Doncaster's own

Back in 1990 I moved to Sheffield with a husband and two young children. We lived a seven minute car journey from the city centre ( I timed it door to door to the City Hall), in a green and leafy suburb. I had been nervous of moving back to a city from the wilds of West Yorkshire. There was a good reason for the move though - I wanted my children to have the experience of a Steiner education. It turned out to be a great decision. Sheffield was emerging from one of its lows. The Student Games were being held there. There was world music at every turn, a thriving folk scene, the Leadmill and of course the fantastic City Hall venue. All of this could have been a source of great frustration if we hadn't moved on to the most amazing avenue in Nether Edge.A cul de sac with a huge shared green in the middle and 75 children under 16 living there. Babysitters were legion, though we were all particularly fond of the sisters who lived next door. At the drop of a hat we could decide to go to a concert at very short notice. I saw Alan Stivell,the legendary Breton harpist at the Leadmill on the spur of the moment one Sunday night in this way. But the best last minute on a Sunday concert was when I spotted that John McLaughlin was playing the City Hall one summer Sunday evening. The Hall was half empty, but the audience made up for it with their enthusiasm. His voice had a hint of South Yorkshire still, and it was very much a home coming for him. His band were incredible. I especially remember the percussionist, and then his partner, Katia Labecque came and joined him on stage.
At a fabulous and extraordinary meeting of the Bakewell Vinyl Club last Sunday night (thanks Keith and Sue!) we played some John McLaughlin and I was reminded of that long ago summer Sunday night.

Rhythm of the Saint

I have just watched a Paul Simon concert on BBC4,filmed last June in the States. I realised that it's about twenty years ago that I saw him live. The Arena in Sheffield opened as a new concert venue in about 1991. The first artist to play there was Paul Simon, with one of the best bands I have ever seen live. He had already enjoyed renewed success with Graceland, but I had fallen in love with Rhythm of the Saints and its Brazilian influences. I first came across Milton Nascimento on that album, and I had a little fantasy that he might be a surprise guest on that tour. Sadly he wasn't, but the musicians on stage that night made up for any disappointment I felt. We were about ten rows back from the front, and the atmosphere was wonderful.
Paul Simon seemed old twenty years ago ! - no offence meant, but I had grown up with his music from childhood. To see him tonight, in the film of last year's concert, he didn't seemed to have lost anything in those years - in fact he had gained another amazing group of musicians, and a whole new generation in the audience.
Back in Sheffield all those years ago, the Arena was brand new, and the security people were taking their role a little too seriously.
We were probably a well behaved audience too, watching an old musical hero in unfamiliar arena surroundings. As the band struck up 'Call me Al', Paul Simon encouraged us to 'dance for the Arena'. I guess he knew his was the first concert to be held there. We needed no further encouragement. Everyone got to their feet.
I went to other concerts at the Arena over the next few years, Dire Straits. Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and Van the man. I came to dislike it as a venue. I couldn't see the point of going to a live concert where you relied on cameras and screens to see the musicians.
My love affair with Brazilian music was influenced by Paul Simon and I have him to thank for that.
We went to the concert with our Sheffield neighbours. Alan had once given Art Garfunkel a lift when he came across him hitching on the outskirts of Sheffied, and my then husband had missed the chance to jam with Paul Simon at a folk club on the outskirts of Liverpool back in the early sixties, because he was 'washing his hair'! Happy days!