"I feel neglected, feel rejected, livin' in the wrong time." -- The Moon Upstairs (1971)
I found this video of MTH playing "The Moon Upstairs" in 1971 in Paris. A performance like this would blow the roof off at the Hammersmith.
The stage layout, with Buffin front and center, also struck me. I'd heard MTH did this in the early days. They sure weren't doing it in 1974, when I saw them. How strange it is on the video to see Mick and Pete moving behind Buffin at times. It's also odd to see IH and his keyboards on the left side after so many years recently seeing him on the right.
And how about that Maltese Cross?
It's making me think about whose side of the stage I'll be sitting on in October. I wish I'd found this seating chart before I went online at 3 a.m. those January mornings.
I guess I've got bad seats.
The first one I bought was Stalls D1 for Saturday. According to the chart, it's in the red zone, so there's something wrong with it. When it popped up I grabbed it, figuring fourth row couldn't be so bad. I should have tried a few times for a better spot, but I was panicky, thinking all the seats were being eaten up. Hey, that's how it is for Penguins games. Next I got G45 for Friday. It's in the red zone too.
I was luckier the next week for the Thursday show -- A7. Still, it's in the white zone. I don't have any green zone seats. But my Thursday purchase is a Golden Ticket, so I'm supposed to get some bonuses with it. I think they were saying a signed lithograph of the band and a T-shirt. I haven't seen this mentioned one time since the sale, but believe me -- I haven't forgotten.
I think I paid about 80 pounds for this -- $130 or so. Did you see what Kiss is getting for premium seats for their fall tour -- $998 apiece in Dallas! I'd like to meet the person who'd pay that.
I've got two aisles seats out of three. That's good. I think.
This page breaks it down really well:
It gives me an edge over everyone else from the U.S. I alone know where the men's room is.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Day 30: What's on the setlist?
"I've got an idea, go tell the superstar his hairs are turning gray." -- Hymn for the Dudes (1973)
Ian Hunter's remark on Rockline last month that 21 songs are on a rehearsal list for the MTH reunion shows is a good starting point to discuss a setlist.
Some of those 21 will be thrown out if the band isn't satisfied with how they sound. Others will be added once everyone gets face-to-face. And some will be paired in medleys, maybe opening space for others.
But what's a realistic 21-song list?
I don't know how much politics will go into this, but I'm going to guess the following:
1- Mick Ralphs, Verden Allen and Pete Watts will get chances to sing lead. And I hope they don't pass it up. It's not in the spirit of this event for Ian Hunter to sing every song. Let's make it a party. We're all going to be singing anyway.
2- I think the Mott album will get more than a token representation, despite what others making projections say. A few of those songs are essential, and in any case four of the five members played on them. Even Allen played on some, or was it just one? I'll be disappointed if this turns into, "Phally didn't play on it, so it's out." Oh, and Allen's song in the spotlight? Please, not "Soft Ground."
3- I don't expect to hear much of The Hoople.
4- We won't hear many of the quasi-MTH songs that are really Hunter solo songs -- the "Rose" subset. If there's going to be any -- I'll bet the list starts with "Seadiver."
5- The opener (coming out of "Jupiter") will be a group-written song from the first five albums. Those suggesting "Ohio" or "Golden Age" -- fuhgetaboudit.
6- We're going to hear a big hit early to get it out of the way.
7- "Violence" made waves the last time the band played the Hammy-A (then the Hammy-O) so what about that?
8- Joe Elliott name-checking "The Original Mixed-Up Kid" at the MOJO awards raises that song's chances.
So here's my prediction. These aren't the top 21 I want to hear, they are my best guess as to what will happen. I don't count "Jupiter" in my total, and as I project two medleys I cheated and ran the list to 22.
Jupiter
Rock N Roll Queen
One of the Boys
All the Way From Memphis
Drivin Sister
The Original Mixed-Up Kid
Thunderbuck Ram
Nightmare
No Wheels to Ride
Born Late 58
Hymn for the Dudes
Laugh at Me
Seadiver
Jerkin Crocus/Roll Away the Stone
The Moon Upstairs
ENCORE I
Angeline
You Are One of Us/The Saturday Gigs
All the Young Dudes
ENCORE II
Ballad of Mott the Hoople
Walkin With a Mountain
Keep A-Knockin
What do you think?
