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24.06.2002 First of all is the sad news that Tommy will be out of commission for about 3 months due to lingering health problems. Tommy is going to take this time to recuperate and get himself 100% fit. Tommy's place in the up and coming tour dates will be taken by Popes regular fiddle player Miriam Kavana, so don't forget to make her feel welcome! Secondly is the news that the band have a number of European dates over the summer as well as the possibility of a small Irish tour in late August, early September. The band are currently hard at work on Shane' s new album which is due for release later this year. The album is expected to have approximately 50% of traditional reworkings as well as 50% new stuff and will probably be a double album. http://www.pumpactionpaddy.co.uk/news.htm |
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| INCREDIBLE SHANE |
| MacRua's Bog |
| This section contains the latest rumours, news, gossips, reviews I find surfing through out Pogues/Popes/music sites/messageboards/guestbooks and is dedicated to |
| Special thanks to reporters and the best regards to all Shane's fans all over the world |
21.06.2002 I went down to a barn dance in tipperary not too far from where Shane lives, It was for the summer solstace or some fuckin pagan festival anyway. But who should turn up at 3.30am and proceed to sing 8/10 songs. You guessed it Mr. Macgowan. He played with a local band backing and he seemed to really enjoy it. posted by Potcher (Flipper_cobain@hotmail.com) to alt.music.pogues 11.06.2002 There are some great pix on http://mcd.ie/photosmcd/poguesrds/pogues01.php3 Juergen. forum at www.shanemacgowan.de 09.06.2002 Marlay Park, Dublin Something about the Pogues gig in Dublin from an Irishman with a backstage pass: "Well the gig was good, was talking with Shane for 1-2 hour or so, seemed to be in good enough shape, speech a wee bit slurred. The rest of the Pogues were in more talkative form. I was mainly talking to Teresa and Maurice, Shane's parents. They are in good form, Teresa was on for Fairytale of New York. Shane said he is working on a new record." Posted by Irene to www.shanemacgowan.de guestbook I was at the Dublin show (flew in from Chicago) and was about thirty feet from the stage, Shane was fine. In classic Shane fashion, I couldn't make out a bloody thing he was saying between songs, including the name of the next one, but the minute the music started, he was clear as a bell. Was a hell of a show, something about seeing them in Dublin... Big audience difference between there and the States, I've seen Shane over here and the crowd was into it but restrained. The Dublin lot was totally revved up and didn't hesitate to show it. Posted by Marc to www.shanemacgowan.de guestbook 08.06.2002 Fleadh Festival, Finnsbury Park London Just arrived back from seeing the POGUES AT THE FLEADH 2002 finsbury park the great man is still alive and kicking post any questions and I will try to answer them on sunday I think Spider will need a brain transplant after the damage he did to the beer tray when they were playing fiesta. Posted by cockney paddy to www.shanemacgowan.de guestbook FLEADH 2002 It was a great night but a little weird I had not been feeling too good all weekend and felt even worse as I only live about 15 minutes from where the gig was being held and i was not going to go. Anyway I decided to go at the last minute 8.30 pm in fact.When we arrived at Finsbury Park Joe Srtummer& the Mescaleros were on stage so only the Pogues were left to go on,so I figured they would not still be charging the full entrance fee so I asked the price for 2 people and the box office told me ?70 ukp.Now I love the Pogues but ?70 for two when they were the last band on was a little too much.also security had told me only 6,500 had turned for the day when they were expecting close to 15,000 this I think was due to the terrible weather we are having in London right now.So we decided to walk round the perimeter asking at each gate if we could get in,starting at gate A,we slowly walked to each gate with the same negative response,I was giving up until we came to gate F and the security said he would let us in for ?10 each we could not believe it.WE WERE IN !!! The Pogues came on to a fantastic roar,letting Shane walk on last always seems to get the crowd going as you never actually know if he is going to appear but he did he was not limping so much since I saw them at christmas at Brixton.In fact he looked as good as i have seen him in years.he is starting to look as if he maybe 3-4 moths pregnant now with his beer belly(only joking) They launched straight in with STEAMS OF WHISKEY and then played all the favourites BOTTLE OF SMOKE,MEDLEY,RAIN STREET (which shane dedicated to London cos it's always bloody raining)Terry sang also Philip sang "Thousands are sailing".Spider sang "Tuesday morning"."Sick bed of Cucullain",then two brilliant versions of "dirty old town" and "The old main drag" I have not remebered all the songs but you know how it is at a Pogues show.Two of my favourite songs of the