Still Alive & Kicking

My love of all things Simple Minds can be traced back to April 1982 and the release of "Promised You A Miracle"
Quite how previous singles such as "I Travel" "Love Song" and "The American" had failed to get enough air play to put Simple Minds into the Top 40 and on Top Of The Pops is still beyond me but "Promised You A Miracle" did the trick and ever since I've been a card carrying member of the Simple Minds Apprecation Society.......it didn't hurt that the 12'' b side of "Miracle" had "Theme From Great Cities" and "Seeing Out The Angel" instrumental which I played over and over and is probably why "Theme From Great Cities" is one of if not my ALL time favourite Simple Minds song.

While I missed the "New Gold Dream" tour I did buy the album along w/ the previous album "Sons And Fascination/Sister Feelings Call" but when "Sparkle In The Rain" was released in 1984 I not only bought the album but also went to see them live at Hammersmith Odean on that tour,it would be the first of three Simple Minds tours in three years for me,in 85 I saw them at Wembley Arena on the "Once Upon A Time" tour and the following summer at Milton Keynes Bowl in front of 50,000 fans.......little did I think that it'd be over a quarter of a century b4 I'd enjoy a Simple Minds tour again!
The 90's were not as kind to Simple Minds after the success of 1989s "Street Fighting Years" there followed a  lull in their commercial success,while 1991s "Real Life" and 1995s "Good News From The Next World" still spawned minor hits in "See The Lights" and "She's A River" but the all conquering success Simple Minds had enjoyed was now only a memory,in fact by the release of "Good News...." Simple Minds were only a duo of Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill........

1998's "Neopolis" saw the return of Derek Forbes and Mel Gaynor to the fold but somewhat surprisingly was never released here in the US and was followed by "Cry" in 2002,in my opinion the low point of their career,in 2005 "Black & White" saw the light of day......but like "Neapolis" not here in America B4 their last studio release "Graffiti Soul" in 2009,I did overlook their "comeback" cd "Neon Lights" from 2001 which was a series of covers but perhaps the most notable release was last years "5x5".
Having elected for a 14 date European tour that focused on 5 songs off of the first 5 albums{now that's a tour I wish had come to America!!!!} EMI reissued the first 5 albums on cd in a boxed set.....which delighted yours truly given I only owned them albums on vinyl and my Simple Minds collection began at "Sparkle In The Rain" on cd.......
The 5x5 tour also spawned "5x5 Live" a double live cd b4 the end of last year b4 a three disc retrospective collection"Celebrate"  released this  year celebrating the bands now 34 year career and affording the band a "Greatest Hits" tour.......which thankfully brought them back to America for the first time in 11 years.....having been out of town the weekend they last played in Philly in May of 91 on the "Real Life" tour and then not known about the 2002 show at The Beacon in New York City w/ Inxs I had to be at The Roselands last Thursday....even though I have tickets for their show in London at the O2 Arena w/ Ultravox at the end of next month this was too great a show to pass up.

The general feeling via "social media" was these American Simple Minds shows were going down a storm in New Jersey,Boston,Washington DC,Los Angeles,Toronto,and Montreal so the antisipation going into the final show of the tour in NYC was high.
In this day and age of the internet the lure of being able to go on line and look up previous dates set lists is tempting but I lke to be surprized so I avoided the setlist sites prefering to be surprized on the nite.
The risk of seeing a band w/ such an extensive back catalogue of material even w/ a  "Greatest Hits" tour is if you go in saying"I want to hear this,this and this song" you leave yourself open for disappointment so I limited my wish list to two songs ''Promised You A Miracle" because it's the song that started it all off for me w/ Simple Minds and '' Belfast Child" which I've always loved but never seen them perform live.

