Pink Floyd "The Dark Side of the Moon" Album Review

During the past few weeks I've been brainstorming new ideas for my music blog so I can attempt to keep it updated on a more frequent basis. And I came up with this idea that I'm about to put into fruition by writing this post. So I've written a couple of album reviews in past but have decided on a new concept when reviewing albums as writing the long spiels that I usually do take forever meaning that I can't update my blogs as often as I'd like to. With that in mind I thought I'd write a little about the album I'm reviewing and its history/back story and then have specific questions I answer with my thoughts and opinions of its contents. For newer releases I think I'll try write in a little more detail like I have with my previous reviews however, I thought having a strategy would allow me to review albums and update my blog more frequently. I thought in order to introduce myself to new music I'd purchase a couple of new albums every so often that perhaps I like the name of, or I liked the cover art etc. By doing this I might discover some new bands and you lovely people might too! So to start us off I thought I'd write about an album I picked up a few days ago. I know it's a classic album and a lot of you will know it well but perhaps I might introduce some of my generation to this band/album by writing this review!

Anyway, today's album is by the legendary classic rock band Pink Floyd who formed in the city of London in the year of 1965, I believe. Initially the band consisted of members Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright all whom of which were just students at the time. The band gained popularity in London's underground music scene and by the year of 1967 has released a successful debut album called "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and two charting singles. Later that year David Gilmour joined the band and just a few months later in 1968, Syd Barrett left the band. Over a period numerous band members left and re-joined, touring until the year of 1994. They did however reunite for a final performance at Live 8 back in 2005 and have since been said to have no plans to reunite for any further live performances which is a shame for young fans like me. However, it would never quite be the same without the full line-up as unfortunately some of the band members have since passed away, so I suppose I'll just have to enjoy video footage and hope someone invents a time machine!

According to my research Pink Floyd has over 250 million records worldwide which is absolutely incredible! I mean seriously, how cool would it be to say you're a part of a band that has sold as many albums as that over the years?!

 

Album Name:

The Dark Side of the Moon

 

Release Date:

1st March 1973

 

Genre:

Rock

 

How Much It Cost Me:

£5.00 from Sainbury's (a great bargain if you ask me!)

 

My Favourite Song in the Album:

I know this may sound a little cliché considering this is probably the most famous song on the entire album however; I have to say "Money" is an outstanding song and is currently one of my favourite songs to jam along to on my bass guitar. But seriously, there's no denying it; it's an incredible song!

 

My Least Favourite Song:

On a lot of albums there's at least one song that I don't warm to however, there isn't really a song on this particular album that I dislike. They're all in their own right amazing pieces of music and I'd be lying to say I disliked any of the songs.

 

What Made Buy This Album?

I've always been familiar with Pink Floyd's music ever since I was little; I suppose you could say I was brought up around it alongside so many other amazing bands. However, I was flicking through my music books a few weeks ago deliberating what song to learn next on my bass guitar. I came across "Money" by Pink Floyd and out of all the songs in my book that one really stuck out at me so I decided to give it a shot. I spent hours on end teaching myself "Money" from start to finish and listened to it over and over again until I got it right. I really fell in love with that song and decided to go check out "The Dark Side of the Moon" album. The music instantly caught my attention and I NEEDED to buy myself a copy of the album. So we were in our local Sainsbury's store picking up a few bits and pieces when I went for my annual look round the Entertainment isle. My eyes soon fell up that distinctive album cover; yes, that was of course "The Dark Side of the Moon" album cover! Coincidental! Without a doubt I had to buy a copy of the album particularly when it was only £5! An absolute bargain in my opinion! So my friends, that is the story of how I came to buying Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" album.

 

Do I Regret Buying This Album?

Absolutely not! It's filled with some amazing songs/pieces of music by such a legendary band and of course I got a great bargain when buying it too!

 

5 Random Facts about This Album:

1. The band's iconic album cover was designed by an artist named Storm Forgerson (brilliant name!) who was a friend of Pink Floyd's guitarist David Gilmour as teenagers and was best man at David's wedding to Polly Samson in 1994. Storm's design for the album cover featured a prism which apparently was inspired by the lighting used during the band's concerts. 

 

2. Throughout the ten tracks in the album a range of voices and laughing can be heard. These voices were actually recorded by a number of different people including roadies, the band's road manager Peter Watts and even Abbey Road Studio's doorman Gerry O'Driscoll. I also heard somewhere that one of my all-time favourite singers Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Linda were interviewed however; their voices did not make the final cut.

 

3. The album was originally meant to be called "Eclipse: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics".

 

 4. The sound engineer who worked on "The Dark Side of the Moon" album was a gentleman named Alan Parsons who also worked on another classic album which just so happened to be The Beatles' "Abbey Road" album. He was actually nominated for a Grammy for the Best Engineered Recording, Non Classic for his work on The Dark Side of the Moon album.

 

5. The Dark Side of the Moon album to date still holds the record for the longest running LP on the Billboard 200. The album remained on the Billboard 200 for over 800 week straight-incredible stuff if you ask me!