night were THE BODY OF AN AMERICAN WHICH WAS FANTASTIC also Lullaby Of London. They finished on Fiesta when Spider and Shane took it in turns on the beer tray as I said before I think Spider may need his head testing after that.Shane was in fantastic form dancing during white city and dedicating a song to terry and james as the members of the band who had no hair and then doing that funny hissing crackling laugh that only he can do.He certainly was back on form. My only dissapointment was they did not play two of my favourites Boys from the county hell and Parting glass.They did one encore and played for about 1hour 20 mins.not bad I think they would have played longer but there are strict laws around that park with regard to not playing after 11pm. Posted by cocney paddy to www.shanemacgowan.de guestbook May 2002. US tour Hi, I've added some Shane/Popes photos on the net. They're from the New York and Philadelphia shows in May. http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=216361 Posted by Josie to snappermusic messageboard 28.05.2002 Does anyone know if MacGowan managed to make it from his bar stool at Rocky's out to Wantagh for the Sunday night show at Mulcahey's?? Joseph M Tyson Yeah he eventually did and put on a hell of a show. He came on around 12:30 - 1:00 AM Daethvalleydemon 26.05.2002 hi all Shane MacGowan and The Popes have confirmed that they will play on 19.07.2002 at pohoda festival - Slovakia :) more info at pohoda site : http://www.pohodafestival.sk/ Boss Bellini 24.05.2002 just wanne say this i saw shane in the last 12 month six times and last time in tilburg.he was looking last time much better than in his last gigs.what i was worried about was that he was not able to move really.seems to me that comes when the kidneys dont work right.what ever he got hope he will come trough like allways. Manny www.shanemacgowan.de guestbook 23.05.2002 Thursday, 5/23, went to a bar in Queens, the Irish Rover, to see the Popes play(without Shane). To my suprise, Shane showed up and sang about 10 songs which sounded great. Charles alt.music.pogues 20.05.2002 Sorry for the delay in posting this, but Friday's (5/17) Boston Globe, in one of the gossip type columns, reported that Shane was spotted in an Irish Bar (In Tua Nua sp?) on Thursday with a few pints of Guinness in front of him. Doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't in the hospital, but it definitely sounds like he didn't make the trip to Toronto or Chicago. Default alt.music.pogues 18.05.2002 Shane and the Popes played in Madison, Wisconsin. There was a local Irish rock act, followed by Seanchai. Shane and the band came on around midnight. The show wrapped up around 1:40ish. The show was pure Shane. He looked huge, drunk and clueless. Still, once the music started it was a blast. During the show people kept giving him glasses of whiskey - which he promptly downed. I bet it happened 4-5 times. He always had a drink and a cigarette (the crowd had to keep lighting his cigarette becausehe couldn't do it himself). They played most of the same songs that he played earlier in the week - If I Should Fall From Grace With God, Donegal Express. Rock N Roll Paddy, Back In The County Hell, Mother Mo Chroi, Dirty Old Town, Greenland Whale Fisheries, Granuaille, Body Of An American, Lonesome Highway, Streams Of Whiskey, The Sick Bed Of CuChulainn, The Irish Rover and a few others (I'm not great on all the titles). The highlight was probably when one of the female singers from Seanchai came on at the end and sang with him on a Fairytale in New York. All in all, it was great. The club was sold out - about 420 was capacity. hey handed out fliers for a Popes/Seanchai for a show in Racine, WI (south of Milwaukee) on Tuesday night (I think it was Tuesday. I didn't save the flier). Matt B. alt.music.pogues He showed up (albeit it very very late) at the Madison, WI show (the night after chicago). He had to be talked into playing by the manager of the venue (she was on his bus trying to get him to come up, we found out, since we inquired if he was even showing up after we heard about the chgo show), and once he got on stage, I don't think he ever opened his eyes. It was my first time hearing him (my boyfrined is a huge fan) and I liked it! But he didn't look good at all. Jamie alt.music.pogues 17.05.2002 Similar to what has been said about the Toronto show, Shane did not show in Chicago last night. I checked with the venue (House of Blues) twice during the day to verify that the show would proceed, and they made no mention of this. Upon arrival, a note was posted indicating that the Popes would play, and refunds would be available. I stayed to see the Popes, but was dissapointed to say the least. Will anyone preorder tickets to a Shane show ever again? I certainly will not. I guess a bigger question is whether we will ever have the opportunity to see him play again. How far away is he from the hopelessly addicted (and now hopelessly dead) Layne Stayley? Davebs alt.music.pogues Yeah Shane didn't show up , he was sick in Boston. The Popes did their best to keep the crowd happy. "Mad Dog"mcguinness