JAMES : MANCHESTER ARENA 7.12.01 page 2
Click here to see Fordy's Manchester pictures
by Sean Smith
It's Thursday evening and we (my wife and I) are making our way from Co. Limerick in Ireland, for what will be the last James show that we will probably ever see. This is our fourth show together and my fifth (starting with the now fabled Alton Towers gig.) We flew in Friday morning and spent the day anticipating what would surely be their finest hour. We arrived at the MEN at about 8:30, just missing Turin Brakes, I wasn't particularly upset by this, we were only there for one thing - to say farewell to the boys after many, many years.
They started with Say Something, one of their better songs, Tim really belted this one out, absolutely superb, followed by a string of their 'best of ' hits, Waltzing along, Sometimes, a rather tame Laid (tame in that Tim didn't go running around the stadium for it, as he had done the last couple of times I had seen them do it live.) A brilliantly triumphant IKWIHF followed by the gem God Only Knows - which is superb, and which had lost none of its intensity through the passing of the years. Someone's got it in for me was next, which is a beautiful song, especially live, at this point my throat was starting to hurt from all of the singing. Vervaceous was hauntingly sad, and then we got to see Larry again. This was what I really wanted to see more than anything else, with Andy back it was the full Monty, all the boys back together, the version of Protect Me that they did together brought back all the old memories, With Jim, Tim and Larry on centre stage, it was very emotional, what a beautiful song and what a wonderful moment - actually hearing it live for the first time acoustically - 'He can still play a bit' mocked Tim afterwards, there was never any doubting it. It was fantastic to see the seven of them on stage again. Out To Get You was restarted after Larry wasn't happy with the volume of his guitar and we all revelled in seeing them all together again. Hymn From a Village and Johnny Yen followed taking me back a long time - still very powerful songs and wonderfully executed.
Finally we got to hear some of the new stuff, Getting away with it showed us that James are still a force to be reckoned with, the music - simple yet effective. Tomorrow, BOF and Ring the Bells followed, giving us more of what James are all about, brilliant music with great intensity. Top of the world was done with Tim and Saul on opposite sides of the stadium, Saul's Violin playing dreamy and sad; a superb performance which will look good on DVD. The band then treated us to what they are very good at. Sound! What a song this is live, I could have listened to the band all night playing this, Adrian and Michael providing the booming sounds, and Larry back to pick out the notes as Saul and Jim did their usual live improvisation, I will miss that song. We knew at this point that we were all running out of time, it seemed to me that the boys were enjoying it so much that we might be here all night, a final encore gave us Space, She's a Star, a fitting Come Home before ending with Sit Down.
A brilliant performance and a fitting monument to a great band, I was delighted to seeall the cameras, I can't wait for the DVD.
For the first half of the gig I couldn't help but be sad, how could this all be ending, what would we do now? Sure James will still be there, but it will never be the same. We have been fortunate you and I. James have always been our little secret, I don't care that they never got the acclaim that their music so richly deserves. If they had got that, which they were in real danger of doing around the Seven album, then I don't think that any of it would be the same. James for me are what they are because they have never received the plaudits of the press. We the fans know what they are.
Above the sadness of the what the concert actually meant though, the music started to take over, absolutely no band can touch what James are able to give on Stage. I would like to thank the boys for all the memories. I wish Tim well for the future, and will keep an eye out for any new material. Any new James material will always be welcome and I look forward to that to.
One thing I would like to say is that with the release of the Manchester gig, I hope that they don't cut it, or edit it. Give us everything, Warts and all. It would be a shame not to see how the band reacted to Saul's equipment breakdown (Jim suggested that Saul could dance whilst he waited for the equipment to be fixed!) For me it would be terrible shame to cut any of it out. Thanks for everything and Good Luck to them all.
by Seb Ramsey, Manchester Evening News
Tim Booth looks wistful as he says "Good evening, hometown, good evening our roots and support for so long - thanks for coming."
And that's as sentimental as the rhetoric gets.
James boasts one of rock's most loyal fanbases and obviously nowhere more so than in Manchester. So it was hardly surprising that the Arena was packed to bursting for Booth's swansong.
For many, not least the departing Booth, it was a poignant emotional occasion.
But it was also a good reminder of why this band have managed to go as far as they have.
Their set breathes the sort of variety and power that only a handful of acts can ever hope to muster.
Anthem after anthem bursts forth and the crowd sing along, eyes closed, hands waving.
They kicked off with Say Something and the soaring Sometimes. By the time they hit Laid and God Only Knows, the Arena was seething at its impressive best.
Booth's dancing has always bodypopped a fine and entertaining line between the exultant and the absurd and this performance was no exception.
The rubber man was on fine form, gyrating and convulsing with his trademark abandon.
James have 19 years of material to go at and their final Manchester set chronicled the whole unorthodox journey, from folk oddities via the outskirts of Madchester to stadium-filling superstars.
Guitarist Larry Gott and trumpet player Andy Diagram drew big cheers from the crowd as they returned to the fray, swelling the band to nine and adding extra nostalgia to the romp.
A rash of technical glitches put violinist/guitarist Saul Davies out of action, sending the band scurrying for the pre-Saul crowd pleasers Hymn From A Village and Johnny Yen. Back to full strength and jumping 12 years forward, Tomorrow was as effusive as ever and Booth joined the crowd for the Born of Frustration singalong.
Top Of The World began two sets of encores with Booth and Davies mid-crowd, spotlighted and counterpoised below opposite balconies.
Come Home and Sit Down were a suitably rousing send-off, and the band walked to the front of the stage and waved goodbye.
Live is what James always did best. Tim Booth will be missed.