Magnum

City Hall, Newcastle

28 March 1988

(Thirty-One Years Later)

The Internet tells me this gig took place on 17th March, but I have a t-shirt that says the 28th so that's what I'm going to believe.

The band were touring to support the Wings of Heaven album, and they were pretty much at their commercial peak, with top-40 hits and everything. The support was Kingdom Come I think, who I knew a little about and thought were quite decent.

City Hall was packed, and as is usual at a Magnum gig the audience spent the whole show on their feet. I'm pretty sure our seats were in the balcony, which would explain why I remember a pretty good view of the stage. I remember the show opening with a white sheet across the stage, with the band silhouetted behind it, all very dramatic ... and rapidly descending towards Spinal Tap when the sheet was supposed to fall, and instead got hooked up on the drum kit or something, with roadies swarming the stage to clear it while the band manfully ploughed on through the first song.

I don't remember a lot about the set list. I'm pretty sure it leaned very heavily on the last three albums, and I know it included Don't Wake the Lion, which was (and still is) an awe-inspiring live song.

I remember the most beautiful lights I had ever seen. And I remember the smoke, which we were discovering was a "thing" at a Magnum concert. They always have the most smoke!

And because it was Magnum, I am convinced I must have come out thinking it was the best concert I have ever seen.