Artefact
May 2007 article from The Observer Music Monthly mag. "Flashback: The Stone Roses' tour manager Steve Adge recalls the band's era-defining gig at Spike Island in Widnes"
Photo; Ian Tilton
Edit: If you can't read the scan (it's a photo actually). The text is online at the link below.
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"Sunday May 20, 2007
The Observer
A lot has been said about Spike Island, but I only have fond memories of the event. I picked the band up late afternoon in Manchester and drove them across to the venue. It was really hot, and most of the fans had been there since the morning. We used to bring ice pops to gigs and hand them out to everyone to cool them down, and they went down well that day.
As we arrived there was a little bridge you had to drive over. Supposedly, there were frogmen in the water in case any ravers fell in. There were masses of kids hanging outside the backstage area without tickets and when the band saw them they gave me all their guest tickets and I handed them out to the kids saying, 'That's a present from the band. Enjoy yourself.' Then I went to the front of Spike Island, where kids without tickets were trying to scale the fence, and sorted as many of them out as I could in true Roses fashion.
My other favourite memory of the day is the huge inflatable globe I bought for Ian Brown.
I blew it up, gave it him and he said: 'What's that?' 'Just hold it in your hand,' I said, 'and all the journalists next week will be saying you've got the whole world in your hand.' And they did. The band came on just as the sun was setting, and they were amazing.
I know some people have said there was a problem with chemicals in the air because the gig was next to a chemical plant, but I only know of a couple of people who were there who now have six fingers."”