Band:
Kip Winger Venue:
Trillians Rock Bar, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Date:
18 December 2000
It's been way too long since we saw this rock legend in concert. Acting in
capacity as special guest on tour with Bob Catley, this is one performer
who most certainly shouldn't be touted as a support act.
It was such a treat for us to have these two legends tour together. Not
only that the toured together but that they actually ventured further
north than the Watford gap, which is virtually unheard of for most of the
bands we really want to see live these days.
Trillians was the perfect setting for tonight's gig as its cosy atmosphere
and good acoustics made helped create a wonderful setting for the show.
Mr Winger has for a large part of it been out of sight, although not out
of mind, over the last few years. A lot of people presumed that after the
demise of his band Winger he had gone into producing other peoples
records. Or maybe that he had simply dropped off the face of the earth as
a lot of bands who were popular at that time seemed to do. But no! I can
confirm that not only is Kip alive and well but he is also putting out
some pretty marvellous tunes as well.
It may have been
partially due to the fact that the crowd tonight ranged in age from about
30 - late 50's, but it must have made a pleasant surprise for Kip that the
crowd not only knew who he was, but that they spent most of the night
shouting out requests for all their old favourite songs from his back
catalogue.
If he wasn't overwhelmed by this then he must have been made of stone. No
one could deny the sheer enjoyment the fans were having at hearing him do
this acoustic tour. Yes it felt a bit strange seeing him up there on the
stage all on his own without any backing musicians, but that did not alter
the fact that he came on and gave us his all. I doubt whether many people
would have left after a gig like that and not made a mental note to look
out for his next tour.
Kip Winger is an artist who hasn't lied down and let the bad times get the
better of him. He has had a lot of good times in the past, but he's also
had a lot of bad times as well. Has he let these hold him down? Has he
heck as like! He has come out the other side stronger and with a much more
laid back than he used to have.
He knows now that he doesn't have to prove himself to anybody and this is
a side of him we prefer.
Here before us we had
someone who's managed to stand the test of time and there's not that many
bands who have managed to do that. A lot fell foul by trying to do the
whole image and packaging thing and bowed down to what was expected of
them at the time by the marketing media. But Kip bless him is not one of
them. This time around his voice is stronger and more mature. The young
man with the chiselled jaw and the stubble has grown older and wiser. He
still possesses those heart throb good looks that we all know so well and
with this new album he is sure to make his mark once again on the rock
scene with the older fans who prefer their rock to be classic and have
some real substance to it.
Who could forget the gems we heard from the past as they flooded out from
the stage and across the room. It's surprising just how many songs you do
know and it's only when he started to sing them that you thought ... oh
yes I loved that one! ... and then astounded yourself by even managing to
remember all the words as well.
During the set we heard a lot of playful heckling from the headline band.
Apparently during the tour they had nicknamed him 'Winge - r', this he
took in the playful spirit it was intended. Later on they were heard
shouting out 'You rule Kip!'
The atmosphere was
very laid back throughout the whole show and it was nice to feel that the
Kip and the crowd connected in a way that very few bands seem to do these
days. We took him to our hearts and had a good laugh with him. I'm sure
I'm not alone in saying that we all have nothing but the greatest respect
for this man and his music. He's come a long way since playing bass to
Alice Cooper and if tonight's performance is anything to go by then he
still has a lot more mileage in him still to come.
It may have been a long time no see for us, but we were reassured by the
fact that he promised to tour again in summer 2001 and that he would be
returning up north to see us again. He even hinted that there might be a
Winger reunion in the pipeline, lets hope so. All told a great gig. Setlist Included:
Miles Away
Revolution Man
Easy Come, Easy Go
The Rainbow & The Rose
Heading For A Heartbreak
Down
Incognito
It may have been
partially due to the fact that the crowd tonight ranged in age from about
30 - late 50's, but it must have made a pleasant surprise for Kip that the
crowd not only knew who he was, but that they spent most of the night
shouting out requests for all their old favourite songs from his back
catalogue.
Here before us we had
someone who's managed to stand the test of time and there's not that many
bands who have managed to do that. A lot fell foul by trying to do the
whole image and packaging thing and bowed down to what was expected of
them at the time by the marketing media. But Kip bless him is not one of
them. This time around his voice is stronger and more mature. The young
man with the chiselled jaw and the stubble has grown older and wiser. He
still possesses those heart throb good looks that we all know so well and
with this new album he is sure to make his mark once again on the rock
scene with the older fans who prefer their rock to be classic and have
some real substance to it.
The atmosphere was
very laid back throughout the whole show and it was nice to feel that the
Kip and the crowd connected in a way that very few bands seem to do these
days. We took him to our hearts and had a good laugh with him. I'm sure
I'm not alone in saying that we all have nothing but the greatest respect
for this man and his music. He's come a long way since playing bass to
Alice Cooper and if tonight's performance is anything to go by then he
still has a lot more mileage in him still to come.
