Buxton Gets Hacked to Pieces
Steve Hackett - Buxton Opera House - Tuesday 18th November 2009
So, this was GPM's birthday present and it was a damn fine night indeed. Read on to find out how Steve Hackett kicked my ass from Buxton to next Friday.
So, I'd bought these tickets for Steve Hackett for the Buxton show a few months back as a birthday outing for GPM. I'd originally looked to get tickets for Saturday's show at the Lowry in Salford, but that had sold out and I also (as I found out just after I booked the tickets for Buxton) that I was supposed to be going to see Motorhead on that day, so it was lucky that I didn't double-book. Anyway, the Opera House is a lovely venue and I ws looking forward to going back after last weeks trip there.
I picked up my "date" for the night and we set off with plenty of time since the A6 can be a busy place to drive on a rush hour weekday night. We also needed to get fed before the gig preferebly, so we got ourselves in gear and got gone. The drive turned out to be painless with minimal delays, so we got to Buxton for 7pm, parked up and went to the theatre to find out if there was a support band and all that. As it turns out, the man himself would take the stage at 7.30pm prompt, so there was no time to waste if we wanted food. I wondered if Brad, Jon and company would make it in time, but more of that later. After spending time looking for a chippy and not finding one, we ended up buying some cardboard fries from Kentucky Fried Chicken and rushing back to the gig, getting back with a minute to spare. So we found our seats and settled down as the house lights went off.
The intro tape started and the band strolled on stage to atmospheric lighting and kicked into "Mechanical Bride" and blew the audiences minds with it's King Crimson-esque starty-stoppy phrases and power-house rythyms. It was (in the words of Sally Freedman) as tight as a facelift. On stage at the start were Roger King (keys), Gary O'Toole (Drums / Vocals), Nick Beggs (Bass, Chapman Stick, Vocals, Kilt) and Rob Townshend (Sax, Flutes, Whistles, Vocals) providing the backing to Hackett's guitars and vocals. Also on stage for some numbers for extra guitar and vocals was a lady who's name bloody escapes me now. I think she was called Jo and she certainly could play a mean guitar, especially during the guitar harmony passages with Hackett. As you'd expect with an artist like Hackett, his band were all masters of their instruments.
The chatter from the stage was genial and gently humourous, with Hackett being very willing to make fun of himself and his years of experience in the business. He also said hello to his mum and dad or some family, which was all very lovely. He generally played two songs and then gave us some talk, including details of what he played. It made for a good balance of chat and choons. There wa a lot of interplay between the band members, especially during the improvised sections and they seemed to be having a wonderful time up there. It's always good to see a band playing so well and having such a great time. There was even a laugh when the drummer couldn't set his drum machine correctly and there was silence followed by a forlorn voice from the crowd: "Can we clap yet?" Hackett replied along the lines of "you may as well!"
The first set ran for over an hour and presented a good mix of music from the new album with some choice numbers from the old days like "Everyday" which was excellent with some great vocal harmonies. The dynamics of the band were great and the quiet moments really did shine through alongside the more powerful rocked-up sections. A highlight was an incredible rendition of "Emeralds and Ashes", which was great. So dynamic and powerful. It was at this point that Brad and Co arrived. I saw them slope in and take their seats and felt bad that they'd missed 25 minutes or so of the gig.
At the interval, we grabbed a cornetto (posh ice creams are the new rock and roll) and I introduced GPM to Brad and John and co. It was good to catch up and all that and it was good to get the breath back after the first set, as it was good stuff. We hung around for a while and then headed back in when the interval bell went again. When we sat back down, it seemed a bit more cramped up since the people who had arrived late could take their proper seats. The gig wasn't a sell out, but there was a great atmosphere and still relaxed, even if we did have more people around us at this point.
The second half of the gig leant more towards the Genesis era of Hackett's repetoire. We got some excellent songs here including personal favourites "Firth of Fifth" (with some great sax playing certain guitar lines) and a storming set closer of "Los Endos", which sounded very reserved, yet utterly powerful, unlike renditions on the Genesis live albums where the two drummer approach makes it a bit of a blaster. We also got a great "Blood on the Rooftops" and a bit of "Lamb Lies Down..." medley. The drummer took lead vocals on most of those songs and did a cracking job at singing with a voice which sounded a bit Jon Wetton as well as Peter Gabriel at times.
There was also the obligatory acoustic set which included "Horizons" naturally. Just to watch him pick those notes out of the air was a joy. It all sounded great and provided a nice break in pace and in volume for a while. There was also a Chapman Stick solo from Beggs after the "Lamb..." medley, which was great and incredibly expressive.
The second set went far too fast as it drew to a close. A rousing blues jam through "Still Water" led into the closing "Los Endos" and before we knew it, the band were taking their bows and leaving the stage. Needless to say, there was lots of clapping for an encore, which happened reasonably quickly. We got "Clocks" which included a rather late drum solo, which was all good fun, but could have been earlier. The break for a swig of water whilst knocking out some double-bass riffs was pretty good though :)
...And then it was over, I'm afraid. It all finished at 10:15pm. We got a great two hour plus show with some excellent music and brilliant playing. It was one of my favourite gigs of the year, definately. We filed out for a chat and to buy a CD or two. I got the new one which was a very reasonable £13. I'd "borrowed" it from the internet and was looking forward to paying for it as it's a great bit of work. We bid our farewells to Brad and co and we waited for Mr Hackett to come out and sign our CDs and to say thanks for a great show. He came out and made sure everyone got seen to and in return everyone seemed very respectful and patient back. We waited our turn and said thanks and I got a pic of him with GPM. He seemed like a nice bloke, even if he did look knackered. Fair play :)
We then drifted out and went for a rather splendid curry next door to the theatre before leaving to drive back to Stockport. It was a top night and I would definately go to another Hackett show, especially if were at Buxton. Buxton is the new home of Progressive Rock, it seems!
Set List
This is cobbled together a bit from memory and the internet and I'm not sure if it's 100%, but it's definately on the right lines. If anyone wants to correct me, they are welcome!
- Mecanical Bride
- Fire on the Moon
- Everyday
- Emerald and Ash
- Ghost in a Glass
- Steppes
- Slogans
- Serpentine
- Spectral Morning
- Ace of Wands
- Firth of Fifth
- Walking Away From the Rainbow
- Classical Interlude
- Horizons
- Blood on the Rooftops
- Fly on a Windshield
- Broadway Melody of 1974
- Sleepers
- Nick Beggs Chapman Stick Solo
- Still Waters
- Los Endos
- Clocks (including drum solo) (Encore)
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