Ian Hunter's remark on Rockline last month that 21 songs are on a rehearsal list for the MTH reunion shows is a good starting point to discuss a setlist.
Some of those 21 will be thrown out if the band isn't satisfied with how they sound. Others will be added once everyone gets face-to-face. And some will be paired in medleys, maybe opening space for others.
But what's a realistic 21-song list?
I don't know how much politics will go into this, but I'm going to guess the following:
1- Mick Ralphs, Verden Allen and Pete Watts will get chances to sing lead. And I hope they don't pass it up. It's not in the spirit of this event for Ian Hunter to sing every song. Let's make it a party. We're all going to be singing anyway.
2- I think the Mott album will get more than a token representation, despite what others making projections say. A few of those songs are essential, and in any case four of the five members played on them. Even Allen played on some, or was it just one? I'll be disappointed if this turns into, "Phally didn't play on it, so it's out." Oh, and Allen's song in the spotlight? Please, not "Soft Ground."
3- I don't expect to hear much of The Hoople.
4- We won't hear many of the quasi-MTH songs that are really Hunter solo songs -- the "Rose" subset. If there's going to be any -- I'll bet the list starts with "Seadiver."
5- The opener (coming out of "Jupiter") will be a group-written song from the first five albums. Those suggesting "Ohio" or "Golden Age" -- fuhgetaboudit.
6- We're going to hear a big hit early to get it out of the way.
7- "Violence" made waves the last time the band played the Hammy-A (then the Hammy-O) so what about that?
8- Joe Elliott name-checking "The Original Mixed-Up Kid" at the MOJO awards raises that song's chances.
So here's my prediction. These aren't the top 21 I want to hear, they are my best guess as to what will happen. I don't count "Jupiter" in my total, and as I project two medleys I cheated and ran the list to 22.
Jupiter
Rock N Roll Queen
One of the Boys
All the Way From Memphis
Drivin Sister
The Original Mixed-Up Kid
Thunderbuck Ram
Nightmare
No Wheels to Ride
Born Late 58
Hymn for the Dudes
Laugh at Me
Seadiver
Jerkin Crocus/Roll Away the Stone
The Moon Upstairs
ENCORE I
Angeline
You Are One of Us/The Saturday Gigs
All the Young Dudes
ENCORE II
Ballad of Mott the Hoople
Walkin With a Mountain
Keep A-Knockin
What do you think?
Monday, August 31, 2009
Day 31: Let's try this again
"Hi there, your friendly neighborhood sadist wants to take you for a ride. -- Sucker (1972)"
OK, so the hundred posts over a hundred days was too ambitious. But there's still time to do this right.
September begins tomorrow, and that's a good pretext to begin the MTH Reunion countdown in earnest. I'm excited now. For real, and moreso each day. So I'll have a post every day in September, and that will take us to the shows. I'll be faithful this time. I promise.
Tomorrow we'll kick around the set list.
I depart for Europe on Sept. 26. I'm spending a few days in Ireland, then a quick stop in London and a day in Paris, then back to London. That will take me to the Wednesday night gathering, and then the shows. I'm coming home Oct. 4, so the last two shows will go on without me.
I'm also missing Monmouth. It was scheduled after my plans were finalized. That's the way it goes, but I plan to avoid reading any accounts of this show.
I'm wondering about Martin Chambers. I've heard the MTH rehearsals have begun, but the Pretenders are in California through next weekend. Not sure what the deal is there. I'm going to do a post on Martin down the road.
Suggestions for topics are welcome.
OK, so the hundred posts over a hundred days was too ambitious. But there's still time to do this right.
September begins tomorrow, and that's a good pretext to begin the MTH Reunion countdown in earnest. I'm excited now. For real, and moreso each day. So I'll have a post every day in September, and that will take us to the shows. I'll be faithful this time. I promise.
Tomorrow we'll kick around the set list.
I depart for Europe on Sept. 26. I'm spending a few days in Ireland, then a quick stop in London and a day in Paris, then back to London. That will take me to the Wednesday night gathering, and then the shows. I'm coming home Oct. 4, so the last two shows will go on without me.
