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I will always remember my first gig. Aged 14, that band ladies and gentlemen, were the Pink Floyd. Apart from for about 10 months between 1966 and 1967, I don't think that Pink Floyd had ever been cool. I wouldn't know what to blame it on, Nick Masons tache? The Wall? The almost complete lack of singles? Or maybe, it's because post Syd, they were not really interested in the concept of being pop stars. So if you look at what was happening in say; 1972, (Ziggy, T-Rex, Eno, Roxy etc etc) and then look at what the Floyd were doing at the same time (Nick Mason asking the studio engineer for apple pie without the crusts and inventing the future look for 118 118, Rick Wright sporting a fine array of hideous jumpers knitted by his nan complete with gravy stains, Dave Gilmour rewriting the rulebook of modern rock music whilst still being the only guitarist to fill Jimi Hendrix sadly missed shoes, and Roger Waters, ah yes here comes the good bit, bashing gongs to within an inch of their life in the ancient ruins of Pompeii, being the badest maddest 'rock star' not to touch drugs, cussing studio engineers and producers for 'not understanding music', write albums with 20 minute orchestral pieces and the putting an Essex cow, yes a real one! on the front cover, being the most well spoken frontman ever and still saying the F word every ten seconds, and INVENTING BLEEDIN' TECHNO!, it would be fairly unreasonable to even INSINUATE that Floyd were ever cool. So now we have that out of the way, lets fast forward to 1988.
My eldest brother Dean, a man of (mostly) sound musical taste had introduced me to Floyd earlier that year. 'Wish You Were Here' was the first I heard, then 'Meddle', and then I went carwashing at weekends until I had earned enough quids to walk the two mile hike into town to buy another Floyd album on tape. I think I had to cadge a lift to London Tower Records and beg my dad to buy me 'More', and I think I picked up 'Relics' for 2 quid from a secondhand shop. Other than that, it worked out that I had to wash three cars to listen to one album. Don't worry kids, this was before I was old enough to even THINK about girls.
'Early 15th birthday present Chris?' 'F*ck Yes'. 8th August 1988 then. Pink Floyd playing Wembley Stadium as a 'three piece' but with about 15 dreadfully uncool session musicians, mainly in mullets and chinos. No Roger Waters (he stormed about three years earlier after years of decaying relationships with, er everyone actually, and launched a very successful solo career). But hey, I'm 14, drinking beer on my brothers shoulders, watching (I wouldn't want to be held to this) Paul Young (christ!) and waiting for Floyd to come onstage and wheel out the classic Waters songbook. Wish You Were Here indeed.
I can't recall what they played and in what order, but I am positive that it opened with 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', which in itself justifies the concept of stadium gigs. It was getting dark, lazers, sound, hippies, I'm getting shivers down my back even thinking about it, and thats in a GOOD way. A fair chunk of 'Dark Side Of The Moon' got aired, and the thrill of a real hospital bed flying over our heads from one end of the stadium to the other will live with me forever, soundtracked by the futuristic headf*ck of 'On The Run', (see I TOLD you Waters invented Techno!).
We got the inevitable new Waterless album, 'Dogs Of War' was truly dreadful, 'Learning To Fly' with Gilmour at his most lyrically imaginitive (NOT) was actually passable in that kind of 'everyone swing their arms' kind of way, and 'On The Turning Away' was kinda atmospheric (I think I was on my second beer now).
So there you have it, fast forward another six months to 1989 and I had discovered the Mary Chain, The Clash, The Mission et al, but that was my first gig, and I am actually very proud. Thanks Dean! .
My eldest brother Dean, a man of (mostly) sound musical taste had introduced me to Floyd earlier that year. 'Wish You Were Here' was the first I heard, then 'Meddle', and then I went carwashing at weekends until I had earned enough quids to walk the two mile hike into town to buy another Floyd album on tape. I think I had to cadge a lift to London Tower Records and beg my dad to buy me 'More', and I think I picked up 'Relics' for 2 quid from a secondhand shop. Other than that, it worked out that I had to wash three cars to listen to one album. Don't worry kids, this was before I was old enough to even THINK about girls.
'Early 15th birthday present Chris?' 'F*ck Yes'. 8th August 1988 then. Pink Floyd playing Wembley Stadium as a 'three piece' but with about 15 dreadfully uncool session musicians, mainly in mullets and chinos. No Roger Waters (he stormed about three years earlier after years of decaying relationships with, er everyone actually, and launched a very successful solo career). But hey, I'm 14, drinking beer on my brothers shoulders, watching (I wouldn't want to be held to this) Paul Young (christ!) and waiting for Floyd to come onstage and wheel out the classic Waters songbook. Wish You Were Here indeed.
I can't recall what they played and in what order, but I am positive that it opened with 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', which in itself justifies the concept of stadium gigs. It was getting dark, lazers, sound, hippies, I'm getting shivers down my back even thinking about it, and thats in a GOOD way. A fair chunk of 'Dark Side Of The Moon' got aired, and the thrill of a real hospital bed flying over our heads from one end of the stadium to the other will live with me forever, soundtracked by the futuristic headf*ck of 'On The Run', (see I TOLD you Waters invented Techno!).
We got the inevitable new Waterless album, 'Dogs Of War' was truly dreadful, 'Learning To Fly' with Gilmour at his most lyrically imaginitive (NOT) was actually passable in that kind of 'everyone swing their arms' kind of way, and 'On The Turning Away' was kinda atmospheric (I think I was on my second beer now).
So there you have it, fast forward another six months to 1989 and I had discovered the Mary Chain, The Clash, The Mission et al, but that was my first gig, and I am actually very proud. Thanks Dean! .
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