I caught the train down to Bournemouth this afternoon and met up with my elder brother Ken and sister Janet to attend the opening concert of the farewell tour by folk rock veteran Al Stewart at The Pavilion. Al had begun his career in the town and notably played guitar in Tony Blackburn’s backing band in the early 1960s. Inspired by Dylan’s first LPs, he then moved to London and shared a flat with Paul Simon and secured a residency at Bunjies.
Whilst his initial recordings, especially 1969’s ‘Love Chronicles’, generated a following amongst the student population, it was ‘Year of the Cat’ in 1976 that saw significant chart action both in the UK and US.
His four-piece backing band from Chicago, The Empty Pockets, kicked off the gig with a number of their own songs with the excellent vocals of Erika Brett to the fore. Following an interval, Al joined the Pockets (alongside Chase Huna on sax and flute) and showed that his recognisable vocals are still in place, plus charmed the attentive audience with a series of knowledgeable and relevant between-song stories.
I would have liked to have heard one of my favourites, One stage before, and a solo slot as a closer, ‘Clifton in the rain’ perhaps, but overall it proved an enjoyable night. Plus it was a pleasure to meet Josh Solomon and Erika of the band after the performance.
Setlist:
You should have listened to Al
Antarctica
The Palace of Versailles
Time Passages
On the Border
Midas Shadow
Broadway Hotel
The Dark and the Rolling Sea
Joe the Georgian
Roads to Moscow
Year of the Cat
Encore:
Love Minus Zero/No Limit (Dylan)
