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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