Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Posted: 16 Sep 2011
Bob Geldof
Sage Gateshead
Plundering a catalogue of tracks from a career spanning over 30 years, Bob Geldof, backed by an excellent group of musicians including Pete Briquette (a former Boomtown Rat) and John Turnbull from South Shields, entertained an enthusiastic audience at the Sage for almost two hours.
Setting a frenetic pace which rarely let up through the entire concert with the opening track ‘I Don’t Mind’ (an upbeat Irish jig with rock overtones), Bob and his band rarely stopped for breath, playing hits from the Boomtown Rats days through to tracks from his latest release ‘How To Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell’ – a title Bob dryly admits to being a reference to today’s young pop stars.
The occasional political diatribe and wry, humorous comments interspersed tracks such as Systematic Six Pack (in the style of ZZ Top), Mary Of The Fourth Form, Rat Trap, Banana Republic and I Don’t Like Mondays: all served as a reminder that Geldof is a very accomplished musician and this has probably been overshadowed by his charity work.
It is easy to see why he has been compared to a young Mick Jagger as he moves and jumps around the stage in similar fashion – he actually sang part of The Stones ‘I Want To Be Your Lover’ at one stage – and it was refreshing to see a performer nearing bus pass age whose lifestyle has not reduced him to a shell.
Barbara Mason
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