26/11/2008 – Thunder @ Newcastle City Hall

Posted by john on Wednesday Nov 26, 2008 Under Past gigs


Slightly confusingly, it looks like Thunder have all brought along their friends and family to City Hall tonight – of course they havent, but I get the feeling that over the decades, the rock legends have amassed a fanbase so closely knit that I feel like a stranger whos walked into a village pub and the darts have stopped mid air!

Another strange aspect of the gig is that before the band come on, I’m stopped by somebody who I guess is the bands manager.

“Your shooting songs 3,4 and 5 as we’re using pyro on 1 and 2″.

??

I appreciate that for health & safety it might be a touch dangerous, but at City Hall, there is no photo pit and therefore I’m just as close as the people in the front row.

Mental note for tour managers – pyro = good!

Anyhoo, the gig itself was great – Thunder were as tight as ever, and as their reputation goes before them it will come as no surprise to read that they never put a foot wrong. A couple of new numbers from current record, Bang! were interwoven with a set full of old classics, and to be honest, the audience lapped it up.

In terms of photography, City Hall is a nice venue to shoot once in a while. The size of the place guarantees that the lighting is always good, and there’s plenty of room to move about.

Shot with the 10-22mm and 24-70mm, but the 70-200mm got a fair bit of extended use as there is a nice spot mid house which doesnt annoy the patrons and is great for detailed portraits.

Rating: ★★★½☆

Photos:

Setlist:

  • Backstreet Symphony
  • On The Radio
  • Carol Ann
  • Low Life In High Places
  • The Devil Made Me Do It
  • Empty City
  • Dirty Dream
  • Love Walked In
  • Stormwater
  • Can’t Keep A Good Man Down
  • Don’t Wait For Me
  • I Love You More Than Rock ‘N’ Roll
  • Encore:
  • Miracle Man
  • Higher Ground
  • Dirty Love

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