Pre show over dinner the discussion lead to what would they open w/ I've always felt "Waterfront" w/ it's pulsating intro would make for a good show opener but instead they went w/ one of their new songs "Broken Glass Park"....I say new it's been around since 2011 if you happen to own "Live At Northern Meeting Park" or 2010 from Jim Kerr's solo "Lostboy AKA Jim Kerr"  although it never did make it onto the album instead it became a Simple Minds song,followed by "Waterfront"
In the build up to the Roselands show I'd read an interview w/ Jim Kerr where he'd said the American tour was geared towards their "MTV" era which I took to mean "Sparkle In The Rain" and "Once Upon A Time" so it was no surprize to hear "Once Upon A Time" and "All The Things She Said"
It was during one of those songs I got a "shout out" of sorts from Jim.....in honour of this show I wore my Scotland soccer jersey and being close to the front of the stage it caught Jim's eye....he patted his heart in acknowledgement of the that which I returned w/ a "it's all for you" point of my finger......people always claim they make eye contact w/ performers but I can honestly say my Scotland shirt caught Jim's eye on  Thursday nite.

"War Babies" off of "Neapolis" followed b4 a cover of The Call's "Let The Day Begin"  a shout out to former lead singer Michael Been who had opened for Simple Minds on prior US tours back in the day.
If there'd been any hesitency on either side of the stage about the 11 years since Simple Minds last New York concert it didn't show"I thought you'd never invite us back" joked Jim Kerr as the sometimes difficult to please New York fans welcomed him and the rest of the band back w/ open arms.
"Glittering Prize" and "New Gold Dream" brought the first set to an end b4 a 10 minute as both band and audiance caught their breath and maybe a beverage or two.....
The instrumental of "Speed Your Love To Me" by Andy Gillespie and Charlie Burchill hearlded the second set which read like a geeks dream "I Travel" off of "Empire & Dance" b4 "Someone Somewhere In Summertime" another nod to "New Gold Dreams"
"This Fear Of Gods" another "Empires & Dance" song preceeded "Let There Be Love" the first of two "Real Life" songs b4 back to back trips to "Sons & Facsination/Sister Feelings Call" "The American" and "Love Song" b4 "See The Lights" an apt song for midtown Manhattan.

It was a "no brainer" that they'd perform "Don't You{Forget About Me}the song that helped make them a bigger name around the world in 1985 from "The Breakfast Club" soundtrack,the 3,000 strong audiance sang the "la la la la's" as if their lives replied upon it.
Jim Kerr again apologized for being away for so long and told the Roselands crowd "we'll be back to tour American again.....while we still have hair and teeth" maybe a veiled reference to his thining hairline a far cry from the bands "MTV Heydays" back in mid to late 80's.
Fittingly for me at least "Promised You A Miracle" ended their set,the song that started it all way back when in April of 82.
"Theme From Great Cities" opened the encore,I've always loved that song,I've done my best Derek Forbes "airbass" for years to that song tonite was no different and even though Ged Grimes now plays bass for them it'll always  be a Derek Forbes song for me.
Not a total surprize "Sanctify Yourself" and "Alive & Kicking" brought the nite to it's climax as the band waved goodnite but not goodbye to the crowd{I belived they will return to American w/in a few years} the familiar strains of Bowie's "Jean Genie" played them off stage....why "Jean Genie" you may ask...ever wonder about the line"he's so simple minded"???? and how Johnny & The Self Abusers became Simple Minds?????

Ok so I didn't get "Belfast Child" but really I was hardly in a position to gripe w/ such gems as "I Travel" ''The American"''Love Song" AND "Theme From Great Cities" in the set list and plus I'm off to London to see them at the end of November,no 27 year gap between shows this time,try 37 days.....and I'm counting each and every one of them!!!!!!

Touched By The Hand Of Goth

The last time I saw The Mission was 14 years ago here at The Troc on the Resurection tour,it was only Wayne in the band but I was just happy to be seeing The Mission live.
Despite owing a vinyl copy of their 86 debut album "God's Own Medicine" it was another 15 years b4 i became a full blown "Eskimo"{a nickname Wayne Hussey gave the hardcorp Mission fans back in the day} and in that period I'd collected Mission music on vinyl,cd,Vhs and Dvd as if my life depended on it,I even tracked down a copy of their hard to find book "Names Are For Tombstones Baby"

Since the Resurection tour  there have been three studio albums, a series of final shows in 08 but w/ their 25th anniversary 2 years later alot of "Eskimo's" myself included willed a reunion of anykind....what we couldn't have imagined was 3/4s of the original line up Wayne Hussey,Craig Adams and Simon Hinkler getting back together{not sure what the offical word on drummer Mick Brown non involvement is} but the official word at the start of the year was a tour.....w/ US dates{yea!!!} and a new album.....
After several months of marking the days off my calender Wed Sept 4th arrived and w/ it The Mission's show at The Troc.
The band and their audiance may look alot older and the stetsons are from a bygone era but you know what? the songs sound as good as ever!!!

