Fairport Convention Scandi-tour 2009

[Staffan]

Tomorrow is the first stop - Bergen, Norway - on this year's Scandinavian and Hamburg tour.12 gigs in all, and I know that there's a buzz in Fairport and folkrock circles in and around Gothenburgh so there will hopefully be a lot of people at the Gothenburgh gig.  
I hope we have some "bergensere" TAW:ers so that we can get a review of tomorrow's show and maybe a taste of what we can expect.
And by the way: welcome (back) chaps!  

[martin driver]

staFCarin, Sorry to spoil your fun but it would appear you are a little premature, the tour is not due to begin in Bergen until next week on Tuesday the 29th Sept

[Staffan]

Am I eager..??  
How right you are.
I´ll just have to wait for Tuesday 29th, then!  

[martin driver]

When I see the chaps in Ryde this evening, I'll tell them the vikings are eagerly awaiting next weeks invasion  

[Staffan]

Welcome to Scandinavia , chaps!  

I hope some list lurker can post a quick impression from tonight´s (yes!!) gig!

[Staffan]

Tonight's gig took place in a non-Fairport setting: a few drinking tables and then standing room only, but alcohol beverages only to be consumed at the very far -and extra guarded area - end of the premises.
We finished our drinks and hurried towards the stage when the band announced the Thompson/Swarbrick collaboration from 1971 and off we were.*
The setlist for the first 45 minutes swayed between the decades, but my personal favourites were a rather solid "I'm already there", "Fame & Glory" from the Breton project, "The Festival Bell" (lovely but not yet on a CD near you, or...) and an old personal favourite, "Peggy's Pub" from the "Rosie" album.
The interval saw the 80% male audience gather at the bar where Peggy joined the Kurt's and the Lases in different Fairport discussions , large and small.
The second set consisted of numbers mainly from the two last studio albums. Well performed and well played. "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" did certainly bring out tears in my and my relatives eyes, but apart from that it was an unspectacular, well performed evening with great musicianship, jolly good humour and a lot of well performed music. But the evening never ignited until we all sang "Meet On The Ledge" and we all reminded ourselves - and our neighbours- what this song means to us, Fairport fans.
I'm very happy that Fairport has graced my home town (it's 22 years since the last time : - )) once again with a performance that beats most touring bands that come to our shores. Naturally the social chitchat took place after the gig. We had a few words with Simon Ric and Peggy.
Wife Carin and son Axel from generations that haven't been that familiar to Fairport and their music went home with smiles on their lips, and as I did the same, it's been a terrific Fairport evening.
I have only one wish: Come back soon, chaps!

* email me and I'll give you the whole setlist!

[gower flower (Shirl)]

So glad you had a great gig.  

[FolkPort]

A small report here from the FC Oslo gig 30. september.

FolkPort is a Norwegian folkrock band very influenced by Fairport, especially in our early years.
We were very honoured and happy to do the support gig for FC at Rockefeller in Oslo. To Fairport it was surely just another gig, although hopefully a nice one, but to us in FolkPort it was truly a memorable event. We enjoyed ourselves immensely, and really appreciated the chaps friendliness and generosity backstage, and the fact that most of them actually were in the audience to listen to our 40 minutes  warm-up which consisted of eight of our own songs closing with Sandy's iconic song "Solo" as an emotional bridge to Fairport.

The Fairport Convention Concert was as always amazing, the chaps in a good mood and the sound impeccable. Rockefeller is probably the best live venue in Norway and the sound and lighting equipment and the crew are Rolls Royce all over. Fairport did a nice mix of tunes with "John Gaudy" and "Fame & Glory" (I think that Simon sings this song especially emotional and beautiful) as my personal favourites this time. As a long-term Fairport fan I missed a few of the older gems, for example Close to the wind, Red & Gold, The Deserter, Rosie - that kind of songs, but I must understand that they can't play the same songs every time even if some of us want them to!
The last song was as so often before "Meet on the Ledge" and our Sølvi was very surprised and happy   when she was asked to join Fairport  on stage to sing in the finale. It felt almost like the two times I've experienced this closing song at Cropredy!

Because this probably was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us in FolkPort, we had our own photographer in the audience and if someone want to have a peek at the pictures they can be found at our website http://www.folkport.com  at
http://www.folkport.com/bildermappe/livebilder/090930/bilder.html
Most of the pictures are of ourselves because we don't want to post a lot of pictures of Fairport in case they don't approve of it.