I'm also missing Monmouth. It was scheduled after my plans were finalized. That's the way it goes, but I plan to avoid reading any accounts of this show.
I'm wondering about Martin Chambers. I've heard the MTH rehearsals have begun, but the Pretenders are in California through next weekend. Not sure what the deal is there. I'm going to do a post on Martin down the road.
Suggestions for topics are welcome.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
New York last night
How was the show?
I understand three songs from Man Overboard were performed. What did you think of them? What was the crowd's response?
Was there any talk of firm dates for August?
I understand three songs from Man Overboard were performed. What did you think of them? What was the crowd's response?
Was there any talk of firm dates for August?
Day 98: Who'll support?
"Well I grow my hair just to scare the teacher
My goodness gracious me ain't little Johnny a creature."-- One of the Boys (1972)
The only time I saw Mott the Hoople perform was the first time I saw a support band run afoul of the audience.
It was May 21, 1974 at the Auditorium in Chicago, two weeks after the first Uris Theatre show on Broadway. And the support band was Que ... no. It was Kansas.
People came that night expecting to see Queen, who had begun the tour. But this was the pre-Internet Stone Age; no one knew Brian May had fallen ill and Queen wasn't performing. I can still hear the excitement when the lights went down stopped cold when the voice said, "Good evening. We're Kansas."
Wait ... who?
Kansas was up-and-coming then, riding its first album, but it was a poor match for a MTH show and an unwelcome substitute for Queen. The band sensed it wasn't going over with its first few songs. Finally, the singer -- was it Kerry Livgren? -- said, "If I knew we were replacing Queen, I'd have worn my sequined underwear."
That did it. The crowd was hostile for the rest of the set. It was the worst reception I saw a support band get until the night I saw Brownsville Station driven from the stage while trying to open for ZZ Top.
I guess we can scratch Kansas as a possible opener for MTH's reunion shows at Hammersmith. But who should it be?
A nice thing about Ian Hunter's solo shows the last few years has been the quality of support band. In 2007, the Charms opened in California, the Silos in New York and Jesse Malin in the UK -- all worth hearing. I bought two Jesse Malin CDs on the strength of hearing him at Shepherds Bush.
I would love to see Jesse open these shows.
What are your thoughts? Who'd be the right choice to open the shows?
My goodness gracious me ain't little Johnny a creature."-- One of the Boys (1972)
The only time I saw Mott the Hoople perform was the first time I saw a support band run afoul of the audience.
It was May 21, 1974 at the Auditorium in Chicago, two weeks after the first Uris Theatre show on Broadway. And the support band was Que ... no. It was Kansas.
People came that night expecting to see Queen, who had begun the tour. But this was the pre-Internet Stone Age; no one knew Brian May had fallen ill and Queen wasn't performing. I can still hear the excitement when the lights went down stopped cold when the voice said, "Good evening. We're Kansas."
Wait ... who?
Kansas was up-and-coming then, riding its first album, but it was a poor match for a MTH show and an unwelcome substitute for Queen. The band sensed it wasn't going over with its first few songs. Finally, the singer -- was it Kerry Livgren? -- said, "If I knew we were replacing Queen, I'd have worn my sequined underwear."
That did it. The crowd was hostile for the rest of the set. It was the worst reception I saw a support band get until the night I saw Brownsville Station driven from the stage while trying to open for ZZ Top.
I guess we can scratch Kansas as a possible opener for MTH's reunion shows at Hammersmith. But who should it be?
A nice thing about Ian Hunter's solo shows the last few years has been the quality of support band. In 2007, the Charms opened in California, the Silos in New York and Jesse Malin in the UK -- all worth hearing. I bought two Jesse Malin CDs on the strength of hearing him at Shepherds Bush.
I would love to see Jesse open these shows.
What are your thoughts? Who'd be the right choice to open the shows?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Day 99: Bender, yes or no?
"Did you see the suits and the platform boots?"
-- The Saturday Gigs (1974)
Full disclosure: I grew up on Mott the Hoople Mark II, not Mark I.