Opening w/ one of five new songs off the soon to be released "The Brightest Light" Wayne, Craig and Simon and drummer Mike Kelly launched into classic Mission setlist "Beyond The Pale""Serpent's Kiss""Naked & Savage" b4 another new song"The Girl In A Fur Skin Rug",the crowd on hand may have been sparse but made up for it's lack of numbers w/ it's enthusium as Wayne,Craig,Simon and Mike rolled back the years.
"Garden Of Delight""Severina""Butterfly On A Wheel" b4 a cover of Neil Young's "Like A Hurricane" b4 the song that introduced me to them all the way back in 86 "Wasteland"
two more new songs off the soon to be released "The Brightest Light" "Swan Song" and "Drag" b4 another cover"All Along The Watchtower" not a song I'd heard them cover b4.
Talk about leave them wanting more "Deliverence" and "Tower Of Strenght" and the end of their 90 minute 16 song set.

Is this "The Final Chapter"? w/ The Mission you never know,I for one hope not but given the 14 year gap between tours this side of the Atlantic from "Resurrection" to "Brightest Light" it could be....that said we're 3 years shy of a 30th anniversary of "God's Own Medicine" and frankly if I have to get on a plane to London to see that tour I may just have to,long may "The Dance Goes On" one's thing for sure this weekend my live Mission cds will be on heavy rotation on my cd player.....

And I Haven't Felt So Alive In {Fiveteen} Years

First off I need to correct an error I made in saying prior to Fridays  Revel Ballroom in Atlantic City show that this was my first Depeche Mode show in 17 years,I kept thinking the "Singles Tour" was in 96 when in fact it was 98,even so that's still 15 years between tours,too long when you're a big time Depeche Mode fan like yours truly but frankly if I'd known how easy it was to get to Atlantic City via the train I'd have been front and center for the "Exciter" tour in 01, "Playing The Angel" in 05 and "Sounds Of The Universe" in 09 at the House Of Blues trust me!!!
Still eager to make up for lost time I made sure the "Delta Machine" tour did not get by me even if it meant paying an astronomical fee for my ticket,I broke my never paid more than $100 for a ticket rule for this show but frankly it was money well spent....and frankly I wasn't waiting till 2017 for the next Depeche Mode tour!!!!!

I know there'd been some hue and cry on social media over the fact that  the band had said they would not performing anything off of their first four albums  but I wasn't too upset by this.
Don't get me wrong I like "Speak & Spell" "A Broken Frame" "Construction Time Again" and "Some Great Reward" but I saw ALL those tours in 81,82,83 and 84 and personally I think from 86's "Black Celebration" they became a  much better band both on cd and live so it was off to the Jersey shore w/ the hordes of black clad masses to see the "Delta Machine" tour.

Despite having less then great seats and paying a kings ransom for them I was hell bent on having a good time Friday nite and from 9.20pm when "Basildon's Finest" strode on stage for their two hour  twenty one song set I turned the enormous Ovation Hall at the Revel Ballroom into my very own Silk City where DJSC plays a bunch of Depeche Mode each month and danced my arse off after all isn't that listening to Depeche Mode is all about??!!!

