Ticket
The Apollo
11th February 1988

Van The Man in fine form at The Apollo Feb ’88 (?), with his ole pal Georgie Fame as his sidekick; thoroughly enjoyable gig. Had a ticket to see him at The Palace a few years earlier but due to someone falling asleep on me and thus stuffing up a cunning plan, it never eventuated. I know he is notoriously temperamental and remember hearing about him storming off stage at The Palace in ’72. Luckily the one and only time I’ve ever seen him he was on song.
The little I’ve heard of him in the ensuing years has had little impression and the voice isn’t what it used to be but for a man who wrote “Astral Weeks” at the age of 22, wrote and inspirationally covered some of the all-time classics of rock ‘n roll with Them (Gloria/Please Don’t Go etc.... ) and lots of other great songs, ( including my personal, for going out in a box song “Into the Mystic”..... or possibly “Listen Hear” by Eddie Harris...hope I don’t have to make me mind up , not for a good while yet...!), he’s kinda done it all anyway. John Peel reckoned he was the only white guy who could get away with singing “Good God!’” in a James Brown stylee, and if you‘ve ever heard the live version of his damn funky “I’ve Been Workin”, Sonny Boy’s “Gotta Help Me” or Sam Cooke’s “ Bring it on Home”, I think you might see why.....On ya Van!
That's another bit chipped away. Off to take the skinheads bowling; I like to take them for a bit of a spin now and again, knoworimean.... Namaste!.....