, so after a short outburst of expletives, Ian summoned the band to re ignite the show. And boy, if any song is going to do it, it's going to be 'Fire Inside My Soul,' it seemed to be played with extra determination to rock the house and this then set the tone for the rest of the show. 'I Don't Want to Talk,' 'Evangaline' and 'What She Did to My Mind' all received the same treatment which got the crowd right where he wanted them, he even treated us to an 'Ozzy Osbourne' ditty (in jest). Next to come was a couple with Ian alone singing 'Little Girl Lost' and the Dylan classic 'Mr Tambourine Man,' and you could sense the finale was going to be something else. A cover version of The Doors gem 'Roadhouse Blues' (first time I'd heard him do this one) complete with bottleneck guitar set the scene and had the crowd suitably bouncing to plunge for the killer 'Understanding Jane' and the night just kept on going.
I can honestly say that of all the shows that I have seen, Ian looked to be having more fun at this one and really enjoying being the top rocker that he is. Why this man has never received the acclaim that his outstanding talent deserves is as much a mystery to me as it no doubt is to him.
After the typically rousing, crowd singing 'Stone My Soul' Ian invited the manager of the Lomax onto the stage to give a speech as this was the last ever concert there due to a venue change. He thanked Ian for all the support that he had given to the club from the outset, and in helping to establish it as venue that made a real impact on the local music scene. With the pleasantries finished Ian proclaimed "This is the last song ever to be played at the Lomax, keep supporting me and I'll keep supporting you," and with that he gave us a version of 'Keep on Rocking in the Free World' that Neil Young could only ever dream of.
What a night, what a star.
Stay funky
Andy Fletcher (a die hard)
Liverpool.
Received 21 March 2000. Posted 1 April
2000.
Copyright © 2000, Andrew Fletcher. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with permission. The right of Andrew Fletcher to be
identified as authors of this work has been asserted in
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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