invited a few people from the audience to sing a few lines of "Dirty Old Town" before kicking them off stage that was pretty good. The Popes sang a few of Shane's and then swiftly moved onto their songs from Holloway Boulevard which has maybe 3 good songs. I thought Shane not being at the show made it difficult to stick around to see what the Popes were going to do. Well the opening act Chris Byrne (the rapping New York Irish) from the band Black 47. Irish music does not lend it self to rap. The crowd was yelling at the former Black 47 member to shut up, very amusing. Chicago's very own Irish rock band the Tossers should have opened for the Popes just like last year at the Vic now thats a band. Paddypublic21 streamsofwiskey yahoo group 16.05.2002 Detroit show's cancelled 15.05.2002 Toronto Ya. went to see Shane and the Popes at Lee's Palace and Shane was apparently held up in a hospital and didn't make the show. The Popes played anyways and it was pretty good. Todd Horton alt.music.pogues I't was 11.30 pm and it was anounced that the popes would play but that Shane was in a hospital and the doctor would not allow him to be discharged . How ever it was not mentioned if he was in Toronto or still back in Boston !!!! Most assumed it was Toronto.. But the show must go on and the Popes made the best out a bad scene .The bass player did well to stand up ,he only fell into the drums once causing minor damage,but he settled down after his guitar strings broke and unrepairable and spent the remaining time mumbeling into the mike.The highlight of the night was when a fan came up on stage to sing dirty old town in Shanes place.He was soon fallowed by four other would be stars. Things seemed to be getting out of hand on stage so Paul Mc Guinness kicked them off and tould them we don't need five more shit singers in this group.The banjo player was steady and souber all night.But to me the real pro was the acordian man who worked hard and held every one togther through the show . I't is not easy playing in front of an audiance that had been let down at the last minute ,after waiting a year to see Shane . I wish they could have said more about Shane's condition . May god be with you Shane ,where ever you are ! dennis roemmele alt.music.pogues 13.05.2002 Here is a run down of the paradise show. Shane came on late 1130-40 and had on black pants that were unbuttoned with 2 holes in the crotch. Opened with If I should fall with grace from god. 4th song was a well sung Auld Triangle. We also heard greenland whale fisheries, molly mccree, aisling, streams of whiskey, sick bed of cul, irish rover, rainy night in soho (nice), paddy rolling stone, poor paddy works on the railway and a few others that I can't remember right now. Shane really got into this show as the night went on and seemed to be enjoying himself compared to the avalon show and harp show from a few years ago. The encore was 4 tunes. It started with a nice angel of death and shane asked if we wanted more. He then played bottle of smoke and the new song sally gardens. Last tune was Fairy tale of NY. He sang it with some woman and then danced with her. While the band was playing an instrumental shane danced around and was smiling. Then he put a cup on top of his head and did a circle dance. He repeated this with a full cup with less success spilling part of it on himself. Best shane show I have seen yet. Show was over at 1:10-1:15. Robert macginness Another view on Shane's show in Boston Monday May 13. This was my fifth solo/Popes show (Avalon, Roxy, Harp, Avalon) and I only would rank it 4th of the 5 shows. Started the night having a few drinks at T's Pub with a few of the Popes. Made the mistake of entering the Paradise about 9:30, just before seeing the sign saying "Seanchie(sp?) 10PM, Shane 11:15PM". As far as I know, Seanchie never showed and no announcement was ever made. While not usually a fan of opening acts, it would have killed some time. They announced that Shane would be out in "fifteen minutes", some approx. thirty minutes later, they announced "three minutes" and finally Shane showed up around 11:45ish. I thought Shane wasn't as coherent as his last Boston Avalon show. To be honest, I couldn't make out any of his onstage banter, even though usually I can pick out some key words. Show highlights- Auld Triangle, Dirty Old Town, Paddy Rolling Stone, A Rainy Night in Soho(definite hit since it was pouring outside). More Popes songs and fewer Pogues (No Broad Majestic Shannon, Sally Mac, etc.) Unexpected Encore of Fairy Tale of New York with "Rachel" of "Seanchie"(how come she was there, but the band wasn't?) was great, a little botched, but I don't believe I had heard this in person before-maybe with the Pogues. Jim Sullivan of the Boston Globe has a great review (he's a huge fan) http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/135/living/Shane_MacGowan_worth _the_wait_as_usual+.shtml Setlist appears to have been the same as the previously posted Philly show except with Fairytale added at the end. Default 11.05.2002 The Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA May 11, 2002 