They played a familiar set list, but with one big surprise towards the end which was to play Never Bite The Hand That Feeds for the first time live. Possibly ever. Even Garry Roberts can't remember if they ever played it live before. Now I regret not going. Still always the hope it will get aired in Cambridge or London.
Next stop, Belfast. But first another great review.
Fortitude Magazine - Live Boomtown Rats Dublin
Owning the stage in a flamboyant, snakeskin suit, frontman and Irish legend, Bob Geldof ran the stage like he was back in 1975. Erupting straight into ‘Eva Braun’, quickly followed and topped by the upbeat, well-received ’Like Clockwork’, The Rats had a packed Vicar Street alive and screaming lyrics back at them
Wrapping up the night with ‘Rat Trap’ as a “finish”, the band brought a sax player on stage to join Bob, Simon, Pete and Garry, along with the two newbies. As if anyone believed they would leave it there, back they came for ‘Never Bite The Hand That Feeds’ and ’Diamond Smiles’, which impressively still encaptured the same mass of energy which was present in the very first song.
Doubting that the fans had had enough excitement, they once again reappeared wanting even more, with a second encore, to really conclude their comeback with one mighty bang. Throwing themselves into what can only be described as a chanting, almost heavy cheerleading-like anthem, creatively entitled ‘The Boomtown Rats’, the show ended here. Show, singular- there will be more.
Quite clearly demonstrated on the Vicar Street stage, and according to the man, Bob Geldof himself- “The Boomtown Rats are back in town”
- Eva Braun
- Like Clockwork
- Neon Heart
- She's Gonna Do You In
- Someone's Looking
- Joey's On The Street Again
- Banana Republic
- Having My Picture Taken
- She's So Modern
- I Don't Like Mondays
- Close As You'll Ever Be
- When The Night Comes
- Me & Howard Hughes
- Mary of the Fourth Form
- Looking After Number One
- Rat Trap
Encore
- Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
- Diamond Smiles
- The Boomtown Rats
SUPPORT : The Mighty Stef
1 comment:
http://www.hotpress.com/The-Boomtown-Rats/music/reviews/live/The-Boomtown-Rats-Live-at-Vicar-Street/10376367.html
Opening with tongue-in-cheek glam-pop nugget ‘(I Never Loved) Eva Braun’, which burns straight into the angular new wave stylings of ‘Like Clockwork’, the stage is set for a high-octane rollercoaster ride through Boomtown, with Bob Geldof as tour guide extraordinaire.
Dapper in a fake snakeskin suit, he writhes, dances, gesticulates and poses to dramatic effect. Given his loquacious proclivities, Bob lets the music do the talking to a surprising extent. His banter includes a reminder that not much has changed since he first penned ‘Banana Republic’ and a moving dedication to the recently deceased Philip Chevron.
The group, which includes original bassist Pete Briquette, drummer Simon Crowe and guitarist Garry Roberts, are in fine form and not a note is dropped as they blast through a greatest hits set of which ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ and ‘Rat Trap’ are predictable highlights.
This is not a mere ‘best of’ show: the songs ooze vitality and the performance is rich with innovative twists. An explosive ‘Mary Of The Fourth Form’ tailspins into the Mississippi Delta, as they slink through John Lee Hooker’s ‘Boom Boom’ before the blitzkrieg pace is resumed with a raucous ‘Lookin’ After Number 1’.
The night closes with impressive new track ‘The Boomtown Rats’. There’s life in the old rodents yet, it seems...
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