Jimmy and I went off to the Albert Hall last night to see Nanci Griffith in concert.
The ticket just said "with guests", and there didn't seem to be any programmes on sale, so I had no idea who the support act was.
Oh. my. god.
It was the Crickets. Not Buddy Holly, unfortunately: he was indisposed. And obviously, it wasn't entirely the original Crickets, but they did include Sonny Curtis (no relation, unfortunately), and for a couple of songs, Robbie Vee, son of Bobby 'Night Has a Thousand Eyes 'Vee'. A quick google today showed that Sonny Curtis is 67. I wouldn't have thought that to hear him. This is the guy who wrote I Fought The Law and Walk Right Back, both of which were performed last night. Other songs performed included That'll Be The Day, Peggy Sue, Rave On, Real Wild Child and Heartbeat. It never ever crossed mind ever that I would ever hear the Crickets play Peggy Sue. they were pretty good and we were bopping in our seats like real wild child(ren).
Nanci joined them for a couple of songs, then, afterr the interval it was Nanci Griffith and the Blue Moon Orchestra.
Am I allowed to say I was a little disappointed. I have been a fan of Nanci for a good few years and have a good few of her CDs, so I was terribly excited about hearing her live. Jimmy, who has learned to enjoy her music and thinks she has a fantastic voice was mightily disappointed. I think it was something to do with the sound system. I think the balance was all wrong. Let's just say that when she came on to sing with the Crickets, I simply didn't recognise her voice. Jimmy couldn't tell a word she was saying
It was a shame because overall the performance was excellent. Highlights being the ones I expect to be highlights - Gulf Coast Highway, Speed of the Sound of Loneliness and From A Distance. She told a lovely story of when she was performing in Houston, a real live astronaut came up to give her a photo of her CD of 'From A Distance' in Space, with Earth in the far distance. Wow!
I always think people ought to sound better live than on CD. I think I'll stick to my CDs. But I am glad that I went.
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