If I Should Fall From Grace With God Donegal Express Rock N Roll Paddy Back In The County Hell The Auld Triangle Mother Mo Chroi Popes Instrumental Dirty Old Town Greenland Whale Fisheries Skipping Rhymes Granuaille Body Of An American Lonesome Highway More Pricks Than Kicks Streams Of Whiskey Poor Paddy The Sick Bed Of CuChulainn The Irish Rover ENCORE ======= The Angel Of Death Bottle Of Smoke Down By The Sally Gardens wicked_gravity alt.music.pogues Shane was really with it and together. The band seemed like something was missing though, possibly a beard. The only foul up all night was a missed note by the accordian player. Shane did the "balance a cup on my head while i dance", dance and to my suprise the cup didnt fall. Played Greenland Whale Fisheries and made me very happy. Good show except for the opening band who i cant remember the name of. Xdie my darlingX I agree, Shane was really on. He looked lucid and not swollen. He stood strongly and sang well. Shane also did a great version of The Auld Triangle--truly awesome--and for the first time I heard him do More Pricks than Kicks, which is great. The encore of Down by the Sally Gardens was much faster paced than I had expected, very peppy. Band was solid, good instrumental and no open bickering, except some talk back and forth after More Pricks than Kicks, like Shane hadn't felt Maguinness gave him some cue of some sort. Nice Mother Mo Chrai as well. Good crowd, too. Though a security guy was wondering around flashing a light on everyone's shoes, or looking for something. Never figured out which. Granuille was also solid. No Broad Majestic Shannon, no Paddy Public Enemy No. 1... great Lonesome Highway, with a fine full-throated singalong crowd. Really hope his solid shows and lucidity and balance--the cup balancing was quite impressive, as well as the little dancing he did--means that new album will really happen. Ned Sanyour Shane and the Popes were in fine form. They played for about an hour and a half. Shane seemed to enjoy himself, dancing and smiling, drinking and smoking. He sang all the classics, If I Should Fall..., Dirty Old Town, Irish Rover, Body of an American, Streams of Whiskey, ... and some newer Popes, Donegal Express, Angel of Death, Skipping Songs, Granuaille. The only new song was also his last, an old traditional Irish tune Sally Gardens. It was a fun night. He looks "healthy" other than his new beer-belly Beth 10.05.2002 Shane actually appeared on stage on time last night at 10:00 sharp. That is the first time I have ever seen that happen, and Ive been to tons of his shows. I was the one that was late, showing up a few minutes after 10 and he was already into the third song! It was the sparsest crowd I have ever seen at a Shane show, not all that many people there and it was easy to just walk right up to the front. I think it shows some backlash at him cancelling the St. Paddys day gig there. Anyway, the set was the usual with Sunny Gardens appearing as the final encore. Midway through the set, Shane took a major tumble and fell flat on his face on stage. He walked off for an instrumental and came back for the song after. The show was majorly shambolic, with very little coordination between the band and Shane, with Shane consistantly missing the mark. Reguardless, it is always an experience with Shane. DeathValleyDemon alt.music.pogues we walked in the Roseland aroun 10:15 or so and he was already on. I couldn't believe he was on so early. So we ran in and got involved up front. He was in good form as was the band. His mic was turned down to low and he kept motioning for them to turn it up and he was getting pretty fustrated. He started stubmling towards the side of the stage when he tripped and fell. SOmebody had to get him up, it was pretty funny. I was surprised by the size of the crowd, not a bad showing for a place that big. And yeah he has put on some sserious weight. Bhcf 10.05.2002 This is what Phil Ferns wrote this morning: have you not got the track shane recorded with me and john as a charity single for cancer research at 5am after celtic won league we are number 17 in the british charts we are on the b side it is called" tomorow belongs to me" youcan get a clip of the morning after the night before on celticvoices.biz our website shane is planning on a contibution to the fortcoming album by the celtic chorus Juergen Here's an excerpt from the commentary of dotmusic.com concerning The Best Day Of Our Lives, "It has now been turned into a full fledged charts single with all proceeds going to charity. The video for the track features such celebrity Celtic fans as Noel Gallagher, ... Shane MacGowan ..." Irene The new CD Single is definitely out now! Juergen 09.05.2002 Hello friends -- fresh from the Shane and Popes show tonight at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC. Incredible. He's lost 50 pounds since rixton Academy -- it's like he's been deflated. No limp, either. He was only 45 minutes late and the band was only mildly pissed at him. DJ LaChapelle alt.misic.pogues 45 minutes? The club said he was scheduled to go on at 10 and he didn't hit the