Diamond Head - The Limelight Crewe 23rd September 2002
Set list: Wild On the Streets / Shine On Me / Truckin’ / Calling Your Name / It’s Electric / Vanity Blues (To the Devil His Due) / Forever 16 // I Can’t Help Myself / Makin’ Music / Heat of the Night // Borrowed Time / Run / Home / Helpless // Am I Evil
You know, I’ve written so many Diamond Head reviews in the last couple of years that it is really difficult to think of something original to write - even when there is a space of several weeks between the gigs. Yet, it is merely a matter of days since the Sugarmill gig and I expected this review to be the most difficult one yet to write. However, after the performance the band put on last night, on a chilly Monday in Crewe, I find myself awash with adjectives, swimming in superlatives and flowing with plentiful prose. And no, that isn’t just one of my waffly stalling tactics. Well, OK, so it is. Good grief, you just won’t let it drop, will you?
You know, I’ve written so many Diamond Head reviews in the last couple of years that it is really difficult to think of something original to write - even when there is a space of several weeks between the gigs. Yet, it is merely a matter of days since the Sugarmill gig and I expected this review to be the most difficult one yet to write. However, after the performance the band put on last night, on a chilly Monday in Crewe, I find myself awash with adjectives, swimming in superlatives and flowing with plentiful prose. And no, that isn’t just one of my waffly stalling tactics. Well, OK, so it is. Good grief, you just won’t let it drop, will you?
The Limelight crew can vary wildly between a handful and a roomful. They can be very vocal or as quiet as mice and there seems to be no firm and fast rule that says a lot of noise has to be made by a large number of people. Such was the case last night. I expected to see the usual suspects at The Limelight as I had seen at The Sugarmill, there being but only twenty or so miles separating Crewe from The Potteries, but surprisingly, apart from myself and the firstborn offspring, few of the faces were the same. Even 33lb head man was absent. Still, a respectable crowd nonetheless of very vocal fans, many of whom were familiar (some very ugly) faces provided what any band needs to give that little bit more to a performance, feedback. And boy was there some feedback!
The show started off bizarrely enough as Sean’s microphone leaped off the stand as he grabbed it during the intro music. That, I suspect was what turned the evening from a good gig into a superb one. It broke the ice, led to a little banter and joking with the crowd and drew the audience into the performance from the off. After that, the show never let up for one second.
The show started off bizarrely enough as Sean’s microphone leaped off the stand as he grabbed it during the intro music. That, I suspect was what turned the evening from a good gig into a superb one. It broke the ice, led to a little banter and joking with the crowd and drew the audience into the performance from the off. After that, the show never let up for one second.
The set list had been rearranged quiet considerably since The Sugarmill gig and I personally felt that it worked better in Crewe than it had done in Hanley. It flowed more easily and as the audience got more involved, the band felt it and responded by giving an even better performance than normal. The acoustic section of the evening also seemed much more an integral part of the overall show on this occasion. Sometimes it can seem as though it is an entirely separate part of the proceedings but it rocked more than usual last night.
Flo and Eddie could be seen to be having a party on the Fender side of the stage, thoroughly enjoying themselves and moving around much more than normal, whilst on the Gibson side of the stage, Brian was his usual Metal Godliness. Sean’s “Should I mingle?” question prior to his now customary meanderings through the audience was answered with a loud, vociferous, cheer and screams in the affirmative and resulted in Sean jumping over the front of the stage and wandering through the first few rows.
Especially good on the night were the renditions of Shine On Me, Vanity Blues, Forever 16 and Makin’ Music but, generally, everything was just that little bit better than before. By the time the band re-emerged to loud cheers for the encore of Am I Evil?, no-one cared that the CD skipped. As soon as Mr Guitar began to play the riff, the roof all but lifted off.
Flo and Eddie could be seen to be having a party on the Fender side of the stage, thoroughly enjoying themselves and moving around much more than normal, whilst on the Gibson side of the stage, Brian was his usual Metal Godliness. Sean’s “Should I mingle?” question prior to his now customary meanderings through the audience was answered with a loud, vociferous, cheer and screams in the affirmative and resulted in Sean jumping over the front of the stage and wandering through the first few rows.
Especially good on the night were the renditions of Shine On Me, Vanity Blues, Forever 16 and Makin’ Music but, generally, everything was just that little bit better than before. By the time the band re-emerged to loud cheers for the encore of Am I Evil?, no-one cared that the CD skipped. As soon as Mr Guitar began to play the riff, the roof all but lifted off.
Whatever it was that caused the earthquake in the West Midlands on Sunday night, and I have it on good authority from Sean Harris that he caused it (although he refused to say how) Diamond Head brought that power with them to Crewe. I’m sure if you check the seismographs for Monday night you’ll see that the needles moved constantly between 21:30 and 23:30 in the Crewe area because it was a performance that can only be measured on the Richter Scale.
And what do you know? The God of Thunder actually writes a review of a gig, which reviews the gig!
Strange things to behold.
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
24th September 2002
And what do you know? The God of Thunder actually writes a review of a gig, which reviews the gig!
Strange things to behold.
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
24th September 2002
About the photos...
What can I say? I like these photos.
I'm getting used to my new camera and the quality is quite impressive. Also, when you take pictures of a band that you know fairly well, you get familiar with the things they do and when they are going to do them, so you're pictures become less "alll the same" and show more action and variety.
Yeah, it's safe to say, I'm pretty chuffed with this lot of pictures. Some of them are particularly nice.
Gotta just love this one...
I'm getting used to my new camera and the quality is quite impressive. Also, when you take pictures of a band that you know fairly well, you get familiar with the things they do and when they are going to do them, so you're pictures become less "alll the same" and show more action and variety.
Yeah, it's safe to say, I'm pretty chuffed with this lot of pictures. Some of them are particularly nice.
Gotta just love this one...
And of course, how could this not be a favourite...
that's my little girl...
that's my little girl...