Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 08:20:44 +0000 (GMT)
From: kevin challenger <*****@compnews.co.uk>
To: stone roses mailing list <roses-list@blob.best.net>
Subject: Review: Brid - 28/11

Right then, here's the review of the opening night of the UK tour I promised. A bit late I know, but I didn't get into work yesterday. This is also quite a long message so please bear with me, as it contains lots of relevant info for those who are gonna see them over the next few weeks

Ok, the doors opened at 7pm, and after being searched by security we made our way down to the main hall. Records were playing over the PA, and everyone headed for the bar or the merchandise stall (more of which later). After nearly two hours of sitting, standing and wandering around, the mood changed and anticipation began to build. The Beatles' 'Paperback Writer' and the Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations' were two of the main songs i remember being played over the PA just before the band came on stage.There was NO SUPPORT ACT, just the Roses. I don't know if this is gonna be the case for the whole tour, but my mate asked the guy at the merchandise stall and he just said 'no, they're on their own tonight.'The band emerged to a rousing reception, Ian wearing a bizzare hat which appeared to be a wooly ski hat with ear flaps like a deerstalker. He wandered up to the mic and muttered 'Individual' as the intro to Breaking Into Heaven was playing over the PA. The band got set up, and opened the set with Adored. The crowd went wild! After all the rumours, false starts and waiting they were finally back, and playing live. I can't really remeber much of the set, as I was so taken away by the fact I was actually there, and the band were there before me banging out hit after hit but this is what I do remember of it, in no particular order.intro Breaking Into Heaven moving into I Wanna Be Adored Sugar Spun Sister Waterfall Good Times10 Storey Love Song moving into Daybreak Love Spreads Breaking Into Heaven (a *very* long version, must've been about 20 mins - i think this is gonna take over as the new 'Resurrection' for band jamming seesions at their gigs.) Made Of Stone Your Star Will Shine/Tightrope/Tears(all these songs were played acoustically with the stage lights full on, all the band sitting down with Robbie playing bongos, in true MTV Unplugged style. very good, even if Ian's voice was a bit dodgy on Tightrope.)This was about all for the main set. The band then left the stage with Ian muttering 'Is that it? yeah...'. after much cheering and foot-stamping they returned to play a rousing version of 'Resurrection' and then they were gone. The house lights came on, and everyone left. The gig finished at 10.30pm!!!! early or what! The whole gig was mind-blowing. They were on TOP FORM and sounded absolutely ace, with the new guy Nigel (?) added an extra dimension to the band's sound. I read in the Melody Maker this week that Mani has been quoted as saying the band are now OFFICIALLY a 5 piece, and that Nigel will be playing on the new album afetr which time he will become a 'fully-fledged Rose.' While I'm on the subject, Mani says there will be a live album taken from their recent tours, and they cannot decide whether to go into the studio to record a new album at the start of 96, or whether to extend their current tour, playing 'secret' gigs around the UK.Anyway, finally onto the merchandise. 

T-shirts are all 12quid, and come in the following flavours:

Waterfall (full union jack with Waterfall at the bottom) - grey/white
Waterfall (quarter union jack) - white
Fools Gold (dolphins) - white
What The World Is Waiting For - white
10 Storey Love Song (as single cover) - white
Begging You (small print) - white
Second Coming (angel crest thing) - white
Second Coming (Squire print) - white

Also small enamel Second Coming angel crest badges for 3quid. very smart. Bootleg t-shirts and posters were also on sale outside the venues for the usual cheap prices, with tour posters being 2quid.Right, that's about it. All I can say is that they are well and truly BACK and that they are a much tighter band, sounding far better than the Blackpool Live video, and coming together as a band much better. I can guarantee that anyone going to see them will enjoy it. I know I did!As Ian said in the middle of the set 'Did you miss us?'. oh yes.....I can't wait until the Black Grape gig in decemeber. Should be fuckin' ace!Thanks for reading this far, I hope this has told all you UK tour-goers all you need to know, and if there's anything else anyone wants to know, feel free to mail me and i'll try to answer your queries. Enjoy yourselves, and post your reviews to the list, cos i'll be interested to see how the tour progresses. bye ;-)

Kevin Challenger                 

From: Rob Wilkinson <****@fs1.me.umist.ac.uk>
To: roses-list@blob.best.net
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 10:47:17 GMT
Subject: Re: ROSES: Who saw them?

>
> Come on come on!
>

I was there!

> Were they good? (!)
>

Yes Amazing!

> What did they play?
>

I wanna be adored
she bangs the drums
waterfall
TSLS
Your star will shine
Tears
Made of stone
Good times
Love spreads
Daybreak Fucking ace!
Breaking into heaven
driving south
Ressurection

> How long were they on for?
>

About 2 hours

> Could he sing?
>
Yes quite well

> Any good Merchandise for sale?
>
Just the usual t-shirts and some crap out side the venue

> we want answers.
>
You got them!

