May 19

Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood @ LG Arena Birmingham, 19th May 2010

Clapton & Winwood It was 1969. Eric Clapton had just crawled from the wreckage of Cream. Steve Winwood was on hiatus from Traffic. They got together in Clapton's house to jam (bands did a lot of that in 1969). In an almost unseemly rush for this laid back duo, they recruited Ginger Baker and Rick Grech to form Blind Faith, did a huge free concert in Hyde Park, a short tour of Scandanavia, a bigger tour of the USA, and released their only album, which contained 5 songs and a 15 minute jam.


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Dec 13

Depeche Mode + Soulsavers @ Birmingham LG Arena - 13th December 2009

Depeche Mode There's a definite air of expectation in the air throughout the LG Arena tonight as one of the world's most legendary bands returns to Birmingham as part of their Tour Of The Universe. Almost 14,000 people are here to see the mighty Depeche Mode and, if past performances are anything to go by, we're in for a special night.


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Dec 08

Placebo + The Horrors + Silversun Pickups @ Birmingham LG Arena - 8th December 2009

Placebo Placebo have been a band I’ve been into since ‘Nancy Boy’ was first released, but somehow a band I’ve never seen live. I must admit when I bought my ticket back in the summer I was puzzled why they were at the LG Arena, but it was screened off and made really quite cosy.


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Nov 13

Deep Purple + The Crave @ Birmingham LG Arena - 13th November 2009

Deep Purple It is an awful night weather-wise, cold, lashing with rain and windy. The motorway is vile with idiots driving too fast and failing to realise they have indicators for a reason. I arrive at the NEC, or as it’s now known LG Arena to find the usual car-park closed. Great! I eventually find my way around to the railway station car-park and head to the venue.


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Apr 23

AC/DC + The Answer @ Birmingham LG Arena - 23rd April 2009

AC/DC You can tell tonight's gig is something special by the atmosphere outside the venue and the vast amounts of cash that tickets are being traded for. It has been nine years since AC/DC last played Birmingham on their Stiff Upper Lip tour and there are far more fans than there are tickets for the event...


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Mar 31

Lionel Richie @ The LG Arena, Birmingham - 31st March 2009

Lionel Richie I signed up to review Lionel Richie because a friend of mine had seen him live and told me he actually danced on the ceiling, which was a feat I had to see for myself. Arriving at the LG Arena, I feel slightly out of place but with fabulous tickets; beer in hand, I sense this could be a fun night. Luckily, there is no support for tonight's show as I probably would have missed it, because it has taken forever to get from the car park to the arena let alone purchase a drink.


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Mar 28

Simply Red @ The LG Arena Birmingham - 28th March 2008

Simply Red As Mick strode onto stage, resplendent in his immaculately tailored light suit, it was easy to forget that we were witnessing the end of an era - he looked every bit the youthful crowd-pleaser from earlier days. The crowd showed modest support for Valeriya, who put a seamless - if, perhaps, at times rather uninspired and lacklustre - performance, but it was obvious who 12,000 strong had showed up to see. The roar was deafening before he'd even sung a note - but when the band opened with It's Only Love it felt like the roof might come off..


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Feb 14

Judas Priest + Megadeth + Testament @ The LG Arena, Birmingham - 14th February 2009

Judas Priest Tonight I am at the LG Arena to review what I would term a ‘Monsters of Metal’ line-up which has been billed as the ‘Priest Feast’!


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Dec 22

Status Quo @ Birmingham LG Arena - 22nd December 2008

Status Quo When bands have been around as long as Status Quo have, they can become an easy target for mockery – they only play three chords for God’s sake! – but the fact that they have been playing for as long as they have should also command respect. 10 years together would be impressive, but a tour to celebrate your 40th anniversary is one hell of an achievement...


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Nov 28

Simple Minds @ Birmingham LG Arena - 28th November 2008

Simple Minds When I found out Simple Minds were planning to celebrate 30 years in the business with a landmark tour, I leaped at the chance to review tonight’s performance. Although, I confess I was less certain of how I felt about reviewing special quests Deacon Blue, knowing only their most popular songs and having a tendency to be a little apprehensive about support bands in general...


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Oct 19

Fall Out Boy + Boys Like Girls + YouMeAtSix @ Birmingham LG Arena - 19th October 2008

Fall Out Boy Holy cow, the LG Arena is big. There is a sea of mobile phone screens as Boys Like Girls fill the arena with more confidence than one may have thought, considering they have only released their self-titled album to date. However, their familiarity with the songs from touring is in their favour as the band are free to lend more energy to their performance.


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