Tag: rock

Tony Hadley’s Musical Journey: A Night at Port Adriano

On Friday morning, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tony Hadley on my radio show on Wave Mallorca. Having grown up listening to Spandau Ballet, it was a bit surreal to be talking to the man whose songs were such a big part of my youth and whose voice has, without doubt, stood the test of time.

On Saturday night, he performed at the Port Adriano Music Festival in a beautiful setting right next to the marina.

Tony Hadley can turn his hand to any song. He learned his trade by singing in his school choir and entering singing contests at Butlins and Pontins. His swing and operatic influences come from his mum and dad, who used to play Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Mario Lanza while preparing the family’s Sunday lunch.

You naturally associate Spandau Ballet with True and Gold, two anthems in their own right. Tony mentioned that those are the two songs he is always asked to perform, but interestingly, when the band played Live Aid at Wembley in 1985, Gold wasn’t on the set list.

Last night’s set was, of course, heavily Spandau-based, but it also included a few of Tony’s own songs. The band were tight, as were the harmonies, and it was great to see and hear live percussion and, of course, the iconic saxophone. After the first few songs, I turned to my wife and said, “Spandau have such a great catalogue of songs, and we haven’t even reached the biggest hits yet.”

Interestingly, he opened with To Cut a Long Story Short, the band’s very first single, released in 1980. A remarkable 46 years ago!

Tony also mentioned that Through the Barricades is his favourite Spandau Ballet song, which he performed with a subtle swing feel, helped along by a glass of Jack Daniel’s to keep the vocal cords lubricated!

The finale was exactly as it had to be: True, followed by Gold, and he left the stage to a standing ovation.

He probably won’t thank me for mentioning that he’s now 66 years old, but in my mind—and, I’m sure, in the minds of many of you reading this—Spandau Ballet simply isn’t Spandau Ballet without Tony Hadley.

From memory, here was last night’s set list:

● To Cut a Long Story Short

● Highly Strung

● Only When You Leave

● Alibi

● Walk of Shame

● Round and Round

● Soul Boy

● I’ll Fly for You

● Through the Barricades

● Somebody to Love

● Lifeline

● Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)

● True

● Gold

Tony is back on the road in November and December with his Big Band Tour, performing all over the UK. For tickets and more information, please visit https://tonyhadley.com.

The Ultimate AC/DC Concert Experience in Madrid

Back in February, we asked our youngest son, Jude, what he wanted for his 16th birthday, which was in July. We were expecting the usual football boots or goalkeeping gloves. What we weren’t expecting was his answer:

“I want to go see AC/DC in Madrid!”

Very left-field, but we said OK and began our quest to find tickets. The day the tickets went on sale, we went online — and we were 34,374th in the queue! Not a chance, I said, and then the computer blinked — and two tickets came up. Restricted view tickets, they said, but seeing as it was AC/DC, if viewing was a problem, hearing definitely wouldn’t be. The tickets were booked, along with our 75% resident-discounted flights and a hotel.

Last weekend, we both headed off to Madrid — my son very excited, and me looking forward to it, but not sure if I would enjoy it or not. The Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium is home to Atlético Madrid football club. We’d been there before to see my team, Arsenal, play a Europa League semi-final in 2018, and I remember the atmosphere being electric.

It’s a very impressive stadium on the outskirts of the city and dominates the skyline as you leave the airport. Outside, there were AC/DC t-shirts everywhere, with black being the colour of the day. These were being worn by people of all ages — both men and women. The merchandise, food, and drink stalls were doing a roaring trade as we wandered around the perimeter. We got inside just before the support band started. They were called The Pretty Reckless, and the female singer had a great voice.

As the stadium filled, the atmosphere grew, and at 9:30 p.m., you could see two golf carts driving up to the back of the stage, bringing the band. A great video opening played — and we were off, with their opening song: “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)”.

This was followed by all the hits, including “Thunderstruck,” “Hells Bells,” “Highway to Hell,” “Back in Black,” “Whole Lotta Rosie,” and “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution.”

The “restricted view” we were sold was hardly restricted, to be honest — it was a sound and camera tower that blocked a small part of the stage, but you could still see the rest, and with the big screens too, we were fine.

You can’t help but be impressed by the whole band: lead singer Brian Johnson, who is 77; lead guitarist Angus Young, who is 70; rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, who is 68; drummer Matt Laug, who is 58; and bass player Chris Chaney, who is a sprightly 55.

AC/DC were formed in 1973, making this their 51st year of making music. Brian Johnson’s first words were: “Tonight we’re just going to party and make rock ‘n’ roll.”

Interestingly, Brian Johnson very nearly missed the opportunity to become their lead singer after the tragic death of former frontman Bon Scott in 1980. Johnson was recommended by a fan and was asked to go to an audition in London by a German woman who refused to give the band’s name. All she would say was that the initials were ACDC! He feared he wouldn’t be good enough, but went along anyway, as he was doing an advert for Hoover that was paying good money — and it would cover his expenses.

He sang Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits” and the band’s “Whole Lotta Rosie.” The band all agreed he was the man — and within weeks, they were in the Bahamas recording the album Back in Black, which has become one of the best-selling albums of all time, with estimated worldwide sales of 50 million copies.

Back to the gig — and the band rocked the stadium for a full two and a quarter hours, with the crowd eating out of their hands. The finish was “For Those About ago Rock we Salute You.” Which we and the whole crowd certainly did. 

I have to say, it was probably one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to — and my son said it was one of the best days of his life.