All things considered I found it a pretty strange gig.
We had a vile journey, it should take us just over an hour form home to Wrexham, but it turned out to be over two & a half 'cause of road works / diversions around Nantwich. I'm usually a placid man, but if I had come across a representative from Highways & Byways I would have easily killed. Perhaps this didn't place me in the best frame of mind pre-show?
Even so it was great to catch up with GDoug, Eric, Julie-Ann, Katt, Jackie & Dave, even if it felt a bit brief.
I'm quite happy to be corrected by others in attendance but I felt Mike wasn't really into it, understandably he should be distracted with Jules being unwell. I found the venue soul less, what could have been an intimate affair felt almost like a lecture with everybody static in their seats. I would have preferred a standing show, but it was perhaps seated because of broadcast to ensure a good online view and no creaking out of tune vocals from the crowd.
I wonder (and I have no basis for saying this) that Mike proceeded with the gig because of the commitment to the radio / online broadcast; be that a contact, the opportunity to reach a wider audience or simply the late hour if cancelled.
Set wise I found it all a bit heavy going, the first half especially. Very few people had suggested tracks to be played, worth mentioning that although Liz were referenced a bit not ONE of our requests was actually played
There was promise initially, but it all became a bit predictable, maybe more focused on the casual fan than those in attendance.
Most interestingly was Mike's between song banter, he was significantly less candid that he has been previously about the break up of the band (obviously from his perspective) and was the internet this performance will live on beyond word of mouth and I wonder if he'll regret some of his comments? There was obviously a time constraint, Liz commented that she felt Mike wanted to talk instead on play and this meant that the show seriously over ran (six songs in the first hour)
Despite all this there were some great individual song performance, I look forward to viewing Doug’s films and perhaps I will view the night differently. I’m not usually such a grumpy goat and am reluctant to criticise, I’ve seen Mike / The Alarm in many guises and in many places over the past decades. All my problems are mine alone and have nothing to do with Mike himself or his performance, more the format, the venue and the concept.
