My Bruce Journey - Part 19

'Brothers and sisters don't you cry they'll be good times by and by'


We are going on the train to London. I love travelling on trains.  I prefer sitting in the airline seats - don‘t mind which way I face.  Although the table is useful I am frightened to stretch my legs in case I end up playing footsie with the person sat opposite and I am not very keen on having to find space for my book, magazine etc among the detritus of other people’s food wrappings.

I lived in a small village as a kid.  My mum and I used to take the train to the nearest town, about 30 miles away, once a month or so.  My parent’s ran their own business and it was mum’s chance to get away from the shop-literally. 

That was until Dr Beeching decimated the rail network.  The station fell into disrepair and then became derelict.  There is a now little estate of rather soulless bungalows in its place.  The station house was renovated though, rather than knocked down, and you can still tell what it once was.

Anyway back to the matter in hand.  We had booked this ticket/hotel package through Badlands staying at the London Novotel in Hammersmith.  It’s an expensive way of doing it but sometimes convenience and the guarantee of a reasonable seat wins the day.

This was also our first Badlands pre show party.  I have to admit I felt a little awkward.  I was surprised by how full the place was.  In my head I had imagined a smaller band of like minded people all ready to welcome us.  Instead I felt out of place and overwhelmed as if everyone else knew the plot except me.  Most folks were talking in larger groups so Mike and I found a couple of seats and talked to each other.

You know -I’ll speak to anyone wearing a Bruce T shirt.  Not so long ago I walked into our local chemist and further up the queue was a lady in a ‘Magic’ T shirt.  As it happens I had my ‘Born to Run’ T on.  I walked up to her, pointed to my chest and grinned.  We chatted for a short time about the shows we had been to but I could tell she thought I was just a bit touched!

What I imagined would make breaking the ice easier actually made it more difficult - you can hardly approach someone at a Badlands party -with or without a Bruce T shirt - and say ’So you’re a Bruce Springsteen fan then?’

We saw Mark Wright for the first time at this do.  I remember he did a pretty faithful rendition of ‘Fire’ - chair an’ all.

I was looking forward to this gig.  It was my second on this tour so I was relaxed about it - I knew it would be great... and there was something special about going to The Hammersmith Apollo formerly the Odeon of course - a place that looms large in Springsteen folk law.

It’s a building full of character with that musty smell of all the old cinemas in our towns and cities - there seemed to be a Odeon cinema nearly everywhere when I was young.  This one is now seen regularly in ‘Live at the Apollo‘ on TV in the UK.  We never fail to say ’been there’ when we watch it.

It’s a fairly small place.  I think the stalls were the pit.  Wiki says the permanent seats were removed in 2006 so presumably not long before this gig.  We sat about a quarter of the way back, dead centre, in the balcony - a really good seat.

When Seeger was first announced there was much talk on the internet about the sort of songs that would be suitable for a folk album.  Lots of discussion about ‘Long Black Veil’.  We didn’t know the song but we did have a Band album which we had never really played.  This was dragged out now and - yes - great song - played it a lot.

We had heard a little about the rehearsal shows so we knew they had played this.  This prompts me to consider the chicken and the egg conundrum - did the person who first put the idea of this track out there know that Bruce was thinking about it …or… did Bruce hear that people were talking about it and decide to give it a try?

Anyway this and ‘If I Should Fall Behind’ were two songs we would have liked to have heard.  I like ‘If I Should Fall Behind’ and it is a particular favourite of Mike’s. Patti was there so… a chance but we didn’t get it.

We did get ‘Long Black Veil’ though whoooo !! There is a God after all.

Oddly I can’t find any Hammersmith videos on You Tube so here’s ‘Long Black Veil’ from Rome.

I really loved the show.  I liked the smaller venue, the history of the place seemed fitting for the traditional songs, the lighting which was so atmospheric was particularly good here and the clincher: we were so much nearer the stage.  The Evening Standard seemed pretty impressed too.

Looking back I see the set list was (with the exception of Long Black Veil) the same as the previous night. This could have been a disappointment but the contrast in the venues made them seem like two completely different shows.

I am sure there was a bit of a party at the hotel afterwards.  We had a quick look in the bar - no seats, half an hour to get a drink - no thanks - straight to bed for us.

Up in the morning.  Off to HMV in Oxford Street for Mike to check out his girl group CDs (they had a really big selection then) and sit in Starbucks spotting the Bruce T shirts walking by … wondering when our next gig would be.

Set List

Oh Mary Don't You Weep

John Henry

Johnny 99
Old Dan Tucker
Eyes On The Prize
Jesse James

Cadillac Range

Long Black Veil

Erie Canal

My Oklahoma Home

How Can I keep From Singing

Mrs McGrath

How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live

Jacob's Ladder

We Shall Overcome

Open All Night

Pay Me My Money Down

My City of Ruins

Buffalo Gals

You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)

When The Saints Go Marching In