William Aston Hall, Wrexham


19th June, 2003

When I last saw The Waterboys play in Dublin almost two years ago, it turned out to be an exciting and enjoyable event. One of the features of the performance was the vigorous instrumental and vocal interplay between Mike Scott and fiddler Steve Wickham. I also remember both players consistently performing within a few inches of each other: hey seemed like a duo of two highly talented people playing both with and against each other; and it was dramatic to say the least. The performance was played out to an outoor audience of some 15,000 Guinness-filled Irish music lovers; it was an ambience I will never forget, and with the musical fireworks being launched from the stage, I reckoned the band enjoyed it too.

Wrexham’s William Aston Hall looked solemn and ecclesiastical in comparison as I grabbed my central front seat spot some ten minutes before the punters were allowed in. Behind me were around 600 regimented, immaculate concert seats; in front of me was a stage bathed in darkness save for shafts of dark blue light that picked out acoustic guitars, grand piano and skeletel fiddle in the semi-darkness. It was spooky, very spooky. I had the feeling that tonight’s show would be different, and it was. But it was also a little strange… Opened doors led to a stream of fans rushing to grab the front pews, while less fanatical punters hung back in the bar to take advantage of the thirty minutes drinking time left before the show started. I had been informed that the show would be in two parts. The first would be an acoustic performance with Mike Scott on guitars and vocals, Steve Wickham on violin and Richard Naiff on piano. The second segment would be electronic with additional keyboards, bass guitarist Brad Waissman and drummer for this tour, Geoff Dugmore.

As I looked around at the type of people attending, it seemed that most were aged over thirty years and some well over forty years of age. Next to me sat two younger fans from Liverpool who had followed the band to Wrexham from the Manchester and Birmingham gigs. They regretted not being able to continue their pilgrimage to further performances at Findhorn’s Universal Hall in Scotland. I wondered how many of the more ardent fans here tonight had done exactly the same. Five minutes to go and the hall is fuller than I have ever seen it with around 600 punters tidily packaged in their seats. The muzak stopped, the lights dimmed and onto the stage walked the acoustic players to genuinely enthusistic acclaim. I should mention at this point that I’d been told that I could take pictures for the three opening songs without flash for both sessions (the point of telling you this will become clear later).

The major objective of this Waterboys tour is to promote the new album, UNIVERSAL HALL, which has received good reviews. And the opening acoustic session almost exclusively consisted of the album’s new songs. Each of the three players were spread out across the large stage with Wickham particularly distant from the others. Ain’t No Words For The Things I’m Feeling was a moving and beautiful song performed by Scott in a most dispassionate way; he stared blankly straight at the audience as though the emotion is buried deep inside. He seems to be preaching instead of performing, detached, but in excellent voice. The other two musicians exhibited more passion. The Christ In You exemplified the spiritual nature of the album and was one of the genuine highlights of this session. Naiff on piano showed real commitment to the song as his head swayed to the rhythm, and he mouthed every word of the song in silent union with Scott. Wickham’s eyes were closed as he weaved a magic string-on-string spell. Every Breath Is Yours repeated the formula and by that point I made a mental note to make sure I get hold of the new album. There was something devotional and contemplative about the performance which continued with another new track, I’ve Lived Here Before. Scott’s delivery, while immaculate, didn’t move me in the way the other players did. He seemed to be challenging us rather than ’sharing’ with us. He seemed very intense, almost hostile.

The Girl On The Swing, Scott reminds us, is from The Waterboys first album and engenders more life into his performance. It also sounds pretty fresh for a song that is nigh on twenty years old. When Ye Go Away is from one of the band’s most favoured albums, FISHERMAN’S BLUES, and it’s clear to me from Scott’s performance that this (and probably other older songs on the set-list) was particularly special to the writer and performer. I think it was around this point that Scott changed from acoustic guitar to electric guitar mid-song and pushes the boat out to loud audience acclaim. Sweet Thing is from the same album and then finally the title track from the new album (when the double bass player joined the trio) completed a set which was both compelling and frustrating.

