Winter Tour 2015

[Jim]

Fairport's audience is probably largely the same people who go to see them every year on the Winter Tour (and Spring tour for that matter). There seems to be an increasing amount of feedback, especially on here from lifelong fans who seem to be losing interest with the band as a live entity - and many blame the similar set lists.

I haven't seen a real buzz about a Fairport tour since the Babbacombe Lee full album play through.

So, my question - would everyone on here be more excited about the next tour if Fairport were, for example, to play the new forthcoming album in its entirety in the first half followed by Full House in it's entirety in the second half, with MG and MOTL as a finale?

The band may argue their concerts sell very well thank you very much, but my personal opinion is that they need to come up with something more than the normal set list with one or two new tracks thrown in.  

What's your thoughts guys and gals?

New Fairport albums haven't excited me for decades, so the answer is - no i wont be bothering. They are usually a decent enough night out but it feels like i've seen the same set for  the last 10 years. Same with the last 2 Cropredys.
and if you really think that Mercy Bay, Myths and Heroes and The current version of Matty Groves, are rock then you haven't lived. Romulus and Remus only appear in music hall songs

[PLW (Peter)]

Frome Cheese and Grain sounds like a variety of mustard.

[PLW (Peter)]

New  Romulus and Remus only appear in music hall songs

This a music hall song then? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l38JxFUCh0I

Sorry, couldn't resist. Gets coat.

[Jim]

New  Romulus and Remus only appear in music hall songs

This a music hall song then? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l38JxFUCh0I

Sorry, couldn't resist. Gets coat.

 sorry should have said music hall and death metal(or whatever genre of meckle that is) Chris's ditty isn't death metal either

[PLW (Peter)]

New  Romulus and Remus only appear in music hall songs

This a music hall song then? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l38JxFUCh0I

Sorry, couldn't resist. Gets coat.

 sorry should have said music hall and death metal(or whatever genre of meckle that is) Chris's ditty isn't death metal either

No idea what it is, Jim, but it's got over a million hits on YouTube! Sometimes I think I live in a parallel universe.

[Mark J Salt]

January

Fri 16   Glasgow Celtic Connections
Thur 29  Tewkesbury The Roses Theatre 01684 295 074
Fri 30   Lichfield Cathedral 01543 262223
Sat 31  Southport. The Atkinson 01704 533 333

February

Sun 1   Ulverston The Coronation Hall 01220 587 140
Tue 3   Frome Cheese and Grain 01373 455 420
Wed 4  High Wycombe The Swan 01494 512 000
Thur 5  Worthing Connaught Theatre 01903 206 206
Fri   6    Weston Super Mare Playhouse Theatre 01934 645 544
Sat   7    Swansea The Garage 01792 475147
Sun  8    TBC
Tue  10  Chesterfield The Winding Wheel 01246 345 222
Wed 11  Salford The Lowry 0843 208 6000
Thur 12  TBC
Fri 13     Farnham The Maltings 01252 745 444
Sat 14    Bury St Edmunds The Apex Theatre 01284 758 000
Sun 15   Hunstanton Princess Theatre 01485 532 252
Tue 17   Leeds City Varieties Music Hall 0113 243 0808
Wed 18  Gateshead The Sage (Hall 2) 0191 443 4661
Thur 19  Burnley The Mechanics 01282 664 400
Fri    20  St Albans Alban Arena 01727 844 488
Sat    21 Milton Keynes The Stables 01908 280 800
Sun   22 Lincoln The Drill Hall 01522 873 894
Tue   24 Canterbury The Gulbenkian 01227 769 075
Wed 25  Tunbridge Wells The Assembly Hall Theatre 01892 530 613
Thur 26  Shrewsbury Theatre Severn 01743 281 281
Fri  27    Birmingham The Town Hall 0121 780 3333
Sat 28     Bridport The Electric Palace 01308 424 901

March

Sun 1  London The Union Chapel 0207 226 1686

Thanks Shirl, Now where to go this (next) year, Lichfield Catherdral sounds a possibility as it only a hop and a skip down the A38, but maybe a weekend in Brum would be good or a weekend by the seaside in Southport, they all fit around my work and I don't think I've ever had so many choices....

