Maine Road, Manchester - Pink Floyd, Simple Minds, Fleetwood Mac, also Transvision Vamp

The title of this post is self explanatory. No catastrophic occurrences during these 3 gigs, just an overview of the events and a look back in time to the performances of these extremely successful bands at Maine Road, Manchester.


First up, Pink Floyd. The year was 1988 and Maine Road was now being used as a stadium concert venue. I attended my first football match here in 1975 and 13 years later it had changed very little, only perhaps more dilapidated. The facilities then compared to the 21st century all seater, no singing, no dancing football grounds were crude to say the least. What, no perfumed hand gels in the toilets? Well for the male toilets at the back of the Kippax Stand you had to wade through a river of urine and God knows what else just to reach the crumbling brick block.What, no Jamie Oliver cuisine? errr...no, have a horse-meat pie and like it!  For football fans of my generation, we didn't know any different and for gigs the facilities were not much different from the match days.

Anyway, on to Pink Floyd. The stage was built at the Platt Lane end of the ground and the band had installed all their usual lights, props, big screens and so on. This was the Momentary Lapse of Reason tour. Roger Waters had departed acrimoniously a few years earlier and, for me, this diluted their set and performance. I hadn't seem them live before but knew that the 3 remaining original members were not the most demonstrative musicians in the world. This didn't concern me at all. However, the addition of 3 female backing singers and several other back up musicians was not to my taste at all. My only other vivid memory of the show itself was all the flying pig props etc flying over the audience and semi impressive lights but it all felt a bit weird and dislocating for me to be stood on the plastic covered hallowed turf in the middle of Moss Side watching what remained of this legendary band. I'd give it 6 out of 10.

Second, we have Fleetwood Mac. This concert was again staged at Maine Road and again in 1988. I quite liked Fleetwood Mac but was more of a fan of their earlier stuff and not so much the pop mainstream Tango in the Night glam 1980s era. Unusually, I attended this show with my sister, Marie. This was the first concert I had ever attended with her but would not quite be the last. I will digress slightly here as 12 months on from this show I went to see Transvision Vamp( I know, sorry) at the International 2, fronted by the blonde minx Wendy James, with some mates. The gig was packed to the rafters on a warm summer evening and I got very drunk indeed before the show. I joined the heaving throng near the stage and ended up ripping my shirt off and seeing out the performance bare chested (look I was 22 and playing football so my body can't have been that bad) and was convinced Wendy was impressed. Anyway, leaving with the packed crowd (still bare chested) I , incredibly, bumped into my sister (she'd left home and was living the student life so I didn't even know she was at the gig). In front of her and her mates I shouted incoherently towards her, undoubtedly looking the complete bare chested balloon. I could hear one of her mates say "who's that?!", to which she replied, "errr, that's my brother".  I think I may have responded with "Whoooaaahhh, Go on! Get in! You know it makes sense!" or some such nonsense.

Anyway, back to Fleetwood Mac. Similarly to Pink Floyd, they were also missing a valuable member, Lindsay Buckingham. He had refused to tour their current album and again the show was diluted for me. The rest of the night was only memorable for the vocal performance of the delightful  ex-cocaine enthusiast Stevie Nicks. 5 out of 10 for this one.

Finally, we move on to August 1991 and another live concert visit to the crumbling old ground to see the Scottish stadium rockers Simple Minds. The audience for this show was markedly different to the other 2 in this post. The Pink Floyd crowd was largely male and older than me at the time, blokes in their 30s and 40s. Fleetwood Mac was more of a mixed affair with men and women of all ages. SM, however, was largely an under 30s crowd of beery lads, of which I was definitely one at the time. I wasn't a massive fan of SM but was familiar with a few of their albums and was told they came into their own in a live show. This proved to be the case. Unlike the aforementioned static 1988 shows this was an audience who wanted to bounce...and bounce a lot. I scrambled down to the front with my associate and joined the heaving masses for the first hour. I have to admit, Jim Kerr and the band were very, very good.  The atmosphere was rowdy but controlled and songs such as Waterfront, Don't You Forget About Me etc were made for performing in front of a stadium audience. Mid set my mate and I took a break and headed over to the Kippax Stand to sit on the terraces where I had stood countless times before. We later joined the masses again to see out the show. Unexpectedly, this had proved to be the most enjoyable night of the three I spent at Maine Road concerts. 9 out of 10 for this one.

 I later turned down the chance to see Oasis here in 1996 .I had seen a rather shambolic performance by them pre-Noel Gallagher in 1993 (see post elsewhere on my blog site) and have never been a fan.
 

