set list:
Harvest Home/King of Emotion/Driving to Damascus/John Wayne's Dream/The Storm/Where the Rose is Sown/Come Back To Me/Somebody Else/Look Away/You Dreamer/Spirit to Me/President Slipped & Fell/Fragile Thing (feat. Kirsten Adamson)/Dive into Me/Lost Patrol/13 Valleys/Inwards/Wonderland/We're Not In Kansas//Porroh Man/Chance//In a Big Country/Fields of Fire/Rockin' in the Free World (feat. Mike Peters & Calum Adamson).
This was always going to be an amazing night, Big Country last live show at a venue they could call their own! Barrowlands is with out question the best venue I’ve ever been to, the atmosphere is always amazing, and it’s always hot, very hot!
The show kicked of with “Intrevurt” with Mark on drums, they sounded a bit like Gary Numan to me, and were much better than the reports I had received about them. However it wasn’t until the Alarm 2000 came on, that the venue came to life and the sell-out crowd really began to enjoy themselves, as Mike Peters and Co. blasted through their greatest hits. Mike dedicated the “Spirit of 76” to Stuart, changing the lyrics to “Stuart’s seen his dreams come true”, they finished with another tribute to BC, “Blaze of Glory”.
With the crowd now warmed up, it was time for the main event, as Ian Grant introduced BC to the stage, thanking the Glasgow crowd for not letting the band down!
Big Country jumped onto the stage, kilts and all. They opened with “Harvest Home” and never looked back, they all appeared to be enjoying the event and the crowd was going wild. Young Kirsten Adamson joined her dad on stage for “Fragile Thing”. But it was the old favourites that stole the show “Porrohman”, “Inwards”, “Come Back To Me” “The Storm” the list goes on, and they all sounded as fresh as the first day I heard them. The set was longer than previous show on the tour, with much more tracks being played from “Damascus”, in total the band played for 2hrs 15mins. An amazing set and by the time they reached their final encore they were completely knackered, but still enjoying themselves, as was the crowd, as Mike Peters and Stuart’s son Calum came on the play “Rockin’ in the Free World”.
A wonderful and emotional night as Big Country said their goodbyes. Walking out it was easy to see that many of the fans had been touched by the magic of the night, all dumbstruck that this was the bands last ever show.
Stuart said at the end “we’ll see you all again”, so you never no!!!???
Can't wait for the video!!!!
set list:
DRIVING TO DAMASCUS/THE PRESIDENT SLIPPED & FELL/PERFECT WORLD/LOOK AWAY/JOHN WAYNE'S DREAM/FRAGILE THING featuring Becky Lynne/I GET HURT/YOU DREAMER/YOUR SPIRIT TO ME/DIVE INTO ME/SEE YOU/I'M NOT ASHAMED/SOMEBODY ELSE/WONDERLAND/WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS//ALONE/CHANCE//FIELDS OF FIRE/IN A BIG COUNTRY.
After seeing the band at Glasgow, I was looking forward to seeing them on my own doorstep when they played the tiny ClubZone in Dingwall. The doors where 20 minutes late in opening and there was mumbles from the small crowd of people wandering around outside in the sub-zero temperatures, as to whether or not the band were going to turn up. But at around 8.20 the doors finally opened and we headed into the warmth and the bar. I'd brought a couple of people along for the gig, my brother Jason, my good friend Robert Barker from Exeter and my future brother-in-law John Paul who was going to his first BC gig.
After a long wait the support, local act "The Pagan Poets" came on stage. But their blend of celtic-rock failed to get the small crowd going. Big Country however did not have that problem, as they jumped on staged to crowd appeared to double in size as they opened with "Damascus". "Look Away" really got the crowd going and there was no turning back! Becky Lynn joined the band on stage for "Fragile Thing" (does anyone know who Becky is?) and did a good job on backing vocals. Stuart commented on how good it was to be back in Dingwall, and that it hadn't got any f**kin' warmer since the last time! He was in good form and at one point told a heckler in the crowd to "shut your puss". He also spent 3 or 4 minutes taking cameras from fans and taking photos of the band on stage and the crowd!
The bands newer material went down well, as it has done anytime I've seen them this year. A testament to how good it is. They dropped "Grace" from the set and threw in "Alone" which surprised me of one. They finished off with "Fields of Fire" & "In A Big Country", during which I was hoisted into the air!
All in all a great night, enjoyed by everyone. It's ironic to think that this might well have been Big Country's last headline show in Scotland, and Dingwall is only 5 miles from Strathpeffer, where Stuart played one of his first gigs at the age of 16 with "Tattoo"!
set list:
DRIVING TO DAMASCUS/THE PRESIDENT SLIPPED & FELL/PERFECT WORLD/LOOK AWAY/JOHN WAYNE'S DREAM/FRAGILE THING featuring Kirsten Adamson/I GET HURT/YOU DREAMER/YOUR SPIRIT TO ME/DIVE INTO ME/SEE YOU/I'M NOT ASHAMED/SOMEBODY ELSE/WONDERLAND/GRACE//WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS/CHANCE//FIELDS OF FIRE/IN A BIG COUNTRY/ROCKIN' IN THE FREE WORLD featuring Mike Peters.
After a four hour car journey through the wind and the snow from the Highlands down to Glasgow, myself and my good mate Hugh "I'll drive anywhere BC are playing" Neilson arrived in Glasgow just after 7pm, to find that the doors opened at 7pm! We rushed along Sauchehall Street to find The Garage and got in just in time to get a pint and see Mike Peters doing a best of The Alarm mini-acoustic set, belting out hits like "68 Guns" and "Rain in the Summertime". Without question the best support I've seen at a BC gig, shame he only got a 30 minute set!
20 minutes later Mike Peters reappeared to announce Big Country on to the stage. They appeared, Stuart with blonde hair! They opened with "Damascus" and followed with the "President", by the time they reached their sixth song "Fragile Thing" we were well and truly knackered! Stuart was joined on stage for this track by his daughter Kirsten, who had also appeared with the band at the Perth Festival that summer. She more than adequately replaced Eddie Reader, and if BC require a female vocalist in future, they need look no further than the young Miss Adamson.
During "Fragile" Hugh felt a bit dodgy, so we moved to the back of the hall for a while.
We could see that from the back, the venue was almost full and the whole crowd were enjoying themselves. We moved back up after a while and before Stuart played "See You" he announced that his dad was also at the gig, and his dad then gave the crowd a wave from the balcony.
For the encores I decided to get in with masses, and the final encore was the highlight of the night, Mike Peters coming back on stage to play and sing on "Rockin' in the Freeworld" with the rest of the band.
For Big Country this gig must have been a triumph, and hopefully restored some of their faith in the UK music buying public. - Keep on Rockin' guys!