[moontheloon (Bryan)]

Oh no ! Not Weston again.A pain to get to and as dead as it gets. St Georges ,Bristol in future please!
 

[Chris]

Don't think it's capable of handling full size tour trucks?....

[dcmissen(david missen)]

Ooooh Bury St Edmunds on Valentines day. Cant wait to try that one on the Mrs.


May be better to do Hunstanton the following day instead...

[hendo (Dave)]

not bothering
i think i might be cured of FC after 40 odd years

Sad isn't it Jim but it's happened to me in the last few yrs.

[bassline (Mike)]

Are there any other bands that the members of this board have seen as many times as they have seen FC ?
If you see a band once or twice a year, the sense of event is not going to happen, it's more of an old friends vibe instead.
Are there any acts that have been releasing albums as long as FC, or longer, that are guaranteed to blow you away with a new album the way they did with a classic that came out in the Sixties or Seventies?
McCartney, Elton John and those guys don't really. Maybe Dylan, Young or R.T - but with those guys it seems more like a case of 'the new album is a good one' or 'not one of his best, but it's O.K'. A 'return to form' album is not usually a new classic, but one that's not disappointing.
A good portion of the 'blame' should also be applied to ourselves, with the old music associated with our youth, nostalgia for the times when we weren't all cynical old gits, and FC were something new to us. They can't be new to us again, to expect that is unrealistic. We have to look elsewhere for 'something new'..usually to bands who are just starting a career with a slightly different twist to what has gone before.
On some of the other forums I'm a member of, no matter what the topic, there are always comments from people that say, for example, ' They should get back with Roger...what we want is a Floyd tour', 'I wish Plant and Page would sort it out and do another tour', ' I think they should get back with Gabriel and tour The Lamb', ' Blackmore should stop the minstrel stuff and do Purple one more time.'...blah, blah,blah. The golden years have gone now. We have to enjoy what is happening now or go elsewhere, but to grump about the band or act in question is a tad unfair.

[Peter H-K]

Thanks Shirl, Now where to go this (next) year, Lichfield Catherdral sounds a possibility as it only a hop and a skip down the A38, but maybe a weekend in Brum would be good or a weekend by the seaside in Southport, they all fit around my work and I don't think I've ever had so many choices....

Hmmm ... can I guess that you've never been to Southport?  

[Ronald]

Are there any other bands that the members of this board have seen as many times as they have seen FC ?
If you see a band once or twice a year, the sense of event is not going to happen, it's more of an old friends vibe instead.

I saw Fairport for the last time in 1970 and will see them next month, so it wil be an event for me.

[hendo (Dave)]

Are there any other bands that the members of this board have seen as many times as they have seen FC ?
If you see a band once or twice a year, the sense of event is not going to happen, it's more of an old friends vibe instead.
Are there any acts that have been releasing albums as long as FC, or longer, that are guaranteed to blow you away with a new album the way they did with a classic that came out in the Sixties or Seventies?
McCartney, Elton John and those guys don't really. Maybe Dylan, Young or R.T - but with those guys it seems more like a case of 'the new album is a good one' or 'not one of his best, but it's O.K'. A 'return to form' album is not usually a new classic, but one that's not disappointing.
A good portion of the 'blame' should also be applied to ourselves, with the old music associated with our youth, nostalgia for the times when we weren't all cynical old gits, and FC were something new to us. They can't be new to us again, to expect that is unrealistic. We have to look elsewhere for 'something new'..usually to bands who are just starting a career with a slightly different twist to what has gone before.
On some of the other forums I'm a member of, no matter what the topic, there are always comments from people that say, for example, ' They should get back with Roger...what we want is a Floyd tour', 'I wish Plant and Page would sort it out and do another tour', ' I think they should get back with Gabriel and tour The Lamb', ' Blackmore should stop the minstrel stuff and do Purple one more time.'...blah, blah,blah. The golden years have gone now. We have to enjoy what is happening now or go elsewhere, but to grump about the band or act in question is a tad unfair.

