Apollo Memories

Took a look over at the fine Apollomemories site today.

I remember going to loads of concerts at the Glasgow Apollo in my youth. The tatty old playhouse was a fantastic rock venue with its 'mile high' stage, sticky carpets, and bouncers that were just the wrong side of psychopathic...

The sight gathers together memorabilia and memories from the Apollo's heyday and is a great place to visit even if you never managed to see a gig there.

The power of coincidence? One thing I did notice today, the site features a widget on its home page telling you who played on this day in various years. Today in 1975 10cc played. Except, I seem to remember, they didn't. When you click through to the 10cc page there is a concert ticket with 16th March 1975 on it. This is the correct ticket [I can verify this because it is mine] but I remember that the original concert was cut short and cancelled because various band members were ill and could not sing. The concert was rescheduled for the end of the tour when the band returned to play a storming set livened up by the various booby traps that the roadies had set to liven up the atmosphere on this final date; porn pics on Eric Stewart's wah wah pedal, a flash bomb in the piano, etc etc.

The best concert I ever saw at the Apollo? I just have to give this honour to The Sensational Alex Harvey Band Christmas Show, one of three nights in December 1975. An absolutely fantastic show from start to finish saw Alex and the band at the height of their powers playing in front of a home town audience who loved them. It is amazing to think that it was over 30 years ago now.

Link : Apollomemories