The Specials - 2009-11-04 - Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, UK

This was my first visit to the rather ornate surroundings of the Empress Ballroom and my 3rd time seeing The Specials during 2009. The venue was excellent, as were the band, and I can still feel the sprung dance floor bouncing beneath my feet as it teetered under the weight of 3,000 pairs of dancing, skanking feet! The only disappoint for me was the sound within this great hall which, to my ears, was poorly mixed with high bass and low vocals giving a "muddy" effect. Fortunately, my microphones hear considerably better than me and the recording turned out far better than I ever hoped it would. In fact, I can hardly believe it's the same show that I witnessed!

The setlist was very similar to when the band toured in the spring, with the welcome additions of Stupid Marriage and Guns of Navarone, though unfortunately at the expense of Too Hot, Liquidator and Skinhead Moonstomp. Why couldn't they have just played them all?

Will we get to see this great band again after this autumn tour? I don't know, but I'm just glad I've had the privilege to witness them first-hand. Maybe not in their prime, but definitely in all their glory. Cheers lads.

Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think. :-)

The Specials - 2009-11-04 - Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, UK - MP3
143MB RAR archive, variable bit rate MP3s (min. 245 kbps)

Setlist:

01. Intro
02. Do The Dog
03. (Dawning Of A) New Era
04. Gangsters
05. It's Up To You
06. Rat Race
07. Monkey Man
08. Blank Expression
09. Doesn't Make It Alright
10. Hey Little Rich Girl
11. Stupid Marriage
12. Concrete Jungle
13. Friday Night, Saturday Morning
14. Stereotype
15. Man At C&A
16. A Message To You Rudy
17. Do Nothing
18. Little Bitch
19. Nite Klub
20. Too Much Too Young
21. Long Shot Kick The Bucket
22. Guns of Navarone
23. Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)
24. -encore break-
25. Ghost Town
26. You're Wondering Now

(Download link updated on 27th January, 2013)

Green Day - 2009-10-30 - MEN Arena, Manchester, UK

This was simply an amazing show performed by an equally amazing band. It had everything - crowd participation, pyrotechnics and regular explosions.

Billie-Joe Armstrong had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand from the moment he walked on stage and he never let them rest until he was finished almost two and a half hours later. He disappeared up into the seated area; he danced with fans onstage; he got fans onstage to sing songs (well done if you're that woman, but Dale from Preston, don't give up the day job!); he got a 10-year old (-ish) kid on stage to be "saved" during East Jesus Nowhere; he fired t-shirts into the upper reaches of the arena from a gun; he soaked the crowd with a hose and giant water pistols. A tad pantomime at times, but a true showman and great entertainment nevertheless!

And then there was the music. The 16,000 strong crowd lapped it up and sang along all the way through. We even had a couple of treats with "2,000 Light Years Away" and "Coming Clean" making rare setlist appearances "for the old school"! The highlights for me were East Jesus Nowhere and Jesus of Suburbia, both outstanding songs that this great band do proud. Cheers lads!

Enjoy! :-)


Green Day - 2009-10-30 - MEN Arena, Manchester, UK - MP3
245MB RAR archive, variable bit rate MP3s (min. 245 kbps)

Green Day - 2009-10-30 - MEN Arena, Manchester, UK - FLAC
799MB RAR archive, FLAC format


Setlist:

01. Song of the Century
02. 21st Century Breakdown
03. Know Your Enemy
04. East Jesus Nowhere
05. Holiday
06. The Static Age
07. Give Me Novacaine
08. Are We the Waiting
09. St. Jimmy
10. Boulevard of Broken Dreams
11. 2000 Light Years Away
12. Hitchin' A Ride
13. Coming Clean
14. When I Come Around
15. Iron Man (Black Sabbath cover)
16. Brain Stew
17. Jaded
18. Longview
19. Basket Case
20. She
21. King For A Day
22. Shout Medley:-
- Shout
- Orgasm Addict
- Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life
- Champagne Supernova
- Teenage Kicks
- Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life (Reprise)
- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
- Shout (Reprise)
23. 21 Guns
24. Minority
25. -encore break #1-
26. American Idiot
27. Jesus Of Suburbia
28. -encore break #2-
29. Last Night on Earth
30. Wake Me Up When September Ends
31. Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)

Many thanks to Last.fm user Bonzon for the use of the great photo in this post. More photos from this show can be found here.

(Download links updated on 27th January, 2013)