> Thanks.
>Perhaps the best bit was walking past the venue at around 12:30 pm and hearing love spreads comming from the venue. There was no one about except me my mate and two others. When they'd played a few songs and a bout 10 more people gathered. Then from the door mani appears and looking at brady's (my mate) Second coming tshirt Said Well thats an old t-shirt. Then they did a photo shoot on the beach and came back to the spa then mani and robbie left and ian and john hung around to sign stuff and even speak! 

Life is complete.Rob

Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 16:55:59 +0000 (GMT)
From: Matt Braithwaite <******@compnews.co.uk>
To: roses-list@blob.best.net
Subject: Re: ROSES: Review: Brid - 28/11

I don't think there's a lot I can add to Kev's review, other than that I was surprised how good Ian's singing was (this is relative, of course. I mean, he was still a bit flat, but not as bad as I'd expected). The band (and Robbie in particular) made a bit of a mess of the two pauses in 'Resurrection', but this was the first gig of the tour, so I suppose they had every right to be rusty. The bluesy jam was far two long - I never thought I'd see the Roses live and be bored (only for a moment though).Worth 5 years wait? Nearly. Like Kev, I found the night went with a bit of a blur - I seemed to spend a lot of the time thinking 'IT'S THE ROSES!! IT'S THE ROSES!'. My one *really* clear memory of the evening is of Ian standing still in the middle of the stage, silhoutted by light, head bobbing slightly to the beat of "Resurrection", holding his tambourine aloft. And then they were gone, and the house lights came up to the sound of the bonus track from SC.As for the criticism I've received for my previous posting:I'm not about to burn, smash, melt or in any way destroy my copy of SC - after all, I do like about 5 or 6 of the tracks.
The suggestion that I like Menswear really hurts :-)
I had a pair of Adidas trainers once. When I was about 10.
The intention of my previous posting was to wind people up. That I seemed to achieve. I'm not criticising the Roses for failing to reproduce the debut album; I have no problem with them developing. However, I don't see playing the blues as being a development!I've grown up through the 70s, 80s and 90s listening (mostly) to British pop and indie. The blues means nothing to me. I find it cliched, trapped in its reverence for its own past and empty. Whoever pointed out that the lyrics to Driving South were bulls**t coming from a gang of lads from Manchester was spot on. From now on, when I hear that song I will have a mental picture of myself driving along the M62 past Pontefract in pouring rain in my clapped-out Volvo.

Matt Braithwaite

From: Richard Deighton <****@dircon.co.uk>
Newsgroups: alt.music.stone-roses
Subject: Bridlington Spa gig and an interesting conversation with Simon and the Roses (Read It!!!!)
Date: 30 Nov 1995 22:45:40 GMT

Okay, before I start I my review ought to tell you that I have spoken to Simon Dawson directly about some of the most important issues in this Newsgroup, THIS IS NOT BULLSHIT:The Roses do know who Burnweed is
They think he is a little dangerous
He's not supporting them at their gig in Manchester
They've never heard of Sarah Porter
They've not given up on the Newsgroup.
They put us on the guest list
They were fucking brilliant
Now read on:

