SPARKS

[MarkRae]

[kev hook]

Just got back from heaven. Im still numb. The best show Ive EVER been to, and probably ever will. Special thanks to Jim, Tony and Ian for turning a tremendous evening into absolute perfection. I am not worthy.


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"Nothing of a liquid nature's gonna mess with me...."

http://www.myspace.com/alphamael

[rileyrempel]

[kev hook]

[Brightonian]

[Brightonian]

[flamingkitties]

Here are some photos I took.
Video to come (Monday probably)

All of them: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theuntrainedeye/sets/72157605615095509/

(PLus if you look back, some from Number One in Heaven AND HLY from 2006)







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I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.

[Kermit]

Well what a night! Being back at the bigger and grander Shepherds Bush Empire felt really strange after having had so many wonderful nights at the more intimate Carling Academy in Islington. We knew we were going to be in for something special tonight though for the premiere of “Exotic Creatures Of the Deep” but I wasn’t expecting this extravaganza. Even the barstaff were buzzing with excitement cos they knew something special was being set up during the day which wasn’t going to be just like a normal gig.
When the curtains went back and we saw the entire band placed in their golden picture frames with the big screen frame too there was obviously gonna be fun to be had. I loved the ladies with the shopping trolleys at the intro obviously coming on to do some shopping at this glorious shopping mall of love. Great start! Then head on into “Good Morning”, such a great song. Catchy, funny, dancey and a happy, happy toon. Russell using that wonderful falsetto to the max that for me is what lured me into Sparks in the first place when I heard “This Town” on the radio way back in ’74 when I was just a young teenager. It’s had a lot of radio play the past few weeks and it was nice to keep catching Sparks again back on the radio. For the life of me I don’t understand why there was no physical release of the single though. With all the dedicated Sparks fans in town from all over the world in for the spectacular who would have bought just about anything going the opportunity for a chart hit has just vanished in to thin air. Which is what a download only single is…thin air! I know budgets must have been tight but this missed opportunity of a chart hit was in my opinion the biggest mistake of the whole spectacular. Such a shame. But I love the slight electro touch of this song and seeing it done live at last was still fantastic. Russell bounding on stage as if the past month had never happened. Just where does this man get his energy? But I love this song and more like it in the future please Ronnie, happy toon!!!
“Strange Animal” was just fabulous! Seeing Ronnie falling about laughing when the start of “I Can’t Believe That You Would For All The Crap In This Song” was just priceless. I thought something had happened down at the front of the audience at first but I soon got it. I love the retro glam sound of this one though. A little bit of gittermania going on down in the pit with the retorts of “only you and only you my love”. Gary Glitter could do this one justice too if he wasn’t in other far off places. Ms Goldfrapp would’ve made a good duet though. Great stuff!
The pacey “Let The Monkey Drive” is great fun too. Potential single deffo! Great sing a long and driving song this one and a thumping good remix would be great for the dance floors. The backdrop of the monkey at the piano was causing multiple laughs and it is a great fun toon. Does he have a name that cheeky little chimp?
“I’ve Never Been High” starts getting the drama back in to the album. I doubt many in the audience could agree with the sentiments of this song though. The amusing “She got me Pregnant” was just so outstanding. When those pregnant ladies came on strutting their stuff I nearly choked on my saliva! This was grand stuff. What a show we were getting tonight and well done to the girls for performing such a great strut around the stage. The hilarious choreography was wonderful and a real extra added essence to a tune that I will never ever forget in my mind whenever I play this song again forever!! Classic stuff! Thank you Sparks for this performance, it was just the BEST!!!
Then we get the silhouette of a certain Mr Morrissey on the backdrop to “Lighten Up Morrissey”. Was he here tonight? He should have cancelled anything to get here for this one the bugger. Gotta be the next PHYSICAL single!! Russell was having real great fun jumping around to this one and it is a great crowd pleaser.
“This Is The Renaissance” sees us all transported into the Sparks Gallery of Love. All the ladies back on stage looking utterly scrumptious in the frames like paintings hanging in Le Louvre! These ladies were looking truly exotic and if I’d had a paintbrush I’d have given them each a bunch of grapes to feed each other…. or Ron & Russ of course.
“The Director Never Yelled Cut” sees Sparks going back into movie territory again. A little film all of it’s own. It’s my least favourite track on the album though I must say; it just goes on a bit without getting anywhere although I do love the harmonies.
“Photoshop” sees Ronnie chasing pianos all over the screen and getting a few laughs going again and was fun to watch. “Likeable” sees the big smiles on sticks coming out. Great performance but quite a sad feeling to this song to end with. Especially when it carries on in to the burning of the albums. Seeing all those albums go up in flames one by one was just heart wrenching. I don’t know if anyone watched the amazing US TV series “6 Feet Under”, but the last episode of that wonderful series made me sob my heart out and I nearly felt the same tonight. So many memories that go with each album through my life just flashed before me and it was just too intense. Great theatre but it made me feel so sad. I’ve had such happy times at all of the previous concerts but this was really emotional stuff for me.
But a great performance of the 21st album nonetheless. Bravo and hats off to Sparks for such a wonderful premiere of it. Just amazing!!
So then to the second half of the show and it was going to be interesting to see what made it on to the final top tunes voted for over the last few weeks on the forum. “Moustache” & “Looks Aren’t Everything” were firm favourites for starters but I was happily surprised to hear the pounding drums of “Big Boy” for the next one seeing as it didn’t get any votes at all. Don’t know what made them do it but I love this song so for me that was just the best. “Big Beat” works so well live and that was one of the best nights at the Academy so to hear this one again was a real joy.
Then we got the top favourite of “Goofing Off”. It went down a storm in Islington and it rocked again tonight. All we needed was a fiddler playing gypsy woman on stage to make it match perfect but Russell jumped around like a lunatic enough to make this frenzy of a song into a joy to behold. This frantic song is crazy and I just love it, love it, love it!
Another great performance of “Katherine Hepburn” was just as good as it sounded at the Academy a few nights before. Russell singing it really makes it into a proper Sparks toon and I just love the way they rock it out at the end.
“Shopping Mall Of Love” was a great surprise too cos it didn’t get any votes. I wasn’t expecting this one by any means but I love this track. It gets Ronnie centre stage and that can’t be a bad thing. Thanks for doing this one Sparks!!!
“Those Mysteries” went down well at the Academy and it is such a great sing-along song. Such a warm song. And my does it make you think. Hands waving in the air and the Sparks chorus in the pit were doing their best to go with you Russell. Gorgeous song.
Hey and then we got the full version of “Dick Around”!! Yeah!!! Fab!! Kermit was a happy man indeed and it quite deservedly sits in the second set even without any votes on the forum. Went down a storm!! Such a rollicking song and Sparks at their very, very Rock Opera best!!! It just leaves you exhausted and that’s what I like in a Sparks toon…that complete bombardment of energy & madness. Fabulous!!!
I’m glad “Get In The Swing” got another airing. It raised the roof at the Academy and I shall never forget that night in the Eddie on Keith’s last night of concerts before he had to go back to LA and they let us play Sparks songs downstairs cos it was a quiet night after the concert. We had the place dancing like New Years Eve and it was one of those nights I shall treasure for the rest of my life. A pub full of Sparks fans singing “Get In The Swing” with all their might was just one of the best moments of this whole affair.
“Looks, Looks, Looks” was great as always and throwing in “Batteries Not Included” was a great intro to the fabulously mental “Whippings & Apologies”. It didn’t get any votes and I’d be interested to know why it was included but I’m not complaining because anything from the first two albums is always welcome. I’m just so surprised that “Moon Over Kentucky” wasn’t chosen though seeing as it was one of the most requested. It should have had an airing but there’s always next time. “Change” had to be in there I guess and a great performance to a tune that still is not one of my favourites but tonight it didn’t matter, I was having too much fun. Russell's T-shirt that he wore for the encore saying “I'm not a genius, but Ron Mael is” was a great one! Well done Eve for that one!! But Russell is genius too to be able to sing like he does!!
So to the final encore of “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us” and I suppose they had to do it even though it had no votes. We can’t have a Sparks concert without it and without that song we wouldn’t have had the success of Sparks in this country so it does justify finishing the whole thing off.
Bravo Sparks! You did it! You did what no band has ever done and you did it good. You gave so many people the time of their lives and I for one will cherish this past month of my life from the very bottom of my heart. So many wonderful memories of so many things packed in to a few weeks which has sometimes half killed me but I wouldn’t have missed all this much fun, love and joy for the world. Sparks I salute you! Thank you for it all.
Leaving the Empire was very sad saying goodbye to so many new friends. There were a few tears all round and it’s been exhausting but it’s been a blast and I know we’ll all meet again somewhere at another gig somewhere. Special, special times!!!

