Rockin' in the Rubble

Article		by author unknown (Scottish Sunday Mail, September 19, 1999)
		If they make records for the next 20 years, Scots rock star Big Country will NEVER play a more bizarre concert. Singer Stuart Adamson and his group are the toast of Kosovo after a gig in war-torn Pristina. But they'll never forget the night they performed in a dilapidated sports hall-right next to a bomb site. They were invited to headline The Return Festival—a free concert. Stuart, guitarist Bruce Watson and bass player Tony Butler were escorted over the border from Macedonia in a UN troop military convoy. The concert came three months after they starred in the Sunday Mail's charity gig at the SECC for Kosovan refugees. The latest event was organized by actress Venessa Redgrave, who is a UNICEF ambassador. She should have asked Mickey Rooney for a few tips on how to put on a show. For the only other pop act was Scots legend Lulu. The rest of the line-up was a weird mix of Albanian rappers, Italian opera singers and a choir of Canadian miners! But, in terms of entertainment, this was the biggest thing to happen for weeks in a city where nothing seems to happen anymore. After the sound check, Big Country and I went for a wander around Pristina. And nothing could have prepared us for the sheer devastation. But they got a warm welcome. Some kids joined them for a kickabout with a ball. Then we went to an art collage which has become mission control for a squard of Royal Marine Commando reservists. They're part of the UN peacekeeping force in Kosovo and it's their job to help the locals get their lives back together. Sergeant Major Frank McKenna, a schoolteacher from Glasgow, said; "There's never a dull moment. We get 300 people—homeless, poor, the maimed, the bombed in our door every day. They all need help. So we try to assist them." Word has spread fast that there was a pop group in town. It seemed that everyone turned out to see Big Country. First they had to endure a series of Vanessa's thank-you speeches which would have put Gwyneth Paltrow to shame. Then she introduced Peruvian flute players, opera singers and rappers. Next, Braveheart actor Angus Mcfadyen recited a poem and got the slow handclap. The kids of Kosovo just wanted to rock. Luckily, Lulu was happy to oblige. Then Big Country hit the stage, and the audience leapt around. And their finale, "Keep on Rockin' In The Free World," was so apt. Stuart said; "We hope this has brought some fun back into the kids' lives. It was unbelievable and we won't forget it for a long, long time." Note: Three pictures also appeared with this story of Stu,Tony,Bruce on stage 8 x 6, inch plus survey of ruins and locals kids 4x4.