stage until just before 11:30. (Not that I'm complaining, mind you.) My highlight: Shane mock-strangling himself with his tie during one of the instrumental breaks. Oh, and they also played "Sally Gardens" as one of the encores. Good stuff. Evan Hulka 09.05.2002 The single is called The Best Days of Our Lives, by Lisbon Lions & Celtic Chorus, bonus track Shane GreenQueenJean Shane is at number 17 in the UK charts, he is featured on a Glasgow Celtic song to celebrate Celtics 1967 European cup winning team. He also recorded a song for the b side. Irene APRIL 2002 18.04.2002 Was in Melkweg 18 april, great show, great crowd.. The band came back for another six or some songs. I will be getting some pics of this show if everything works out. BtW they played a great version of 'Rainy night in soho' with just Shane and accordeon... Koen 17.04.2002 was in tilburg yesterday show was good but the crowd was lousy Manny A setlist: IISFFGWG Donegal Express Rock N Roll Paddy Back in the county Hell Auld Trianlge Mother Mo Chroi Popes Instrumental Down by the sally gardens Skipping rhymes Granualle Body of a Anerican Rainy Night in Soho More pricks Streams of Whiskey Sick Bed Irish Rover Broad Majestic Shannon Aisling Angel of Death Bottle of smoke 12.04.2002 New American Dates Wed May 8 Washington DC Fri May 10 Roseland New York Sat May 11 Philadelphia Sun May 12 Providence Rhode Island (tbc) Mon May 13 Boston Wed May 15 Toronto Thu May 16 Detroit Fri May 17 Chicago MARCH 2002 17.03.2002 The Popes played a gig in London at the Fiddlers elbow Kentish Town, according to the Popes Message Board Shane did also appear. my earlier announcement about Shane's U.S. dates: In checking Ticketmaster, it appears that all dates have been cancelled. Does anyone know what happened? I know we're talking Shane & all!! Marc Just a heads up that Shane & the Popes will be in the States this month. Not sure what the Washington DC., Philadelphia, & New York dates are, but for anyone in the midwest, they'll be at the House of Blues in Chicago, Tues. March 12. Marc 07.03.2002. Brighton 'We lived in Brighton at first. It's a terrible place. Know what I mean like, always cold and windy, really cold and always grey.' Shane interviewed in 1997 He's coming back to play here tonight on the seafront - I hope! Will post a report if he shows up. Peter. alt.music.pogues Last night's gig at the Concorde 2 Shane came on at about 12.30, dodging plastic glasses from the audience he'd kept waiting for more than two hours (we'd had announcements "Shane is in a taxi" "Shane is in the building, but we don't know if he can stand up"). But he quickly won us over with a fantastic performance - his voice was really strong (best ever "Old Triangle") and he smiled, joked between songs, and danced around, waggling his enormous belly in all directions. The drama all came from Bob the bass player, who was totally blootered. He looked like he didn't know whether to start a fight or burst into tears and during the evening he managed to: knock everyone's mike stands over at least twice demolish the drum kit twice hide behind the amps for two songs play one song lying on his back kiss Shane full on the lips, and then challenge the audience to "come up and call me a fag!" We found out what it was all about when he grabbed the mike and made a speech: "This is really IMPORTANT! If there's any blokes out there with a girl, LEAVE RIGHT NOW! Because the bloke standing next to yer will STEAL HER AWAY FROM YER! I mean it! DON'T TRUST YER BEST FRIEND!!? Blimey, no wonder he's stopped calling himself "Lucky" Dowling! It was like watching Spinal Tap. At one point, Shane had to calm him down, waving a drum stick in his face and pleading with him. The climax came during Broad Majestic Shannon, when Paul the guitarist got so pissed off with the volume that Bob had cranked himself up to that he walked across the stage and unplugged him! Bob gazed down at his guitar in disbelief, looked across the stage at Paul, and then walked across and unplugged him back! Pure Laurel and Hardy. Shane was totally upstaged. So if you're going to the Forum tonight, watch the bass player! He'll have an enormous hangover. I forgot - at one point Bob fell asleep leaning on the mike stand, and his bass slid to the floor. Tom McAnimal picked it up and stuck it in his hands again, and he carried on playing. Never missed a note! A couple of other events I forgot to mention - when Bob challenged the audience to call him a fag, a bloke leaped on stage and tried to get his dick out! He was hustled off by the roadies... During the Popes instrumental, a girl jumped onstage and did some great Irish dancing... It was a wild night Some friends saw the band backstage before the encore - they had their heads in their hands and looked very depressed - especially the poor drummer...Shane was oblivious, a drink in each hand... Peter 28.02.2002 The American edition of "Across the Broad Atlantic" (I don't know if this is also true of the other editions) has an insert saying: "Look for a Shane MacGowan album with all brand new material coming your way from Eagle Records, summer 2002!" Evan Hulka alt.misic.pogues 24.02.2002 shane's playing in chicago on 3/12, phili on 3/14, 3/15 baltimore (bohager's) NYC on 3/16. 