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Post by NikGnashers on Mar 13, 2022 8:22:27 GMT
Yes, I know he is marmite.
Some people dislike him and say he's brash, shouty, too in-your-face, etc. There is no denying his ability though.
I managed to get a seat in the 2nd row from the front, and listened to the warm up act, who was quite reserved and played for around 40 mins, chatting to the audience between each song in the standard way.
After a short break the lights went down and Tommy almost ran onto the stage, shouting "HELLOOOO". What followed was how I would imagine being hit by a train, and being stuck to the front of it for the next 20 mins. There was no talking between songs, just an absolute full-on barrage of music, one song running directly into the next. After 20 mins a short gulp of water and quick chat to the audience, before another 20 mins or so of none-stop brilliant music. The man is an absolute machine. No mistakes, all the tricks, and even in a tiny venue like the Buxton Opera House, his energy and enthusiasm was the same as if he was playing the O2 arena to 50,000 fans.
Love him or hate him, and there isn't really much in-between, he gives you so much, and you cannot be anything but amazed at his ability, professionalism, variety, and sheer content. From his standard Beatles medley's (and yes he performed his Guitar Boogie too), to Ragtime, Blues, Jazz, stuff from his new album, and he even sung an accappella.....
The warm up act returned for a few duets with Tommy, and after one encore, the show was over. I felt exhausted, like I had been swept up in a hurricane and spat back out the door of the Opera House.
It was absolutely brilliant.
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Post by dreadnought28 on Mar 13, 2022 8:44:45 GMT
The “warm up act” is non other then the great Jerry Douglas, the best dobro player in history and winner of 14 Grammy’s! jerrydouglas.com/bio/
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Post by NikGnashers on Mar 13, 2022 19:24:56 GMT
Yes Chris,
Jerry is very talented. I'm not a big fan of the sound of the dobro, but I did enjoy some of Jerry's music.
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Post by stain on Mar 17, 2022 20:43:05 GMT
I was there too. Second row. Pretty much same view as you… seats 13 &14…. He was on fire. Clearly pleased to be back out performing. It struck me that he played only a fraction of his catalogue - lots of classics not done. But it was a great show. Preferred Jerry Douglas as part of the duo with Tommy as opposed to his solo stuff. Starts to get a bit samey after a few tunes. But he was also great. Clive Carroll beckons later this month….
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Post by marcus on Mar 17, 2022 22:53:52 GMT
If ever Clive beckoned me, I'd be there...
Many, many years ago (35 years perhaps) I saw Tommy play a duet gig with his brother Phil... I recall having the same swept up by a hurricane sensation you describe NikGnashers
This seems like about the right time period...
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Post by dreadnought28 on Mar 18, 2022 1:56:27 GMT
Saw them In Manchester on Sunday evening. Great show! The last time I saw Tommy on stage was way back in 2005, Carnegie Hall NYC, Les Paul’s 90th birthday bash. Jerry Douglas just s few weeks ago in Chester with Transatlantic Sessions..
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Post by bobcarter on Mar 23, 2022 7:32:34 GMT
Saw the show in Exeter. Also a great night with unstoppable momentum. Fantastic to get the chance to see/hear Jerry Douglas, too, though I agree I thought the duets worked better than solo dobro. A treat of a night.
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