The Stone Roses
– ETIHAD STADIUM, MANCHESTER –
When deciding the right time to reform a band, there are always worries of how to maintain the same altitude of interest. The question lurking is – what’s next?
For The Stone Roses, this was a question needing no thought. The Manchester natives long anticipated and is-this-really-happening return gigs back in 2012 at Heaton Park became the fastest selling British pop events ever – a total number of 240,000 tickets were snapped up within minutes.
This comes to no surprise as the four piece band need only to play the vast majority of their past records in full to make fans feel content.
The rapturous reaction to last month’s release of ‘All for One’, the Mancunians’ first single in more than 20 years suggests The Stone Roses never set a foot out of place – well, in the watchful eye of the 50,000 dedicated crowd gathered in Manchester’s Etihad Stadium. On the rainy Wednesday night of the first-of-four gigs, comradeship consumed the crowd to a point where you would think everyone had been friends for years.
Stepping across the stage, Ian Brown reflects a somewhat coolness that he embodied back in the late 80s, early 90s as he kick- started the show with ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ – an anthem for all fans. Interacting with the audience and carefully looking at their unrestricted excitement – Brown is loving every second of it, just as much as everyone surrounding him.
The excitement may have got too much when coming down to his vocals – unsurprising to some, vocals were falling short on fan favourites such as ‘She Bangs the Drums’ and ‘Waterfall’ – nevertheless it was classic tracks like these that made the night one to remember.
Brown, alongside bucket-hat trend setter drummer Alan “Reni” Wren, guitarist John Squire and bassist Mani, pulled back the night with an exceptional performance of ‘Fools Gold’ – the track of the night that heavily possessed the crowd and everyone’s dance moves.
However, it was the unexpected renditions of ‘This Is The One’ (which Brown kindly dedicated to David Beckham who was present) and ‘Made Of Stone’ that left a mark in the stadium, ultimately stealing the entire show.
Still to this day, the debate of the bands contribution to music’s broader spectrum rages on. Brown and co shows every reformed act how to make a comeback in this first of four sell-out stadium shows as they rock up on stage pleasing their fan’s two-decade wait with a gig that you will remember for a lifetime – and this show was solid evidence that The Stone Roses are back.
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Journalism student interested in digital and print based publishing. Fleetwood Mac and X-Files obsessed. Entertainment junky.