3/17 lupos in providence RI. 3/19 Washington DC 21.02.2002 Shane and the Popes are playing the Roseland in NYC on March 16th. 19 .02.2002 He's playing with the Popes at the Concorde 2 on Thursday 7 March - the night before the London Forum gig. Peter.alt.music.pogues 16.02.2002 I WAS AT THE DUBLIN GIG SATURDAY!WHAT CAN I SAY IT WAS GREAT! SEEMS TO BE THAT HE LOST SOME WEIGHT AND LOOKS MORE HEALTHY AS I SAW HIM IN DECEMBER.THE SOUND WAS GREAT AND HE SEEMS TO ENJOY THE GIG MUCH MUCH MORE THAN AS WITH THE POGUES IN DECEMBER.THE LAST ONE WAS FAIRYTALE WITH HIS MUM AND HE SANG BOTTLE/PADDY/BODY/GRACE/RAINY/SICK AND MUCH MORE. Manny. guestbook at www.shanemacgowan.de Seen Shane on Friday in the ambassador he was unbelieveable.The crowd loved him. His Ma done Kirsty proud on the last song. Lets hope for more of these performances. Sean. guestbook at www.shanemacgowan.de 13.02.2002 I'm also looking forward to seeing MacGowan in action with the Popes tonight in Limerick. The first date of his 'Across The Broad Atlantic' four gig Irish mini-tour. The Popes sound may not be as good as The Pogues, but with Shane, they still rock! Stephen O Connel alt.misic.pogues 04.02.2002 Pictures from the Reunion Gig at The Point, Dublin... http://hem.passagen.se/spirit/shane/ Cheers from Sweden! Landrew. guestbook at www.shanemacgowan.de DECEMBER 2001. POGUES' REUNION TOUR. This was the general list, sometimes the songs got jumbled around a bit. Streams Of Whiskey If I Should Fall from Grace Young Ned of the Hill Boys From County Hell Broad Majestic Shannon Turkish Song of the Damned Rainy Night in Soho Tuesday Morning (Spider) Medley (Recruiting Sergeant/Galway races) Rain Street Pair of Brown Eyes Repeal of the Licencing Laws White City Boys From County Hell Thousands are Sailing (Phil singing) Body of an American Lullaby of London Dirty Old Town Bottle of Smoke Sick bed of Cuchulainn 1st Encore Sally MacLennane Fairy Tale of New York (sung with a woman called Leah) Fiesta 2nd Encore The Star of County Down (Andrew singing) Irish Rover The Parting Glass Posted by Peter (chhrisp@aol.com) alt.music.pogues Finally getting over the Christmas beer which started with the Pogues concert. Firstly, the Point is a crap venue for a gig and doesn't suit a Pogues concert but they still put on a brilliant show. They started with Streams of Whiskey which was followed by IISFFGWG, both songs were barely audible as someone forgot to turn on the sound! Sounds ridiculous I know but it actually happened. They found the volume on the third song though and the crowd got going then. I have to say that Shane was absolutely brilliant, even though he was fairly knocking back the booze his vocals never sounded as good in years and he could even afford a wry smile as the band went astray once or twice. It was also noticeable that the only one he acknowledged on stage was Spider. The funny thing is though, he's actually aged the best of them all! The band sounded really tight - as good if not better than they ever did and if anyone has got a good quality bootleg of the concert, they have got themselves a real gem. Highlights were Young Ned Of The Hill, Fiesta, Lullaby of London, Streams of Whiskey.......all of them really but the crowd went nuts when The Dubliners joined them for The Irish Rover. They finished up a blistering two hour set with an excellent version of The Parting Glass. Daryl said "see ya next year" but who knows? Nobody saw this reunion coming so who can predict the next one??? Amacgowan streamsofwiskey yahoo group There's another good one of the Brixton gig in this month's Uncut magazine with a great photo of Shane pulling a face and giving the finger to the audience. 'From the moment he shuffles on stage - heavy paunch and a hobbling Columbo gait but otherwise clean-shaven and all-smiling - and screeches into 'Streams of Whiskey', it takes MacGowan a little under two hours to right the wrongs of the past decade... Watching the audience's gamut of exhilirated emotions as they jig, hug, cry and chant their hearts out (when nature calls, I find that even the toilet queues are singing along) is a reminder of why we're here... Poignantly, when Shane returns for the encores, the house unites in that oldest of terrace anthems to the tune of Guantanamera - 'One Shane MacGowan, There's only one Shane MacGowan!' Such is its volume that the band can'te even begin to play. Shane himself simply grins and toasts us with the pint glass in his hand. God knows what's in it but, after a comeback like this, God knows he bloody deserves it.' Peter.alt.music.pogues Bear with me. I had to go to this gig with my dad, and his friend, and they're both cops. Good start. I see Helen Lederer talking into her phone at the bar. Okay then. I'm made a hero for my Eire soccer shirt, nice. I see Dodgy, crap. 30 minutes later, the whole world as I knew it changed as the Pogues shuffled on stage to the loudest ovation I've ever heard in that building. Louder than Radiohead, The Manics, The Prodigy. Shane looks wobbly, the band look old and tired. They charge headfirst into 'If I should fall from grace with god' and the lower floor is bouncing, and the upper tier is standing. This is the way it stays for the entire night. They run through a greatest hits set: 'Turkish Song...','Bottle of Smoke', 'A Pair Of Brown Eyes', 'Streams of Whiskey', and the energy back and forth between band and crowd is tangible. 