I was there: Wembley Stadium June '87 for the Glass Spider Tour…
…sounds impressive eh? Er….No.
I really wish I could say it in the same way that millions seem to say “I WAS THERE! SEX PISTOLS! 100 CLUB 1976!” I was only 17, I hadn’t been to that many gigs (Numan ’84…er…Numan ’85…Dead or Alive....Don’t Ask…) But I know rubbish when I see it, and this was, as we say in NORF Lahndun; pants.
It all started with Big Country – Foxx may of liked them but to me they were the antithesis of all I loved; WHY GOD WHY! Why on earth would someone make guitars sound like bagpipes!? To this very day I will NEVER get this! Anyway – they were rubbish and every song sounded the same – so much so that every time one of their songs sounded like getting near to the chorus THE ENTIRE AUDIENCE at Wembley Stadium would start singing “Look Away! Look Away!” no matter what the song was! Still , when they actually played ‘look away’, a collective humour was reached. And we needed it – trust me.
Bowie. Jesus wept. Starts of with some yak about a glass spider FFS! Comes down on a Stena Stair-lift or something with a telephone. IT WAS THE 80s – this sort of thing happened. So it goes. There were DANCERS…and PERFORMANCES…. IT WAS THE 80s – this sort of thing happened. So it goes. There was a t**t who called himself Spaz Attack (I s**t you not) – he looked liked Billy Idol-Lite on a day trip to a glo-paint factory. There was a PERFORMANCE of ‘Sons of The Silent Age’ with Ski’s – it was c**p. As was the rest of it. IT WAS THE 80s – this sort of thing happened. So it goes. The biggest cheer went to a performance of ‘The Supermen’ – should of sent Bowie a signal. I think we collectively groaned and soda-slurped our way through ‘Day In Day Out’ and other stuff of its ilk. I honestly can’t remember the rest except to say that the brunette girl dancer was EXCEPTIONALY cute. Oh yeah - and Peter Frampton played; but I was 17 and didn’t haven’t a clue who he was, and now that I do, I would happily introduce time-travel and pro-gun laws for such an occasion that I see him again (who needs Frampton if you’ve got Alomar? Tsk!)
Getting home was so bad we were stranded in the industrial zone of Alperton and no pub would serve us for being under-age – this didn’t help at all.
As you can tell - It’s been 20 years and I still haven’t forgotten! IT WAS THE 80s – this sort of thing happened. So it goes.
I didn’t see Bowie again until S&V at Milton Keynes Bowl in 1990something – now THAT was a gig! So he’s forgiven…
…Just don’t get me started on Tin Machine or I really will have to call in the heavy mob