The song that drew me in was "Memphis," and the first album I bought was Mott. Mick Ralphs played on those, but he was either already gone or about to be, I forget which. It was years before I saw a picture of Verden Allen and decades before I circled back to Brain Capers and its predecessors. Hey, I was an American boy who listened to too much AM radio in the early '70s. No apologies.
The Hunter-Watts-Griffin-Bender-Fisher band was my image of Mott the Hoople. That was the only version I saw live -- May 21, 1974, at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. I loved The Hoople, and "Pearl & Roy" remains one of my favorite obscure tracks by anybody. Not being a guitar whiz, I couldn't evaluate the skills of Ariel Bender/Luther Grosvenor, but he sure was a lot of fun.
This is a roundabout introduction to one of the core questions of the buildup for the MTH reunion shows -- "What Should We Do About Bender, and Hey, Shouldn't We Consider Morgan Fisher in This Too?"
I've grown to realize that the Hunter-Ralphs-Allen-Watts-Buffin version of the band is the real deal, and the version I loved was just patchwork. I recognize the genius of Brain Capers, and many of the pre-1972 songs are among my favorites. I know "Pearl & Roy" won't be on the setlist at Hammersmith (but IH, won't you consider it for one of your shows?)
The vibes I get say the band already has decided that Bender won't have any part in these shows. This saddens me. Limiting it to the original five is fine, but then how does one explain the presence of Martin Chambers on drums? (I know, I know, but it does detract from the symmetry).
I know Bender crossed the line with that "Ariel Bender's Mott the Hoople" tour of a few years back. Not cool, Luther. But I've been wondering if that bogus band didn't in its way set up these genuine reunion shows. In other words, if someone's going to cash in on the MTH name, it might as well be the real Dudes.
And I know Bender isn't always, how shall we say, clear-headed enough to perform. He was at the Astoria for IH's 2004 show there -- I know, he posed with me -- and I think he was the only guitarist in London that night who wasn't on stage for the encore. It was quite possibly because he would have had to be taped to a pillar to stand upright.
I don't know anything about contracts, appearance fees, travel allowances -- maybe that's the obstacle. Fisher lives in Japan, for cripes sake. But I'd like to see it worked out; I think a lot of us would.
Bender and Fisher shouldn't be on stage for the full set, but I'd rather see them out there for one of the encores than any of the celebrity MTH fans who are bound to be in the wings at Hammersmith (cough) Joe Elliott (cough).
This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal -- for the band, for all of us. Bender on "Walkin' With A Mountain" would blow the roof off. Better yet, how about a Hoople medley with Bender and Fisher joining in? If they need chorus help for "Pearl & Roy" -- I know the words.
-- The Saturday Gigs (1974)
Full disclosure: I grew up on Mott the Hoople Mark II, not Mark I.
The song that drew me in was "Memphis," and the first album I bought was Mott. Mick Ralphs played on those, but he was either already gone or about to be, I forget which. It was years before I saw a picture of Verden Allen and decades before I circled back to Brain Capers and its predecessors. Hey, I was an American boy who listened to too much AM radio in the early '70s. No apologies.
The Hunter-Watts-Griffin-Bender-Fisher band was my image of Mott the Hoople. That was the only version I saw live -- May 21, 1974, at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. I loved The Hoople, and "Pearl & Roy" remains one of my favorite obscure tracks by anybody. Not being a guitar whiz, I couldn't evaluate the skills of Ariel Bender/Luther Grosvenor, but he sure was a lot of fun.
This is a roundabout introduction to one of the core questions of the buildup for the MTH reunion shows -- "What Should We Do About Bender, and Hey, Shouldn't We Consider Morgan Fisher in This Too?"
I've grown to realize that the Hunter-Ralphs-Allen-Watts-Buffin version of the band is the real deal, and the version I loved was just patchwork. I recognize the genius of Brain Capers, and many of the pre-1972 songs are among my favorites. I know "Pearl & Roy" won't be on the setlist at Hammersmith (but IH, won't you consider it for one of your shows?)
The vibes I get say the band already has decided that Bender won't have any part in these shows. This saddens me. Limiting it to the original five is fine, but then how does one explain the presence of Martin Chambers on drums? (I know, I know, but it does detract from the symmetry).