'Dirty old town' has me singing my heart out, 'Thousands are sailing' brings a tear to my eyes, sends a shiver down my spine and makes me proud of my heritage, 'Body Of An American' has me dancing a jig of joy, yet the moment was still to come. 'Fairytale of New York' is on another level, up there with the greatest songs ever composed, period. People sing, cuddle, cry, and yet the singing of the crowd nearly drowns out the band. And as the fake snow falls from the roof of the academy, as Shane re-enacts the slow dance he did in the video with late Kirsty MacColl (who gets a derservedly solemn ovation), the most magical night in my life is complete. It could all end now, but at least I've experienced greatness. The Rebel (rebelboy45@hotmail.com) alt.music.pogues Yah mon, well done, perfectly captured. It's amazing, because in that venue, they were set so far away from the crowd and had so much space that the intimacy of the mid 80s was gone. They're also mostly stand-still now, with the exceptions of Fearnley and Chevron. The youthful abandon wasn't there, but what we saw was the myth. The beautiful music that no popular Irish band has ever matched, along with the myth of the oldest and greatest of the celt-punkers. I felt as blessed as you did. In a way though, I still wish I had been able to see them all those years ago. When they first walked on, Spider swaggered to the mic and said, "One, Two, Fuck you" to the crowd. It seemed forced and tired, and while the music and power is still there, I think the punk is lost and gone. Jimmy Got to the Academy about 2hrs before the doors opened. Got to know the door guy around the back and chatted with him as the boys warmed up before dinner. He let me hang at the door with him to greet the band as they came out to the bus before the gig. Was able to briefly talk to Jem, Daryl and Andrew...tried to talk to Shane, but he was busy staggering around the front of the bus, drinking something pink in a tall glass & trying to open a door on the bus that wasn't there. The show itself was a pisser. Got postitioned right on the barrier in front of James Fearnley and Terry Woods. Shane's put on about 50 pounds and looks like absolute crap, he got a lot of razzing from the crowd chanting "you fat bastard," but was plenty coherent enough to give it back...despite his obvious cocked state, he was more playful with the crowd than I had ever seen--either with the Pogues or solo. From the first note of the Streams of Whiskey opener, it was almost like the old days...you'd have little idea it's been 10 years for them. Daryl, Terry, James and Spider were up to all kinds of antics and were genuinely having a ball together. Like always, Shane needed plenty of coaching from T-Woods on when to come into a song with the lyrics, and managed to botch plenty of songs with his bad timing and misplaced/forgotten lyrics and despite the fact they're a little rusty at catching up with his drunken improvisation, when he was on, he and the rest were tight and as good as ever playing for just over 2-hours. Judging from nothing in their playlist being more recent than 'Tuesday Morning,' it's safe to say they haven't written anything new. Got plenty of cool pics that are being developed now, I'll post them when I get them back. Posted is a jpeg of the playlist. I was going to list the songs in text, but I thought Fearnley's boot print was a nice touch. ISkye88 streamsofwiskey yahoo group The pogues SECC, Glasgow HHH WE all know that Shane MacGowan likes a drink. There are acres of newsprint devoted to this, but all the mythology that surrounds MacGowan -- and thus The Pogues, back together with their original line-up 10 years after Spider Stacey kicked MacGowan out -- tends to obscure the fact that he is one of the most talented songwriters this country has. Or maybe that should be had. Granted, he's not dead yet (though some question why) but the Shane MacGowan that staggers on stage at the SECC is a bloated shadow of the whippet-thin troubadour who penned their 1988 masterpiece, If I Should Fall From Grace With God. He mutters incomprehensibly between songs, with straight man Stacey providing translation now and then, and as the band tear through the eastern flophouse rumble of Turkish Song Of The Damned, MacGowan looks dazed, beer in hand, grinning his loose-toothed grin. A sound system that places the band at the bottom of a fetid peat bog doesn't help matters; the intricate accordion and banjo parts are lost, mostly, in a morass of bass-heavy noise, but by the time the crowd are chanting 'There's only one Shane MacGowan!' it's clear this matters not a jot. A somewhat sleepy first hour is lapped up by the ecstatic crowd, but by the time a wonderfully lurching, stumbling Dirty Old Town makes an appearance, the band have sharpened up, and are plainly enjoying this knees-up as much as the crowd. MacGowan might be almost incoherent, but a triple whammy of an encore -- the riotous Sally MacLennane, Fairytale Of New York (still the only Christmas song worth a bean) and the explosive Latin pastiche of Fiesta -- reminds you that The Pogues are capable of real brilliance. Leon McDermott |
