BACK ON THE ROAD; AT THE the end 2008 news broke of a nationwide tour by the Specials. Tickets sold out in minutes - not bad for a band that hadn't played together for 27 years.: 1979 THE SPECIALS 2009.Byline: Pete Chambers THE guys in the band were amazed a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. by the response to the tour, and it was justification (if it were needed) that they had made to right decision to come back. The band had no idea of just how popular they still were. When a Coventry date was first mooted, I was asked by the Specials' management to check out the Kasbah for the comeback gig! A wonderful venue, but at 1000 capacity it would have left even more fans disappointed at not getting a ticket. After tickets sold out in just minutes, a rethink was needed. Finally the Ricoh gig was announced, and again tickets sold out super fast. All along, the band said they wanted to make their homecoming a bit special. At the first gig in Newcastle on April 22, everyone was in good spirits Adv. 1. in good spirits - without losing equilibrium; "she took all his criticism in stride" in stride , but there was an underlying hint of pent-up nervous energy in the air. Expectation was as high as it could be, but when the Specials hit the stage they produced a show that we could eve g hin hin n. A unit of liquid measure used by the ancient Hebrews, equal to about five liters. [Middle English, from Medieval Latin, from Greek, from Hebrew hîn, of Egyptian origin. ner Exp cou whe Spe stag pro ge A sol jus reth nee fast mak hom s to come back. ju Wh moo man che Kas com ven cap hav fan have only dreamed of. Older bands meeting new technology often doesn't work, but the Specials are even better now than in the early 80s. New technology coupled with 30 years of musical experience suits this Cov band mighty fine. I asked bass man Horace Panter if this tour had lived up to his expectations so far. "I had no idea it would be this good," he replied. "The positive feelings from the crowds have been very humbling. I thought it was going to be well received but nowhere near as well as this. The 30 seconds before the curtain went up in Newcastle was possibly the scariest half-minute in my life. Best gig so far was the first Birmingham show." Did he think the Ricoh gig would be wilder? "I don't honestly think anything could be wilder than that first show in Newcastle". And when the tour finishes? "We have plans to work at festivals in the UK over the summer," said Horace, "and a trip to Australia and Japan. There's talk of another series of UK dates in the autumn and Europe/USA next year but nothing has been confirmed. There are no plans to release an album of new material but all these shows are being recorded for a possible live album." I asked Horace if it feels any different without Jerry? He said: "The band today is totally different to the one that played 30 years ago, so this is a very difficult question to answer. I must say I am very happy with his replacement, Nikolaij." I asked Lynval Golding how it's going to feel coming back to Coventry for this glorious homecoming: "I think Coventry is going to have a similar vibe to our first gig in Newcastle," he replied, "but to come out on to the stage with your home audience is going to be something really really special. What has really hit me about this tour more than anything is the parents introducing me to their sons and daughters, the next generation of Specials fans." And Neville Staple added: "The Ricoh gig will be special as it's been thirtyodd years since we all played together in Coventry and there's a new generation of fans. The Specials will be back on their home turf". our BACK BEAT THE LAST time the Specials played Coventry was June 20, 1981 at the Butts Stadium Rock Against Racism concert. Ghost Town ghost town, term for any once flourishing American community that has been abandoned, generally for economic reasons. While most of the towns have little or no population, they often contain old buildings, which may serve as tourist attractions. had just entered the chart at 21, and Smokey Robinson was number one with Being With You. That summer saw racial tension running high and a few days later The Toxteth riots The Toxteth riots of July 1981 were a civil disturbance in inner-city Liverpool, which arose in part from long-standing tensions between the local police and the black community. They followed the Brixton riots earlier that year. begin in Liverpool prompting the subsequent Chapeltown riots in Leeds. Lady Diana Spencer married Charles, Prince of Wales Charles (Philip Arthur George), prince of Wales (born Nov. 14, 1948, Buckingham Palace, London, Eng.) Heir apparent to the British throne, son of Elizabeth II and Philip, duke of Edinburgh. , and MTV MTV in full Music Television U.S. cable television network, established in 1980 to present videos of musicians and singers performing new rock music. MTV won a wide following among rock-music fans worldwide and greatly affected the popular-music business. came on air in USA for the first time. BACK BEAT BACK BEAT THE LAST time the Specials played Coventry was June 20, 1981 at the Butts Coventry was June 20, 1981 at the Butts Stadium Rock Against Racism concert. Ghost Town had just entered the chart at 21, and Smokey Robinson was number one with Being With You. That summer saw racial tension running high and a few days later The Toxteth riots begin in Liverpool prompting the subsequent Chapeltown riots in Leeds. Lady Diana Spencer married Charles, Prince of Wales, and MTV came on air in Prince of Wales Prince of Wales switches places with his double, poor boy Tom Canty. [Am. Lit.: The Prince and the Pauper] See : Doubles , and MTV came on air in USA for the first time. The Specials at The Butts Stadium |
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