GIG NUMBER SIXTY-SIX
Arthur Lee: March 7, 1945 - August 3, 2006: You Set The Scene.
Who
Due to my continued reservation at all bands supporting, we stayed downstairs and I had the Worst Beer Ever (cloudy Worthington's with no head) before we moved upstairs to witness the final ten minutes of Primary 5. They were surprisingly professional, featuring an experienced (i.e. old) lead singer and Irish accents, but as you could imagine this made them somewhat middle of the road and dull, and in two songs I'd quickly gone through the motions of being slightly interested to typically bored of them. Then, despite securing a position towards the front, we had to take quite a few steps back to escape the inexplicably tall guys who'd rudely pushed their way forwards in front of us to demonstrate their high altitudes (and bad attitudes) to the whole crowd!
Our debate beforehand about the opener proved silly as Love came onstage (on time!) to the obvious (yet at the same time too good to open with) Alone Again Or. Who can really complain about that? As before the guitar solos were applauded and this perfect song was delivered spot on. Arthur Lee was as slim as before but now sporting a moustache and, as we were shocked to witness later, a completely bald head, covered by a usual array of headgear. The two guitarists at either side seemed familiar sights to me (one sporting a "police line - do not cross" thing as a guitar strap!) but it was the "new" guy Johnny Echols who captivated my attention for most of the show. Despite sporting headgear, moustache, sunglasses and a sweater making him look like he hadn't been outside in the previous 35 years, he had, just like Arthur, aged pretty well, defying his years with an impressive albeit chilled out performance. He also kept doing the intro to ĦQue Vida! wherever possible, much to my delight, and was sporting a dazzling smile - what a guy!
A House Is Not A Motel was the second, extended, song and you could sense the collective intake of breath - were we going to get a full performance of Forever Changes? Very sadly it was not to be, and I couldn't possibly imagine feeling more disappointed to witness Arthur Lee and Johnny Echols onstage choosing Old Man as their third number after a shout out to Brian McLean. Signed D.C. still remains to me an unnecessary addition to their set, although given added poignancy as we were told the guy it was written about had recently died. After the mouth organ gymnastics from Arthur was the tune than excited me most - My Little Red Book! Despite Arthur quite frankly admitting that he didn't like the song much, it was given an energetic outing and I was happy to see it back in the set. Orange Skies was typically nice but slightly underwhelming when put against the glorious Bummer In The Summer, rocking out more than ever! Whereas before I hailed the technical perfection of the band, this time things were good but not as spot on. There were numerous duff notes - and not all coming from Johnny Echols who played very well - no doubt down to less rehearsal than before, in addition to perhaps the acoustics of the venue. Arthur also seemed to have a sore throat, but this lent the performance a more energetic, more spontaneous edge that had gone before. Even the sheer number of guitars onstage - at some points five with three lead guitarists! - did not detract from the show as it easily could have done.
You Set The Scene was particularly memorable due to a hissy fit from Arthur who objected to someone gently throwing a very soft fluffy hat towards the stage which possibly brushed against his foot. He stopped the song and refused to continue until the "offender" had been removed from the venue, ignoring pleas to just smile and try on the hat! A wide smile from Johnny, joking words from another guitarist and an Ian Brownesque chant of "Arthur Lee! Arthur Lee! Arthur Lee!" to the tune of Here We Go from the crowd eventually let him regain his composure and a bigger scene was averted - don't take things so seriously Arthur!! The song was continued and finished magnificently however. Also enjoyable were Your Mind And We Belong Together and The Daily Planet, although set "newbies" She Comes In Colors and Hey Joe meant more to me, particularly the former. The Red Telephone was also extended and featured far more crowd interaction on the chant of "freedom" at the climax, plus name checks to Jacko, George W Bush and Margaret Thatcher in the "locking them up today" bit and a rare glimpse into Arthur's eyes. As before, the new song cannon was represented by Rainbow In The Storm, which seemed more captivating this time around. Arthur also promised that a new E.P. was around the corner, although remained quiet on the front of his new album which was going to be "better than Forever Changes"!
Everybody's Gotta Live/Instant Karma was the other unexpected number and was rather good, as was Singing Cowboy, even though it remains an unworthy number to draw out so long and introduce the band on, particularly with the curfew so near! All the band were allowed to demonstrate their individual skills, with top notch solo spots from all three guitarists - including a familiar tune I couldn't put my finger on and some really loud stuff, and an astonishing solo from the bassist, especially considering that he was a short term member of the group! Johnny stole the moment again however, by once more demonstrating his ability to play pretty much in tune with his guitar behind his head. It seems an obvious trick but he's the only guy I've ever seen doing it! After a solo spot from the drummer, I decided that the continued excellence of the band stopped the unnecessary number of guitarists onstage being a problem!
I was shocked when Arthur announced he was going to squeeze in two more songs, and even more so when he suddenly bumped that figure up to three! Live And Let Live remains a memorable chance for the group to show their worth, and I was relieved they'd still found time for Between Clark And Hilldale. But it was the burst of energy of Seven & Seven Is that provided the perfect ending, releasing me from any tiredness I'd felt earlier. There was also some moshing down the front and it was gratifying to see the energies of youth could overwhelm the older element in the crowd and make this a truly contemporary show! I was quite ecstatic to think that they'd opened and closed with the perfect choices so felt a mixture of shock, disappointment and delight when the band came back again for a final Can't Explain. The time was now knocking on for 11:15pm and, given the smaller venue and the earlier "missiles", I was surprised the band deigned to give us one final tune! Despite the absence of ĦQue Vida! (again) and Stephanie Knows Who (again) and the shock (probably accidental) exclusion of Andmoreagain, in addition to the by now usual disregard of the classics from Four Sail (although, given Johnny Echol's presence, I could see a reason for that this time), I was very pleased by the standard. Sadly this was be the last time I would see Arthur Lee, but it is gratifying to know he'd spent the final years of his life so well, cementing his place in music history.
Mark: 8.0/10
Love With Arthur Lee (Featuring Johnny Echols)
Support
Primary 5
Where
Manchester Debating Hall
When
31st March 2005
Price
£17.50
Who with
Matt
Position
Towards the front
Comments
For some reason I dressed up smart (anticipating no moshpit but failing to consider that smoking at gigs was still legal and prevalent) and had a large helping of homemade gin jelly before venturing to a repeat viewing of Arthur Lee, this time with the added bonus of other founder member Johnny Echols, unforgivably spelt on my ticket as Johnny Eccles! I hadn't bothered hearing any Love records for months before, so breezed through their first four albums plus a few other choice cuts beforehand to get in the mood. Fortunately it worked: a small investment to make considering the ticket price we'd paid! But the possibility to hear vast chunks of the widely acclaimed "greatest album ever made" reproduced perfectly onstage did not seem to translate into ticket sales: the show was unceremoniously moved down from the main Academy. I'd like to think this came down to everyone having had the opportunity to see Arthur before and taking it, rather than yet more shocking taste on behalf of the public. And speaking of the public, I think I heard somewhere that all The Stone Roses (except Ian Brown) were hanging around together at the show for the first time in ten years!
