Winter Tour reviews and photos

[Paul]

I'm guessing that answers the "is it alright to take pictures at gigs?" question then?
Sounds great so far - if I hadn't already bought a ticket I'd be signing up now...

Further to Chris' advice about not using flash, even without flash, don't take more than 6 or 7 pictures per half if you are sitting in a seat. (I can't wait for the day when a camera firm invents a camera with a silent shutter).

Most digital cameras actually have a "fake" shutter sound.

You'll never get a silent SLR, they've got a whacking gret mirror to move.

Paul

[Jono]

Ric's looking on fine form there - good job we didn't wear him out in the Studio yesterday morning while he was recording on the Leatherat album!     

[Steve]

I see Peggy is back, almost as though he never left...

[Andy]

He doesn't look all that happy, though.

[Jim]

 i thought that as well

[JamesM]

Glad you said that, cos I wasn't fully convinced at Tewkers on Wednesday - I was thinking "brave face" for most of it, though he played as well as ever.

[Steve]

He's probably been read the riot act ...

[MarkV]

Take care not to fire the flash into the lads faces though....it can upset your fellow audience members too.

The set list fromlast night is.....

Lily of Barbury - with PJ
________________

Sir Patrick Spens
Wait for the Tide to Come In
Canny Capers
Banks of the Sweet Primroses
Jewel in the Crown (boy, that rocked!)
Edge of the World (new Chris L song)
Red & Gold
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John Gaudie
Crazy Man Michael
TamLin
Rocky Road
I'm already There
Summer in December
Western Wind
Who Knows Where the Time Goes
Swirling Pit
Matty Groves / Rutland Reel / Sack the Juggler
---------------------------------
Meet on the Ledge

As far as I can tell, it was the same set for the Anvil.  Including false start in Red and Gold(though I could be corrected on that!)

[JamesM]

Can we launch a competition for matching the pictures on the t-shirt to the tracks played? If so, please tell me what the minibus is for!!

James

[Andy]

It could be "Rocky Road" or "Who knows..." for completely different reasons.

[Nigel no longer of Lysander]

I've had a few days to mull things over after the Tewkesbury gig and it seeemed to me to be a game of two halves.I was interested to se how PJ Wright was  going to rework his album material for an acoustic setting and I think he achieved this admirably. Fairport joined for Lily Of Barbary and this one really rocked.

And so to Fairport........they sounded superb as always, the clarity of the instrument separation and sound never ceases to amaze me. Ric and Chris were their usual selves, plenty of fiddle melding moments, and Gerry thrashing away on the kit as only he can. But in the first half Simon and Peggy looked like they were going through the motions; Folk-rock by numbers and both looked extremely tense .

Second half and what a transformation. Perhaps Sir Alex Ferguson had delivered one of his famous hairdryer half time team talks because they reappeared in fine style. More relaxed, more humour (love the multi-tasking quip) and a quite superb Tam Lin. Peggy still had the slightly bewildered look of a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming car but the fire seemed to have returned in the second half and they left in the usual style.

Maybe it's just me and I'm sure if I'd just chanced upon Fairport, their musicianship would blow me away, but having seen them in concert many times their musicianship is a gimme. Perhaps I'm looking for something that isn't there and in the words of the song 'If you really mean it , it all comes round again' It's  just that I wasn't really convinced they really meant it.

Cheers Nigel

[Jan_]

Tonight at Tunbridge Wells:

WOW!  THAT  WAS  BLOODY    BRILLIANT!!!

I haven't had so much fun in ages and I can't get to sleep now as the songs/tunes keep going round and round inside my head.  You lot have got such a treat coming to you!  Oh, I wish I was going again tomorrow night, and the night after that and ...

I think the set list was the same as the one Chris posted earlier.  The first three - Sir Patrick Spens, Wait For The Tide To Come In and Canny Capers really rocked and just blew me away.  Simon played the electric for Tam Lin and at least on three other occasions.  I particularly liked Simon's guitar accompaniment on P J Wright's Lily Of Barbary.

