Here & Now Christmas Tour 2002

...at Birmingham NEC (unsubtle plug here for previous opinions), but decided to go to Wembley this time as we could get closer seats.

Getting to Wembley can be a pain as it is a bit of a walk from the local underground stations, the traffic is dire and the car parking is expensive. Generally I prefer the NEC for transport, but having conned my friend’s husband to drop us off and pick us up again, I was a happy bunny. We arrived about ...
...saw Kim at a previous Here and Now concert and she didn’t disappoint this time either. A slim looking Kim clad in skin tight jeans and a leather top belted out most of her well known hits. Her brother, Ricky Wilde, was on stage with her and her father, Marty Wilde, was in the audience, but I couldn’t see him. She did a very lively performance, which had her out of breath in between songs, and this time included one of my favourite songs Four Letter ... more

On Sunday 15/12/02 I went to the third in a series of nostalgia concerts of mainly bands from the 80s at Wembley Arena. I had seen the previous two at Birmingham NEC (unsubtle plug here for previous opinions), but decided to go to Wembley this time as we could get closer seats.

Getting to Wembley can be a pain as it is a bit of a walk from the local underground stations, the traffic is dire and the car parking is expensive. Generally I prefer the NEC for transport, but having conned my friend’s husband to drop us off and pick us up again, I was a happy bunny. We arrived about 7.00 p.m. for a 7.30 p.m. start and pigged out on junk food in the foyer before taking our seats.

Wembley Stadium is laid out in exactly the same way as at Birmingham NEC, with huge block of seats on the flat floor of the stadium and then banks of raised seating around the edges. I was shocked to see that over a third of the stadium was cordoned off by a huge curtain – the concert had obviously not sold out like previous ones. Perhaps it was due to being a Sunday, or maybe there are less 80s fans around nowadays. I must admit to being disappointed at this line-up compared to the previous ones, but these concerts are becoming a bit of a habit now, and seeing as we got seat 20 rows back from the front in the middle, it seemed an opportunity not to miss. The acts were:

•• Visage ••
Now being a bit of a New Romantic/punk in my prime, I used to love Visage, particularly the song Night Train. Steve Strange is credited by some as the father of the New Romantic craze in the 80’s. He opened the show with Night Train (1982), and I wish I could have kept the image of him as he was in my head rather than the sorry state he is in now. He didn’t actually look too bad – heavily made up and obviously older, but he was blind drunk! He is not the best of singers either, and watching him prance round the stage with two aging male dancers was not a pretty sight. In between Night Train and Pleasure Boys (1982) he incoherently rambled something whilst staggering around the set. His headset kept on falling off and by the time Fade to Grey (1980) came on he was about as tuneless as I am in the bath! In the end he was very entertaining for being funny, if rather sad. As this venue was only half way through the tour, I wonder how they will keep him going for the remaining gigs.

•• The Belle Stars ••
I was not a particular fan of this band, but they certainly put in a good performance. The lead singer had bright red hair in long plaits with a sparkling dress on and the other blonde singer had an elegant white trouser suit on. They both had excellent voices and it was a relief to see that the whole show was not going to be as bad as it had started. For the men in the audience they had some scantily clothed backing singers. They sand Iko Iko (1982), The Clapping Song (1982) and Sing of the Times (1983).

•• Dollar ••
What a cheesy pair! Apparently they fell out for years and have only recently made it up, this tour being the first time they have appeared together on stage for 14 years. I can’t say I was a fan – being a New Romantic didn’t exactly endear me to the cheesy duo, but I did recognise the majority of the songs. They both looked good for their ages, with Theresa being as skinny as she was then. Apparently David now lives in Brighton whilst Therese came all the way from Sidney, Australia. They both had excellent voices and it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. They sang Shooting Star (1978) Mirror Mirror (1981) I wanna hold you hand (1979), Give me back my heart (1982), Videotheque (1982) and O L’Amour (1987) thanking Erasure beforehand.

•• Altered Images ••
I was never a fan of Claire Grogan (I know, I said I wasn’t that bothered by this line up), however she looked good and sounded good if you like her screeching voice. She confessed to being a show off on stage as she pranced around with two similar looking backing singers. If anyone saw her on Children in Need recently, it was the same act. She sang Happy Birthday (1981), I Could be Happy (1981), See those Eyes (1982) and Don’t Talk to me about Love (1983).