Words of Wisdom

2 years ago today I embarked on an inner voyage of discovery with my first blog post, imaginatively entitled "Bonfire Night", a devil's advocate type post on all things Guy Fawkes etc. Since then I have used it to showcase my thoughts and observations in poetic form, together with memories (good and not so good) of my chequered working life and tales of other parts my life to date.

I have found it to be very cathartic and would recommend it to anyone who can find the time and inclination to share a slice of their world with the population at large. Initially, my thoughts were "why would anyone want to read about my sad life?", but then as the views increased (6000 to date), I found the confidence to delve deeper into my psyche and unload my inner thoughts to the general populace.

It would please me greatly if anyone I knew personally did the same as I find one generally only scratches the surface of the multifaceted personality of those around them. I find social media does serve a purpose but is also greatly inhibiting, i.e, how much can you really get out of 140 characters? I also believe that most people have a social media "persona" and very often it gives no indication of what the person is really like in real life. A blog broadens that horizon and, for those who are interested, gives a better understanding of what makes the blogger tick. It's not the be all and end all of course but is a marked improvement on Twitter's "My toe nails need cutting #iamveryboring", "My football team is better than your football team #whocares", "I have just re-arranged my sock draw AND fed my goldfish #givemeanobelprize " and other such yawn-provoking guff.

I wish to thank all who have taken the time to read some of my stuff and nonsense. In today's world the pace of life seems to move faster then ever before with so many distractions using up time, so I do greatly appreciate your readership. Whatever life throws at you, keep your sense of humour and perspective. When times are good, take a second to breathe in the moment to savour later and in times of sorrow call on the people you love and trust. You know it makes sense.

Debs Reunited

Early years spent in Manchester11
I first knew her when I was7
When we were 8 she wrote me a letter
I'd been in hospital, she hoped I was better

Moved on to the same high school
Never hung out together but I knew she was cool
At 16 our paths went separate ways
Good times, bad times, happy and sad days

Decades passsed and I found that letter
Nearly forty years since I first met her
To trace school friends I asked the Evening News
They printed my e-mail, nothing to lose

Mother Malone read my email and called her offspring
An e-mail arrived from the girl who can sing
Re-united again after such a long while
Debs is her name with the winning smile

View From The Working Class

Unseasonably warm at the top of the wood
An azure sky on this Spring day
The lush Lancashire hills vie for attention
Amid the mighty oaks barring their way

An estate of detached houses across a busy road
Where once stood a reservoir to slake folk's thirst
The gated community now perched on this hill
The pampered haves always putting themselves first

Audis and 4x4s driven by suits and dealers
They own the roads in their own corrupt mind
Selfish, arrogant, narcissistic and soul-less
This beautiful view wasted on their kind

Bay horses graze in the middle distance
The sun on their backs, noses in grass
A deep breath taken while savouring this moment
This view expressed from the working class

Search Your Soul

Ten months passed on another year
A chill in the air now Autumn is here
October's leaves lie brown and sodden
Limp and lifeless on paths well trodden

Golds and yellows in rustling trees
Squirrels gathering nuts before the freeze
A time for hibernation as cold winds blow
Many seeking warmth by their fire's orange glow

Melancholy descends as daylight wanes
Reflective thoughts of losses and gains
Comfort in wisdom, once bitten, twice shy
Never too old to learn, to love, to cry

Closed wounds, open eyes, open arms, open mind
Gravitating to those who are affable and kind
Locked doors to happiness, but still aiming to please
Try searching your soul, you will find the keys

Ozzy Osbourne School Speech Gone Awry

During my last year at high school I studied for exams in 7 subjects.
Well, when I say "studied", my 2 years in Technical Drawing classes were largely spent staring into space, throwing paper planes made out of my crap drawings at classmates; wondering why my beloved Manchester City FC  were sliding towards relegation (how times change) and generally not understanding the whole concept of technical drawing.

I mostly enjoyed the English Language classes. I was taught by Mr Cockett (insert your own jokes) and he wasn't a bad old stick. Part of the exam was a spoken word  section where the pupil had to conduct a talk on a subject of their choice in front of the class. My classmates had already read on such life changing topics as Culture Club, the Rubik Cube and microwave ovens

The pupils had 2 attempts at a talk,  mock one then the important one for marks towards the final exam. I decided to go all "junior scientist" for the first one and give a talk on the subjest of eclipses, a more nerdish topic it would have been harder to find.

The comprehensive school bullies were lining up to chin me after that one. My talk on this subject was so boring I fell like beating myself up halfway through it. The feedback I got from my class mates were along the lines of "mate, what was all that shit about?"

