The evening kicked off with Vanity Fare who played a selection of their hits from the late 60s and early 70s - including the highly memorable “Hitchin’ A Ride” – and then remained on stage to play the backing music for the other artists.
Wayne Fontana dropped in from his “exile” in Spain, and had the packed audience in stitches with his observations on the perils of modern day life . He sang some great songs including “The Game of Love” Um Um Um” and “Pamela Pamela” before finishing off with a great rendition of the Mindbenders classic “Groovy Kind Of Love”.
Finishing the first half, we had the amazingly rich voice and captivating stage presenc e of Chris Farlowe, who performed a mixture of blues and R&B and treated us to his big hits “Handbags and Gladrags” and “Out Of Time”, along with a heartfelt rendition of the Small Faces “All Of Nothing” as a tribute to Steve Marriott.
The second half saw Dave Berry bring his own special blend of old and new, a bit of R&B “Tulsa Time”, some 80s rock with a cover of ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Loving” , “I Knew the Bride When She Used To Rock and Roll” and, obviously, the big 60s hits such as “Little Things” and “The Crying Game”.
Then we had Terry Sylvester – formerly of the Swinging Blue Jeans – who joined the Hollies in 1969 to replace Graham Nash and he sang a delightful selection of Hollies songs, including “The Air That I Breathe”, “ Sorry Suzanne” and “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”.
To finish the show, The Merseybeats (pictured above) played some of their 60s hits – among them “Wishing And Hoping” and “Sorrow” – as well as some more great Liverpool – themed classics, a storming performance of Paul McCartney’s ” Live and let Die” and even an Everly Brothers tribute.
There was a chance to meet some of the stars of the show and buy merchandise both during the interval and afterwards and everybody seemed to go home with a smile on their face.
In short: a really enjoyable trip down memory lane. A few songs we didn’t know – lots that we did and definitely worth a look if you get the chance!
The Solid Silver 60s Tour continues across the country playing dates until the end of May. You can find a full list of dates and booking links here: http://www.flyingmusic.com/our-shows/the-solid-silver-60s-show/tour-dates/
And you can hear previews of the show from Dave Berry and Chris Farlowe here: http://www.bestkeptsecrets.biz/2010/12/solid-silver-60s-tour-exclusive-preview.html
And if you click below, you can hear our audio review of the Blackpool show:
