GIG NUMBER NINETY
Who
I caught the train in and we met in town. There's another advantage of going out in Wolverhampton rather than Birmingham: We didn't have to worry so much about getting home late as the transport was much better! It was pouring with rain and we went into The Queen Of Hearts which, contrary to appearances, was serving food, so I had my mixed grill: Being in the pub also got us in a much better mood than we'd been in for Embrace! I believe this was my first time inside the Wulfrun since New Years Eve 2002 so it was nice to be back, but I swear that the venue is a different size every time I go in there. The set-up was different to a usual gig with tables at the back, so it appears they wanted to create the vibe of a "night out". In fact we had planned to go into Blast Off next door afterwards but for some reason, presumably tiredness, didn't bother. There was a varied mix of people - both very old and very young - and the seats were in demand but we got some for ourselves. We saw flyers for the three bands and it was fascinating to see the random venues across the Midlands that they were all playing separately: By comparison a gig at the Wulfrun was like Wembley Stadium! We had some beers and I was very impressed by the prettiness and quality of the Wulfrun bar. I think it was around this point I noticed that the show was advertised as the Led Free Experience, and I realised it was an amalgamation of the names of everybody playing: I couldn't quite believe that we hadn't noticed when we'd got tickets that it wasn't just Fred Zeppelin! The doors had opened at 7pm and there were three bands to get through so it didn't take long for Free At Last to take to the stage.
Rather negatively we sat down at the back for their entire set but somehow still managed to enjoy it all. They sounded incredible and as I had so little knowledge of the original band and how they looked or played I find it difficult to believe that they could have done any better. I was stunned to read afterwards that their real singer didn't accept that All Right Now was their only hit and when somebody shouted out at a gig for him to play it and he did he was surprised by how well it went down. I just can't get my head around what the craziest part of that story is: That he would drop it from his set, that any crowd watching him would do anything other than boo if he didn't play it and that he seemed utterly oblivious to it being the only one that everyone knows and wanted to hear. A bit like how The Charlatans may be in ten years time, and I don't think I need to tell you what song I'm on about by them! Anyway, as much as this point may go against the one hit wonder argument, I must say that Free At Last sounded immense from start to finish. It just made you want to nod your head in approval and I could imagine this band filling stadiums up and down the country. When All Right Now came up and they got the crowd to sing much of it rather than playing it properly by themselves it did almost feel like an anti-climax, as it was just about the least accomplished thing that they did. But their whole set was freakishly strong for a second support band so I shouldn't criticise!
We now stood up and moved closer to the stage to prepare ourselves for The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Hendrix is an interesting figure to me, clearly seeming like a less talented version of Arthur Lee. Obviously he was better at flashy guitar playing and looking iconic, but in terms of vocal talent and songwriting ability he could never hold a candle to Arthur. The Hendrix impersonator was the focal point of a three-piece band and proved to be an amazing spectacle and talent. Free At Last may have had a better sound but this guy drove us crazy with excitement by sheer technical brilliance: If Hendrix was even better than him no wonder everyone made so much fuss about him! He played a version of Hey Joe (slower than Love) and obviously Purple Haze. There seems to be some conspiracy on the Internet trying to make me believe that American Woman was originally by Hendrix. At the time I was shocked and disappointed that he didn't play it but now after much research it appears that Hendrix had never performed the song! He also did a cover of Wild Thing and I was pleased to hear The Star Spangled Banner too. The real talking point though was the guitar playing. At times I wondered if it was him as he seemed to be making so little effort, even playing one-handed! He also played it with his teeth and with it behind his back: The sound coming out of that thing was amazing! Even though there wasn't a moshpit or as much dancing as there could have been the crowd were clearly loving every second: This guy is wasted in a local support band!
By this point we felt that the night couldn't get any better and had lost much interest in watching Fred Zep. After a long wait they came onstage and the anticlimax was astonishing. Perhaps it was the long hair subconsciously reminding me of Toploader. Maybe the self-indulgent drum solo early on had something to do with it too. But quite simply this was the very rare occasion when a band had been upstaged by their support. The music sounded ponderous and dull, especially compared to Wolfmother who I always imagined to be just like Led Zep. I think I recognised Immigration Song but not much else, and it all seemed so self-indulgent and lifeless after the two great bands I'd just seen. And then they reached Stairway To Heaven. The first time I heard that song it was so pointless and unmemorable I presumed I'd downloaded something else by mistake. Knowing what a "classic" it was supposed to be though I reserved judgement in the hope it would make more sense when I saw it live. But I just can't pretend to like it now. What's the fuss about? IT'S JUST NOT VERY GOOD!!! Am I missing something? Considering I live in a world where people like Westlife and Robbie Williams though I can quite safely put it down to poor taste by everyone else, in much the same way that the mediocre Road Rage was Catatonia's biggest hit and not Mulder & Scully or I Am The Mob. Fred Zep were now just draining the energy that Free At Last and The Jimi Hendrix Experience had built up so I had little objections to our decision to leave. The only thing that could have saved this set was Whole Lotta Love but it wasn't worth staying until the end to hear it and then having to miss my ride home. I caught the last bus, and I've noted I had a free ride but I can't remember how or why!! My ears were whistling but by the time I got home I was already sober. It was a good night even though we'd left well before the end and the main band had been almost totally lacking in quality. Whether or not this was because the band they are based on aren't very good or that they're just not a very good tribute though I may never know for sure.
Mark: 7.0/10
Fred Zeppelin
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Free At Last
Where
Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
When
21st October 2006
Price
£10.00
Who with
Nick, Claire
Position
Towards the back
Comments
A decidedly unusual gig this one. This was yet another I'd agreed to months before, on the basis that Led Zeppelin are regarded as a "classic" band and by seeing their premier tribute band I'd be expanding my horizons. I later learned that the evening would also host tributes to Jimi Hendrix and Free and could be a celebratory Saturday night out just three days after seeing Embrace. Of course I knew the song Alright Now but I didn't know it was by Free, so upon learning this I really started to feel I'd hit the jackpot. I haven't seen many tribute bands. There is of course The Stone Roses Tribute Band Trilogy I've covered elsewhere, plus The Bootleg Beatles at V2000 and also a Nirvana tribute I had tickets for who decided to randomly cancel the show without reason... And I should give a special shout to No Way Sis for the brilliant I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing, not that I ever had a chance to see them. Generally though I try to stay "with it" so don't like the idea of filling up my gigging schedule with more than a sprinkling of nostalgia and tribute shows. I'd prepared for weeks in advance by listening to Hendrix and Zeppelin but strangely enough none of the songs seemed to sink in. Also I was in a good mood as both my phone and shaver had broken but decided to fix themselves on the afternoon before the show! I had also recovered from my illness in the week and was determined not to repeat the same mistakes which ruined Embrace, namely seeing a gig in Birmingham.