Augmented by Peter Gordeno on keyboards and the excellent Christian Eigner on drums Dave, Martin and Andy let rip w/ an amazing show,leaning heavily as you'd expect on the new album {six songs off of "Delta Machine"} they revisited Violator,Black Celebration,Music For The Masses,Ultra and Playing The Angel and threw in a classic off of ''Speak & Spell"  "Just Can't Get Enough" to keep everybody happy.
When I'd heard they were performing "But Not Tonite" I was delighted to hear that but did not expect it to be Martin Gore on the vocals,w/a slowed down arrangement the classic "Black Celebtration" number took on a new sound and didn't sound any the worse for it either.
Granted back in 81 when "Speak & Spell" was unleashed on the music loving public Depeche Mode were considered a "synth pop" band but clearly over the recent years they've developed a much harder sound and dare I say it "Delta Machine's" "Soothe  My Soul" flat out rocked!!!! I'm already on the lookout for bootlegs of this tour for the new version of "But Not Tonite" and "Soothe My Soul" trust me.

When the two hour set came to a close w/ the "hands waving above our heads in unison" "Never Let Me Down Again" I couldn't help but think back to my first Depeche Mode show in November 81 at London's Lyceum on The Strand almost 32 years ago,if you'd told me then I'd still be rocking out to Depeche Mode I may not have believed you but believe me when I say that despite overdoses,nervous brakedowns and members leaving Depeche Mode continue to conqurer all b/4 them and I'm still dancing up a storm to them....long may both continue in my book

Setlist
Welcome To My World
Angel
Walking In My Shoes
Precious
Black Celebration
Policy Of Truth
Should Be Higher
Barrel Of A Gun
The Child Inside
But Not Tonite
Heaven
Soothe My Soul
A Pain That I'm Used To
A Question Of Time
Enjoy The Silence
Personal Jesus
Encore
Home
Halo
Just Can't Get Enough
I Feel You
Never Let Me Down Again

Don't You Forget About Me......As If I Could!!!

It's almost 28 years since I first saw the time honoured John Hughes classic "The Breakfast Club" I'd just returned from my first visit to America where "Breakfast Club" had already been released and managed to catch an 11pm showing just off of Oxford St and Tottenham Court Road in London's west end one Friday after work.....little did realize the profound effect a movie about five kids in high school detention would have on me.

Seldom has a movie come along that I could reacall all the names of the cast members{John,Andrew,Brian,Alison,Claire,Richard and Carl}much less car about all of them....ok maybe not so much Carl the Janitor but his role has its significence never more so in the scene w/ Vernon when they're drinking beer in the basement as Vernon bleets about"these kids turned on me" and Carl busts his balls how"you took a teaching job cos you thought it's be easy"
When I first saw the movie I was almost 22 now at almost 50 I'm like Richard Vernon if only in the respect of looking at the youth of today and wondering if they will take care of me in my twilight years but scratch just below the surface and my "inner John Bender" still lurks.

I can't think of a role that has resonated w/ me as much as that of Judd Nelson's John Bender,yeah I was  a rebel in high school but not at that level,more's the pity.
If I had a dollar for the times I've recited a John Bender line over the years I'd be wealthy beyond my dreams now,from"Screws fall out all the time" to my perenial favourite "How come Andrew gets up,if he gets up we'll all get up,it'll be anarchy.....it's out of my hands"!!!! I've tried to make them a regular part of my daily vocabulary....it isn't always easy to work "Show Dick some respect" and ''Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe on the weekends" but I try!!!!

Seeing the movie again last nite on the big screen for the first time since I first saw it back in 85 brought back a lot of great memories my toes were taping from the opening drumbeat of the Simple Minds classic "Don't You Forget About Me" and I wanted to jump up and boo when Richard Vernon first walked into the libary,yeah "The Breakfast Club" has that effect on me and I for one hope that in two years time on it's 30th anniversary we'll be treated to a reissue on dvd,can you imagine the gag reel and outtakes from this movie? and wouldn't you want to see them? I know I do!!

{New}Order In The House

In my last entry I talked about how music can transport you back in time well Friday nite at New Order at The Mann Music Center not only felt like going back into the 80's{forget DisneyWorld,the 80's ARE the most magical place on earth!!!} but also being at the famed Hacienda club in Manchester and not Fairmount Park....and we didn't need plane tickets or passports!