 

Overall Thoughts:

Overall, Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" album is in my opinion absolutely amazing and lives up to all the raving reviews I've heard people say about it! It's filled to the brim with some outstanding tracks which are completely unique in comparison to other music I've listened to. I know a lot of my older readers will no doubt have this album in their collection or at least have heard it but to all my younger readers out there, who haven't discovered this legendary album go out and buy it! You NEED to hear this incredible album!

Fleetwood Mac: On With the Show Tour, The SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow 8th July 2015

A few weeks ago, my family and I caught the legendary rock band Fleetwood Mac's third and final concert in Glasgow as part of their "On With The Show" tour. If you've been keeping up with my other blog you'll probably have heard the exciting news that thanks to an amazing charity named Rays of Sunshine, I actually had the chance to go backstage at Fleetwood Mac's first Glasgow concert back in June and met with Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood. That was an amazing experience, I'm still in awe that my dream of meeting Stevie came true. It was definitely one of the most surrealist things I've ever experienced. So if you'd like to read more about my special night click here.

Again, Fleetwood Mac put on yet another outstanding show! Having seen them live on three occasions now, twice during this tour and once in the previous tour back in 2013; I'd definitely say that was the best out of the three shows. I'm only sixteen years old and have been lucky enough to see some of the most iconic/legendary bands and artists during the past few years that I've been gig-going. Out of all the bands I've been fortunate enough to see I am having serious deliberations whether Fleetwood Mac or Queen are my favourite. It's an extremely close call shall we say!

From the very second the lights fade into darkness and there's this eerie but rather exciting cricket like sound filling the room, a shiver runs down your spine. You just know it's going to be special. Before long, one by one each member of the iconic band made their way onto stage welcomed by the roars of the Scottish crowd. The loudest roars of which was probably received by Stevie and Lindsey as they walked on stage hand in hand. Moments later, arguably one of Fleetwood Mac's most famous songs "The Chain" kicked off the evening's set list. I personally, couldn't think of a better song to start with. That song instantly catches your attention but it isn't until a single spot light falls upon the band's bassist John McVie and that iconic bass line fills the rooms; it just hits you and shivers run down your spine. A great start to an amazing evening!

John McVie

The evening's set list consisted of 23 of the band biggest hits including Dreams, Rhiannon and Everywhere to name just a few. Tusk, the title track of one of the band's album released in 1979 was definitely a performance to remember. It was probably one of my favourite performances of the evening. It's what I would describe as a lively, folk rock song which really showcases just how incredible an musician and songwriter Lindsey Buckingham truly is.

Tusk was soon followed by another song from the same album, Sisters of the Moon. A large moon is projected onto the screen and develops through the different stages such as a crescent moon and a full moon, this definitely adds to the already eerie atmosphere that the song creates. As you'll probably have gathered I am extremely inspired by Stevie Nicks, her music and of course how she brings her songs to life. Hearing Sisters of the Moon sung live gives me shivers and captures my imagination.

Before long, the audience are treated to a stunning acoustic section which if you've ready any of my other blog posts you'll know is one of my favourite parts of a concert. Like I've said before, acoustic performances capture the artists true emotion and of course the beauty of the song. During Fleetwood Mac's acoustic set, Lindsey Buckingham dedicated Big Love a song from the Tango in the Night album to his eldest son William who was celebrating his 17th birthday back home in America. Every time without fail, Big Love completely blows me away. Lindsey Buckingham is in my opinion one of the best guitarists ever and deserves so much more credit for it than he actually receives. He has one of the most unique fingerpicking styles when playing as opposed to the typical playing with a plectrum. Big Love really blows me away, it seems to catch the audience's attention as we all watch in complete and utter awe. Simply amazing!

Stevie Nicks soon joined Lindsey to perform a stunning song named Landslide-one of my Mum's all-time favourites. Prior to the song she spoke about a previous visit to Scotland where she visited Turnberry, which is situated on the West Coast of Scotland and how she spent time with the falconer and flew the birds there. She fondly told the audience of how she was asked by the falconer to name one of the birds and can anyone guess what she decided to name it? Well, she named the little bird Rhiannon after her song which is pretty special! And of course the performance of Landslide was just as breath-taking as I remembered. How can you not love that song? The mini acoustic set was concluded with Never Going Back Again from the band's biggest album, Rumours.

Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham performing 'Landslide'

Another song that the audience was treated to was Gypsy from the Mirage album. Over the past few months Gypsy has become one of my all-time favourite Fleetwood Mac songs, it wasn't that I didn't like it before I just think I really began to listen to the song and the words really spoke to me. Stevie tells the most inspiring story prior to performing the song about a shop named "The Velvet Underground" that she used to visit before she became a member of Fleetwood Mac and how all her heroes such as Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell used to shop their. Basically the underlying message of Stevie's "Velvet Underground" story was to never give up on your dreams no matter what anyone tells you. Those words are of course extremely relevant and meaningful to me, more so now than ever. Towards the end of the song, as Lindsey performs his guitar solo Stevie steps to the side a little and twirls round and round. On the large screen behind the band, the camera focuses on Stevie as she twirls and a video effect is used to make it look as if though she's dancing rain-very atmospheric and fits perfectly with the feel of the song. It's very beautiful and absolutely breath-taking to sit there and watch.

