The Damned & Billy Idol Live 16.06.2010

Entry posted by Cybergoth June 19, 2010

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Hi there!

As you may know, earlier this week I went to a little Open Air in a castle near Nuremberg, where my beloved The Damned did a support show for another legendary 80's performer, Billy Idol. (BTW: I'm listening to the Devo Tracks Darrel just posted while typing this, thanks a lot! :music: )

I took only a ~2 hour ride to get there, so we where there already before the doors opened:

While waiting outside, we suddenly heard The Damned playing History of the World, but thank heavens that was only part of the soundcheck :lolblue:

Inside we ran into Captain Sensible before the show and took the chance for some fanboy/girl-near-hero shots. (Even if you're not into The Damned you may remember his #1 solo hit

) Anyway, here's the picture:

Then the spectacle began. The Damneds set was compact but good. I don't remember the exact order, but the songs played were:

Wait for the Blackout (Opener)
Fan Club
New Rose
Neat Neat Neat
Antipope
Love Song
I Just can't be Happy Today
History of the World Part I
Disco Man
Ignite
Alone Again Or
Eloise
Thrill Kill
Smash it up I&II (Finisher)

The band was in excellent form just as always, and once again I've been enjoying every minute of it. The unsuspecting crowd seemed entertained enough, respecting the band well. (The Damned as opener was billed only anonymous as "+Special Guest" on placards and tickets, so only very few fans came extra for The Damned, like us.)

For the ususal chaos, during the last song Dave Vanians microphone died, so half of the song was instrumental, until he managed to finish it through the mic of the keyboarder

Here's Dave in action:

The Captain going wild during Disco Man:

BTW: In case you're wondering about the "close" pictures, yes we made it into the front row

The second show with Billy Idol was quite nice as well. It was very loud, so after half a dozen of songs I retreated to the back of the location.

I only knew about half of the set, just the usual stuff from his Greatest Hits albums, like Rebel Yell, Dancing with Myself, Sweet 16, To Be a Lover, White Wedding, L.A. Woman etc. My personal highlight was the last encore where he did a ~15 minute long version of

, my favorite Billy Idol song

He seemed physically fit and put on a good show, but looked quite old already, especially after seeing The Damned first, who looked like still being in their 30s. To quote my sister-in-law: "He looks like a living Mummy" :lol:

But well, judge for yourself:

All in all a very enoyable night, I can't wait to see The Damned the next time for a full length show. Like good wine, they really get better every year