54-40 and Stuck on Planet Earth

As the blue wash came over the stage, and 54-40 walked out to meet the crowd, everyone was cheering in anticipation of their set before their launched right into Baby Ran. Of course starting with one of your most famous tracks is always going to be a hit, but I don’t think anyone could have anticipated how enthusiastic the audience were going to be. There wasn’t a single person in the crowd standing still, and everyone seemed to know the song so was singing along. Around half way through the track, Neil Osborne led the band into a rocky jam, and each member took a turn improvising a solo for the crowd. It was awesome to hear sections of music by the band that don’t appear on the recordings, and it’s a massive demonstration of their skills.

They played a great selection of tracks, and although their line up has changed some what over the years, it didn’t stop them playing any of their older tracks, and they absolutely nailed every one, you’d never know that not all of the band members hadn’t been there since the start. When they played Since When, they took a couple of minutes making sure that everyone knew the words to the chorus, which of course we did, and then got us to sing along, whist the jammed over the top with their instruments. It was awesome to be included in the show like that, and I’d absolutely love to see them perform live again.