Well, a legend performing in a local venue. This time Robin Trower was playing in Hall 2 (the smaller hall) which was completely packed, while Richard Thompson was playing in the larger Hall 1. This had been a dilemma for me. Who to see? To solve my dilemma, I went to see Richard Thompson in York (as previously reported) and Robin a couple of nights later.
Many years ago, back in the 70s, Robin Trower was massive. The tribute below explains how great he was, and is: “Anyway, the most important point of all this is that the peaks of this concert were magnificent to a degree that makes you wish you were Keats so you could write a sonnet and give proper expression to the exquisite agony and ecstasy. My toupee took off and hovered three feet above my head from the first monster moaning chord of ‘Bridge of Sighs’ to the last bent string and swayed emotion.” (Phil Sutcliffe, reviewing a concert at Wembley Empire Pool (now Wembley Arena) in Sounds, 1976)
I first saw Trower in the early 1970s when he had just left Procol Harum. He was supporting Nazareth who had recently been in the charts with “Broken Down Angel”. The pairing made such an impact upon me my mates that we went to see the same line – up play at Newcastle Mayfair the following week. A few years later and I was queueing outside the City Hall to buy tickets to see Robin Trower. He was by that time being proclaimed as “The King of Wah Wah” (from another Sounds review of the mid–70s) and often compared to Jimi Hendrix. Yes, this guy is THAT good. If you don’t believe me listen to the track “Bridge of Sighs”
In those days his singer and bass guitarist was James Dewar, who had a rich soulful voice and had just left Stone the Crows, another great band, with whom I saw James several times (if you’re interested look for earlier blog entries). Now, something just came to mind. I have vague memories of seeing Robin Trower in his earlier band Jude, at a very empty Wearmouth Hall, Sunderland Polytechnic “Saturday night dance”. Jude comprised singer Frankie Miller, the bassist/singer James Dewar, and former Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker. This star-studded outfit was short – lived and did not record anything.
Anyway, enough of my reminiscing and let’s return to the recent concert at the Glasshouse. Their website announced his return to the north-east: “Anthemic. Awesome. A guitar behemoth. For six decades, Robin Trower’s career has been a quiet rebellion. Dive into the British guitarist’s backstory and you’ll find an artist who’s always rolled the dice over taking the path of least resistance. In the early-’70s, Trower showed fearlessness, leaving the security of Procol Harum to create a gold-selling solo album: Bridge of Sighs which filled North American stadiums.……”
Support came from the Connolly Hayes Trio, a blues rock outfit. Sadly, we arrived just a little too late to catch their performance. We had time for a quick drink in the bar before entering a sold-out crowd ready to witness the legendary guitarist. The last time I saw Robin, in Stockton, he was taking on much of the singing himself This time he returned to the familiar three-piece line – up as it was in the 70s, with the bass player taking singing duties. Robin Trower remains an outstanding guitarist who can squeeze notes through his Stratocaster like no one else. His singer/bassist has a great voice and does justice to the old songs. This formation is much more authentic than the band I witnessed in Stockton, allowing Robin to focus on his guitar playing.
The first song was unfamiliar to me, but we were soon in familiar territory with the excellent rocker “Too Rolling Stoned” which used to close his shows as the encore. A few more songs in and “Day of the Eagle “takes me back 50 years. Then the beautiful, intricate and soulful beginning of the classic “Bridge of Sighs” swirls throughout the hall. This song retains its magic today. Trower’s face displays the effort, feeling and how much of himself he is putting into the guitar work which starts the song, and remains his finest hour. The rest of the set is less familiar to me but retains the classic rocking guitar work that only Robert Trower can produce from a Fender Stratocaster. His guitar solos are as beautiful as they were in the 70s. It is all over too soon. Pure magic and I am so pleased I solved my dilemma and made the effort to see him.
Sadly, shortly after this performance I read that Robin had cancelled his USA tour. The following statement on his official website explained: “from Robin Trower: “It is with great regret that I must inform you that I will be unable to fulfil the upcoming tour of the USA in September/October. I have struggled with health issues for some time now. Following my latest stay in hospital a few weeks ago, my doctor advised me that the only possible way for an effective long-term solution is to undertake a major operation as soon as possible. ……I have also been advised that the recovery time to 100% full fitness could take a while. This makes committing to a fixed touring period in the near future impossible.……I am very hopeful that this procedure will give me a new lease of life and I can return to doing what I love the most- playing live”
All best wishes to Robin. I hope that your health improves and that you are, indeed, soon back to playing live.
Many thanks to Jackie for the photographs and to Chris for manipulating the Site for me. Thanks to Wikipedia Commons for the image of the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, which brings back memories of when I visited the city with my late wife, Marie. I have the LP in my own collection.
Setlist: The Razor’s Edge; Too Rolling Stoned; Wither on the Vine; Cloud Across the Sun; Somebody Calling; Distant Places of the Heart; It’s Too Late; Day of the Eagle; Bridge of Sighs; Rise Up Like the Sun; Daydream; No More Worlds to Conquer; Little Bit of Sympathy.
Encore: Rescue Me; Birdsong.