A wonderful evening it was with an opportunity to meet the audience of our dreams - Probably inspiring enough for another trip to Cropredy.

[davidmjs]

Nice review and photos - thanks!  Looks like a good turn out.....

[Jim]

nice buffet

[Chris]

FolkPort for Cropredy 2010?......

[FolkPort]

FolkPort for Cropredy 2010?......

Well - as you might have guessed - we wouldn't terribly mind ....
But this is more like a dream - it's probably a little more realistic to do a few gigs at the Brasenose Arms? We've been talking about that as a possibility just to get a chance to play for parts of the incredible Cropredy audience.

[FolkPort]

Looking forward to reports or reviews from the rest of the Scandinavian Fairport gigs. Would have been really interesting  to know more about how the tour is developing ...

[Sir Martin]

Managed to miss the Gothenburg gig - 'extended contract negotiations' took on a whole new meaning.

Grrrr.

[Staffan]

Managed to miss the Gothenburg gig - 'extended contract negotiations' took on a whole new meaning.

Grrrr.

Pity!
Would have loved to meet another TAW:er on Swedish soil!

[Staffan]

With the Scandi-tour coming to an end tonight, I don't think I'll spoil anybody´s fun if I present the setlist - as far as my memory and a few scribbled notes help me - from the Gothenburgh gig October 1st
1. Walk Awhile
2. Crazy Man Michael
3. Ye Mariner's All
4. I'm Already There
5. Woodworm Swing
6. Fame & Glory
7. The Festival Bell
8. The Widow of Westmoreland´s Daughter
9. Peggy's Pub
    interval
10. The Happy Man
11. The Fossil Hunter
12. Who Knows Where The Time Goes
13. Rocky Road
14. Babbacombe Lee
15. John Gaudie
16. Matty Groves
encore:
17. Meet On The Ledge

All in all, I think we, who don't have so many opportunities to see Fairport live, got a good retrospect of what the band has been and also where it stands at the moment (songs 6 & 7). You can always argue about missing gems ( son Axel missed Genesis Hall   ) but with an enormous well of songs to scoop from, it's a tough task to compose a good mix. Especially if you are playing to people who might have met your music decades ago and maybe haven't heard you live for quite some time.
Touched, moved and invigorated by brilliant musicianship we went home after a very pleasant evening.

[LarWes]

Just a short report from the concert at Katalin in Uppsala last saturday. The setlist as reported from Gothenburg but shorter, no Babbacombe Lee if I remember correctly. A great night and an ok turnout despite the fact that Sweden was playing Denmark in the world cup qualifiers (football that is). Good sound, great playing and report with the audience. Highlights for me: Ye Marriner's All and Fame and Glory. I was there with five friends who didn't know that much about Fairport and they were impressed. They really enjoyed it. The same "verdict" was given by other friends that I met there. Two small complains: 1. It was a bit short after the break. 2. Simon's guitar was "drowned" in the heavier numbers. It sounded great in the acoustic songs but was a bit lightweight when the whole band was storming on. But that really was two minor points. We travelled 100 km to get there and it really was worth it.

[Lubiloo (Lorna)]

A small report here from the FC Oslo gig 30. september.

FolkPort is a Norwegian folkrock band very influenced by Fairport, especially in our early years.
We were very honoured and happy to do the support gig for FC at Rockefeller in Oslo.

Ah-ha!! So it's FOLKPORT - I thought it was FULLPORT & asked about you in this section a few months back, because I met you at the breakfast table at a B&B during Cropredy a few years ago!!! Great to see your post here, I guess you are the people I remember, anyway!! All the best.

[FolkPort]

Ah-ha!! So it's FOLKPORT - I thought it was FULLPORT & asked about you in this section a few months back, because I met you at the breakfast table at a B&B during Cropredy a few years ago!!! Great to see your post here, I guess you are the people I remember, anyway!! All the best.

Hello and all the best to you too. Nice that you remember us from years back. It was a pleasant breakfast with you and as usual a tremendous festival. FullPort might have been a nice name, and Simon called us RockPort from the stage in Oslo. We like to think that it was meant as a compliment ... See you at Cropredy 2010!