50:50@50 Tour

[Chris]

And Hendo, PJ Wright wasn't available back then, either. He was a teacher

[hendo (Dave)]

And Hendo, PJ Wright wasn't available back then, either. He was a teacher

Yes but he was  playing with Gibbons and I'm sure he could have been tempted. Just my fantasy.
Being serious I just think Chris's joining was the metamorphosis of the band  , either deliberately or by chance,from Folk Rock, to a more acoustic , singer songwriter approach. Yes some of Maarts arrangements had become overblown.
You could argue DM saw the writing on the wall and left. Or you could argue he had a lot of studio work on.
It will be interesting to see the difference between the Winter tour and the usually , more acoustic, spring tour.
They sit down, Gerry plays cajon instead of kit but apart from that the instrumentation will hardly change. We'll see if there is much change to the set list .

[Tony Mc]

Funny thing, people know exactly what the current line up of FC is like, yet they still go to the concerts and wonder why its not like the old days. Its a bit like going to see YES and complaining its not Rick and Jon any more. Don't go!
I 'found' Fairport in the current set up and enjoyed what they did, I then explored the old stuff. Its a bit like someone discovering Genesis today then going back to Peter Gabriel. Very different bands, but don't compare like with like.
If you pay to see the current line up you know what to expect, a cosy, warm, relaxed, no stress evening with a tilt of the cap to the old days.
They are still VERY VERY good at what they do, even if what they do is not to everyone's liking.

[David W]

Interesting topic drift - maybe one for the mods to deal with - BUT, if we look back to 84 / 85 when Ric and Maart joined I wonder if the great Barry Dransfield had been considered as a Swarb replacement, great fiddle player, knew the core band from Albions / Morris On etc, and I always think he has a fairly dark quality about him as a singer. Might have been an interesting like for like with Swarb.

DW

[LarWes]

As a teenager I bought Unhalfbricking and I've followed FC ever since. I must confess that I like both the band in the early days and the current lineup. My least favourite period is the Simon-less years in the early to mid seventies and I have a soft spot for Angel Delight and later the Pegg-Nicol- Swarb-Bruce lineup. And I think that the last five years have been extremelly fruitful for the band. The Festival Bell had lots of good stuff on it (as well as the odd stinker like the uke-song), By Popular Request worked surprisingly well, Babbacombe Lee live was really good and Myths and Heroes is just as good or even better than most of their albums after Full House. And that from a bunch of guys really not that young anymore. That said, when I see the set-list  I can understand the criticism of the current tour and live shows. They chose to play the three weakest songs from the latest album, Devil's Work, Our Bus Rolls on (really an embarressment) and Summer by the Cherwell. All midtempo songs with not much excitement about them. They play the Feathers song from Myths and Heroeos, one of the two weak songs on that album, they play Portmeirion that makes the tempo of the concert slow down even more and so on. They could instead pick 10-15 other songs from the last albums and really shake up their harshest critics. Add Sir Patrick Spens, Ye Marriners all, Walk Awhile, Wassail song and Lord Marlborough (all songs played live fairly recently) and you have a great set list. And to make it a little bit more fresh, put Matty Groves and Meet in the Ledge to rest for awhile. Play them only at special occasions or as a surprise. End with The Bowman's Retreat followed by John Gaudie (both uptempo with Simon on electric) and as an encore Rising for the Moon. There you go, a really great Fairport concert.

[Chris]

Summer by the Cherwell is from the pen of PJ Wright.....not Chris Leslie, fyi

[GubGub (Al)]

Funny thing, people know exactly what the current line up of FC is like, yet they still go to the concerts and wonder why its not like the old days.

Not sure this is entirely true. Most of the reservations expressed on here have come from people who either did not go, knowing what they were likely to get or in one case somebody who had not seen the band for many years and was consequently disappointed. My own criticisms in what was otherwise a largely positive review were that the energy levels on this tour have dropped way below where they have ever been before, even a year ago. I have attended almost every Wintour for the last 28 years or so and therefore have some basis for comparison.

When I see the set-list  I can understand the criticism of the current tour and live shows. They chose to play the three weakest songs from the latest album, Devil's Work, Our Bus Rolls on (really an embarressment) and Summer by the Cherwell. All midtempo songs with not much excitement about them. They play the Feathers song from Myths and Heroeos, one of the two weak songs on that album, they play Portmeirion that makes the tempo of the concert slow down even more and so on. They could instead pick 10-15 other songs from the last albums and really shake up their harshest critics. Add Sir Patrick Spens, Ye Marriners all, Walk Awhile, Wassail song and Lord Marlborough (all songs played live fairly recently) and you have a great set list.

I think this is exactly right. Whatever people's personal opinions of them, certainly the last two studio albums exhibited a pace and energy on some songs which is entirely lacking from the current live set. We know that this line up is capable of it. The Butlins show from two or three years ago is testament to that. This year, rather oddly, in a year that should be a celebration of the entire history of the band (20 years of which belong to this line up) they have decided to do something rather downbeat.

