Saturday 18th December 1999

Deacon Blue split up some time ago, but they decided to have a reunion tour in 1999. Caroline's parents got the girls tickets for one of their last ever gigs in the Albert Hall. Not really. The Albert Halls in Stirling in fact. It was time to decorate the Scott family tree that weekend too whilst listening to cheesy Christmas music and witnessing Caroline nearly break a limb getting to the stereo to fast forward past The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot before Sharon bawled her eyes out at it.

It was pretty frosty outside and the girls were limited in their layers of clothing whilst they shivered in the queue to get in. Fortunately, most people evacuated to the bar and so the girls got a good front slot. Unfortunately, two silly girls in front of them had smuggled in drinks, pretty stupid bringing glass bottles into a gig and they looked far too young to be drinking anyway.

Support band Swiss Family Orbison - Kit Clark from Danny Wilson, were fantastic and won everyone in the room over. Deacon Blue were better than you could ever expect, and the crowd sang along to all the old favourites like Raintown (could that be more Scotland?), Twist and Shout and Chocolate Girl (the B-side to chocolate girl was called S.H.A.R.O.N. Nothing could be more appropriate). They seem to be having a whale of a time and must be genuinely happy with the crowds response. Lorraine sees the front row are getting as little dehydrated and hands us her water bottle. Thanks Lorraine!

They end the gig with a highly appropriate 'I don't want to go home'. But home they must go, although the girls had a suitably large trauma getting a taxi so getting home was more tricky than it had a right to be. It was fun to see a band genuinely enjoying themselves and doing gigs for fun rather than promotion. We are not advocates of bands continuing long after they should be put out to pasture, but this one off reunion was great fun.