If Peter Capaldi hadn't been the 12th Doctor, would I have gone to this gig? Probably not. Which would have been a shame, as it was a cracking night.
The drive through to Edinburgh was marred by my sat nav not recognising that Gorgie Street was closed, then attempting to make me drive through a dead end, then redirecting me back towards the closed road. I had planned for such contingencies, though, so I still arrived on time, parking on the Cowgate.
The queue had already snaked around the La Belle Angele covered area. Ticketmaster hadn't supplied me with actual paper or electronic tickets. The app message indicated that I should collect them from the box office. Overhearing a conversation between two lads, I realised that I was not alone in this regard. Only the doors to the venue were very much shut. I joined the queue and figured I'd work it out when the doors opened. Which was earlier than billed.
Security then told us to form two lines: one for those with tickets and the other for those needing to go to the box office. The box office line was longer and moved much more slowly. Oh well, I guess I won't be near the front. Wrong. I did quite well to get five from the front. Then a cheeky, young lad squeezed into the slight gap in front of me. He was a big unit, but shorter than me, so I let it go.
Unfortunately, he had phone Tourettes. When the support act played, he couldn't help snapping photos and short videos; his phone rose indiscriminately every couple of minutes, never recording a whole song, lifting it just high enough to affect my view. I resigned myself to forgetting about taking any videos myself. There were plenty of others doing it further forward, so if I was lucky, I'd be able to catch their work on YouTube later.
As soon as Zoe Graham took to the stage, I recognised her but couldn't think where I'd seen her before. I checked this blogsite and realised it was from Elbow at the Bandstand. Her set tonight was good. She played solo because bringing her band was unaffordable, so they were present in spirit via her tablet, which played the backing tracks. Her mum and dad were once again in the audience. She seemed an apt choice to open for Peter: plenty of guitar, Scottish vocals, meaningful pop tunes, and a confident performer.
Peter's young bandmembers were all attired in black Adidas tracksuits. Peter himself wore a black suit, speckled with sequins, over a buttoned-up, white shirt. He hasn't been the Doctor for over eight years, but standing on that stage, I could imagine this was the Time Lord having a whale of a time in his rock-star era. Except Peter is a far better actor than that, too skilled to allow that feeling to remain long. This was Peter Capaldi, rock star.
I'd been listening to Peter's two albums for a couple of days, impressed by the 80s indie synth/ guitar vibe and his lyrics. I got the sense that the production could have been punchier, though. This wasn't an issue live, though, as the place was properly rocking. At least at the start.
When he veered into his more soul-baring tunes, such as Bin Night, about expressing his love for his grandson, the audience remained rapt. He's obviously rehearsed his banter, the chatty bits as much of a performance as the songs. He takes the music seriously, but not himself, sharing his surprise that so many lovely, young people had paid to see a grandfather sing when they could do that at home for free. And should.
He's dapper and droll (I loved his comment after the Bowie cover about his band being his 'Spiders from Largs'). Even off the cuff, he's sharp (in response to his remark praising Edinburgh, someone shouts 'Gaun Yersel', to which he replies tellingly, "That's a Glasgow expression", bringing cheers from parts of the crowd). By including the "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" speech from Macbeth, he recognises and celebrates his foolishness as a poor actor, taking the stage for an hour, full of noise and passion, yet ultimately meaningless. How's that for Shakespearian satire?
I loved this gig. The audience was well up for it, though not too rowdy. Yes, the cameras popped up regularly at the start (Curses, I wanted to do that!), but settled down to manageable levels later in the set, when I could take a reasonably clear video.
The queue to get out was complicated by the masses queuing to meet Peter at the merch stall. Only when the venue staff shouted which stairs were for the merch queue did things get moving. I didn't mind. I got to peoplewatch. One young lad chatting to his girlfriend praised heaps on Peter's performance in the Paddington series. I couldn't tell if he was being serious, but he was of an age when that film would have been his thing. He would still have been in Primary School when The Thick of It aired, and he didn't look the type whose parents would have let him experience Malcolm Tucker's language. I was surprised by how youthful the crowd was, mainly young girls in their student years. How Peter became their demographic, I'll never know.
I didn't wait for an autograph or selfie. By the time I exited the venue, Peter hadn't appeared at the stall yet. Given the size of the queue, I think the strict cut-off time will have left many punters disappointed. I'm pleased I went, though. As he joked, he's 67 with a heart condition. This first tour could also be his farewell tour.
Let's hope not.
(Edit: On FB, my Kiwi pal asked if Peter's heart condition was having more than one. Bravo, Al).
Setlist:
Is It Today
It's Not Over Until It's Over
Sweet Illusions
Bin Night
Beautiful and Weird
Something to Behold
A Little Bit of Class (extended mid-section with encouraged audience participation)
Not Going Anywhere
The Great Magnificence
In Person
Hollywood or Bust
Through the Cracks
All the Young Dudes / Dont Look Back in Anger (David Bowie cover) (with "Tomorrow and Tomorrow" monologue from Macbeth)
Encore:
Friday I'm in Love (The Cure cover)
No One in the World
Videos:
Through the Cracks
Friday I'm in Love
Photos:
 |
| Zoe Graham |
Ticket Price: £30.00 + Service Fee: £3.90 + Handling Fee £2.95 = Total £36.85
Blurb:
Actor Peter Capaldi, better known as the electric guitar-playing incarnation of Dr Who and the ‘Thick Of It’ swearer-in-chief Malcolm Tucker, picks up where he left off some forty years ago when he was a new wave wannabe rock star in a Glasgow band. Next year, he hits the road for his first-ever live music tour.The dark synths, fuzzy guitars and noirish romanticism of a young rocker trapped in the body of a beloved television veteran will be on show in select venues across the UK for two weeks only next year.
Peter said, “I was in a band at art school, fired up by the punk explosion, we went out into the world in search of rock stardom, and well… I became an actor. But I never lost my love for music. And in recent years have produced two albums of original songs, “St.Christopher “ (2021) and this year’s “Sweet Illusions.” Recording, with all the advantages of the digital age, is one thing; playing live is another, but I wanted to see if I could go out after all of these years and play live in front of an audience. Well, let’s see what happens. I’ve lucked out with my band, a group of wonderful young musicians who have bravely come on board for the ride. “
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