I decided my second attempt for the final mark would be on a more interesting subject. However, I over compensated ever so slightly and decided to give a talk on...Ozzy Osbourne!

I kept my plans under wraps until my big day. My research was conducted by reading through copies of  Sounds, NME and Kerrang magazines. Around this time Ozzy had become infamous for various atrocities far too gruesome for a daytime audience so I decided to share them in explicit detail with Mr Cockett and my 15 years old classmates. I was determined to lose the “boring” tag for good.
.
The class reacted with a mixture of laughter, gasps and hands in front of mouths. Undeterred, I continued to the end. As I returned to my seat I glanced behind me to see a speechless looking Mr Cockett taking his place again in front of the class. All he could utter was that he "distanced himself" from the content my talk.

Later,  the feedback I received from the class was a mixture of  stunned admiration, scorn and the odd "well you've f***ed that up haven't you mate". I was marked down on my talk but did pass the overall English Language exam with a "B" mark.

If it wasn't for Ozzy and my own immaturity I may have got my only "A" mark in my exams.  He’s got a lot to answer for that Osbourne!

Rosary Beads Miracle of County Wexford

Most people are interested in mystery. Events that occur with no logical explanation. Well, allow me tell you the true story of the rosary beads miracle of County Wexford in Ireland.

My maternal family roots lie in the rural "sunny south east" of the Emerald Isle. It is a beautiful part of the world, rich in history, rich country air, pleasing landscapes, smells of burning turf and people always ready for the craic. A few years ago something happened here which defied all known reason and is still astounding a local community in it's wonder. 

My mother's cousin (my auntie) and her husband live in County Wexford and are people of devout Roman Catholic faith. They are a delightful, warm and friendly couple. One night a few years ago Mam's cousin used the rosary beads for prayers as usual then retired to bed with her husband and left the beads on a bedside table. This was a routine occurrence. The following morning when they both awoke, the beads were missing from the table. After a short time they noticed the beads were wrapped around the light fitting above the bed.

They both searched their thoughts for an explanation. Neither of them are practical jokers and they were alone in the house when the beads were placed on the bedside table. Nothing disturbed them during the night, the beads were on the table, then when they woke up the same beads were tightly wrapped around the light fitting. Once they had time to think, they left the beads where they were and started to tell a few people what had happened. Unsurprisingly, the locals wanted to see the beads so they have stayed where they are to this day.

A year or so after the event, my mother visited her cousin and during the stay asked to say a few prayers alone in the bedroom with the beads. Nothing life changing happened to her but she has said that she had an unusual spiritual feeling during her prayers. I haven't personally visited the house in question but I have seen photographs and was surprised to see just how tightly wound the beads are with the crucifix at the top.

Earlier this year I spoke on local radio in Manchester about this occurrence and the presenter was mildly flippant with some of his remarks including that it all sounded "a bit Father Ted" and he "wasn't sure I would be happy with a procession of people marching into my bedroom" but I think I got my point across that this was genuine and, so far, no one has found a rational reason how or why this happened.

Delivering

A different time, a long gone era
Duties in providing, duties in delivering
Mouths to feed and children to clothe
Rarely taking, always giving

Delivering bread a source of income
Six days a week, unyielding and relentless
Charming birds from their trees
Another sale, another meal I guess

A man of the people, a respected shop steward
Paid in cash then straight to the table
Working through pain, tragedy and loss
Still delivering, willing and able

A selfless worker, morally steadfast
Even tempered, friends many and loyal
Failure to deliver was never an option
Supporting his family through years of toil

All who knew him still speak of him fondly
The best role model I ever had
Delivering his legacy through those that followed
This was a special man, he was also my Dad

Bay of Naples

Vesuvius soars over the landscape
In it's shadow lies Naples in a bay of paradise
The Amalfi coast, Sorrento and Capri
A vision of beauty with so much to entice

The Italian language lingers in the air
The rhythmic words dance and sing
Olive skin covered in stylish attire
Young and old answer the church bells ring

The finest foods savoured in the bay
The fruits of the land devoured with delight
Warm and friendly, demonstrative greetings
Impossibly romantic on a clear,starry night

Tourists flock to this part of Italy
For history, conviviality, sunshine and cuisine
Passion runs through the veins of it's people
With a graceful aura that's rarely seen

Kindred Spirits

Kindred spirits are rare and few
Making you smile when feeling blue

When shrouded in gloom and needing a lift
Wrapping empathy in a surprise gift

Picking you when feeling down
Providing comfort when wearing a frown

Not to judge or ill advise
Sympathetic, friendly and wise

A shared pain has a healing feeling
A soothing word can stop you reeling

A respectful, caring, considerate friend
Will always be there to the very end