They say confession is good for the soul so allow me to get this off my chest.......I was never the biggest New Order fan till earlier this year.
Sure I owned a 12'' vinyl copy of "Blue Monday" back in the day.....but really who didn't? but the only New Order album I owned was "Substance"{not a bad album to have if you ask me} which has since been upgraded to cd.
I did own a copy of "Republic" but my favourite New Order cd until recently was the cd single for "World In Motion" the Italia 90 England World Cup song,which has made it's way onto many a mix tape let me tell you and why wouldn't it w/ lyrics like"Catch me if you can cos I'm the England man and what you're looking at is the master plan,we ain't no hooligans this ain't a football song Three Lions on my chest I know I can't go wrong"
At the start of the year Sex Dwarf featured New Order at its January dance party and after 5 hours of dancing to a ton of New Order songs that nite I realized how much I really loved them,that coupled w/ becoming a regular at DJSC at Silk City each month since Febuary where New Order and Joy Division{all bow to the memory of Ian Curtis}also feature heavily it was somewhat of a no brainer then when New Order announced a North American summer tour and Philly was a stop that I'd be there in a heartbeat.

I was a little concerned when more than one of my group of concert going friends passed on the New Order show citing"they're not a great live band" mantra this coupled w/ a Jimmy Kimmel Live performance early in the year I wondered if they were right....then I caught a few tracks off the recently released "Live At Bestival 2012" cd I felt I had nothing to worry about,like Dennis Nordon used to say on tv back in the day"it'll be alright on the night".....and was it ever!
From the dulcet intro of "Elegia" it was straight to the  jugular w/ "Crystal" probably my favourite newer New Order song b4 Bernard Sumner apologized for the length of time since New Order last played Philly.
A one two punch times two followed,"Regret" "Ceremony" "Age Of Concent" and "Isolation" the first of the nites Joy Division songs.
It was interresting to see the reactions from differing sections of The Mann,some folk were up and dancing all nite others waiting till more recognizable songs but trust me to quote an old Blondie track"the jam was moving"
New Order are a dance band,how can you listen to them and sit still?I know I can't!!
Continuing to share the wealth of their considerable derth of material "Here To Stay" followed by another personal favourite "Touched By The Hand Of God" "Your Silent Face" and "World"
For a guy w/ a fractured leg Bernard Sumner was doing a stellar job leading the line and while the purists will say it's not New Order w/out Peter Hook it was still a kick arse show and w/ Barney and Stephen it's still half of Joy Division and from a personal point of view I'm glad to have Gillian Gilbert back in the line up.
Winding things up for  the big finish we got "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "True Faith" b4 "586"

There was one song I wanted to hear more than anything tonite......"The Perfect Kiss" and I got it b4 the set ended w/ "Blue Monday" and "Temptation"
Returning for their encore Barney asked if there were any Joy Division fans in the house.....the roar was deafening"some people think I don't like playing Joy Division songs.......that's a load of bollocks"
"Atmosphere" kicked things off complete w/ the iconic video on the big screen,maybe the loudest cheer of the night was when the image of Ian Curtis appeared,gone but NEVER to be forgotten!
"Shadowplay" lead us to inevitable finale"this is our final song"lamented Barney"but it's a good one" as he switched guitars and struck the first note of the seminal classic "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
My love affair w/ Joy Division and subsequently New Order began back in 1980 when I first heard Ian's ode to Annik Honore but my understanding of the song became much clearer after seeing the 2007 movie "Control" the movie based on Ian Curtis's wife Deborah's novel "Touching From A Distance"I whole heartedly recomend both to anyone not familur w/ Ian's short yet tragic life.

As I made my way home across West Philly after the show I couldn't help but feel even though I'd never set foot inside the famed Manchester nite club The Hacienda made famous by New Order that this is how it must of felt like back in the 80's when they played,that to me is the beauty of music it can transend time even contenents if you let it.....

The {English}Beat Goes On

There's a great line in a Neds Atomic Dustbin song "Suave And Suffocated" that says "My childhood inspection is my record collection" which I'm sure most of us can attest to.
For me most of my early record collection was made up of 7'' & 12'' vinyl singles so retrospectivly I guess if and when I did go the extra mile and buy an album In must've really like that band.........
One such album that fell into that catagory was The Beat's 1980 freshman effort "I Just Can't Stop It",of all the Ska bands back then,The Beat,The Specials,Madness,Bad Manners and The Selecter the only album I owned was "I Just Can't Stop It" in amongst several singles.....maybe that's why The Beat remain a favourite band 34 years after first hearing them cover the Smokey Robinson classic "Tears Of A Clown" and giving me my first taste of Ska and Two Tone music.