After a great performance of the well known 80s hit Little Lies, my very favourite performance of the evening then took place. This was of course, Gold Dust Woman. Like I said during one of my previous posts, Gold Dust Woman blows me away every single time without fail. For me, there is something special about that song and the performance Stevie Nicks gives the audience during is mind blowing. She evidently puts her heart, mind and soul into it; the power and emotion she portrays is incredible and extremely enchanting. I sat there that night completely mesmerised by the song and awe of just how amazing a performer Stevie Nicks truly is. If you want to know the reason why I love and admire Stevie Nicks so much go look up videos of Gold Dust Woman on YouTube and you'll see why. That song is extremely special to me and hearing it live really brings the words to life in ways that I can't even begin to describe.

Lindsey Buckingham continued to enchant us with a mind-blowing performance of I'm So Afraid. The guitar solo during the song was absolutely outstanding. I can only begin to imagine just how painful and tiresome it is to play guitar like Lindsey. There are so many great guitar players out there but in my opinion Lindsey is a hidden gem that so many often forget about. Seriously, Lindsey Buckingham's guitar playing is nothing short of amazing and his performance of I'm So Afraid proves just that.

Christine McVie

As the night went on the crowd became more and more wilder. According to my parents this was a REAL Glasgow audience. I've to numerous concerts in Glasgow throughout the past few years but I don't think I've ever witnessed a crowd as lively as that before. By the time Go Your Own Way began to play everyone really lost it, everyone was up dancing, having a good time and enjoying themselves. Why shouldn't they!? Although, I must say my family and I were extremely taken aback to turn to our side and see a woman sitting there KNITTING! Seriously, who would pay good money to attend a concert and spend the entire show engrossed in knitting a scarf or jumper. No offence but there's something far wrong with that! What's the point in even going in the first place? I've certainly seen it all now!

Anyway, despite the strange person beside us Go Your Own Way was electric and the crowd was probably as loud as the band which says a lot. My family and I were up dancing around in the isle, me included in my wheelchair-it's too hard not too! The electric atmosphere continued into World Turning which consisted in a lively drum solo from Mick Fleetwood who is by far one of the craziest drummers I've seen. He had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand, making all sorts of crazy noises. I must admit I was a little hoarse by the end of the show from participating in the mad antics-oops!

Don't Stop came next much to the delight of the audience before a stunning performance of Silver Springs. And last but certainly not least was the song that my Mum in particular had waited a VERY long time to finally here live; that was of course Songbird. Christine McVie took centre stage with a grand piano to perform this with Lindsey Buckingham perched on a stool beside her, accompanying on guitar. It was a perfect ending to yet an another amazing show!

Mick Fleetwood

The entire band gathered together on stage for one final time that evening to take a bow before disappearing off into the darkness of the wings leaving Mick Fleetwood to say his final farewell to the audience. What an brilliant evening! I can't quite believe I booked tickets to see Fleetwood Mac all those months ago and it's over already! I sincerely hope I will have another opportunity to see them perform live as every single show I've attended has been nothing short of amazing! To those of you living in Australia and New Zealand, if you can go buy tickets for one of their shows towards the end of the year! If I could, I'd be over there on flash for one of the shows (okay, maybe two or three!). I'd seriously do anything to see them live again so seriously, if you ever get the opportunity to see Fleetwood Mac DO IT!

Graeme Clark: An Clachan Cafe June 2015

Graeme and I after the gig

Less than two weeks ago, my Mum and I went on another of our mad music treks to Glasgow to see Graeme Clark, bassist of Wet Wet Wet who happened to be playing an intimate gig in a tiny café named An Clachan situated in Kelvingrove Park. I first attended one of Graeme's solo concerts last year when he played a gig at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine. Had we not picked up one of those "What's On" guides in our local supermarket we'd probably never have even heard about it. Thankfully on that occasion we did and decided to go along-if you know me well you'll know that I never need an excuse for live music! Both Mum and I thoroughly enjoyed the gig and were extremely excited to hear that Graeme was holding another gig in Glasgow this year. Literally the very second that the show was announced and tickets went on sale; I quickly added them to the online shopping basket and confirmed the order just seconds later.

So on Wednesday 24th June, we arrived at the tiny café situated behind the gates of Kelvingrove Park just a short period of time before the doors were due to open. At this point a small crowd of people had already accumulated and there amongst them was Graeme Clark and his fellow bandmate/drummer of Wet Wet Wet, Tommy Cunningham chatting with those who had come along for the gig. Having spoken via twitter on a couple of occasions, Graeme recognised me and came over to chat before popping off to get a bite to eat whilst everyone else went inside to get a seat.

The café was so small, very cute and reminded Mum and I of a café we often visited during my regular visits to London as a small child. It's small, intimate setting was the perfect place for live music in my opinion! Initially, there was meant to be only 25 tickets available for the gig but due to such high demand they managed to increase the numbers to something like 42 (I'm pretty sure that's what I heard anyway!) which considering the size of the room, was pretty remarkable.