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| Paddy Rolling Stone The official web site |
| The Parting Glass An annotated Pogues' lyrics page |
| Jer's Pogues Pub A celebration of the music of THE POGUES. images, videos, MP3s... |
| My Priory Diary bittersweet diary of Victoria Clarke |
| What's in Your Basket A rock'n'roll lifestyle is not usually a healthy one and former Pogue Shane MacGowan's is no exception. 15/07/2001 |
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| it's a long way to go… Eventful sojourn with Shane MacGowan and Victoria Clarke to Shane's birthplace in Silvermines july 2001 |
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| Shane MacGowan gets the drinks in He won a scholarship to Westminster and became a rent boy; he topped the charts with The Pogues but ended up broke; he's planning a bank robbery and wants Lynn Barber to drive the getaway car... 11/03/2001 |
| A Drink With Shane MacGowan Act One |
| A Drink With Shane MacGowan Act Seven |
| Double Shot of Celtic Soul Punk poet Shane MacGowan drinks it all in, then spits it back out march 2001 |
| BackStage Pass MacGowan as the modern embodiment of the Irish literary tradition in all its glory and tragedy 2000 |
| Shane MacGowan It must be Christmas if...Fairytale of New York is on the radio... |
| CANOE on the Pogues 1996-2001 |
| MacGowan smiles in death's face Ex-Pogues frontman thrives amid excesses 30/03/2001 |
| A man of many words and few teeth 'I'm completely Irish' he says in a completely English accent 05/03/2000 |
| Hard Luck O'The Irish: An Interview with Shane MacGowan by Ian Brennan 2000 |
| Pogues fall a little short The Pogues, in Marley Park, did not quite deliver although Shane MacGowan was in sparkling form 11/06/2002 |
| SITES |
| ARTICLES |
| Rock vibes at Arts Club and museum Woulr rock stars turn up? Some of us craned our necks at two separate events this week to watch for the rock 'n' rollers. 02/02/2002 |
| My hooligan days with Shane SHE was just 16 years' old when she first saw a picture of him in a music magazine above the caption "Shane O'Hooligan". |
| Sell-out Shane is Tipptop! SHANE McGOWAN has always claimed his heart is still in Tipperary and next Friday night he's going to prove it. august 2001 |
| Pogues ReUnion A re-formed Pogues, briefly together for a Christmas tour, are proving a sell-out attraction In Britain and Ireland... 15/12/2001 |
| MEMOIRS |
| Shane MacGowan Olympia Dublin, 11 Aug 2001 |
| HotPress on Shane MacGowan 1989-2002 |
| The Pogues Point Theatre, 20th December 2001 |
| A Rusty Tin Can and an Old Hurley Ball A resource for Pogues & Shane MacGowan fans |
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| Shane MacGowan has revealed one of his main reasons for quitting The Pogues - the band wouldn't let him air his pro-Republican views through his music november 1997 |
| The cream of Ireland's independent rock and dance artists have joined together for the charity album. Among the contributors is Pogues leader Shane MacGowan 06/08/2002 |
| The only bone I have never broken is my neck Shane MacGowan is lying on his back in a hospital bed, fast asleep, his mouth open. It's the last place you'd expect to find a rock 'n' roll legend... even one with such a colourful past as MacGowan. 18/08/2002 |
| Shane MacGowan & The Popes to play Olympia Shane MacGowan & The Popes will play Dublin's Olympia Theatre for two nights in September. 28/08/2002 |
| ....I suspect Shane MacGowan is a born-again fruitarian, and that the only liquid that passes his lips is bottled water. Forum, London 23/12/1999 |
| Singer's fightback fails to disguise his fall from grace Forum, London 19/03/1999 |
| 'It all comes down to drink, sex, drugs, fighting and dancing' Shane MacGowan spills his secrets to Bob Flynn 06/12/2001 |
| The Pogues Manchester Academy These December dates are billed as "the Pogues for one week only", but the band will extend their long-awaited return as surely as Shane will celebrate it in the pub. |
| They don't make Irish drunks like they used to... Wonderful tales are leaking out of Bloom's Hotel, in the heart of Dublin's banking district. 14/02/2001 |
| MacGowan 'thrown out of Priory for bad behaviour'. Is this a record? The former lead singer of the Pogues, Shane MacGowan, has left a rehabilitation clinic after a "row of sorts" with staff. 26/02/2000 |
| Lisa's biggest hit She broke Shane MacGowan's nose, but he and his then girlfriend Victoria Clarke became friends with thepunchy Lisa Stansfield September 2001 |
| Shane MacGowan The death-defying founder of the Pogues is a king hell drinker, a writer and the last of a vanishing breed. 31/07/2001 |