My brother
is a huge Ritchie Blackmore Fan, I am as well, but not as much as he is, it’s a
long story that I wont bore you with here, other than to say it all started
with Deep Purple’s Fireball, again it might just get mentioned in the next blog (9000 words already I need to prune not
demolish)I know this blog is late but all will be revealed in the next blog on Sunday,
let’s go back to Mr. B, The first Rainbow album was nice but not awesome that
came with Rising (still not beaten) and although I did see them on this tour, I
didn’t see him with my brother he refused to take me and no amount of pleading
would make him change his mind, not to worry I had friends in low places who
would let me tag along.
The tour I wanted
to see was Down to Earth and nothing short of a miracle could get me into the
City Hall, so my friends opted to go in a Transit (with no MOT) and 9 of us
crammed in, there had been a spare ticket and I bought it at face value, it was
my first venture to Bingley Hall in Stafford, I think my brother was peeved
that I was going to see this line up, I loved the gig and thankfully we left as
long live rock n roll was finishing and before all night long started (I never
did like either single from that album) it was a long drive back from Stafford
and it snowed, thankfully I was staying in Durham and went home on the bus the
day after, as the Van coasted to a stop outside my mate Mike’s house!
Then the
band changed again (no surprise there then) and I couldn’t for love nor money
get a ticket for the hall no matter how hard I tried, my brother was going and
he lorded it over me, nobody was going to another gig everybody was going to Newcastle,
I was gutted, that was until my brother realised that he was on Holiday in
Salou at the time of the gig he was crushed, I bought (yes bought) his ticket
off him, I could catch a lift off a friend who was going with another school
friend it was all good in the hood, we got the bus to the gig but we were being
picked up by his mum on the way home.
The gig was
great I loved the new singer (Joe Lyn Turner) and the new drummer, the gig itself was a great
show, again I didn’t care much for the singles but hey ho beggars cant be
choosers, what made the gig all the more sweeter was my brother was miserable
in Salou (he admitted to that many years later) we headed into the centre of
town and discovered that both of my mates parents had come pick us up, his mum
drove us to outskirts of Newcastle and then his dad took over, like a formula
one driver, the thing is it was Friday night so his dad may have had a couple
(7) of pints , we all put our seat belts as we approached supersonic speed.
As we
approached Rowlands Gill there appeared to be a gorilla, yes you read that
right an actual gorilla standing in the middle of the road, my mates dad said
and I quote this from 40 + years ago ,” I’m going to have to stop drinking I can
see a gorilla” and then he promptly put his foot down, and we all screamed that
we could see the same thing as he swerved at the last minute, and as the
gorilla took his mask off and was shouting drunken abuse as we passed, if we hadn’t
said anything that would have been one dead gorilla, it sort of put a twist on
an awesome evening!
My brother
came back and pointedly didn’t ask me, but I took great delight in telling how
good a gig it was, he got the bootleg of the gig and found fault with most
things but again years later he admitted it was a pretty good gig, not as
awesome as the Dio or Bonnet line ups but still a great gig! Apologies for this
being late (and being short) hopefully all will be revealed in the next blog,
and the next one is a serious one, until the next one stay safe and stay alive………………Toodles!
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