At around 7pm, Graeme's support act took to the stage to perform for us all. Fiona Cuthill and Stevie Lawrence are a Scottish contemporary guitar and fiddle duo who successfully warmed us all up by playing a range of music from their album "A Cruel Kindness". Throughout their entire set, the sound of people clapping along to the beat of the music filled the room around us. It's infectious in a way, without warning you find yourself joining in and clapping along-there's nothing wrong with that though! I'm sure those who were in attendance would all agree that their set was most definitely a great start to what was most definitely a great evening!

After a short interval Graeme arrived through the backdoor, with his guitar in hand to a warm applause from the Glasgow crowd. Over the course of the evening we were treated to a set list which was filled to the brim with music from Graeme's career as a solo artist and as a member of Wet Wet Wet. I'm pretty sure there'd have been a few disappointed members of the audience had the Wet Wet Wet hits not been included! In between songs we were entertained with Graeme's humorous stories of his time in the Wets and the back stories of how they came to write some of their biggest hits, which is always interesting to hear as you really learn a lot.

As I mentioned a little earlier in the post Tommy, drummer of Wet Wet Wet was also in attendance and filmed the entire show on Graeme's behalf with the intentions of uploading the footage to Graeme's YouTube account. At one point towards the end of the concert, Tommy decided to film from a different angle which happened to be just a short distance in front of me. Being the camera fanatic that I am; I couldn't help but find myself engrossed in the recording of the gig-it was rather fascinating to watch I must admit! Tommy's evidently got an eye for filming and from what I could see captured each moment in an unique and creative perspective. So be sure to pop over to YouTube and check out the concert footage once it's uploaded but in the meantime why not check out Graeme's other videos via the link at the end of this post!

Like I said, Graeme played a bunch of songs from his solo catalogue which I've been a big fan of ever since I first heard it performed live at his concert in Irvine last year. Graeme is a very talented singer, songwriter and musician and I really admire the work he's produced over the years. Not only does his music sound great recorded on an album, it also translates perfectly when performed live in front of an audience.

As well as performing a selection of his older songs, Graeme treated us, the audience to a new acoustic track named "Sometimes". Just a couple of weeks prior to the gig, I'd seen a clip of "Sometimes" that he'd posted up on his Facebook account. I instantly fell in love with this song and was absolutely delighted that Graeme had decided to play it live at his concert. Just like his other songs it sounded great and I for one can't wait until it's released as part of an album or on iTunes so I can purchase a copy and listen to it on the move.

Just as I had the previous time I saw Graeme in concert, I left the gig absolutely raving about his cover of "Summer Breeze" by The Isley Brothers. Of course I love the original, but Graeme's cover absolutely blew me away on the two occasions I've heard him sing it live. "Summer Breeze" is a magical song anyway but Graeme's take on it is something extremely special! It's absolutely breath-taking to listen to! To be completely honest I actually prefer Graeme's version to the original recording and would've been extremely disappointed had he not included it in the evening's set list. That was the one song that I really wanted to hear him sing so as you can imagine I left the venue one happy girl after hearing it again! I really hope that one day Graeme might even record his version of this amazing song to include in one of his future albums-it's far too good not to in my opinion!

As the concert came to an end, Fiona and Stevie who opened for Graeme were invited back up in front of the audience to perform Wet Wet Wets' biggest hit "Love Is All Around" much to everyone's delight! There was such a nice buzz within the room as everyone joined in singing the lyrics we all know and love. It's so nice to look around and see so many people enjoying themselves and of course enjoying the music. That's the power of music for you; it brings people together, uplifts them and puts a big smile on their faces! That's one of the very reasons why I love it so much! 

Unfortunately, all good things have to come an end and so did the gig! It was another excellent show from Graeme, filled with amazing music and good Scottish humour! I seriously hope it's not too long until next time! If you ever get the chance make sure to pop along to one of Graeme's future gigs in your area-you don't know what you're missing out on!

 

If you want to find out more about Graeme's music be sure to click on one of the following links:

Official Website: http://www.graemeclark.co.uk

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/graemeclark1000?ob=5
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraemeClarkOfficial?sk=wall
Twitter: https://twitter.com/graemeclark1

 

Fleetwood Mac Concert Review Rant

As you'll probably have noticed I posted this alot later than I had initially anticipated, I've had an extremely crazy few weeks which as a result means that keeping up to date with my blogs has been a little tricky at times. If you follow one of my social media accounts you may have noticed that I had a special meeting with Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood at their concert in Glasgow a couple of weeks ago. If you'd like to read all about my experience please click here.

This blog post was initially intended to be a Fleetwood Mac concert review however my dynamics and intentions have changed direction meaning that my plans for this particular post has changed a little. I am however, attending another Fleetwood Mac concert in just over a week so I will have a proper concert review posted here on my blog in the not so distant future.

