well, that's another yellow brick road followed all the way to the end. of all the ones wandered, this must surely be the longest (outside of life, look you see) to travel, for it has taken (more or less) 41 years to get to the end. and, at the end, was seeing no less than Adam Ant, live and in concert. eventually.
this was supposed to be my first and only actually planned gig of the year, 2022. i procured the tickets last May, with a view to the concert happening in the latter stages (or business end) of February. about a week or so before then, however, it got postponed due to "illness". not a problem, the new date was set for a most pivotal one in June. and then that got postponed, on the day. arranged once more it was, then, on a date which is somewhat notable for the French.
in the mean time, i went to a first, a second and indeed a third gig of the year. here we are, then, at number four (4) for the year. yes, i had doubts it would actually, really go ahead, all the way up to the distinct drums of Antmusic kicked in.
oh yes, front row tickets. whereas not quite so dramatic as certain other previous ticket acquisitions, where and when i might have temporarily closed down (ahem) an entire division of a corporate banking concern to see four lads off of Madchester (rave on), i did take the liberty of a late start to verk one morning, so as to be in front of a laptop to purchase tickets for this one. yes, temptations and offers to exchange the tickets i had for a voucher for other shows when they kept postponing this one came my way, but i was reluctant to give up front row seats for he who(m) was very much my first pop music idol.
eight, nine or maybe as young as seven i could well have been when i became infected by the ways and charms of the ant invasion. by that point (or stage) my musical tastes were mostly records off of The Wombles, whatever Mum & Dad listened to (good stuff) or what bits i caught a glimpse of on the tele. perhaps i am mistaken, but i doubt so, but i believe it was Adam & The Ants, and shortly thereafter just Adam Ant, that saw me branch off and detour on my "own" musical passion. certainly, i recall Dad was none too fond of having the Prince Charming tape in the car. and so yeah, it has taken some 41 years to get to see him. i believe that i could have seen him sooner, but we shall get to that. or i will, you too should you keep reading.
after such a wait, and then an extended wait, was it all worth it, or was Adam Ant any good? yes. whilst or whereas Adam Ant is eloquent, well spoken and educated and so would frown on such language, but indeed f*** yeah he was f*****g brilliant, thank you.
does one get what they might expect off of an Adam Ant gig? most decidedly yes has to be the answer here, no matter what it is you wanted. so far as i can recall, or could work out, the only "big" hit not to get played was Ant Rap. not sure if he has ever done it live, to be honest. i suspect not, for i dare say singing "from the naughty north to the sexy south" live, whilst keeping a straight face, would be rather tricky. even for someone as immensely talented as he.
for the more hardcore fans, well, there were plenty of more "obscure" numbers. i was, for a start, quite pleased and very impressed by the number of pre-mega (uber) fame Dirk Wears White Sox songs included. also a few (i think they are, i do not have my vinyl to check at hand) much loved b-sides and album only tracks, notably B-Side Baby and Alien.
signs were up all over, saying that video recording was prohibited. i elected to abide by this for the start, but then everyone else was doing so. mostly for friends and family around the world (in particular my dear brother, who specifically asked) i took some clips. alas, front row means right next to the speakers, which means awful distorted sound, but here you go. how about a nice bit of Prince Charming.
one abiding memory (besides being in awe of seeing a hero i have loved for 41 years, live, in the flesh and right in f*****g front of me) of the gig shall be how Adam interacted with the audience. well, actually or how he did not. sure, he was quite talkative, giving a few stories in front of songs (in particular the really early ones from his career), but in no way responding. there were many cheers of Adam we love you, and a few (breaking the idea it was supposed to be a seated performance) tried to reach out to touch him, but no. glass wall, if you will. this is absolutely fine, in fact a bit refreshing. he is, i would like to think, "old school". you, the audience, are there to see him, to hear him sing, to watch him dance and perform. not to chat with a select few. nice one.
