Last night at Chequer Mead East Grinstead made me feel like a young man again. Not me reflecting on 43 years of going to see himself, but looking round at my fellow audience members made me feel quite sprightly and young! Of course, I couldn't possibly look that age!
As ever, I sit there with best intentions of remembering the set list and get carried away in thrall of it all and absorbed in the music and chat. Based on Naomi's set list from three weeks ago 50% was different started with London Apprentice, but then First Song (which I've been singing non-stop for the past three weeks). Hiring Fair, One Heart, Streets of London, Lunar Lullaby, Canopus, Maginot Waltz and Summer Girls were amongst the others, as well as Mr Connaughton, which was preceded by a story about the writing of the song with a promise to carry on the tale later in the show, but he didn't return to it. I won't spoil the fist part of the story for those who will be going, but I would love to hear its conclusion! A Tune from the Sofa album, plus his 'tributes' to Rev. Gary Davies and Robert Johnson were also in the mix and an encore of Around Cape Horn are the others that I can recall that filled nigh on an hour and a quarter. A great evening that lived up to expectations, but I came away with the same frustration that accompanies me every time I see him - why did it end so soon?
Looking forward to seeing him at the RFH at the Bert Jansch tribute concert, but in the meantime, I'm back to listening to the recordings of a man who has provided a soundtrack to my adult life.
That sounds like a very similar setlist to the one we had at Reading Concert Hall last night, though he ended with an unrecorded song inspired by the cover of Bob Dylan's
Freewheelin' album. And he did remember to come back to the end of the Mr Connaughton story when he came back for the encore. I think we must have had a bit more, as it was about an hour and three quarters.
My first Ralph concert, and it was a great one. Really enjoyed myself.
