The Waterboys - Edinburgh Festival Theatre

I went to see the Waterboys last. I nearly didn’t. For me, they are very rooted in my past – I’ve got three records by them that I love, and the most recent of those is twenty years old. And their songs make me think of lost loves and old friends.

The gig was also at the Festival Theatre. That is, a theatre. Seats. Sitting down. Rock gigs need standing and moving, not plush red seats. I go to the Festival Theatre to watch ballet – regularly. It isn’t where I’d go for a gig.

Still, go I did. It was good. It took the band – or maybe it was me – a long while to warm up. A Sunday night, no booze, a theatre – see, it was going to take a while to get moving, wasn’t it?

It was a curious set. They played only one song from “A Pagan Place” – and that was Red Army Blues, the one song on the LP (because yes, I have it on vinyl. I only bought the CD a couple of months ago) that isn’t about relationships or yearning (or both).

( Read more... )

The Waterboys - Edinburgh Festival Theatre

I went to see the Waterboys last. I nearly didn’t. For me, they are very rooted in my past – I’ve got three records by them that I love, and the most recent of those is twenty years old. And their songs make me think of lost loves and old friends.

The gig was also at the Festival Theatre. That is, a theatre. Seats. Sitting down. Rock gigs need standing and moving, not plush red seats. I go to the Festival Theatre to watch ballet – regularly. It isn’t where I’d go for a gig.

Still, go I did. It was good. It took the band – or maybe it was me – a long while to warm up. A Sunday night, no booze, a theatre – see, it was going to take a while to get moving, wasn’t it?

It was a curious set. They played only one song from “A Pagan Place” – and that was Red Army Blues, the one song on the LP (because yes, I have it on vinyl. I only bought the CD a couple of months ago) that isn’t about relationships or yearning (or both).

( Read more... )