The stage lighting and sound were wonderful (courtesy of the band’s own team) and by far the best at this venue. Scott’s technical performance had been perfect but, for me, he has failed to connect emotionally with his audience while his partners in crime certainly had. It was just a little strange that with such goods songs, a near-capacity (and mostly adoring) audience and such wonderful and committed instrumental support that he coudn’t ‘give’ more. Perhaps it was because he was playing in a town that he had never played before (but which he proclaimed he would revisit with the wonderful response received). Perhaps it was because the new songs come from a different and very private place. Something was missing but I’m unclear as to precisely the what and why. A thirty minute break followed and with it came dramatic changes to the stage layout and equipment. On came a full drum set, more guitars and keyboards (replacing the grand piano). After a quick nicotine snack, I returned to prepare to take pictures during the first three songs of the next, rockier, and ‘controversial’ session.

The original players are joined by Geoff Dugmore on drums and Brad Waissman on bass guitar. The session opens with another two UNIVERSAL HALL songs called This Light and the very lovely Peace Of Iona. During the first song a security man comes over to me and warns me that I’d taken too many pictures. I explained that I had permission to take pictures during the first three songs in both sessions, and was not using the flashgun. He retreated and I continued. During the second song, Scott suddenly stopped playing and went over to the side of the stage and talked to somebody. The security man then came over to me again and asked me to stop shooting as I was distracting Scott (I was seated and well below stage level). I of course agreed and Scott started the song again. I had effectively stopped the show for a very brief period - a unique event in my experience covering hundreds of live performances. The flamboyant Strange Boat (from FISHERMAN’S BLUES) succeeded in raising audience enthusiasm even further (especially since Scott started an audience head-count before declaring that they would fit into it!) and provided the drummer with the opportunity to play with far more exuberance (up to this point he sounded rather dead-beat). The temperature was raised still further with Medecine Bow (from THIS IS THE SEA), The Return Of Pan (from DREAM HARDER) and Love And Death (from DREAM HARDER). By this time the band was in full swing but then something happened which marked a further ‘first’ in my experience.

Always Dancing, Never Getting Tired started and suddenly a few members of the audience got out of their seats and rushed the front of the stage. A trickle quickly turned into a mass migration and in seconds I was surrounded by the stamping feet of die-hard fans. The stage disappeared from view and I was left desperately trying to protect my valuable cargo of photo equipment. It was extraordinary, unique, shocking and just a little frightening. It was also rather comical (and heartening) seeing more mature fans swaying and bouncing to the music. It was as though these usually gentile people had received a massive dose of Viagara or E and just ‘let it all out’. One lady who must have been over fifty years old was swaying as if in some self-induced trance with hands on head. I had covered the heavy metal Dowload festival a few weeks earlier and this made that look like a sedate tea party! Unsighted, I could hear Scott displaying his huge guitar skills during The Glastonbury Song (from DREAM HARDER) and Fisherman’s Blues. The audience was in full cry but I wished the whole thing would end so I could retire gracefully in one piece. Dream on… Two encores followed which included the songs, In Search For A Rose (from ROOM TO ROAM), classic The Whole Of The Moon (from THIS IS THE SEA), then a formidable jig, and finished with Further Up, Further In (from ROOM TO ROAM).

At the end I caught sight of all the players come to the front of the stage wearing grins as broad as the large stage. They were happy as were the band’s fans. Scott came alive during the second session and showed his rock credentials. The fans seemed to respond with far more enthusiasm to the old material (always a problem for long-established acts trying to create new, and different material). I much preferred the performance I’d seen two years earlier although I was very attracted to the new songs. From what I managed to see, I concluded that this was a very controlled performance from a band with two distinct characters, and with all the skills to last another twenty years. I also sensed a distance between Scott and his ensemble (and especially the faithful Steve Wickham) but maybe I’m being too analytical. I came away from a strong performance that I will remember for both the music and some very strange goings-on.