It seemed to me that all the boys were enjoying themselves.  There was the usual banter, some exchanges between audience and band, and even a joke about Essex.  Dave Pegg mentioned the Radio 2 Folk Awards and Liege and Lief.  Someone from the audience shouted, "What about, What We Did On Our Holidays?"  Simon replied, "I don't know about you, but I went to Frinton.  It was closed!"   (I rather like Frinton actually - especially in winter.)

And now for the trivial ...   
Ric had some snazzy red shoes with black studs round the edge.  From where we were sitting it looked as though his toes were poking through.   Chris Leslie wore a t-shirt with the CND logo on the front (I remember going on the march  )  but daughter informs me that it is generally considered to be a 'peace' symbol these days.  And Simon was sporting a pair of boot-cut stone coloured jeans - very flattering on the maturing figure! 

P J Wright was great!  I haven't enjoyed a support act so much since Bob Fox.  The acoustic versions of the songs from Hedge Of Sound were quite different but worked just as well.  He achieved an instant and natural rapport with the audience with his between-songs chat.

To all of you who are lucky enough to be going to the Wintour, I hope you all enjoy as much as I did.   

[mikemush]

Ric had some snazzy red shoes with black studs round the edge.  From where we were sitting it looked as though his toes were poking through.  

   Blimey! You mean, he's got black toes??!!   

[Jan_]

Well, ( and I'm definitely not casting aspersions on Ric's personal hygiene) that's what it looked like from the back row, which is where we were sitting!   

[Chris]

I'm not sure about the black  studs (!!), but he's wearing red plastic or rubber (very comfoirtable, he says) sandals - which would explain the vision of his toes.

I'll ask him tonight, if I get a chance....

[Dubai Danny]

Perhaps I'm looking for something that isn't there and in the words of the song 'If you really mean it , it all comes round again' It's  just that I wasn't really convinced they really meant it

I've felt that for a while now. Is the winter tour really essential to the finances of the band? Simon has spoken before of the pressures which mean there just isn't the time to rehearse the sort of radically revamped setlist which a significant constituency of fans would probably like to hear; I can't help thinking that if they gave it a rest for a year and used the time to rehearse a real knock-your-socks-off setlist, it would benefit both band and audience.

[Andy]

If they have to time and finances to take a break for a set of rehearsals, I'd think they should delay it until just before Croppers 2007 - the 40th anniversary should provide wide and varied songs for the "Convention".

[Nuthouse]

Fairport are looking for reviews and piccies from us for the Wintour... 

I hope that is mentioned to the staff at the Deco in Northampton as last night before the Thompson Twins gig they were coming out with the 'photography is forbidden' message

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

I hope so too at Chesterfield!!!

[issy]

Saw the lads in Basingblob and had a really good time.  I thought they were musically on great form and I was very pleased to hear Tam Lin and Sir Patrick Spens in the set list... and I'm already there, John Gaudie and Who know where the time goes..  didn't take much notice of what guitar Simon was playing at any point but I thought it rocked  

I get a bit frustrated at seated gigs sometimes because it would be good to dance, and for me that turns the atmosphere down a bit.  I've no idea how any of the band were feeling on that occasion, and I'm no mind reader, but Ric and Chris certainly seemed their normal happy and contented selves and I thought Peggy looked very well - I like the goatee and he does have great legs    

All 5 of them were out at the end of the show signing merch and were very personable.  Simon was enjoying himself very much telling us about another act for Cropredy who he hoped to announce soon - 'contemporary and left-field' he said!   I'm too star-struck to do the 20 questions routine, but a good starter would have beento ask if it was an individual or group I guess!  Although I'd probably still be none the wiser as I ceased being contemporary around 1990  

Biggest disappointment of the evening was the T shirts - I do like the grey/blue t shirts with the same design as Rick was wearing in Chris photo (earlier in the thread) and they are available in M, L and XL.  I asked for the M and it was HUGE with incredibly long arms!     As I didn't especially want to spend £20 on a very nice T shirt which would only be useful as nightwear for an urangutan, I passed      I do hope they do a SMALL for Cropredy this year..  anyway, I digress

Great show Issy