Bridlington is a small coastal town on the north east coast England, its cold and miserable, and out of season its like a ghost town. My brother and I, ever the optimists, thought we might be able to buy a couple of tickets from touts after having decided that this gig was too important to miss.We arrived about noon and found the Spa which is a pavilion on the sea front. As we pulled up, we saw the Roses going in the stage door so we wandered down to see what the score was. After a while we could hear the sound check starting so we decided to chance our arm and went in through the main entrance., hey presto, no security. Two minutes later we were in and there they were, sound check in progress, we couldn't believe our luck. Even during the sound check they sounded great.After a while, one of the roadies came over and very politely asked us to leave. We went back round to the stage door and waited. Some time later one of the crew came out and we asked if we could go back in, he explained that the Roses didn't like people listening to them practice but it was going to be an excellent gig and they were up for it. Rather forlornly we explained that we were ticketless and he said he'd see what he could do. A couple of freezing hours later he came back out, told us that the lads didn't want to see us get ripped off by touts, took our names and put us on the guest list. FUCKING MARVELOUS !!After a few celebratory pints we went back to the stage door to find that a small crowd had gathered so we stood talking to the rest of the believers about the 5 year wait and all that good stuff. Then, John Squire walks out of the stage door. Greets everybody, signs CD covers (thanks mate !) and chats away before leaving I tell him he's the greatest guitarist ever, he thanks me for the compliment but fuck do I mean it. Then, Ian Mani and Robbie come out together, shake our hands pat our backs thank us for coming and Ian shakes me by the hand saying peace man. FUCKING BRILLIANT.Its now 30 minutes to doors open and the queue for the concert stretches down the sea front. Ticket touts are getting 60 pounds ($90) a ticket, we feel a bit humble as we get through into the hall. Here we are, the altar is prepared and the disciples are streaming through the doors. It doesn't take long before the place is filled.A tape is played through the PA, it consists of Roses remixes fused with all sorts of different musical influences, Rap Jazz etc. none I've heard before. The Fools Gold drumbeat is evident throughout. Everybody loves it, who needs a support act ! There is a real party atmosphere, people are exchanging stories about the last Roses gig they went too, how magical the music is and how finally after half a decade, the Roses truly return to their roots. It's like Blackpool over again !The Beatles "Paperback Writer" is followed by the beach boys "Good Vibrations" , the wait is over, the lights dim and the intro to Breaking into Heaven begins accompanied by an ethereal light show. I wanna be Adored, the place erupts, we are crushed in the throng, everybody in the place goes fucking mental, they're on stage and Ian's mellow soothing tones are setting the place alight . The wooden floor is bending under the strain of 3000 people in absolute rapture.The track list is irrelevant, the songs were delivered perfectly, the acoustic set was beautiful, the crowd sang and danced and threw themselves at their total mercy. The highlight was Daybreak with John's guitar solo melding perfectly into Breaking Into Heaven it was orgasmic. There was absolutely nothing to criticize. Maddix was brilliant, Mani brilliant, Ian's voice perfect the only break coming when he asked the crowd "Did you miss us ?" which was of course greeted by screams of "yes" from the adoring disciples.The set ends and the crowd stamp and scream for 5 minutes until the Roses reappear to play Resurrection, this choice squarely aimed at the music press and anyone else whoever doubted that they are the greatest band ever.They leave the stage, we collapse exhausted, drenched and begging for more. We see our mate from the crew who made it all possible, he asks us if we enjoyed it and offers us a beer. We can't believe free beer on top of everything else. We tell him it how amazing it was, how everything was right. The sound, the remixes choice of venue etc. all address weaknesses from previous dates I've been to. The Roses can feel safe in the knowledge that they are finally in competent hands. We talk about the remixes, he tells us there are some more to come, some with Hendrix on. We tell him to put it out as a CD, he says maybe.We ask him where Simon Dawson is and explain about the Internet newsgroup, he chuckles knowingly and takes us to Simon. I introduce myself and he recognizes my name and smiles warmly shaking my hand. I ask him straight away about Burnweed. He has mixed feelings, he thinks Lee might be dangerous but doesn't elaborate. I explain that I thought that in the first place, but now I think Lee is simply a dedicated fan and that One Love Story is evidence of that.

Simon remains unconvinced although he pays tribute to Lee's intelligence. I ask him if he knows Sarah Porter, he says not and I believe him. He asks me why and I explain the present confrontation. He looks at me and laughs wryly. He assures me that no one from the Roses side has anything to do with her or what she is up to and I believe this as well. We talk some more and explain how, after seeing the Roses play Second Coming live, we understand it. It' sounds so much better than the early stuff. He's glad we noticed and explains that's the point.Finally we ask him if he's given up on this Newsgroup. He laughs and say's no and points to his laptop which is wired to the sound equipment. He will be back when he can unhook it from the rig. We all laugh and tell him to leave it hooked up right where it is till he's good and ready. We thank everyone and leave, it was fucking marvelous THANKS

Richard (and brother Nick)

From: "A.Bloomfield" <******@fs1.art.man.ac.uk>
Organization: University of Manchester: Faculty o
To: roses-list@blob.best.net
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 1995 14:15:37 GMT0BST
Subject: brid gig review

here is my review of the greatest night of my life (late, i know but i messed up sending it first time):-everything was going well. it was a last minute decision as i'm going to the sheffield and leeds ones as well, but realised i just had to be there for the first uk gig (proper; who goes to the pilton festival?) we got tickets from the touts for cheaper than we expected (stlg50), found a b&b; to stay the night, and most of all the vibe around the town was good.the support rumours did not materialise, thank god, as compared to the roses everyone else pales into insignificance. the atmosphere was excellent, people were so friendly, building up to THE moment. breaking into heaven started and everyone went wild. they came on half way through it to a huge reception. ian had a wooly hat on, mani a new haircut, robbie looked like he'd been part of the band since the dawn of mankind and john is the rock star.i wanna be adored began, some of the biggest crowd movement in history, everybody seemed to think they are the greatest band on earth. rightly so; i've seen the charlatans (brilliant) and oasis (good, but not as good) in the past 5 days but this was IT.old stuff was limited to adored, made of stone, she bangs the drums, waterfall, and resurrection all played and sung perfectly. the new material took on a new dimension (its just rock and roll as a certain gallagher would have it) with every dream i've ever had about how this night would be fulfilled and more. i can't go into detail about individual songs as the whole thing just combined into one event and to split it into parts could never do it justice.imagine this - dancing to i am the resurrection live with a crowd gone mad, within feinting distance of bez and cressa. "MY DREAMS, MY NIGHTMARES, I HOPE THEY ALL COME TRUE"IN ADORATION TO THE GODS WHO ALLOWED THIS, "THIS NIGHT HAS OPENED MY EYES,AND I WILL NEVER SLEEP AGAIN" as said the smiths.adam.