A few days ago I found myself checking out the influx of concert reviews following Fleetwood Mac's first show in Glasgow of their "On With the Show" tour like I do following most concerts I attend. Unfortunately, I came across a review which absolutely riled me if I am being completely honest. I mean most of the review was in my opinion acceptable although in my eyes the show deserved a lot more credit than this review actually offered. However, it wasn't until my eyes fell upon a sentence towards the end of the review which described the performance of Gold Dust Woman, a song from the band's most famous album Rumours as having "too much hammy latitude". I'm sorry but that is completely criminal to even suggest that!

I am unsure of who exactly wrote the article but one thing for certain is that I completely disagree with their thoughts on the portrayal of Gold Dust Woman. On both occasions that I have been lucky enough to see Fleetwood Mac live in concert I've left the show both mesmerised and raving about Gold Dust Woman. I even described that particular song on both instances as my favourite performance of the entire concert. The portrayal of Gold Dust Woman that I witnessed was absolutely breath-taking and most definitely a work of art. With that in mind I cannot help but wonder if the gig reviewer was actually at the same concert as me in the first place?

Yes, I do not for one second dispute that what I saw was dramatic but the way in which Stevie Nicks portrays the drama within the song and in her live performances is extremely tasteful. I felt that the review I came across looked at Gold Dust Woman in a negative light and didn't give it the credit that it truly deserves.

Firstly, what I'd like to ask the author of the review if the opportunity were to arise is 'have you actually read and studied the lyrics of the song? Have you ever considered what the song is really about?' Yes, we'll never fully discover the exact meaning behind it and of course there will always be the element of mystery behind the songs we all know and love but it's always interesting to have some sort of knowledge and understanding of the lyrics. I personally have spent time over the past few years studying the lyrics and to some degree I think I've sussed the meaning behind the words. Having intently watched Stevie perform Gold Dust Woman live on two occasions and again, via video footage posted on YouTube I feel that my interpretation of the song lyrics accurately gels with the story Stevie tells on stage through music and movement. Then again I could be completely wrong but that's the beauty of interpretation and I'm sure the same lyric will mean something completely different to every set of ears that listens to it. I truly admire the fact that artists and musicians alike can quite literally create a work of art by channelling their inner thoughts and feelings; they put their blood, sweat and tears into it and at times I'm sure could easily give up. But for whatever reason they don't and something encourages them to go on and well, the final result they've created can then go on to touch and inspire the lives of so many others. People look at a piece of art or listen to a piece of music and instantly relate to someone else who once felt the same thoughts and emotions as they did. Music is both calming and comforting in that way and that's one of the many reasons I love it so much.

Anyway, the long in the short of what I'm really trying to say is that what I saw and what the other person saw were evidently two very different things. Opposites to be precise. The reviewer saw the performance as over the top, dramatic or "hammy" as they described it, whereas I saw something hauntingly beautiful and filled with power. That is one of the many reasons why I alongside many others love and admire Stevie Nicks. Her beauty and her individuality is something that stands out and separates her from other female singers in the music industry; past, present and future. I do not believe that there will ever be another singer/performer like her and that is exactly why she'll be remembered; for being herself and expressing herself and through Gold Dust Woman she does just that!

Paul McCartney: Out There Tour, Liverpool Echo Arena 28th May 2015

 

On Thursday 28th May 2015, one of my biggest dreams came true. After years of waiting I finally got to see one my musical inspirations live in concert. Yes, I got to see the Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney at The Echo Arena in his hometown of Liverpool.

After spending the day exploring Liverpool with my family, Mum and I joined the quickly growing line outside the arena filled with the lucky fans who'd managed to bag tickets for the Liverpool show. Bagging tickets for Paul's Liverpool gig felt like I'd won one of Willie Wonka's golden tickets, tickets were so badly sought after and I still can't believe I actually managed to get hold of them! Once the venue doors were finally opened the arena quickly began to fill up and I could feel my excitement growing and growing.

The view from our seats were amazing! We were so close to the stage it was unbelievable-I couldn't have asked for better seats! Usually, accessible seating in venues are quite far back and often the bands are like little dots in the horizon. This however, would put a lot of other venues I've visited to shame.

Paul didn't arrive on stage until around half past eight but in the meantime they played a soundtrack of songs spanning through Paul's entire career including music from The Beatles, Wings and his solo work. Video footage and photographs of Paul as a child up until the present day alongside his friends and family were projected onto the screen at either side of the stage.

At around half past eight the lights dimmed into darkness and the music was brought to a halt. People began to stand up in what looked like a Mexican wave motion. Seconds later the man himself, Sir Paul McCartney appeared from the wings of the stage as the room erupted in roars of excitement. Everywhere I looked people held their "Welcome Home Paul" signs that we'd been given by the stewards when entering the venue, high above their heads. It must have been quite something witnessing such a sight from the stage.

Before long the first song "Eight Days a Week" began to fill the room, marking the first of many classics the audience would hear through he course of the evening. Now, I could easily have written a brief summary of each song played during the show but considering that it was a 40 song set list spanning over 3 hours I think I'll mainly discuss the highlights. Otherwise, we'd be here all day.

