Act One: Ian opened the show with himself as the 'support' act playing an acoustic set which got the crowd of about 400 very nicely warmed up indeed. The opening number was straight from The Gentleman Adventurer and what a cracking song it is. "Nothing But Time" was played with feeling and passion that set the hairs on my neck on end just like the first listen on the new album. This in my opinion is destined to become a McNabb classic. "Rockin for Jesus" followed straight afterwards as did "Hollow Horse." Ian was in no chatty mood for the moment, and there was hardly a chance for anyone to draw breath until he swapped guitar for piano to give a rendition of "Ain't No Way to Behave" and "All Things to Everyone." Roy Corkill joined Ian on stage for "The Man Who Can Make a Woman Laugh" then swiftly departed. There were a couple of more songs that I can't remember as I was enjoying the set so much. I was lost in music once again! Ian closed Act One with "Permanent Damage," and by now the crowd were ready and shouting for more.

Act Two: After a 15 minute break, Ian returned to the stage with the band, Mokka on keyboards, guitar and backing vocals, Roy Corkill on bass and Matthew Priest on drums and backing vocals. At this point can I just say that IMHO Matt Priest was a natural as Ian's rhythm section. His drum kit looked minimalist in extreme (2 biscuit tins and a barrel!); however, the energy and obvious skill complemented Ian perfectly and would give that Sharrock fella a run for his money any day! He was chatty, witty and more importantly looked happy to be playing with Ian.

Back to the music the second act opened with "What She Did To My Mind" and boy did this set the tone for the rest of the show! This was obviously going to be a rocking hour and a half, and we weren't disappointed. Once again I was lost in the pleasure of it all, and it was a pleasure to be listening to well crafted songs played with passion by the whole band. Songs that stuck with me through the performance were:

"Great Dreams of Heaven"—The arrangement for this performance was my personal favourite, where Ian starts of on guitar and throughout the song is joined by Roy on bass, Mokka on guitar and finally Matt on drums. The first time I saw Ian playing this song was as support to Roddy Frame at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh back in 1993, and it has stuck with me since then as a favourite.
"That's Why I Believe"—Sheer class!
"I Wish I Was In California"—Sure sounds good to me!
"Be Prepared to Dream"—Inspirational!
"Liverpool Girl," "Merseybeast," "Open Air," "Still Got The Fever," "Fire Inside My Soul," "Understanding Jane," Evangeline," "I'm a Genius"—what can I say the place was rockin', I was in a place of my own and totally lost in music and could feel it as much as hearing it!

All too soon, it was over. The band came back for a second encore and closed the show with a classic. "Stone My Soul" is a song full of passion and tenderness and how that came across last night!

Once again the McNabb fella has produced a sublime a performance and set the standards for the rest of the tour. The atmosphere in Dingwalls was great and inspired Ian and the band to produce a full on rock'n'roll show, which helps explain the lack of some of the more mellow tracks from the new album in the set. If you've never seen Ian live or are a seasoned campaigner I urge you to get up, get your tickets and get with it. The Gentleman Adventurer is coming to a town near you soon. Don't miss it!

Your raving reporter,
James

20 October 2002.
This review Copyright © 2002, James. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission.