Shakin' Stevens European Tour 2019

[wolfgangguhl]

SHAKIN' STEVENS EUROPEAN TOUR 2019
07.02.19 - Utrecht, Holland - TivoliVredenburg
08.02.19 - Antwerp, Belgium - De Roma
10.02.19 - Offenbach, Germany - Capitol
11.02.19 - Hannover, Germany - Theater Am Aegi SOLD OUT
12.02.19 - Hamburg, Germany - Laeiszhalle SOLD OUT
14.02.19 - Berlin, Germany - UdK Konzertsaal Hardenbergstrasse
15.02.19 - Essen, Germany - Colosseum Theater SOLD OUT
17.02.19 - Stuttgart, Germany - Liederhalle
18.02.19 - Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
20.02.19 - Zurich, Switzerland - Volkshaus
22.02.19 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
23.02.19 - Prague, Czech Republic - Forum Karlin
25.02.19 - Wroclaw, Poland - Hala Orbita
26.02.19 - Warsaw, Poland - Torwar
01.03.19 - Salisbury, England - City Hall
02.03.19 - Northampton, England - Derngate SOLD OUT
03.03.19 - Cardiff, Wales - St. David's Hall
05.03.19 - Birmingham, England - New Alexandra Theatre
06.03.19 - Bexhill, England - De La Warr Pavilion
08.03.19 - Bournemouth, England- Pavilion
09.03.19 - London, England - Cadogan Hall SOLD OUT
11.03.19 - Reading, England - Hexagon
12.03.19 - Cambridge, England - Corn Exchange
13.03.19 - Buxton, England - Opera House
15.03.19 - Harrogate, England - Royal Hall
16.03.19 - Edinburgh, Scotland - Queen's Hall SOLD OUT
17.03.19 - Glasgow, Scotland - City Halls
19.03.19 - Manchester, England - Bridgewater Hall
20.03.19 - Liverpool, England - Eventim Olympia
21.03.19 - Middlesbrough, England - Town Hall
23.03.19 - Hull, England - City Hall
24.03.19 - Leeds, England - Town Hall

[Dirk B.]

I'm gonna be in Hannover on February 11. Shaky is still great - I'm really looking forward to this concert!!!

[wolfgangguhl]

I will be seeing him in Munich. Looking forward to it! He was the very first artist I listened to and the one who introduced me to Rock'n'Roll!

[Dirk B.]

He made rock'n'roll popular again when everybody else was listening to that 80's trash. A real great entertainer! I also have his last album "Echoes of our times" which is not really rock'n'roll but sounds great as well.

[Piet]

I remember seeing him somewhere in the late sevenies when he was playing at small places in Holland. It was before he came succesfull and made his first hits. Also remember he had a black guy who played the piano. Great times and we had lots of time to talk (and drink) with them, not much R'nR fans at that time, correct Dirk

[Dirk B.]

Just saw Shaky at the show in Hannover - he was just marvelous!!! Shaky still looks like he did in the 80's and rocks the hall! He did a two-hour-show with one break inbetween and two encores. There were seven numbers from his "Echoes of our times" album and two from "Now listen". As a tribute to Chuck he did "Don't lie to me" and he dedicated "Lady Madonna" to Fats Domino. The setlist seems to be the same during all dates of the tour. Here it is:
1st set
How Could It Be Like That
Turning Away
Give Me Your Heart Tonight
It's Raining
You Drive Me Crazy
Lady Madonna
Got My Mind Set on You
Don't Lie to Me
Suffer Little Children
I Can Help
A Love Worth Waiting For
Cry Just a Little Bit


2nd set
Now Listen
Down Into Muddy Water
Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (CCR Cover)
Radio
A Letter to You
The Fire in Her Blood
Because I Love You
Marie Marie / Oh Julie Medley
Lipstick, Powder and Paint
Green Door (very bluesy version!)
Train of Time
Last Man Alive

Encores:
This Ole House
Fire Down Below

[wolfgangguhl]

SHAKIN' STEVENS IN MUNICH

When I came into this world the first thing I apparantly did was moving my little feet to the sounds of Shakin' Stevens who was constantly being played on the radio back in the 80's when he sold more records in the UK than Michael Jackson and Madonna. A little later I discovered my parents' Vinyl collection. Before I could even talk I would crawl on a LP cover which was the sign for my dad to put on that particular record. I usually left out The Beatles, occasionally crawled on the Stones LP, but most often demanded the LP that had some Shakin' Stevens songs it. I loved Shaky and was all smiles when I listened to his music! I figured there were hardly fillers among his repertoire. Shaky would also pay tribute to the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino and by doing that opened a new door for me: the door to Rock'n'Roll! Thanks to him I soon discovered all the originators of Rock'n'Roll and fell in love with that kind of music. That love has lasted ever since and will last until my feet stop moving.

He last played Munich in 1982 when I wasn't even born yet. Now in 2019 he finally returned and I took the chance to see him. He played the Tonhalle, the most terrible venue I have ever seen. This was probably the reason the show did not sell as well as other shows. Approximately 1,800 people were in attendance in a venue that holds 2,000. Thankfully there was no support act and the show started five minutes past eight. Shakin' Stevens has a great band which includes guitars, a brass section, bass, drums, keyboards and background singers. He is in very good shape and even more so is his voice, at age 70 or any age. His voice is unique and he has got his own style. When he plays covers he often plays songs by legends that were no big hits and often neglected by their creators. Shaky has a fantastic feel for music and selects top notch songs. Ever heard Chuck Berry do "Don't You Lie To Me" live? I haven't. But here we got one of the rare opportunites to hear it live and the audience loved Shaky's energetic version. I was looking forward to "Lady Madonna", a song Shakin' Stevens dedicated to his hero Fats Domino and not to The Beatless and which sounded remarkably close to Fats' version when it was played during earlier gigs of the Tour. Anyway what I like even more is when an artist shakes up the set list from to time. It keeps things fresh and interesting and I am sure especially those dedicated fans who follow Shaky from town to town appreciated it.

There was a break of 19 minutes after the first set lasted for 46 minutes. Then Shaky delivered the second set which included the highlight of the show for me: "Have You Ever Seen The Rain"! Oh my God, what a beautiful version and what a voice! I managed to get a few videos from the show, but that song is sadly not included. I therefore include a video from the Utrecht show, recorded by Dave Vermeulen, because it resemblances the Munich version very well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBhhvpbjgEs (turn it loud and listen, WOW!). Shakin' Stevens included rarities, songs from his new album and played the hits. He was on stage for a total of 102 minutes. It does hardly get better. What more can you ask for? Of course some people just go to a show to complain, but there is no chance in winning these destructive fools over anyway.

I have seen so many shows and it has become really difficult to excite me, but this show did. It was a magic evening. Shaky, your sounds were the first I listened to when I came into this world. You made me feel comfortable and you made me feel at home. You have opened the door to Rock'n'Roll for me and gave my soul a home, a place to rest. I wanna thank you! You often got offended when people just saw you as an 80's teen pop idol and rightly so. You are so much more. You worked your ass off for more than a decade without any real commercial success before you hit it big just because you loved the music. You are a real and deep artist. May your star shine forever!

SET LIST
How Could It Be Like That
Turning Away
Give Me Your Heart Tonight
It's Raining
You Drive Me Crazy
Got My Mind Set On You
Don't You Lie To Me
It's My Own Business
Suffer Little Children
A Love Worth Waiting For
Cry Just A Little Bit
You Never Talked About Me
Now Listen
Down Into Muddy Water
Have You Ever Seen The Rain
Radio
A Letter To You
The Fire In Her Blood
Because I Love You
Marie Marie
Oh Julie
Lipstick Powder And Paint
Green Door
Train Of Time
Last Man Alive
This Ole House
Fire Down Below

[Piet]

I'm glad you liked the show Wolfgang and thanks for the review

[Dirk B.]

This is one my favorite boxed sets: "The Epic Masters" on 10 CDs.

[wolfgangguhl]

I'm glad you liked the show Wolfgang and thanks for the review

You're welcome, Piet!

I would rate it to be among the Top 5 shows I have seen.

It reminded me a bit of a Fats Domino show where basically every song was a good one.

[wolfgangguhl]

Shakin' Stevens "Marie Marie / Oh Julie" live Stuttgart 17/02/2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CQ7u26YLbY

[jayhawks]

I like Shakin`Stevens very much-

(also saw him performing in Dortmund/ Westfalenhalle at the RTL Radio "Löwenverleihung" back in those days...)

But, listening to him, The Blasters & Dave Alvin (Writter of "Marie, Marie") ALWAYS come to my mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RQZD7G-4v8
(1982 Concert, feat. Carl Perkins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjqGPTK1ahU
(Dave Alvin sings his song Marie Marie with David Hidalgo, Flaco Jimenez, Pete Sears, Max Baca and Los Cenzontles at the Live at the People's Mansion: Pachanga for Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy, San Francisco, CA. February 16, 2017.)