A Tour With Big George

When I jumped into my brothers car that day & held his guitar case across my lap, I didn’t realise just how much things were about to change.  George was on his way to perform at one of the O’Neills bars that were starting to open across the country.

 

The pub scene was going through a major overhaul & the O’Neills franchise was offering a taste of Irish culture here in Scotland.

Irish pubs were opening up all over the country & live music was to become a staple, my brother George had played a major part in the folk music scene in & around Glasgow for the previous 6 years performing in The Old Burnt Barnes, The Tollbooth & Jinty McGintys to name a few, he’d also just stepped off the stage at the famous Glasgow Barrowlands supporting the Wolfe Tones.

With a few days off from work, I thought spending some time with my brother & a wee trip through four of Scotland's cities would be nice.  

The first stop on the trail would be Aberdeen where George, Carolyn & I met up with my sister Helen & her friends.   

I don’t recall too much about the pub or the songs played on the night, but after the show we ended up back at a friends house in Aberdeen till the early morning & I was introduced to the works of Devo, Half Man Half Biscuit & the Men They Couldn’t Hang.  

The next day we made our way to Dundee, but only after a quick curer in O’Neills for those that needed it.

Having visited both the cities as part of the Celtic support at away matches it was good to see what both cities had on offer, but again the main view we would get was of the inside of city bar.

My brother Stephen joined us in Dundee to celebrate his birthday, although there were only a couple-of days left of the tour, he seemed to bring a bag of clothes to last about 2 weeks.  The night went on long after the gig had finished & there were a few sore heads in the morning, breakfast was little bit quiet.

By the time we reached Perth I was really getting a taste for the live music scene.   Watching George interact with the crowd during his songs, people singing along, dancing, it was great to be part of it.

On the final night of the mini-tour, George played in a bar in Stirling.   He had played the same bar 4 days earlier, the venue was packed & at standing room only.  Playing through his song list of traditional folk & modern hits, everyone was on hand to sing every word.

The Fields of Athenry, Ye Jacobites by Name, Four Green Fields, Black is the Colour, Seven Drunken Nights, Young Ned, 500 Miles, McIlhatton, Irish Rover.

These songs & other will be etched in my head forever after those few days away in July 1995.

I had made some great new friends on that tour, extended my music taste & met Linda who would become my wife (some years later). 

After the tour finished George flew to America & played some more gigs in Pubs & clubs in Boston & New York arranged through family & friends in both cities.

On his return from America George gave up his day job & singing became his career.  He told me he wrote a song about that mini tour, but I never did get to hear it.  He then got the chance to sing on the pitch at Celtic Park pitch as part of the pre match entertainment.

Many years later in 2007 George would live out his dreams by touring America & Australia as part of Celtic Thunder, he created a new list of admirers & they too experienced the warmth & attention he would share with everyone who took the time to speak to him.

As part of Celtic Thunder he performed at the opening of the St Patricks Day Parade in New York & sang for President Obama in the White House. 

When home from the tours he would always look forward to going back to his old venues & love nothing more then performing in Jinty McGintys on a Wednesday & Sunday night, in a place that became home for him.

Raised in Easterhouse to performing in the Whitehouse.   George loved what he did & he done it all.

In 2014 George suffered a Heart Attack & died at home.    At only 46 he had achieved so much through his music, releasing albums of his own & touring the world, but he loved nothing more than being back home with his friends & family.

x

The Hampden Hoops

At the end of June of 1994 I walked out the gates of high school for the last time.   I had already secured a job & would soon start working life.   One of the first things I did was sort out some cash to help me buy my first Celtic season ticket.  

My brothers & sisters were regular visitors to Celtic Park over the years & I have great memories of watching Celtic play during the eighties with them, my Dad & Granda.   I would go along to the matches with them now & again, but now I wanted to be part of it on a regular basis.

The winds of change had swept through Celtic Park in the first half of 1994 with Fergus McCann completing a takeover of the club & for me I wanted to be part of the new chapter. 

Celtic would play the entire 1994-1995 campaign away from Celtic Park due to the development of our new stadium, so for the next 10 months all roads would lead to Hampden.

 

 

As the season progressed the atmosphere in Hampden was never great, you could hear players shouting & receiving instructions from the managers on the side-lines.

The traditional way in which we had all attended matches in the past had now changed.   Designated seats, friends & family scattered around the stands made it difficult to build up any kind of atmosphere.   These things coupled with inconsistency on the park made the trips to Hampden less than enjoyable.

The month of November would bring huge disappointment as Celtic lost to Raith Rovers on Penalties in the League Cup final at Ibrox.    I was sitting directly behind the Raith Rovers dug out that day & watching their players & coaching staff celebrate was a tough one to take.

At the start of December, Celtic made the trip to Anfield to play Liverpool in a testimonial for Ian Rush.   Around 10,000 Celtic fans including my brother & I made the trip to cheer on the hoops.  It was a rough night for the players as Liverpool scored 6 without reply, but in that cold night the resilience of the Celtic fans was put to the test & we sang our way through a long 90 minutes on the pitch.

During half time The Farm made their way to the Anfield road end to play “All together now” as a thank you to Celtic & to the fans who had come to the support of Liverpool fans in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster.

1995 welcomed a new face to Celtic.   Pierre Van Hooijdonk arrived from NAC Breda & made an instant impact on his debut against Hearts by scoring a memorable goal, but again more lack-lustre performances meant we only won 1 league match in January.  

