WOW.
I have followed Steve since 1974, seeing, I don’t know, maybe as many as a 100 shows to date, but living overseas most of the past several years I haven’t seen as many as I would like of late. I wasn’t able to make Bridgewater Hall last year, nor the Tour de Force, so this trip back from San Antonio to see him play Gateshead last night was always going to be special. But last night at the Sage, well, Steve you simply blew me away My Friend! I had seen the DVD from last year, watched it in Texas a few times last week in anticipation. So I knew what to expect…or did I? No way…….. you were simply unbelievable Steve! And that comes from someone who was at the International 2 in Manchester, Blackheath and a host of other places from Hammersmith to Pocklington over the years.

The Sage is a fine new hall, all modern wood and chrome, classy and stylish- and I doubt that many crowds have ever enjoyed a better night than last night. The sound was immense, truly the best live sound I can ever recall at a Harley show. The orchestra and choir filled the place, the band was ON FIRE (Barry in particular) and Steve- well Mate, you sang better than I have ever heard you sing, you charmed the Geordie crowd with your banter, you swaggered and swayed like you did back in the day and you literally moved me to tears. The set list was no real surprise of course, the inclusion on Black and White a welcome but slightly anachronistic choice, but it was the fidelity of the sound that was stunning. Steve Norman added some deft touches, his sax most notably adding real depth and fills to stuff like Cavaliers. Sebastian was simply breath-taking, Death Trip chilling and the closer, Tumbling Down, prompted a huge, North East chorus of “Oh Dear Look what they’ve done to the Blues, Blues, Blue” as good as anything from the 70s! The finale was a celebratory “Pension Song” and Steve left the stage clearly touched and moved by the reception. Steve even had the courage to put a halt to “Cavaliers” part way through, having struggled into the opening chorus and having tried frantically to adjust things before making the universally recognized “cut-it” gesture to Andrew Powell and explaining that we the crowd and the song “deserved better”. The resultant second try brought the house down, a standing ovation for a man with the guts and integrity to own up to things not being perfect. I looked around during “Tumbling Down” and I saw us, hundreds and hundreds of us old 50 somethings, transported back to being 14 and 15 years old, singing, smiling and crying. I had my 22 year old with me, and I must confess I thought “did I ever think I’d be here, with my son…..” he grinned back and said “Shit Dad- that was brilliant!” Yes Son, it was.

Steve THANK YOU, after all these years I heard things on that stage night that I have never heard before, I felt emotions I haven’t felt in a long long time. I had hoped to hang around to speak one-to-one, but having flown in from San Antonio, via Dallas and LHR I had been up for over 30hrs and I am afraid I didn’t have it in me to wait afterwards . But THANKS, thanks for last night, thanks for the past 40 years, and I hope to be able to tell you that in person next week. Graham E

I came in here to tell fans about last night, only to find Graham E has said it all, really eloquently, and left me sort of speechless! I can tell you my husband and I travelled for a long weekend in the North-east to visit old friends. Six of us went to The Sage, two were SH virgins! They do go to many rock shows though and commented on the way out, "There's no on like him. That was incredibly special". They bought the Birmigham DVD on the ay out and we all watched it back at their house til late into the evening. As Graham says, Steve was on FIRE! Singing like never before (in our ecperience) and leading a great band like the great trouper he is. Bill Dyer on bass was superb, a giant in black strutting the stage and rocking out with the brilliant Steve Norman and Robbie G. The lighting was astonishing at times, wonderful silver explosions of light at "Beam of Light" in Sebastian, giant silhouettes of the master in torch song mode, and Sebastian, well, a full house standing ovation has never been more deserved - and just for that ONE song!! Death Trip - mighty and mysterious. Cavaliers, as Graham says, was cut after a couple of verses as SH found the band and orchestra were not in time with each other, and thought a re-start a good idea. Amazing. And the resultant rendition was scary good, totally mesmerizing. Like my friend said, "There's no one like him" . Steve, thank you for the night of my life.

It is very difficult to add to the above and having seen the same performances in Birmingham and Manchester the memories will stay with me for ever. Listening to my all time favourite Cavaliers was truly magical, even though he cut it first time around.
I also had the great fortune to meet up with Froda and his lovely wife, Froda being a true gent from Norway who sold me a ticket for the Birmingham concert last year when I thought I had missed the boat.
Thank You Steve and co for a truly wonderful evening....Tumblin Down at the end took me back to the Glasgow Apollo 1975

Jack

Great reading your post Graham. That show had it all, including the Harley drama with Cavaliers. Loved the rampant Mr Soft especially, and to be in a crowd of such dedicated and warm-hearted souls was in itself a worthwhile experience. Great night. Top drawer in all departments.

Well, what can be said about last night at The Sage in Gateshead? What a wonderful performance from start to finish summarises it nicely. Having experienced the very first orchestral concert in Birmingham in 2012, then The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester in April, this date had something to live up to and it certainly did not disappoint. This show was closer to our home in the Scottish Borders than the others we’ve attended, and The Sage is a favourite venue of mine. To be seated in the front row made the show even more of a greatly anticipated event.
The set list and order remained the same as per Manchester, but the venue, particularly the clarity and balance was significantly better in my opinion. Barry Wickens’ mandolin was drowned out at the Bridgewater Hall, not so at Gateshead. Moreover, the audience seemed much livelier – Manchester seemed like a morgue at times. Steve’s banter was seriously amusing (don’t worry, I won’t Tweet it!) and to show what a consummate performer he is, when things went awry in ‘Cavaliers’, the proceedings were stopped and the song duly started again. This is all the more significant as I’ve just read at length about Eric Clapton’s tantrum in Glasgow last night: not the attitude you’d get at a SH gig.
Thanks to all involved for a trio of great orchestral shows – the folk in London and Birmingham are in for a real treat.

There was definitely something in the air that night. Us Geordies like to give a warm welcome but with Steve it was electric. Everyone was with him and everyone loved him. He mentioned playing at the Newcastle City Hall in 1974 and said he would never forget when a man climbed down from the balcony on the lighting rig and asked how many of us were there. I unfortunately was not born yet but my Mam was there, she has a photo of Steve giving her his autograph and remembers looking down at his feet to see him wearing embroidered velvet shoes. He hoped that we would join him in singing Tumbling down and we did, so much so that he had to ask the band to pick it up again. He does an impressive North Eastern accent saying 'whey aye' twice and is also a fan of the accent. Steve wouldn't call it Geordie as he might be on thin ice with the others but said "you have a good voice, you know you do" before we sang with him. He said southerners hear a lot of it due to call centres. I'm in awe of him, Sebastian and Death Trip were beautiful and ethereal and I never thought I'd get to sing Tumbling Down with the man himself. Steve is funny, a genius and there is no one else like him.