•• Five Star ••
After a quick stage change, the fab…..three (!) came on. OK, I confess to having bought Silk and Steel their only best selling album, so I knew the songs. I gathered that the woman next to me was a big fan when she screamed the place down right at the beginning when Five Star were mentioned and when I noticed her heaving bosom covered by a sequined 5. As soon as their show started she moved into the isle and started doing their dances. She knew EVERY SINGLE move! Can you imagine being such a fan that 17 years later you can remember every single step to every single? I can’t. I did finally get up and dance in my own way at this point. This family can certainly sing and dance. The remaining three are two pretty sisters and the brother who looks like Michael Jackson. I had heard that they were not very good live, but they were superb. Wonderful voices, not a note out of tune and great dancing (if you like that sort of thing). If you did like their music and get a chance to see them, they come highly recommended. They sang All Fall Down (1985), System Addict (1986), Can’t Wait Another Minute (1986), Stay out of my Life (1987) the Slightest Touch (1987) and my favourite Rain or Shine (1986).

•• Kim Wilde ••
I saw Kim at a previous Here and Now concert and she didn’t disappoint this time either. A slim looking Kim clad in skin tight jeans and a leather top belted out most of her well known hits. Her brother, Ricky Wilde, was on stage with her and her father, Marty Wilde, was in the audience, but I couldn’t see him. She did a very lively performance, which had her out of breath in between songs, and this time included one of my favourite songs Four Letter Word (1988). She also sang Kids in America (1981), Chequered Love (1981), You Keep me Hanging on (1986), You Came (1988), View from a Bridge (1982) nd Never Trust a Stranger (1988).

•• The Human League ••
The headline group of the show. After another set change to a very smoky electronic set, Phil Oakey’s powerful voice boomed out over the speakers. After the first number, the two girls, Susanne Sulley and Joanne Catherall joined him and the well know Human League sound surrounded us. Phil Oakey is now completely bald, which can come as a shock if you picture him as he used to be with that strange wedge of hair covering half of his head. Susanne looked absolutely outrageous with a black bikini covered with a lacy see through dress. I wish I looked that good at that age! She really got into the swing of the concert, wiggling around the place, but Joanne was a miserable looking so-and-so all the way through. She really looked as if she didn’t want to be there. They all sounded very good, but if I am honest hearing an hour of Human League got a bit much even for me as a fan. They sang The Sound of the Crowd (1981), Love Action (1981), Open Your Heart (1981), Mirror Man (1982), Keep Feeling Fascination (1983), Human (1986), Tell me When (1995), some minor hit from 1986 which I didn’t recognise, some very 80s sounding single which I also didn’t know that they apparently released last year and the wonderful Don’t You Want Me (1981). Finally hearing Don’t You Want Me live sadly fulfilled an ambition for me as it brings back a lot of memories.

•• Summary ••
This Here and Now was not the best nostalgia so far, but it has been the one with the least diluted 80s sound, which is what I go for. Previous bands have tried to modernise the sound, which doesn’t really work when you have a load of thirty-somethings trying to recapture their youth. It is a shame that they do not have the large screens at these concerts, as those nearer the back really wouldn't have been able to see much. The concert started at 7.30 p.m. and finished at 11.00 p.m., so you do get quite good value for your money (£35.50). I quite like Wembley Stadium as a venue, apart from the hassle of getting there. The next concert’s line up is even more of a disappointment, but of course I can’t break the habit now. In May 2003 I am going to see Musical Youth, Jennifer Rush, Elkie Brooks, T’Pau, Dead or Alive, The Pointer Sisters, and Kool & the Gang at Wembley Arena again, 8 rows from the front. If anyone is interested in finding out more or getting on a mailing list, please visit: www.here-and-now.info By the way I might have to buy Lost Witness a ticket as I know how much he loves 80s music!

That’s it for now, one knackered old fart signing out and having an early night to recover! (I actually wrote this the day after the concert, but it has taken this long to get the category added).
 

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