Do you have a favorite EC concert?

Pretty self-explanatory
Ulster Boy
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Re: Do you have a favorite EC concert?

Post by Ulster Boy »

sulky lad wrote:
Ulster Boy wrote:First night of the residency at the Royalty Theatre London 1986.
First time I’d travelled outside Ireland to see EC & the A’s. Intimate venue. Stellar set, all but one track from Blood and Chocolate played and a 1-2-3-4 encore punch, then the stroboscopic unsettling closer of Poor Napoleon/Instant Karma. The fight during Watching the detectives. And years later stumbling across the This is Tomorrow bootleg.

The next two nights were brilliant too, first EC solo experience and the spinning songbook.
Was it you asking for your money back at the second night ? :wink:
I sat next to an Irishman on that night and he shouted loudly " Kick the fecker out!!" when the prat said (in a posh English accent " I think you would expect to be misunderstood if the show isn't as advertised with The Attractions " ( or words to that effect!) And Elvis had to ask someone from his entourage to provide the cash to give the miserable git ( who only complained three quarters of the way through the concert ) his money back :roll:
Not guilty! I remember that too, after EC gave the guy his money he told him to get the feck out. What was it, the wonderful world of travel or something? I remember the slide show.
bronxapostle
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Re: Do you have a favorite EC concert?

Post by bronxapostle »

THE WORLD OF TRAVEL was indeed WONDERFUL! though, i don't think it was titled as such. i could be wrong! :wink:
Ulster Boy
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Re: Do you have a favorite EC concert?

Post by Ulster Boy »

bronxapostle wrote:THE WORLD OF TRAVEL was indeed WONDERFUL! though, i don't think it was titled as such. i could be wrong! :wink:
I think you’re right. Certainly, in London he started the show by announcing “welcome to the world of travel” before breaking into some off Mic snippets of I got the world on a string...
Judge Holden
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Re: Do you have a favorite EC concert?

Post by Judge Holden »

My favourite EC concert was organised in little more than a day or two - a benefit show for the National Union of Seamen in Aberdeen's Music Hall in the spring of 1988.
The performers had all played at that year's Shetland Folk Festival but were marooned off of mainland Scotland due to a strike by ferry staff. A deal was struck whereby the musicians agreed to play a one-off benefit for the striking workers if they were ferried to Aberdeen in the NE coast of Scotland. A friend of mine (later guitarist in Britpop-era band, Geneva) callled the morning of the show & told me that he and others had received a bunch of tickets given to the National Union of Students (NUS) probably intended for the National Union of Seamen (NUS). A 2-hour bus journey up the coast & I was there.
Elvis played last, on the same bill as the likes of fiddler, Ally Bain. A solo show, it was the first I'd heard of songs which would appear on Spike the following year - This Town, Dangle, Tramp & Last Boat Leaving. The album always suffered as a result for me: the solo renditions always had much more power.
Apparently, this was over 32 years ago, but I'm not sure I believe that.
sheeptotheslaughter
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Re: Do you have a favorite EC concert?

Post by sheeptotheslaughter »

Ulster Boy wrote:
sulky lad wrote:
Ulster Boy wrote:First night of the residency at the Royalty Theatre London 1986.
First time I’d travelled outside Ireland to see EC & the A’s. Intimate venue. Stellar set, all but one track from Blood and Chocolate played and a 1-2-3-4 encore punch, then the stroboscopic unsettling closer of Poor Napoleon/Instant Karma. The fight during Watching the detectives. And years later stumbling across the This is Tomorrow bootleg.

The next two nights were brilliant too, first EC solo experience and the spinning songbook.
Was it you asking for your money back at the second night ? :wink:
I sat next to an Irishman on that night and he shouted loudly " Kick the fecker out!!" when the prat said (in a posh English accent " I think you would expect to be misunderstood if the show isn't as advertised with The Attractions " ( or words to that effect!) And Elvis had to ask someone from his entourage to provide the cash to give the miserable git ( who only complained three quarters of the way through the concert ) his money back :roll:
Not guilty! I remember that too, after EC gave the guy his money he told him to get the feck out. What was it, the wonderful world of travel or something? I remember the slide show.
I was at this show. I must admit I was disappointed that I went to only one show and got the solo show having never seen the spining songbook. But I wouldnt having shouted out for my money back. Not saying the gig wasnt good I just wished I had seen the spinning songbook. I was certainly one that sticks in the memory.
sheeptotheslaughter
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Re: Do you have a favorite EC concert?

Post by sheeptotheslaughter »

Mrs Sheep's favourite gig is the Tower of London with Allen Toussaint
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buzz
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Re: Do you have a favorite EC concert?

