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Paul Rodgers, Free Spirit Tour, Clyde Auditorium, Friday 5th May 2017

By: Stewart Eadie: The Glasgow Prog & Blues
May 7, 2017
5 min read

I had waited over 23 years since a cold January night in 1994 when I saw Paul Rodgers first on his Muddy Waters Blues Tour, a comeback of sort's as a homage to his roots. On the way to the gig tonight, I travelled in by train from Glasgow's Centrals low level train station. On their platforms LED notice board it read, 'SPECIAL NOTICE, I'M YOUR HOOCHIE COOHIE NOTICE BOARD TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT PAUL RODGERS AT THE ARMIDILLO 2NIGHT, DON'T LET ME DOWN, BUY YOUR TICKET IN ADVANCE, DON'T TAKE A RIDE ON A PONY, TAKE THE TRAIN HOME' sound advice from Scot Rail for once, I had bought my Paul Rodgers ticket in advance and got a return ticket to the SEC Clyde Auditorium or Armadillo as its known locally.

It was quite surreal, getting to a venue and being able to buy the obligatory T-shirt but also for £10 for one of the most elaborate, detailed, well written and designed commemorative Tour Books; I have ever read. I say book because basically it almost is! Including a phenomenal press clipping montage telling the story of Free through its lifetime, as written and published in-between the bands 1968 formation and demise in 1973, indispensable if you attended tonight's show; no doubt in time a genuine collectors item of fan memorabilia globally! Understandable based on the heritage the ticket price was steep, my own £62.45 a lot different from the days of the old Glasgow Apollo's £3.50 to £6.00 as they were back in the early 1980's. Even though giving me with a rear circle ticket right on the aisle a fantastic view of the stage.

Tonight was not just about Paul Rodgers and Free, as if it had not been for a charity gig back in 2013 with Deborah Bonham, special guest on the this tour playing Free numbers with her band, along with Paul Rodgers, for the Willow Animal Sanctuary and Assisted Therapy Unit, where from the name Free Spirit, the banner headline title of the tour came from; it is actually the name of a Foal who's inspired and started the ball rolling for the tour to come together. The Foal being born bravely and healthy from its Dam and Sire who were abandoned and neglected on the Shetland Islands being the focus of cementing Free Spirit's patron Paul Rodgers to a commitment using its name to stage the tour. Honouring a pledge struck between Deborah Bonham and her band with Paul Rodgers to use Deborah Bonham's backing band as the surrogate Free (now of 2017) for that tour.

Deborah Bonham, herself now minus a band is first up tonight, she acted quickly prior to the tour to recruit Doug Boyle former Robert Plant guitarist who played on his Fate of Nations album, a top notch player, as Deborah herself pointed out announcing "He co wrote 29 Palms", Doug Boyle provides the backing on electric and acoustic guitar along with Deborah Bonham's vocals, both now joined and in tandem ready to perform as a powerful combination; although meet with polite applause as they kicked the set into to gear! Along the way we get Deborah laconic antidotes between songs from her albums, about the tour bus breaking down and a couple of "nice young men", "from a garage in Motherwell", getting them back on the road, her last time here in Glasgow, "supporting Nazareth" and her love of "Glenfiddich"; you always knew she would win over the audience! Deborah Bonham's dedication of the song 'Spirit' to Paul Rodgers and his wife Cynthia heart warming and sincere as to being special guest on the tour, as she said "just lucky to be here, knowing the set to come" (how right she proved to be). By the end of her short set her emotive and stunning vocal performance, of one of her brothers (John's) favourite tracks, a cover of 'Stay With Me Baby'; saw the gentle applause turn to rapturous levels.

As for the headliner? How do you try and sum up a legend (?), someone that every fan, every musician, writer, lover and aficionado of the great tradition we call the blues holds dear! Mr Paul Rodgers, co founder of Free, the heart, the soul, the lungs, the voice, the passion and endurance, not only to originally set the pace and standard for British Rhythm & Blues in the 60's, but still able a year shy of Free's 50th anniversary and this year commemorating the 50th anniversary of Paul Rodgers meeting Paul Kossoff, ability to kick the arse off of the best of the rest even now in 2017; with the quality of the new breed of British Blues coming through that's quite something!

Firstly to do so, you need a band as ably committed to the cause as the original incarnations of Free. With Paul Rodgers fronting on vocals but also providing acoustic guitar and a bit of tambourine, he is flanked by the aforementioned Deborah Bonham backing band, who as tonight's 2017 surrogate Free comprises of, Peter Bullick on Guitar, Ian Rowley Bass, Gerard Louis, Keyboards, Richard Newman Drums. All of them very highly accomplished musicians, with CV's as long as your arms. To tell you the truth, buy the tour programme at on of the gigs or on line if you can; as it can tell you so much more about them than just a simple review. Needless to say Paul Rodgers instincts as to their professionalism and integrity in delivering the goods was 100% correct.

To try and do justice to each song, break down in-depth the feel, tone and clarity, sum up the swaying almost effortlessly the segwaying of each song, with little chit chat from Paul Rodgers along the way, just warmth and engagement with the band and especially the audience, can only best be summed up in only one way; set list. It might be just a mere word to some people, it brought literally tears to grown men's eyes amongst the thousands tonight, who seared in to their collective memories for each and every song, the genius, inspiration and just sheer songwriting craftsmanship that you could throw the kitchen sink of verbs and nouns from the Oxford English Dictionary at; it still would not be good enough to portray the feeling's generated of getting to watch and hear 90 minutes of some of the greatest rhythm n' blues ever written by any UK band (plus one almighty Robert Johnson cover of 'Crossroads' which used to feature heavily in the bands 1970's set lists).

Timeless classics, never to be equalled or ever surpassed, by the time they reach the Albert Hall in London at the end of May, I just hope someone's got a mobile recording studio and a film crew booked because they have got to document this; class just sheer class from start to finish!

Set List

Little Bit of Love

Ride On a Pony Travelling Man Be My Friend Soon I Will Be Gone Love You So Travellin' In Style Come Together in the Morning My Brother Jake The Stealer Mr Big Wishing Well The Hunter Walk in My Shadow All Right Now