Ray's Gigs

Daily news and reviews of gigs bars clubs restaurants product launches films theatre fashion shows books art galleries hotels competitions interesting places to visit ...and much more!

Monday 29 March 2021

Monday 29 March 2021. Happy Birthday to the iconic ROYAL ALBERT HALL venue which is 150 today. 29 March 1871 - 29 March 2021. The foundation stone rests below seat - stalls row k, row 11, seat 87. Needless to say i have seen loads of great shows there over the years. In the 1970s I saw Bryan Ferry, Abba, Osmonds, Kate Bush, Dusty Springfield. From the 1980s onwards I saw the likes of Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, The Who, Leonard Cohen, Oasis, Deep Purple, Paul Weller, Stereophonics, Spinal Tap , Bruce Springsteen (acoustic), Eric Clapton, all four Cream reunion shows in 2005, Sting, Van Morrison, Lou Reed, David Gilmour , Bob Dylan, The Damned, many Teenage Cancer Trust shows and many others. Acts including Eric Clapton, The Who and others i have seen several times there. 107 shows seen there by me from 1977 to 2002 - see venue search on raysgigs for full list. 300 plus shows seen there by me from 2002 to the present day....see individual reviews. -------------------- Tuesday 30 March 2021. Happy Birthday to ERIC CLAPTON who is 76 today. I have seen him over 40 times, with most of them being at The Royal Albert Hall. Including all four CREAM reunion shows there in 2005. The first time I saw him was at The Crystal Palace Bowl in 1976 and amazingly that venue will be back in action for some summer shows this year, many years after it was last used.p --------- Happy Birthday to DJ JOHNNIE WALKER who is also 76 today. Legendary DJ who started on the pirate radio ship Radio Caroline in the 1960s. His current Sunday show at 3pm on BBC Radio 2 show plays classic 70s tracks. --------------------- Wednesday 31 March 2021. British Summertime shows in Hyde Park will not happen this year. Pearl Jam and Duran Duran have said they will be playing there in 2022. ------------ Happy Birthday to ANGUS YOUNG who is 66 today. I have seen him on stage with AC/DC over 30 times since 1976, which was when they first came to the UK and started playing on the pub circuit. ------------ Happy Birthday to MICK RALPHS who is 77 today. Send him your thoughts, as he had a stroke a few years ago. I have seen him many times with Mott The Hoople and Bad Company. Mott The Hoople + Queen at Hammersmith Odeon in Dec 1973 was the first of over 2000 shows I have seen at that venue, that is now called The Apollo. Those Mott The Hoople appearances on Top Of The Pops in the 1970s hooked me in. 2009 - I saw all five Mott The Hoople reunion shows at Hammersmith Apollo. 2013 - I saw Mott The Hoople at a half empty 02 Arena. 2019 - I was both Mott The Hoople shows at Shepherds Bush Empire but Mick Ralphs sadly not there, due to his stroke. Also Bad Company shows... Bad Company,Nazareth Kensington Olympia, London 02.01.1976 Bad Company,Racing Cars Earls Court Arena, London 03.07.1977 Bad Company Wembley Arena, London 11.03.1979 On 17 Nov 2009 I was at the The Hard Rock Cafe , London as 100 guests saw Bad Company play a four song set to announce their first UK tour for 25 years. 26 March 2010 - I saw Bad Company at The BBC Theatre, London W1. The support act for the 2010 tour was The Joe Perry Project. The photo on Facebook was one I took at The Brighton Centre where Joe Perry joined the band for the encore, he did not join them on stage at Wembley Arena. 29 Oct 2016 - I saw Bad Company play the final date of their UK tour at The 02 Arena. This I think is the last time Mick Ralphs was on stage before his stroke. ---------------------- Thurs 01 April 2021. Happy Birthday to DJ ANNIE NIGHTINGALE who is 81 today. Annie Nightingale CBE is an English radio and television broadcaster. She was the first female presenter on BBC Radio 1 in 1970, and is its longest-serving presenter. Pretty amazing she is still on Radio 1 and not with the other older djs on Radio 2. ---------------------- Regardless of vaccines, are gigs in the UK ever gonna be 100% on?...anything can happen at short notice. Bluesfest Byron Bay, one of Australia’s biggest music festivals, was cancelled March 31– ONE DAY before it was to open the gates. Health authorities cancelled the five-day event as part of an overall lockdown of four shires over fears of a COVID breakout in the region This was the second year in a row that the pandemic has caused havoc. In 2020 the festival was closed three weeks out from showtime. This year promoters had to hastily reach out to thousands of patrons from around the country to stop them coming. Bluesfest normally draws around 100,000 people. This time numbers were capped at 16,500 a day, and the event had meticulously planned strict COVID-safe measures. Despite having no international names on the bill, it was 85% sold-out, said director Peter Noble.