Paul and his band performed a bunch of songs from Paul's lengthy career including music from his time in The Beatles, Wings and of course songs from his solo work. Towards the end of the Wings song "Let Me Roll It" the tune changed as they burst into Jimi Hendrix's Foxy Lady (love that song!). This lead onto Paul telling us the about Jimi playing "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band" at one his gigs just days after the album's release. Jimi's guitar apparently went out of tune to which he peered into the audience and shouted "is Eric there?". Yes, he was looking for Eric Clapton. So it turns out Eric was there right enough and basically told Jimi to tune the guitar himself. 
 

 

 A song or two later Paul took to one of the two pianos they had that evening to perform a song called "My Valentine" which he wrote for his wife Nancy who happened to be somewhere amongst the audience. Unfortunately, I didn't see her. He also dedicated "Maybe I'm Amazed" to his first wife Linda who unfortunately passed away back in 1997. Throughout the song a combination of photographs and video footage of Paul and his children were used to create a moving picture effect. It's such a beautiful song and my goodness did Paul hit some impressive notes during it!

"Hope for the Future" one of Paul's latest releases, which was written for a video game named Destiny was also performed. I have to say I really like that song, it's quite eerie but at the same time very powerful. I'm so glad I actually got to hear it performed live!

Paul stepped out onto an extended part of the stage to perform one of Mum's favourites "Blackbird". Slowly the stage began to rise up into air and stopped when Paul was at the same height as those seated in the second tier of the arena. Usually, I spend a lot of time watching concert footage on YouTube before attending gigs yet somehow I'd missed the footage of "Blackbird" so it was a nice surprise.

Paul's colourful "Lady Madonna" piano (I'm pretty sure that's what it's nicknamed-but don't hold me on that!) was brought out onto centre stage as Paul performed yet another handful of songs including newer releases such as "New" (funnily enough) which could easily have made it's way onto one of The Beatle's albums back in the 60s. I was so excited to actually hear "New" live, I remember hearing it for the very first time just minutes after its release.

He also performed a song named "Queenie Eye" which was also featured on his "New" album released back in 2013. The song is absolute genius! Only Paul McCartney could write a song about a game he used to play as child with his friends in the streets of Liverpool. Again, I was absolutely delighted to hear this song live after hearing it so many times on the album. I have to say the colourful piano really brought Paul's childhood memories of a game he evidently loved alive, even to someone live me from a completely different generation.

"Altogether Now" from the Yellow Submarine film/album was dedicated to the "kids" in the audience although it looked like the adults seemed to be enjoying it just as much! It was a very fun and light hearted performance that put a smile on everyone's faces.

After a selection of yet more Beatles classics including "Lovely Rita", "Eleanor Rigby" and "The Benefit of Mr Kite", Paul pulled an ukulele out of what seemed like nowhere. He told the audience that he discovered his love for the instrument (the ukulele) thanks to George Harrison. Apparently, they'd spend hours visiting each others homes contently jamming on their ukuleles together. In tribute to George he began to play "Something" which was pretty special. The audience as you can imagine were ecstatic! There obliviously were a lot of big Beatles fans in the house and as soon as there was even mention of one of Paul's legendary bandmates, the room erupted in roars. I'm sure it brought back a few memories for Paul of the audiences back in the 60s, we certainly didn't hold back that evening!

There was back to back hits including one of my very favourite Beatles songs "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" which I hoped would be a part of the evening's setlist. I'd been pretty loud and excitable all evening anyway but as I heard those cheery chords on the piano, I was on a complete and utter high. I was belting out the words just as loud as the band and of course I was dancing around in my wheelchair like there was no tomorrow.

A couple of women sitting along from us caught my eye on a couple occasions, I'd obliviously been entertaining them with my enthusiasm and excitement-it can't be helped! You'll probably be bored sick of me saying this but "I'd waited such a long time for this" so I was going to make the most of every, single second! Funnily enough, when we arrived back at the hotel later that evening the same two women were right in front of us in the queue for the lift. So much for going somewhere, letting loose and thinking that I'd never see these people again-typical!
 

 

 "Live and Let Die" which was written for one of the James Bond films, was absolutely amazing live! Despite the fact that I already knew what was coming, I jumped out my skin when massive flames came shouting up from the stage. I seriously, don't think I ever seen as much stage fireworks and flames. The heat up there on stage must have been extremely oppressive, particularly for Paul's guitarist and bassist who were constantly on the move. They actually looked more tired than Paul who just kept going and showed no signs of exhaustion whatsoever! 

My favourite part of the entire show came next and that part just so happened to be arguably one of The Beatle's most famous songs "Hey Jude". Hearing that song live was such a magical moment. It was one of those moments that you had to pinch yourself to check you weren't dreaming. Thankfully, I wasn't; I was well and truly there!