I know Bender crossed the line with that "Ariel Bender's Mott the Hoople" tour of a few years back. Not cool, Luther. But I've been wondering if that bogus band didn't in its way set up these genuine reunion shows. In other words, if someone's going to cash in on the MTH name, it might as well be the real Dudes.
And I know Bender isn't always, how shall we say, clear-headed enough to perform. He was at the Astoria for IH's 2004 show there -- I know, he posed with me -- and I think he was the only guitarist in London that night who wasn't on stage for the encore. It was quite possibly because he would have had to be taped to a pillar to stand upright.
I don't know anything about contracts, appearance fees, travel allowances -- maybe that's the obstacle. Fisher lives in Japan, for cripes sake. But I'd like to see it worked out; I think a lot of us would.
Bender and Fisher shouldn't be on stage for the full set, but I'd rather see them out there for one of the encores than any of the celebrity MTH fans who are bound to be in the wings at Hammersmith (cough) Joe Elliott (cough).
This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal -- for the band, for all of us. Bender on "Walkin' With A Mountain" would blow the roof off. Better yet, how about a Hoople medley with Bender and Fisher joining in? If they need chorus help for "Pearl & Roy" -- I know the words.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Day 100: Introduction
The greasepaint still sticks to my face
So what the hell? I can't erase
The rock 'n' roll feeling from my mind
-- Ballad of Mott The Hoople (1972)
Seems like only last week I was up at 3 a.m. -- twice -- and banging away at Ticketmaster's site trying for the best seats for Mott The Hoople's reunion shows in October in London. Got 'em, including Row A for the first night. Three shows. I'm passing on the last two.
That was January. A lot has changed since then. Used to be, getting on at 3 a.m. meant beating my alarm by four hours. Nowadays, going online at 3 a.m. means hanging on just a bit before going to bed. But that's another story, a sad one.
Point is, I said I would blog daily about the buildup to the shows starting 100 days out. The time has come. From that January morning, we're more than halfway there.
Each day I'm going to focus on a topic related to Mott The Hoople, Ian Hunter, these shows or my place in them. Much lies ahead. At some point I'll have a review of IH's Man Overboard album, set for July 21 release. I'll have a review of an IH concert at a date still to be announced, probably accompanied by my own reunion with some friends from long ago. MTH topics will include:
-- The Ariel Bender question.
-- The "Golden Ticket" and what it brings.
-- Martin Chambers' involvement.
-- Is this a one-off deal? Should it be?
-- The appeal of MTH.
-- Support: Who should it be?
-- The setlist: What opens?
-- My sidetrips to Ireland and France in conjunction with the shows.
-- How I feel about having booked on Continental Airlines, where the pilots die in flight.
I'm not going to burden this with details available elsewhere. Just views. Thanks for visiting.
So what the hell? I can't erase
The rock 'n' roll feeling from my mind
-- Ballad of Mott The Hoople (1972)
Seems like only last week I was up at 3 a.m. -- twice -- and banging away at Ticketmaster's site trying for the best seats for Mott The Hoople's reunion shows in October in London. Got 'em, including Row A for the first night. Three shows. I'm passing on the last two.
That was January. A lot has changed since then. Used to be, getting on at 3 a.m. meant beating my alarm by four hours. Nowadays, going online at 3 a.m. means hanging on just a bit before going to bed. But that's another story, a sad one.
Point is, I said I would blog daily about the buildup to the shows starting 100 days out. The time has come. From that January morning, we're more than halfway there.
Each day I'm going to focus on a topic related to Mott The Hoople, Ian Hunter, these shows or my place in them. Much lies ahead. At some point I'll have a review of IH's Man Overboard album, set for July 21 release. I'll have a review of an IH concert at a date still to be announced, probably accompanied by my own reunion with some friends from long ago. MTH topics will include:
-- The Ariel Bender question.
-- The "Golden Ticket" and what it brings.
-- Martin Chambers' involvement.
-- Is this a one-off deal? Should it be?
-- The appeal of MTH.
-- Support: Who should it be?
-- The setlist: What opens?
-- My sidetrips to Ireland and France in conjunction with the shows.
-- How I feel about having booked on Continental Airlines, where the pilots die in flight.
I'm not going to burden this with details available elsewhere. Just views. Thanks for visiting.
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