The Sunday at this great festival saw the doors of the intimate (approx 500 capacity) JAKS venue being opened for the first time.
We were the first Band to open the night with a peakish 8.30-10.00pm slot. With both Centre and Reds stages in full swing, I had (when negatively minded) visions of us playng to about 2o-30 people. However, our friends and supporters did us proud and we had an excellent turn out. We lost a few people at the time the Feelgood’s were going onto Centre Stage (but at least theyd seen half the set) and then a small amount more when the venue ran out of bitter (what a festival crowd – drank em dry), but overall it’s a massive thanks to all our friends who turned out for us and the support of live music in JAKS (well done Alan Pearce and Blues Matters) on the night.
Storming into ‘Tellin Lies’, we played a high energy set, that peaked in various numbers including ‘Voodoo Dance’ and our well regarded cover of the ‘Roadhouse Blues’. My fave moment was playing ‘Dark Angel’, where we had a few decent shouts for us to play the song and we were able to oblige. It was one of those nights where I managed to ‘deliver’ on the guitar solo and as the song powered into its climax, it was a time to enjoy the sweat the lights and the atmosphere, even from on on stage perspective.
Weirdest thing about that version was that when we hit the second verse my mind went a blank (nothing new there many of you would cry), but the fact that I managed to invent a new verse totally in the context of the song and arguably a better one than the actual recorded verse was very strange. At the end I wondered whether I’d dreamt it when only last week photographer/journalist Steve Dulieu asked me why and how I’d done it … the brains a funny thing, especially mine!
As for the Band, wed got used to Roger playing behind his perspex barrier and the sound separation which had induced a couple of ‘drop the trapeze’ moments on the Saturday, was dealt with (he was let out at the end with promises of future good behaviour).
Overall, Bill and Roger played it really well while Danny was on a blinder. Mandie got to sing/blast out ‘Play With Fire’ and Suzie bluesed (is that a word?) it up with her album version of ‘ Stormy Monday’
At the end it was great to be able to play Preacher Man to our friends and watch people go crazy in the ‘Freebird’ section. The man behind the stage, Mr BM , Alan Pearce (who recieved a wedding anniversary dedication) watched the whole set and it was fantastic to see the planner who put it all together be delighted with the delivery…….
Welcome to 2012…..
Gary