Mike I agree. It is a passage of time but I don't think I'm grumping, simply saying the group I loved has morphed in to something else and only fleetingly it for me anymore.
There are few groups from my youth that do and like you I still search fro new stuff...... there was a band on six music yesterday.............
I'm at Worcester festival this w/end and hope to hear something that excites me.

[Mark J Salt]

Thanks Shirl, Now where to go this (next) year, Lichfield Catherdral sounds a possibility as it only a hop and a skip down the A38, but maybe a weekend in Brum would be good or a weekend by the seaside in Southport, they all fit around my work and I don't think I've ever had so many choices....

Hmmm ... can I guess that you've never been to Southport?  

I Have indeed been to Southport, twas 1970 or thereabouts, we walked for what seemed miles and still didn't reach the sea, but we kept going till the mud reached my knees, then gave up our quest for a paddle. I think we have decided on Lichfield AND Brum as from memories they are both probably nearer the sea than southport.

[Peter H-K]

Thanks Shirl, Now where to go this (next) year, Lichfield Catherdral sounds a possibility as it only a hop and a skip down the A38, but maybe a weekend in Brum would be good or a weekend by the seaside in Southport, they all fit around my work and I don't think I've ever had so many choices....

Hmmm ... can I guess that you've never been to Southport?  

I Have indeed been to Southport, twas 1970 or thereabouts, we walked for what seemed miles and still didn't reach the sea, but we kept going till the mud reached my knees, then gave up our quest for a paddle. I think we have decided on Lichfield AND Brum as from memories they are both probably nearer the sea than southport.

  You're probably right there!

[RobertD]

Are there any other bands that the members of this board have seen as many times as they have seen FC ?
If you see a band once or twice a year, the sense of event is not going to happen, it's more of an old friends vibe instead.
Are there any acts that have been releasing albums as long as FC, or longer, that are guaranteed to blow you away with a new album the way they did with a classic that came out in the Sixties or Seventies?
McCartney, Elton John and those guys don't really. Maybe Dylan, Young or R.T - but with those guys it seems more like a case of 'the new album is a good one' or 'not one of his best, but it's O.K'. A 'return to form' album is not usually a new classic, but one that's not disappointing.
A good portion of the 'blame' should also be applied to ourselves, with the old music associated with our youth, nostalgia for the times when we weren't all cynical old gits, and FC were something new to us. They can't be new to us again, to expect that is unrealistic. We have to look elsewhere for 'something new'..usually to bands who are just starting a career with a slightly different twist to what has gone before.
On some of the other forums I'm a member of, no matter what the topic, there are always comments from people that say, for example, ' They should get back with Roger...what we want is a Floyd tour', 'I wish Plant and Page would sort it out and do another tour', ' I think they should get back with Gabriel and tour The Lamb', ' Blackmore should stop the minstrel stuff and do Purple one more time.'...blah, blah,blah. The golden years have gone now. We have to enjoy what is happening now or go elsewhere, but to grump about the band or act in question is a tad unfair.

Great post Mike. The other thing is for me that I genuinely believe Fairport try and are not simply going through the motions unlike other nostalgia heavy bands. While some may not like the material much, I believe Fairport still strive to make good albums. Now someone like The Moody Blues (whom I have been a long time fan of) have not had new material as a band for years now, and nothing in sight. Every year they are out there though, singing Nights In White Satin and Question to crowds that only want to hear the classic music and probably could give a toss if they ever released something new again. So which would you rather have?

[Will S]

Are there any other bands that the members of this board have seen as many times as they have seen FC ?
If you see a band once or twice a year, the sense of event is not going to happen, it's more of an old friends vibe instead.
Are there any acts that have been releasing albums as long as FC, or longer, that are guaranteed to blow you away with a new album the way they did with a classic that came out in the Sixties or Seventies?
McCartney, Elton John and those guys don't really. Maybe Dylan, Young or R.T - but with those guys it seems more like a case of 'the new album is a good one' or 'not one of his best, but it's O.K'. A 'return to form' album is not usually a new classic, but one that's not disappointing.
A good portion of the 'blame' should also be applied to ourselves, with the old music associated with our youth, nostalgia for the times when we weren't all cynical old gits, and FC were something new to us. They can't be new to us again, to expect that is unrealistic. We have to look elsewhere for 'something new'..usually to bands who are just starting a career with a slightly different twist to what has gone before.
On some of the other forums I'm a member of, no matter what the topic, there are always comments from people that say, for example, ' They should get back with Roger...what we want is a Floyd tour', 'I wish Plant and Page would sort it out and do another tour', ' I think they should get back with Gabriel and tour The Lamb', ' Blackmore should stop the minstrel stuff and do Purple one more time.'...blah, blah,blah. The golden years have gone now. We have to enjoy what is happening now or go elsewhere, but to grump about the band or act in question is a tad unfair.