Post by buzz »

I was sharing some memories with another forum member about the gig at Hemel Hempstead Pavilion 40 years ago tonight. It was only my 3rd Elvis gig after seeing two lacklustre performances in Birmingham, one only days earlier where he had gone through the motions, one encore and off. Now more than 70 gigs later the memory of Hemel still rocks in my mind and from that night I realised what a stunning performer he could be. It was unexpected too as it was by chance I was there having been offered a spare ticket the day before by acquaintances and we drove down from Northampton. I had no geographical idea where I was, other than it was south. So my hopes were not that high but maybe Hemel locals were starved of such gigs because the standing crowd were feral from the get-go and Elvis duly responded with a stunning full throttle performance. This was 1981 and gigs could be dangerous places. I remember the mayhem close to the stage and how Elvis would respond and demand more from the punters. He tore through the set and there were something like 4 encores as he kept coming back holding his finger up for "1 more" and succeeded in playing cover songs I did not know then but must have been the uptempo numbers from the soon-to-be Almost Blue. And yet in all this mayhem there was still hushed appreciation for One Day I'll Fly Away as the crowd was lulled and appreciative. It felt the show would go on and on and the hot and sweaty crowd left with a buzz. It is odd that I now know Hemel a little better and I can't match the culturally sleepy place it is now with that night of pure energy and elation.
sulky lad
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Re: Do you have a favorite EC concert?

Post by sulky lad »

buzz wrote:I was sharing some memories with another forum member about the gig at Hemel Hempstead Pavilion 40 years ago tonight. It was only my 3rd Elvis gig after seeing two lacklustre performances in Birmingham, one only days earlier where he had gone through the motions, one encore and off. Now more than 70 gigs later the memory of Hemel still rocks in my mind and from that night I realised what a stunning performer he could be. It was unexpected too as it was by chance I was there having been offered a spare ticket the day before by acquaintances and we drove down from Northampton. I had no geographical idea where I was, other than it was south. So my hopes were not that high but maybe Hemel locals were starved of such gigs because the standing crowd were feral from the get-go and Elvis duly responded with a stunning full throttle performance. This was 1981 and gigs could be dangerous places. I remember the mayhem close to the stage and how Elvis would respond and demand more from the punters. He tore through the set and there were something like 4 encores as he kept coming back holding his finger up for "1 more" and succeeded in playing cover songs I did not know then but must have been the uptempo numbers from the soon-to-be Almost Blue. And yet in all this mayhem there was still hushed appreciation for One Day I'll Fly Away as the crowd was lulled and appreciative. It felt the show would go on and on and the hot and sweaty crowd left with a buzz. It is odd that I now know Hemel a little better and I can't match the culturally sleepy place it is now with that night of pure energy and elation.
Brilliant, thanks so much for this reminiscence !
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verbal gymnastics
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Re: Do you have a favorite EC concert?

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Thanks Buzz. This was also a good opportunity to reread this thread.
sheeptotheslaughter wrote:Mrs Sheep's favourite gig is the Tower of London with Allen Toussaint
As I’ve told sheep, this was one of my least favourite gigs although the forum meet up made it a great day.
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
Arbogast
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Re: Do you have a favorite EC concert?

Post by Arbogast »

Man, I'd be hard pressed to pick just one. A few that stood out:

2/1/81: Night Two of English Mugs Tour, w/Attractions, Palladium, NYC
9/12/82: Oxford Apollo Theatre w/Attractions
12/24/82: Royal Albert Hall, London w/Attractions
8/10/83: Pier 84, NYC w/Attractions
10/86: All of the Costello on Broadway shows w/Attractions/Confederates, NYC
10/18/98: Sessions at West 54th St. taping w/B. Bachrach, NYC
4/18/02: Bowery Ballroom, NYC, w/Imposters (Private show)
7/19/05: Central Park Summerstage w/Imposters and Emmylou Harris, NYC
5/24/11: Night 3 of Spinning Songbook, Beacon Theatre, NYC
6/25/14: Solo @ Carnegie Hall, NYC
sulky lad
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Re: Do you have a favorite EC concert?

Post by sulky lad »

Arbogast wrote:Man, I'd be hard pressed to pick just one. A few that stood out:

2/1/81: Night Two of English Mugs Tour, w/Attractions, Palladium, NYC
9/12/82: Oxford Apollo Theatre w/Attractions
12/24/82: Royal Albert Hall, London w/Attractions
8/10/83: Pier 84, NYC w/Attractions
10/86: All of the Costello on Broadway shows w/Attractions/Confederates, NYC
10/18/98: Sessions at West 54th St. taping w/B. Bachrach, NYC
4/18/02: Bowery Ballroom, NYC, w/Imposters (Private show)
7/19/05: Central Park Summerstage w/Imposters and Emmylou Harris, NYC
5/24/11: Night 3 of Spinning Songbook, Beacon Theatre, NYC
6/25/14: Solo @ Carnegie Hall, NYC
Wow, what an awesome series of gigs to have attended -lucky you!
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