The atmosphere in that room was out of this world, everyone was singing along proving just how powerful music can be. That song has played such a big role in music history and I'm so glad I can say I've hear it sung live. After probably the best eight minutes of live music I've ever heard the song came to an end (I wish it went on forever!) and Paul and his band came to the centre of the stage and bowed for the audience. The stage lights turned off leaving the room in darkness as the crowd went into a frenzy of cheers and roars, before long everyone was singing "Hey Jude" louder than they had minutes before. I can honestly say I have NEVER seen anything like this before and I've seen some of the biggest names in music over the past few years.
 

 

 Where Mum and I were seated, we could see figures standing in the doorway leading to the dressings. I'm guessing it was Paul and the band-it must have been quite something standing there listening to a room filled with thousands of people singing the lyrics to a song you wrote. This continued for a further few minutes before Paul reappeared waving the British flag in the air much to the crowd's delight.

He treated the audience to two encores, the first consisted of "Hi Hi Hi", "Another Girl" a song by The Beatles that had it's live debut earlier last month which was followed by "Can't Buy Me Love". He dedicated this to a couple that he invited up on stage after reading a sign the gentlemen had brought asking Paul if he could propose to his girlfriend on stage. What a story to tell the grandkids!

Sitting down at his piano for the final time that evening, Paul told the audience that the next couple of the songs would be the final few songs of the evening

 and that it was time to head home. Let's just say I didn't ever think I'd see 12,000 argue with Paul McCartney-it was like going to a pantomime!

A medley of "Golden Slumbers", "Carry That Weight" and "The End" from the legendary Abbey Road enchanted the room at the end of an incredible night. Paul bid the audience farewell as canons of red, blue and white confetti exploded filling the air with colour. What a night that was!

At long last I can tick off seeing Paul McCartney in concert off the bucket list and maybe one day I'll be able to tick off actually meeting him too-until then I'll just keep dreaming! As I'm sure you already have gathered, it was an absolutely incredible night and I'm so glad I got to spend it in the city of Liverpool!

Shrek the Musical: The Kings Theatre, Glasgow May 2015

I initially hoped to have posted this review a couple of days ago but somehow it's Tuesday already and I haven't quite got round to it-the days really do fly by! Anyway, it's here now and that's all that really matters I suppose. So here it goes.......

A few days ago, Thursday 14th May to be precise my family, my lovely friend Heather, her lovely friend Karen and I went to see Shrek the Musical at The Kings Theatre in Glasgow. Ever since I was little, Shrek has been one of my all-time favourite films. It's one of those films that everyone loves and I'm pretty sure it'll remain a firm favourite for many years to come. In my opinion, Shrek is a modern day classic. 

Shrek the Musical take the audience on a journey through the fairy-tale story we all know and love featuring Shrek the ogre, Donkey, Princess Fiona and of course it just wouldn't be Shrek without the appearances of some other familiar faces such as Pinocchio, Gingy, the three little pigs alongside many others.

The show which first hit the UK's West End back in 2011 features a selection of brand new songs written especially for the musical. The cast also perform I'm A Believer, the classic number from the movie's final scene. To be honest, it wouldn't have been Shrek without I'm A Believer. Literally, as soon the first few notes began to play there were people up on their feet dancing and those who remained seated could not help but sing and clap along. Let's face it; it's too hard not too!

The show was absolutely hilarious and had the entire audience, both adults and children in heaps of laughter from start to finish. Out of the entire cast, Lord Farquaad was by far my favourite character. Gerard Carrey who played Lord Farquaad during the performance, portrayed the character to absolute perfection. He was extremely amusing and his likeness to the character was uncanny! Evidently, he'd watched the movie over and over again studying every tiny detail until he knew the character inside out. I'm pretty sure anyone who has already seen the show will agree that it felt as if Lord Farquaad himself, had actually jumped out of the TV screen and on to the stage right there in front us!

An enormous dragon was even brought out onto the stage on a handful of occasions, which  as you can imagine was pretty spectacular! It's actually a wonder how they even managed to store it backstage alongside the vast amount of props and scenery used throughout the show. Having been on a couple of backstage tours at The Kings Theatre, the storing faculties are pretty limited so I can only begin to imagine just how cramped it must have been back there!

Overall, Shrek the Musical is a feel good family show filled to the brim with catchy songs, great dancing, humour and of course a little bit of fairy-tale magic! I would recommend this show to families with young children in particular, they'll love every second of it! To find out more details on Shrek the Musical's future tour UK tour dates click here.

Take That: Thursday 30th April 2015, The SSE Hydro Arena Glasgow

 

 

Last week my Mum and I took a little moment of madness after seeing footage of Take That's first show of their UK tour on ITV's This Morning. The TV footage of their opening night convinced us to phone the venue's box office and see if there were any tickets left for one of the Glasgow gigs. We were pleasantly surprised when we soon discovered that there were in fact tickets still available for the third show of the tour on Thursday 30th April 2015 at The SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow!

We arrived at the venue with plenty of time to spare so that we could pick up our last minute tickets from the box office. Fortunately, we arrived after the arena doors were opened-standing outside in the cold didn't sound so appealing!