When you watch Dave Wakeling perform  it's hard to believe he's been doing this for 35 years now,he still posesses the same passion for his music  now as when The Beat formed back in Birminghan in 1978,and The English Beat as they're known here since original members Ranking Roger and Everett Morton retain the rights to the name The Beat back in England are no strangers to playing live,I can almost guarantee The English Beat will tour year round on both sides of the Atlantic and are frequent visitors to Philadelphia.
Since this was a free show as part of the 80's Awesome Fest I knew we weren't getting a whole set from Dave and co but judging from set lists from previous shows on this leg of their current US tour we got a pretty close facsimile to what they've been performing recently.

It's funny how music can transport you back in time as I stood in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Eakins Oval on Friday nite The English Beat sung "Too Nice To Talk To and in the blink of an eye it felt like I'd been magically transported back to my old grade school where my church used hold school dances/discos back in the late 70's early 80's
"Too Nice To Talk To" felt like it should have been my theme tune,I could never work up the nerve to talk to the girls there unlike some 30 years later as I now possss the "gift of the gab" but that's not to say I have it all sussed out cos I don't,I've just learnt how to use the smoke and mirrors a lot better these days!!!

Never Ending Story Meets Non Stop Erotic Cabaret

I think by now my love of the 80's has been well docuemented,however I like to not only practice what I preach but also "walk the walk and talk the talk" which is why last weekend was such a pivitol weekend in the realm of 80's music.
Back to back to back concerts not to mention Friday being a double header OMD at Union Transfer followed by Sex Dwarf the  #1 Philadelphia 80's dance party......underlining the fact there's NO such thing as too much 80's music in one evening.......although when you're still dancing to Tears For Fears classic "Shout" at 3.20am it's one evening and the early part of the following morning!!!!!!

OMD will "forever(live and die)" hold a very special place in my black pagan heart having graduated high school in the summer of 1980 and been lucky enough to find a job w/in a few weeks I found myself in the position of being able to afford a ticket to see them at famed Hammersmith Odean in December on their "Organasation" tour I can still recall freezing my keester off taking the train up to Charring Cross on the Sunday b4 taking the tube to Hammersmith to get a standing room ticket for the back of the stalls for the following Wednesdays show,it was worth it trust me!
That show not only began a way of life for me as I now attend shows on a regular basis but also made OMD  an integral part of the soundtrack of my life.
Since buying the 10'' vinyl of "Messages" earlier in the year OMD  began to  become regular visitors to my stereo,so much so that I think my Dad probably knew the first two albums off by heart!!!!
Now I don't think for one second I'll ever be famous enough to be invited by the BBC to appear on "Desert Island Discs" but IF I did then w/out a doubt one of the eight albums I'd take w/ me would be either of the first three OMD albums.....which one is debatable as all three are classics,hell I might select all three and frankly in this blogger/80s fan's humble opinion the new OMD album "English Electric" could in time rank right along side them.

After seeing OMD in 86 on the "Pacific Age" tour I had to wait another 25 years till 2011 and the "History Of Modern" tour so any chance to see them now feels like making up for lost time and while I still yearn for "classics" such as "Bunker Soldiers"  "Red Frame White Light" ''Statues" and "Stanlow" I'll happily take whatever I'm offered as I can still picture the 17 years old me bouncing around my fathers living room{while he was out I hasten to add!!!} pretending to be Andy McCluskey playing bass or standing behind the sofa pretending to be Paul Humphreys playing keyboards ,the fact they went from "Metroland" to "Messages" at the top of their set just made me smile and dance that much more!