Great post Mike. The other thing is for me that I genuinely believe Fairport try and are not simply going through the motions unlike other nostalgia heavy bands. While some may not like the material much, I believe Fairport still strive to make good albums. Now someone like The Moody Blues (whom I have been a long time fan of) have not had new material as a band for years now, and nothing in sight. Every year they are out there though, singing Nights In White Satin and Question to crowds that only want to hear the classic music and probably could give a toss if they ever released something new again. So which would you rather have?

I agree with you both.  Need that LIKE button!

[GubGub (Al)]

I last saw Fairport at Butlins so it will have been over a year between shows for me.

Sadly, I would not want to see them much more often. Their abilities have not declined, but my interest has. While they do some new stuff and some variations on old stuff, they do too much of the same old stuff for my liking.

That pretty much sums it up for me too but they were as good at Butlins as I have ever seen them (outside of Cropredy and the Barbican show at least). It will be more than a year since I last saw them, whereas I used to see them at least twice a year until recently. The Connaught in Worthing is finally a great venue for them and a great venue for music in general now that the management has finally decided that it can serve that purpose too, rather than just theatrical productions. So I am inclined to pop my head around the door again this time round.

[hendo (Dave)]

Are there any other bands that the members of this board have seen as many times as they have seen FC ?
If you see a band once or twice a year, the sense of event is not going to happen, it's more of an old friends vibe instead.
Are there any acts that have been releasing albums as long as FC, or longer, that are guaranteed to blow you away with a new album the way they did with a classic that came out in the Sixties or Seventies?
McCartney, Elton John and those guys don't really. Maybe Dylan, Young or R.T - but with those guys it seems more like a case of 'the new album is a good one' or 'not one of his best, but it's O.K'. A 'return to form' album is not usually a new classic, but one that's not disappointing.
A good portion of the 'blame' should also be applied to ourselves, with the old music associated with our youth, nostalgia for the times when we weren't all cynical old gits, and FC were something new to us. They can't be new to us again, to expect that is unrealistic. We have to look elsewhere for 'something new'..usually to bands who are just starting a career with a slightly different twist to what has gone before.
On some of the other forums I'm a member of, no matter what the topic, there are always comments from people that say, for example, ' They should get back with Roger...what we want is a Floyd tour', 'I wish Plant and Page would sort it out and do another tour', ' I think they should get back with Gabriel and tour The Lamb', ' Blackmore should stop the minstrel stuff and do Purple one more time.'...blah, blah,blah. The golden years have gone now. We have to enjoy what is happening now or go elsewhere, but to grump about the band or act in question is a tad unfair.

Great post Mike. The other thing is for me that I genuinely believe Fairport try and are not simply going through the motions unlike other nostalgia heavy bands. While some may not like the material much, I believe Fairport still strive to make good albums. Now someone like The Moody Blues (whom I have been a long time fan of) have not had new material as a band for years now, and nothing in sight. Every year they are out there though, singing Nights In White Satin and Question to crowds that only want to hear the classic music and probably could give a toss if they ever released something new again. So which would you rather have?

Robert at the risk of being obverse I would always rather have a band that takes a risk and does new stuff, I have just bought Robert Plant's new album for that very reason. I still admire Fairport's for that........
 It just happens with the exception of Mercy Bay and My Love is in America, I haven't been fired up by a lot of Fairport's  recent (last 10 yrs) and new stuff. It's pleasant , it's nice, it's a comfortable pair of slippers......... Sorry.