At any of my previous visits to The Hydro I have always been seated in the accessible/wheelchair seating on the ground level. However, on this occasion we were seated in the wheelchair area on the second floor and had no idea what exactly to expect. Both my Mum and I were extremely impressed with both the assistance I recieved and seating we were designated. Due to the nature of the show, sitting on the second level gave us a fabulous view of every angle on the entire stage. Had we been seated on the ground level we'd not have seen the show in as much detail.

At around half past seven the show began with Take That's support act, 2012 X Factor contestant Ella Henderson. She performed a set of songs featured on her debut album Chapter One. This included songs such as Glow and Ghost both of which have been pretty successful here in the UK. After hearing her sing live, I have to say that Ella has a really strong and impressive voice.

Around an hour later, at eight thirty the lights dimmed after a short interval and the show began. It all started with the dancers on stage; there was so much going on from every angle. Some of the dancers were sporting what I would describe as Inspector Gadget type jackets and hats. A threesome in matching apparel appeared out of nowhere, marching their way round the long walk way connecting stage A and B. Loud cheers from the audience surrounding the stage filled the air, so my guess was that it was actually Take That themselves! As they reached the part of the walkway nearest to where my Mum and I were seated, they literally walked down into the floor below them and disappeared! I couldn't quite believe my eyes!

Before I knew it they reappeared dressed in colourful suits from behind a raised block on the main stage. Within a short period of time the colour scheme within the staging and dancers outfits had transformed from cold blue tones to a carnival of colours! Bursting into the first track "I Like It" from their latest album the show had well and truly begun. The opening song was then followed by "Love Love", "Greatest Day" and another of their recent tracks "Get Ready For It" where flames were seen shooting up from the stage throughout the chorus. My goodness! You could really feel the heat from the fire! One could only begin to imagine the heat on stage.

After a couple more songs "Hold Up The Light" and "Patience" came what I personally would describe as probably my favourite part of the entire show. The performance of "The Garden" was simply breath-taking and magical! During the song a large curtain was pulled round the walkway and audience in the middle (I'm not very good at describing what the stage looked like but hopefully the photos will make a little more sense!). Using a projector silhouettes were projected onto the curtain to create a shadow puppet show which was stunning and extremely clever! The curtains were then pulled back to reveal the most amazing underwater scene. There were huge fluorescent jellyfish bobbing up and down as well as underwater plants in many different shapes and sizes swaying as if they really were under the sea. You really had to be there in person to fully experience the magic, let's just say that it was completely out of this world!

Next in line was "Up All Night", "Said It All" and a cover of Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic" which started as a ballad but quickly escalated into an upbeat, dance track which had everyone dancing. During "Let In The Sun" a huge globe soared through the air above the audience's heads to the second stage where it was lowered within reach of the cast/dancers. Each dancer produced glowing panels from boxes which they attached to the globe. A gymnast got inside the "sun" and performed a spectacular routine as the globe was slowly lifted back into the air. Once reaching its peak point sparks came flying out of it as it gracefully spun round and around. This was another of the many reasons why this show was so spectacular.

 

 

"Affirmation" started with Howard standing on a raised tier playing a single electric drum pad (I think that's what it's called) and was soon joined by Gary and Mark on either side. All three were dressed in what looked like a cross between a raincoat (like the ones worn in the film Singing In The Rain) and a white doctors coat. As the song ended and 'The Flood" soon began the coats made a little more sense. The room darkened there was a thunderstorm consisting of both loud rumbles and flashes of lightning. Their coats came alive, with an 'electrical' image projected onto them. Pretty cool! The choir seated on stage pulled out umbrellas as it actually began to rain right there on stage!

"Flaws" another of the tracks featured on Take That's latest album came next. The performance I witnessed during this song was extremely powerful and full of emotion. As Gary Barlow took place on lead vocals both Mark Owen and Howard Donald poured every ounce of their energy into an absolutely breath-taking piece of choreography. It was simply stunning.

Within minutes we were then transported to China in "Relight My Fire". There was a Chinese Geisha, warriors and even a Chinese dragon! A set of three stools were then brought out for a more intimate setting as they introduced their backing band and proceeded to perform "Back For Good" followed by "Pray" which gave the audience a flashback to the 90s with those classic Take That dance moves.

Another highlight for me personally, was during a song named "Portrait" where the band climbed aboard a bike and pedalled up into the air. For the duration of the song they soared through the sky above the audience heads whilst waving to their fans. I have never seen anything like this done before at a concert-it was so cool! It also meant that people like my Mum and I who were seated on either the second or third floor got a closer view of the band.

A performance of their recent hit "These Days" came next before the audience were treated to "Rule The World" a track they released back in 2006 for the soundtrack of a film named Stardust. Again, this was another atmospheric performance as the audience slowly waved their phones in their air at the band's request. As I gazed around the room there were what looked liked hundreds of tiny stars twinkling in the night sky. I can only imagine just how beautiful that must be standing there on stage.

The final two songs "Shine" and "Never Forget" were real crowd-pleasers. I don't think there was one person sitting still in the audience, even the event staff were dancing!

Take That most definitely put on an incredible show; within the space of just over two hours so much happened. I would urge anyone out there to go catch one of their shows-you'll not be disappointed!