UFO at Newport, UK, 6th February 1998.
Just to say that after waiting for a couple of month's with baited
breath I attended the opening night of the UK tour not knowing exactly
what to expect. Having been a follower of the band since UFO 1 and
seen them three times before, once with Schenks and twice with Tonka the
prospect filled me with eager anticipation. Could it really be as good
as "Strangers"? The UFO appearance lighting rig heralded the band
onstage to open with Natural Thing. The sound a little muzzy soon
cleared by the second number and the band stormed through faves such as
Mother Mary, Love to Love, the first three tracks of the "Water" album
which plays as I write. Let it Roll, This Kids, Too Hot to Handle, Only
You Can Rock Me, Electric Phase also featured. Having located myself
right in front of Schenker his playing was totally immaculate - he even
smiled a few times! The sound was well balanced and each members
contribution was clear for all to hear. What can you say about Pete
Way. His boundless
energy provided a good focal point when not concentrating on blurred
digits on THAT flying V. Moggie appeared to enjoy himself and joked
with the audience between numbers, Paul Raymond's contribution on
keyboards and rhythm guitar together with Simon Wright's drums built the
sound we all know and love. The 2000 plus capacity audience went wild
and the encores comprised Doctor and Rock Bottom, the latter containing
a superbly constructed guitar solo. Demands for another encore
heralded Shoot Shoot. A memorable night was had by all and left me
wishing I could get to at least one more show before the end of tour.
Walk on Water sounds a hell of a lot better to me now!
Schenker was signing his 25 yrs cd after the show but NO autographs
otherwise. No hard rock fan should miss this show. Who knows how long
it will be before we ever witness the like again?
Stuart
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