I never saw The Specials or for that matter any of the Ska bands back in the day,my enjoyment was limited to either my stereo or.......and here comes a tip of the pork pie hat to The Selecter "On My Radio"!!!!
Sadly most Ska concerts back in day either ended in skinheads causing a fight/riot or you spent most of the evening waiting for the inevitable trouble to kick off which sadly it did more often than not.
While I never owned either Specials albums back in 79 or 80 they were a band I liked and I would often cadge a free listen to either LP when I went to vist my best friend John who lived at the end of my street,I did however own several of their singles including The Specials AKA Live which included "Too Much Too Young" and "Guns Of  Navarone" "Rat Race" and "Stereotypes".
After finally seeing The Beat(sorry as a Brit I have a hard time referring  to them as The English Beat!)last year I found myself eager to add The Specials,The Selecter and maybe even Madness to the list so imagine my joy when earlier in the year it was announced The Specials were not only touring but coming to Philadelphia.....even if it was to The Tower.

While I like The Tower I just felt it was the wrong venue for them The Specials are a band you want to be able to "get your skank" on to or at the very least be able to dance/groove to so I'm glad the show got moved to the TLA {Theater Of Living Arts} and judging from the crowds reaction they were happy not  to have pesky seats in the way of their skanking.....or temptation for any skinheads who still think chairs at concerts are for breaking and throwing!!!!!!
Four songs into their set I leaned over to my buddies Eric and John and said"four songs in and no fights....this is great!!!"
W/ no inpending sense of fear that the show would get disrupted by fighting skinheads my only concern was Terry Hall,he looked like he didn't want to be there but I think that's just his demeanor because when he did speak to the audiance he was hysterically funny!
A beach ball w/ The Specials two tone logo found its way on stage from the back of the audiance only to be swiftly removed by a stage hand b4 Terry retrieved it and sent it back into the crowd saying"this is turning dangerously into a MTV Beach Party.....and you know how much I hate fun in any form"!!!!
A while later he mentioned seeing his first Armish person earlier in the day"that's it,I'm quitting this band and I'm getting a horse and a straw hat" he joked
Terry's final wise crack of the evening came during the encore"all I knew about Philadelphia b4 today was that Tom Hanks and Denzeil Washington lived here and they had a big falling out and they weren't speaking to each other......they're still not speaking....oh shit"!!!!never let anyone tell you Terry Hall isn't a funny guy!
My only gripe of the evening was that "Pearl's Cafe" wasn't on the set list,it's not the greatest song The Specials ever sung but it would've been fun to hear them and the crowd sing"it's all a load of bollocks and bollocks to it all" proving not for the first time,or the last time that even after 26 years here you can "take the boy out of South East London but you can't take the South East London out of the boy!!!!"

To round off my 80's Weekend I saw A Flock Of Seagulls at The Trocadero on Sunday night,I'd never seen AFOS back in the day so this was a chance to add them to my ever expanding resume of 80's bands live.
I always felt AFOS devided opinions back in the day,some people liked them,some dismissed them as a "novelty act" and some couldn't get past the hair....A Flock Of Haircuts was a frequent put down associated w/ them way back when,me I always liked them and as for the hair Mike Score was never an 80's artist I wanted to look like but it's nice to see these days we're rocking the same hairstyle.......I went for the shaved look almost elevan years ago so I feel he may be copying me!!
There was some grumbling that this line up of A Flock Of Seagulls is only Mike Score from the original line and three hired musicians but frankly they more than held their own recreating those songs from  1982's "A Flock Of Seagulls" 83's "Listen" 84's '' A Story Of A Young Heart"  and 86's "Dream Come True" albums and two songs off the 95 album"The Light At The End Of The World" by which time it was just Mike from the original foursome.

Following one of the early songs Mike turned to his bassist and joked "we're getting too old for this" but clearly there is still an audiance for this era of music,ok they weren't cramming them into The Troc w/ a shoe horn and a pound of Crisco but it wasn't a "one man and his dog " show either and it speaks volumes for peoples love of the 80's that a band who had their heyday roughly thirty years ago and only has one of it's original members in the line up can still draw an audiance and on a Sunday night no less.
I'll look back on this weekend w/ very fond memories,I still have several more 80's bands to see this year but I doubt there'll be another three shows in three nights not to mention Fridays double header of concert and dance party.