momentarily i shall pause to raise applause for the support act, Laurie Black. other than the fact she had a boss drum machine and synth thing on the go, no, i wasn't really won over as a fan of her music. but man, i think she's wonderful. oozing with confidence and a clear talent meant for a different demographic than i am in, she's ace, she is. very much imbued in that 70s sense of what they hey punk, but quite grounded in the modern world.
since Laurie Black at one stage called upon people to take pictures and video, here you go, image above, bit of (quite poor) video below. better of both (you would hope) are available over on her offcial website thing, which can be found by clicking here.
being frank, honest and nearly (but not quite) as frank as Ms Black, i am really not sure she's my cup of tea. rather too many songs about space tampons, if we are being honest. then again, as and when payday rolls gleefully around, i may well purchase one of her tapes (CDs) off of her site, for my choice would be to support, not throw scorn.
right, back to Adam Ant then. one thing what i have always loved about Adam Ant (or his music) is that he really, really loves drums. i mean, two drummers in the band, and when the one guitarist and the bass player are not playing their usual instrument they are expected to bang on some massive drums. and it's excellent, man, really awesome. other than the opening track, the "as many drums as possible" made a song like, say, Kings Of The Wild Frontier sound all the more intimidating and thus awesome.
yes, i probably (certainly) have uploaded more pics than i would have text for, so here we are. other than Adam Ant, the only other musical concern i can think of what subscribed to the belief of as many drums as possible was (were) Sigue Sigue Sputnik. and they were awesome too, but no i have not seen them and presumably never shall. not so of Adam, now.
now, then, the journey down this yellow brick road. i believe, and this is in accepting my very much wonky logic and sometimes unusual outlook on the world, that i should have seen Adam Ant, live and in concert (in person), 41 years ago. whilst residing in Australia (g'day) it was so that Uncle Colin came to see us. and whilst doing so he went and saw Adam Ant, without me. i was heartbroken. and remained so, all these years.
sure, yes, of course, i was far too young, and he went and saw him in Perth, whilst i was in Sydney, which is a bit of a distance. but still, you know, man, a plan could have been made.
absolutely no hesitation, then, in inviting Uncle Colin to go and see this gig with me, as pictured above. made a nice sort of bookend to it all, really, as us literature students are so ardently prone to do. quite a shame that neither of the first proposed dates for the gig went ahead, as Colin had two knees in those instances. for this third, the one that happened, not so much, but there you go.
unless i am really quite mistaken, or wedding bands count, this was the first gig i had been to with Uncle Colin in thirty five and one half years. wow. the previous was a band called Frankie Goes To Hollywood, of who(m) you may have heard. should you have any interest, have a look at virtually any post i gone done here on January 10 of most years. perhaps we shall go to one again a bit sooner.
bit more video for you there above. sorry for the distorted sound, but also no, i am absolutely not sorry for being that close to the stage and (subsequently or consequentially) the speakers. for those wary of clicking on, a bit of Stand And Deliver for you, the people. ant music for sex people indeed.
quite surprised i did not turn into a blubbering, pre-teenage, crying my eyes out wreck when Adam Ant came on stage. certainly i was excited, but after all the postponements i suppose my sense was relief that it was accomplished, at last i was really seeing him. perhaps i have become complacent, going to as many gigs as i have, seeing as many musicians as i have loved. but then Adam shall forever have a special place in my heart. whatever the reason for me being well behaved and in control of my emotions, i think we can rule out it me being all mature and sophisticated. possibly.
my heart, or some form of instinct, tells me that no, i shall probably not get a further chance to see Adam Ant once more. i hope i am wrong here, for if there was another gig then yes, probably, i would get tickets and go. and so, of course, say to you dear reader, if there is an opportunity for you to see him then see him. let me be so, though, for a little peace in me has been brought by this.
hadiddlyquaqua, hadiddlyquaqua, hadiddlyquaqua.
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