[Jim]

Exactly and more succinctly put than myself    I was at the Union Chapel gig last Saturday and came away happy. I was not expecting a rock band and got what I was expecting...if you go to see FC and expect expect something like LED Zep you are in the wrong place

I've never expected led zep except when I've been to see led zep, however when I go to see Fairport Convention I always hoped to see the founding fathers of British folk rock do something thrilling musically, whether it be the material or instrumentally. Unfortunately it hasn't done that for many years now.
     And that's why I stopped going to the wintour and FCA gigs.

[Adam]

Lots of very interesting, well thought out and impassioned views on this topic. Hopefully not swerving off topic, but I'd be interested to hear what those who didn't enjoy this tour thought of the Babbacombe Lee tour a few years ago?

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

There have been a load of comments here that Fairport are not what they were in the 1970s.
I would suggest that also applies to a lot of people commenting.

Time moves on and Fairport are no longer at the cutting edge of anything, but they are a thoroughly lovely way to spend an evening and the festival is still a highlight of the year. (That's not an opinion, it's a fact.)

Yes, Chris should play a lot more fiddle and Simon should play more electric (or rope in a youngster like Maart (60)).    

[John From Austin]

And Hendo, PJ Wright wasn't available back then, either. He was a teacher

Yes but he was  playing with Gibbons and I'm sure he could have been tempted. Just my fantasy.
Being serious I just think Chris's joining was the metamorphosis of the band  , either deliberately or by chance,from Folk Rock, to a more acoustic , singer songwriter approach. Yes some of Maarts arrangements had become overblown.
You could argue DM saw the writing on the wall and left. Or you could argue he had a lot of studio work on.
It will be interesting to see the difference between the Winter tour and the usually , more acoustic, spring tour.
They sit down, Gerry plays cajon instead of kit but apart from that the instrumentation will hardly change. We'll see if there is much change to the set list .

OT, but a few years ago I asked DM why he moved to Massachusetts (not strictly "why did you leave FC") and he said something to the effect that he knew in his heart it was the place he was meant to be.  I thought that was kinda sweet.

[Bingers (Chris)]

There have been a load of comments here that Fairport are not what they were in the 1970s.
I would suggest that also applies to a lot of people commenting.

Time moves on and Fairport are no longer at the cutting edge of anything, but they are a thoroughly lovely way to spend an evening and the festival is still a highlight of the year. (That's not an opinion, it's a fact.)

Yes, Chris should play a lot more fiddle and Simon should play more electric (or rope in a youngster like Maart (60)).    

Well put and provides a neat conclusion to this particular thread I think

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

There have been a load of comments here that Fairport are not what they were in the 1970s.
I would suggest that also applies to a lot of people commenting.

Time moves on and Fairport are no longer at the cutting edge of anything, but they are a thoroughly lovely way to spend an evening and the festival is still a highlight of the year. (That's not an opinion, it's a fact.)

Yes, Chris should play a lot more fiddle and Simon should play more electric (or rope in a youngster like Maart (60)).    

Well put and provides a neat conclusion to this particular thread I think

Agreed!

[hendo (Dave)]

Blimey. All this cos one bloke had the temerity to criticise a gig!

[sirspens (John)]

Blimey. All this cos one bloke had the temerity to criticise a gig!

Yeah, maybe there's a new opening for me-- any site want to pay me to go to a gig, give a less than 100% favourable review, and foment lots of contentious discussion including outrage, rudeness, blind obvious statement like "do't go then" without fully reading previous entries. Wow, hours and hours of pleasure beckons stirring the proverbial............................

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

Blimey. All this cos one bloke had the temerity to criticise a gig!

Register on a board and post a long, negative and boarder line personal review, as your first post, on a board that is broadly positive about Fairport. That is going to get a reaction.
One possible reaction would have been to shout Troll, but we'll see.

  

[Jim]

Blimey. All this cos one bloke had the temerity to criticise a gig!

Register on a board and post a long, negative and boarder line personal review, as your first post, on a board that is broadly positive about Fairport. That is going to get a reaction.
One possible reaction would have been to shout Troll, but we'll see.

  

I thought the bloke wrote an honest account of his experience at a gig.
If only all reviews of gigs were as honest.
There has been plenty of gushing reviews of the 50/50 tour shows without a word but one that is critical and some members go into meltdown because it doesn't meet their expectations.
    Criticism isn't trolling.

Edit: That's why I said we'll see... Colin

[PL (Peter)]

Register on a board and post a long, negative and boarder line personal review, as your first post, on a board that is broadly positive about Fairport. That is going to get a reaction.
One possible reaction would have been to shout Troll, but we'll see.

Wise words.
Thank You.

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

Back on topic please.

[Albie]

Blimey. All this cos one bloke had the temerity to criticise a gig!

Register on a board and post a long, negative and boarder line personal review, as your first post, on a board that is broadly positive about Fairport. That is going to get a reaction.
One possible reaction would have been to shout Troll, but we'll see.

  

I liked the review. Most interesting thing I've read on here for a while.
I think it probably summed up how I might have felt in the event I went to a Fairport gig.