it was, to be sure, the reunion that was never, ever going to happen. no one believed it could be possible. i certainly didn't, as you can see in posts i made leading up to the reunion press conference late in 2011. no, i haven't gone and deleted them in a cowardly way. never have i been so delighted to be wrong.
then, look you see, it did happen. theoretically it still is happening. the title of this post is a comment which some have interpreted as them saying no, it's not any more, but time will tell.
indeed yes, today is the day which marks the 5th anniversary of us seeing The Stone Roses at Heaton Park, Manchester. or if you like, five years ago today we saw The Stone Roses at Heaton Park, Manchester, with that day being 1 July 2012. in the AD sense of the year.
above, somewhat controversially in what my phone assures me is ZX Spectrum mode, is the new physical music we have had from The Stone Roses since then. yes, all two songs across three formats. they would be, for the sake of clarity, the CD single and 7" of All For One, along with the 12" single of Beautiful Thing. is more ever to come?
even though the reunion happened there were those who said that it would not or perhaps could not last. the exceedingly witty website the Daily Mash reported on the news as The Stone Roses announcing a series of concert cancellations. Reni at the press conference confessed he could not see it lasting "beyond 18 months". and just days before the big weekend at Heaton Park Reni was at the centre of an incident at a gig which many thought was a sign that the wheels were falling off it all before it had got very far.
but then it all happened. and yet there's a question over whether or not it is happening now.
there are not all that many images i haven't shared of Heaton Park here on this blog already, dear reader. the above, taken early in the day, is one of the few i am confident i've not showcased before. for the full on review and other images you could always click here, or indeed even here. happy looking and reading if you do indeed do that. oh yeah and here too.
for the most part i took pictures with one of them disposable camera things, as in an actual camera. mobile phones with cameras welded on were still a relative novelty way back then. the quality of images off of them was not all that great, so a disposable camera seemed like the best idea.
them mobile phones from them were, however, fairly useful for taking some brief, rudimentary video. as in they were easier to use for such than a camcorder. whilst i am fairly sure i have shared some of the video which my (considerably) better half took on that day i am not certain that the two clips i am putting here have. so here you go, some Waterfall sung mostly by the band but also a lot by a very, very enthusiastic crowd.
again, as i say in virtually all posts here which feature video, i appreciate that many of you - mostly on phones or tablets - struggle to play video. sorry for that, try it on a PC if you are interested. should you be able to see and hear it, so much the better.
on, then, to another picture early in the day that day. which was five years ago today, give or take, allowing for a leap year in between.
i do seem to have something of a thing for marking the anniversary of spectacular concerts here on this blog. for some reason, however, in this instance i am not sure that i have anything more to say that i have not said over the last five years. several blog posts have been written, and surely i have told all that can be. you are welcome to browse around this blog and see, or otherwise just enjoy this. or move on to another corner of the internet.
now i would be all but certain that this next picture is on another post somewhere, but what the heck. my (considerably) better half and i along with two exceedingly dear and special friends who came along with us to it all. for they love The Stone Roses as much as we. and as do you, presumably, should you have read all this far in.
so is it all over now, five years on and after five gigs this year by The Stone Roses? NME seem keen to suggest that it is by an interpretation of the title of this post. for them Ian Brown saying "don't be sad it's over, be happy that it happened" at the end of the fifth of those five gigs is a cryptic hint that they're going separate ways once more.
well, maybe. also it just sounds kind of like an awesome way to say cheerio at the end of a gig, doesn't it? quite a few who were at the gig - in Glasgow - have said that it didn't sound like a final farewell at all, and just them bringing an end to a fantastic night.
some more video from Heaton Park, 1 July 2012? i can think of no pressing or particular reason not to add more. here you go, one of the more 'obscure' songs i guess, with a snippet of Something's Burning for your appreciation.
there is a saying about how there is only so long you can "get away with selling the same thing to people". well that's five years of The Stone Roses pretty much "selling" the debut album and a smattering of other songs to people. and selling very well. and selling to an exceptionally appreciative, happy audience.
but, you know, further music beyond the two singles of 2016 would be nice and might be required if they are to carry on. it's important to remember that the consequence of this all was that Ian Brown "parked" his solo career, with no new music from him since 2009's My Way album. another cost was Mani leaving Primal Scream, with Bobby Gillespie indicating that there was no way back.
us being there on 1 July 2012 meant that we were in the crowd what got to see Plan B as one of the support act. yes, the Friday and Saturday gigs got the more glamorous support acts, but you know what - we were all there for the main act. except some people who were stood near us, who seemed to intend to leave Heaton Park after they'd seen Plan B. go figure.
so yeah, then, that's Plan B on stage, as i think you can sort of somewhat make out from the screens on the side of the stage. and if you can make yourself out in the crowd in this, or any other, picture then that would be amazing. a beautiful thing, if you like.
are The Stone Roses splitting up again? will they be releasing a new album? at the time of writing i know not. for the most part people seem to think any and all future released by The Stone Roses shall be limited to various anniversary editions of the celebrated debut album.
but still, you know. every year i plod on the hope that it shall be the year that, around October or November, they announce that Christmas with The Stone Roses will be released. that would be smart. doing a Christmas album, after all, did no harm for Neil Diamond, Barbs, The King, Elvis Presley, Rod Stewart or Bob Dylan. that's the kind of record that banks royalties every year.
well then there we have it, another set of memories ticked off as being remembered, honoured and treasured. nice one if the band are sat around today saying "hey, it was five years ago today what Lee came and saw us do a gig", but strangely i suspect this to be unlikely.
and so off i go, to either contemplate the past or consider the future.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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