[You've Got Mael]

Another thing I'm going to miss is Kermit's brilliant reviews! They really captured the essence of the shows in great detail. How about sending me a review of the Grace Jones show you're going to next week?
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Interviewer: Does your long hair make you a girl?
Frank Zappa: Does your wooden leg make you a table?

[Billy Stevens]

Kermit You have said it all!
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Don't let it get me!

[Billy Stevens]

Keith, pull up to the bumper baby!
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Don't let it get me!

[Deano]

Emotional,joyful,tearful,triumphant-Thanks Sparks and all connected to this wonderful band.

[Kermit]

Well I did them more for me as I want a memory of all this and I don't want them all just to blend in to one big blur of a memory. Too much fun was had!!
I will send you a review of Grace YGM!!....If she turns up of course!!

[Marky]

[Marky]

[T.N.K.]

Didn't Ron look so powerful, suave & stylish in his Chinese (?) clothes and elegant spectacles for the first set. So wonderful to see him on stage like that in contrast to the usual white shirt and tie "uniform".
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Even
Dwarfs
Started
Small

[Aled]

Absolutely phenomenal show!

[Polish Steve]

I didn't think Shepherds Bush in 1994 would be topped but this did it...a staggering show. ECOTD was superb like all the other albums it is so much bette rin alive environment while the second half was something else. Okay it wasn't necessarily a set I would have picked but it doesn't matter. It was a priviledge to be there and experience it and indeed all the shows and in the company of so many other wonderful people.
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The the world begins to spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and I become a raving, raving, ranting fool

[No Tony Perkins]

Just got back from London, and all I can say is WOW ! This was the best musical performance I've ever attended. As soon as the curtains opened to reveal Ron in bed, this was going to be special, and boy it didn't disappoint. From start to finish, a breathtaking performance - it was an honour to witness the first live performance of ECOTD. This has GOT to tour.
I could have gone home happy after part one, but of course we were treated to a magnificent second half with numerous highlights - the reaction to Get in the Swing was amazing. The gig endeed with a feeling of euphoria, as it seemed the whole of the audience was up on its feet, clapping, cheering, stamping and hollering. I've never seen such a reaction, and Ron and Russell were visibly moved.
I thoroughly enjoyed the venue - I was sat in Level 1 and had a great view, the sound quality was excellent, and the musicianship of the group shone through - what a fabulous band!
So, thanks Sparks for a magnificent show - it was a privilege to have been there, and memories I'll treasure for ever.

[Private Pike]

{edit: sorry - posted the same thing twice}