A night of quality hard rock was on the agenda at Manchester Academy 2 with the legendary Glenn Hughes touring in support of last years well received, and really rather fabulous album Resonate. His first solo album in 8 years.
The support band, maybe chosen because they were fellow midlanders, were the Walsall based Stone Broken. Yes, they’ve got the riffs, the looks and they can play, but most importantly they’ve got the tunes. This is a young new band, who clearly have a great rapport with their audience and genuinely happy to be doing what they do. Check out debut album All In Time.
So onto the main event, and on strode the mid 60’s but looking about 40, Glenn Hughes. Every inch the rock star - shades, shaggy hair and pearly white teeth, bowed to his adoring fans and launched into Flow from latest album Resonate. The temperature and adrenaline was turned up a notch, especially when running straight into Muscle & Blood from his collaborative album with Pat Thrall, and the battered old bass he had round his neck was put through it’s paces.
As this was my first live Glenn Hughes gig, firstly I wasn’t sure what to expect from the setlist, and secondly from the man himself in terms of his relationship with the fans. Was this going to be a trip down memory lane in homage to his stints in Trapeze and Purple, or would it be a more forward looking contemporary set ? The answer I’m pleased to say was a happy mix of both. And as for his chat and messages to the fans, I’m not sure I’ve witnessed a more warm, human and downright “normal” approach to band/audience interaction. The main message of the night (even from Stone Broken too) was that we should all celebrate life and love, and we only get one chance at this game, so make the most of it. It was genuinely heartwarming when Hughes explained he had written most of Resonate while recouperating from a double knee transplant, and that tomorrow he was back to his mothers hospital bed as she’s rather unwell. There was a genuine feeling of we’re all in this together, and there was no barrier between band and audience....Hughes exclaiming at one point that he had come tonight to see us...
Deep Purple song Getting Tighter was when the fabulous Mellotron was put through its paces for the first time by Jay Boe, and tributes were paid to lost masters of the machine Jon Lord and Keith Emerson. God bless you both.
The only Trapeze song of the night was the swirling, brooding Medusa, a song I admit to not knowing, however clearly a precursor to what was to come with Purple.
Much to my delight was the Black Country Communion song One Last Soul, and even better news was that BCC4 is on the horizon and due for an Autumn release. Black County from the same band closed the main set, and this black country reviewer was wondering why I hadn’t seen Mr Hughes live before.
Deep Purple favourite Burn closed the night, which obviously bought the house down and also showcased that despite the inevitable passing of years, Hughes’ voice is as incredible as ever....how the hell does he hit those high notes ?
What a great night...what an entertaining night. This was surely a lesson to any aspiring new rock bands of how to behave on stage, keeping the audience engaged throughout, and showing some personality coming through. Obviously it helps to have an amazing back catalogue to draw on, and magnificent musicians backing you, but this was a masterclass in stage craft.
Keith
@kjsmith4082
