Ian Brown
Thanks to the National Trust's push to update themselves, Ian Brown played this outdoor gig in the spectacular setting of a turf ampitheatre in the grounds of a stately home in Esher, Surrey. I like Ian Brown's solo stuff, so was happy to see him live. We'd discussed on the way down whether there would be any Stone Roses songs - as he has been so far reluctant to dwell on that particular back catalogue.
However, once permanently bitter and twisted support act Aziz Ibrahim was finished "Your parents saw Hendrix, you can tell your kids you saw me" it was a nice surprise to hear Ian Brown kick off with I Wanna Be Adored. Then Sally Cinnamon. Then about another hour of Stones Roses classics. "This is what you were expecting, yeah?" he said, as I upgraded my picnic position to front row. Thanks to a brief punch up, the crowd parted like the Red Sea and I cruised straight down to the front in time for I Am The Resurrection. The nostalgia set finished with Fool's Gold before he thanked the band (a tribute act called Fool's Gold apparently) and continued with a brief blast of his solo material - much of which has become classic in it's own right.
Great gig. Tick another one off the list.