Our league performances were a mixed bag with a win & draw here & there but no real consistency.  

We seemed to be more focussed on cup matches & made it to the Scottish Cup Final following a 3-1 win in the Semi-Final replay against Hibs, it was nice to see Ibrox decked in green & white for two matches & at least after this win we knew the final would be at Hampden.

The league season petered out, but we registered a big 3-0 win against Rangers & I caught the bug for away matches making some memorable trips to Pittodrie, Brockville & Tannadice forging some great long lasting friendships.

In the final league game of the season against Dundee Utd at Tannadice.  Celtic fans were in full voice serenading our hosts with a rendition of “We’ll meet again some sunny day” as United were relegated from the top flight.

With the league finished, the players could focus on the build up to the cup final 2 weeks later.  For the fans some of us had a trip to the Barrowlands to see the Wolfe Tones perform.    My brother George supported the Wolfe Tones that night & it was amazing to see him perform on the famous Barrowlands stage.

Walking to Hampden with my brother Benny on the day of the Scottish Cup Final, there was a real nervousness in the air.  Injuries & poor form meant that nothing was guaranteed.

In truth the match was poor, but an excellent header from our new talisman Pierre Van Hooijdonk ensured that our 6 year wait for a major honour was over.   Emotional fans shed a tear as Paul McStay lifted the Scottish Cup in what would be his only honour as captain of a club he served so well.

Celtic fans celebrated, singing songs long into the night throughout the city & over the country.

Even though we never really played any matches at home that season, fans still turned up in their numbers to Celtic Park.   In what became a weekly pilgrimage for many fans, we would turn up at Paradise to see the progress being made on the new North stand being built on the site of the old jungle.

The change that many fans had longed for was now well underway.   We made progress on & off the pitch during our season long visit to Hampden.   A new mood of hope & optimism lifted the Club & fans for our return home.

2 Gigs In December

On the 7^th December 1994, I made my first visit to the famous Glasgow Barrowlands.   Having grown up with older siblings who had shared stories of U2, Simple Minds & The Pogues at the famous venue, I was finally getting the chance to savour the experience for myself.

Earlier in the year, I had missed out on the once in a lifetime opportunity to see Nirvana rock my hometown due to Kurt Cobain’s suicide.   I kept the ticket & its safely tucked away in book somewhere in the attic.

I made a trip to the 1^st T In the Park at Strathclyde Park to see Rage Against the Machine take the stage with Cypress Hill in what was a great way to sign off my last year at high school.  Now, I was on my way to Barrowland Ballroom.

Walking along the Gallowgate on a cold December night, there is nothing quiet like the sight of the neon lights guiding you to your destination.   Throngs of fans, walking the route each with their own expectations of what might be in store.

At first glance on entering the doors, the venue was nothing exciting, some dated décor, couches & posters of upcoming gigs.  Climbing the stairs & turning into the main hall I couldn’t help think how small the place was.

I walked in & took my place in the very centre of the hall & stood with my friend waiting on the gig to start.

 

 

The Oasis fans streamed through the doors & before you knew it, the hall was packed & ready for a show. The lights dimmed, the crowd roared & the band hit straight into Rock & Roll Star.   No sooner had the band started, I realised I was no longer in the middle, but somewhere near the front, with my body being pulled in the surge towards the stage.  If this was the start, I couldn’t wait for whatever was coming next.

Oasis kept the crowd going into the 2^nd & 3^rd songs when all of a sudden Liam crackled & promptly walked off stage followed by the rest of the band.

The huge crowd were getting anxious & restless, giving Liam abuse for his disappearing act.   After a few minutes, Noel walked back on stage himself armed only with his guitar, he dusted himself down & launched into several tracks giving us an insight into what many thought was the driving force in the band.

An evening with Noel Gallagher then made way for a short session with the rest of Oasis (minus Liam Gallagher) to close the gig.   As a final gesture – the band confirmed they would make it up to the fans by playing a gig for free at the same venue later that month.

Leaving the gig, I couldn't help think that as great as Oasis were, Noel showed that he could lead the way & deliver a top performance, but disappointed not to see the full band perform. 

Around 3 weeks later, in between Christmas & New Year, Oasis true to their word arrived back at the Barrowland to play their set.

This time, I didn’t make the mistake of going too near the front & stayed near the back, my friend & I got the gig early & watched the crowds come in.

 

During the short 3 week break between gigs, Oasis had managed to become the biggest band on the scene & with the release of the Whatever single they had welcomed more fans onboard.

On the 27^th December the atmosphere at the Barrowland was electric before our heroes took the stage.

Standing at the back of the hall I watched & listened to a band who had conquered all in front of them since the spring of 1994.   Liam led the line with his trademark swagger & the rest of the band followed him.  “Look at you now, you’re all in my hands” never seemed so appropriate.   The rock ‘n’ roll stars had arrived & were in no mood to look back. 

Now I could see what had made the Barrowlands one of the leading venues in the land.  The mutual energy between the band & the fans, the closeness of the stage & the accoustics lifted everyone to new levels.

Moving seamlessly from one crashing anthem to the next on the Definitely Maybe album, even giving lovers the chance to get close during “Slide Away”.  The show came & went in flash & left nobody in the 2000+ crowd disappointed.

1994 was a musical roller-coaster for me, but in the last few weeks of 1994, not only did I get to experience the legendary Barrowland Ballroom, but I watched the transition of the new band on the block become the UK’s new Rock ‘n’ Roll stars & free to do Whatever they want.