The Big 3-0 Tour - Wolverhampton Review

Anniversary tours are very popular at the moment, and anniversary tours featuring whole albums played in full are the height of popularity. Tours of this nature allow bands to celebrate milestones and key releases with their fans, and they give fans a chance to hear some of their favourite albums played live on stage. I have seen quite a few album anniversary tours over the years, and they have always been great. They usually give bands a chance to play some songs that they would not usually play, as they can feature the deep album tracks as well as the big singles. Older bands often seem to be caught in the trap of just playing the hits all the time - and full album sets allow the band to change up their setlists and pull out some favourites for the real die-hard fans. It seems that many bands seem to really enjoy these tours, and they seem to be popular with the fans too - which is great to see. You will understand my excitement then when, earlier in the year, one of these tours was announced. Featuring not one but three bands, The Big 3-0 Tour was announced across a number of good-sized UK venues - matching the Dan Reed Network, FM, and Gun together. All three bands released an album in 1989, and all of the albums are seen as important releases in the bands' careers. Respectively, Slam, Tough it Out, and Taking on the World are all seminal, fan-favourite albums so it made sense for each band to acknowledge their milestone. Teaming up together was also a wise move. While all three bands certainly have good-sized fan bases, there is a certain amount of crossover between the bands. As I discussed recently in my review of Skid Row's recent show in Nottingham, big bills are becoming extremely popular. They allow bands to share touring overheads, and give the fans value for money. Being a big fan of both the Dan Reed Network and FM, making one of the shows was a must. I am something of a casual Gun fan too, which meant that the whole evening would be entertaining. I opted for the Wolverhampton show, as it fell on a Friday and it had been a while since I had visited the Midlands city. I think it was 2016 that I last visited Wolverhampton, so it was nice to return as I used to visit the city periodically for concerts when I was living in Leicester. The gig took place at KK's Steel Mill, a fairly new venue set up a couple of years ago by ex-Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing. It was a surprisingly large venue, with a big bar area out front and a good-sized stage which gave the bands plenty of space to move around. The only issue with the venue was the temperature inside, which was very cold. Considering the venue looked like a former industrial unit however, this was unsurprising. Things started to warm up as the evening moved on however, as there was a decent turnout and plenty of energy created by the bands.

The bands changed the running order each night, and in Wolverhampton it was the Dan Reed Network that kicked the evening off. All three bands had the same amount of time on stage, 65 minutes, meaning that no one act felt like the evening's headliners despite the running order. Of the three acts, the Dan Reed Network were probably my most anticipated set, as the Slam album has become one of my most-listened to albums of the past couple of years. As the album is about an hour long, the band's set consisted entirely of Slam, largely in its original running order. The only exception was the way the album opened, with the ballad All My Lovin' moved to the beginning which saw frontman Dan Reed taking to the stage alone to sing an abridged a cappella version of the track while his band's four musicians took to the stage - before the lights went up and they crashed into the riff-driven Make It Easy, with Brion James (guitar/vocals) really impressing early on. The sound was extremely guitar-heavy early on during the band's set and, although it did balance out somewhat as time passed, it mean that James' playing and soloing was extremely dominant. He is such a great player, mixing funky grooves with 1980s-style virtuoso shredding to help define the band's unique sound. Songs like the early single Tiger in a Dress and the funk-heavy Doin' the Love Thing really showcased his inimitable style perfectly - with the latter particularly striking up a infectious groove from the off with the whole band coming together to perform the vocal intro. It just goes to show that although Reed leads the charge, the Network is a proper band rather than a solo project - with everyone doing their bit to aide the show. Of course Reed was the centre of attention however, with the frontman dancing his way across the stage throughout the band's set - and injecting tonnes of emotion into songs like Stronger Than Steel. He also had plenty of chance to show off his dramatic, showman-esque style too, with the cinematic Cruise Together being a perfect opportunity for his expressive personality - while Melvin Brannon II (bass guitar/vocals) held everything together with his smooth, funk-influenced playing. Slam is one of those albums where many of the singles etc. are towards the beginning of the album, with the final portion including many of the deep cuts. The last few tracks were all lesser-played numbers, which was a real treat for those die-hard fans in attendance. Lover saw Reed strap on an acoustic guitar for extra depth, while a surprisingly weighty take on Come Back Baby saw plenty of movement from the crowd. There were clearly plenty of Dan Reed Network fans in the audience, with even the lesser-played songs all receiving strong reactions. This made for a high-energy set, probably the most kinetic of the evening, and the closing track Seven Sisters Road only enhanced this. The song has a high-tempo bluesy rock shuffle, with James riffing continually throughout - and Reed used the opportunity to prance around the stage one last time. The Dan Reed Network certainly kicked off the evening in fine style, and the large crowd made their appreciation known as the five-piece took their bows. The setlist was:

All My Lovin'
Make It Easy
Slam
Tiger in a Dress
Rainbow Child
Doin' the Love Thing
Stronger Than Steel
Cruise Together
Under My Skin
Lover
I'm Lonely, Please Stay
Come Back Baby
Seven Sisters Road

With the bands sharing part of the backline, drum kit etc., and the fact that all the necessary gear was already set up, the changeovers were short - which kept the evening moving along at a brisk pace. FM were up next - my next most-anticipated act - and they kicked off their set with the Tough it Out album in full. It was my tenth time seeing the band live, and they approached the evening with the professionalism and sense of fun that they always do. Tough it Out was an album where FM really pushed towards the big time. They wrote songs with go-to songwriters Desmond Child and Jesse Harms, recorded a couple of tracks that they themselves did not write, and just generally embraced the American AOR market in a big way. While the album was a success, it was not the shot for the stars that they had perhaps hoped for - hence celebrating the album's 30th anniversary in Wolverhampton rather than Wembley! Tough it Out is another front-loaded album, with all well-known tracks coming early on - with the title track and the bluesy stomp of Don't Stop kicking everything off. The band's current line-up has been intact for over ten years now, and the band are extremely tight. Steve Overland (vocals/guitar) still sounds almost identical to how he did on the original album, and it was his smooth vocal performance that really drove everything forward - with the whole band harmonising well to deliver those big 1980s choruses. Bad Luck has always been a favourite of mine, and it is always a treat to hear the track live. Overland and Jim Kirkpatrick (guitar/vocals) teamed up for the harmony guitar intro - before the latter launched into a great solo part way through. As with the previous set however, it was some of the lesser-played songs that really shone the most. The beautiful power ballad Everytime I Think of You, which Mr. Big's Eric Martin recorded before FM tackled the track, really soared - and Overland seemed to enjoy singing the song again after a number of years. Another highlight for me was the tougher Obsession, which was led by Kirkpatrick's big riff. It was one of the few songs on the album co-written by Merv Goldsworthy (bass guitar/vocals) and Pete Jupp (drums), with the rhythm section really doing their bit to bulk out the track. Tough it Out is a good mix of smooth AOR anthems and riffy bluesy rockers and, although the album leans towards the former, that means the album is always an enjoyable and varied listen. The Tough it Out portion of the set came to a close with the fabulous Feels So Good, a song I have wanted to hear live for quite some time, with Jem Davis (keyboards/harmonica/vocals) laying down some of the most 1980s-esque synths of the night during the catchy track. Unlike the Dan Reed Network, FM had time for a couple more tracks and went back further in time to 1986 for the anthemic I Belong to the Night which further whipped up an already-enraptured crowd, before coming right up to the present day for Killed by Love which prompted a big sing along by the large crowd. It was another well-received set from a band who always deliver live. FM are one of my most-seen bands and I am sure I will be attending plenty more of their shows over the coming years. The setlist was:

Tough it Out
Don't Stop
Bad Luck
Someday
Everytime I Think of You [Eric Martin cover]
Burning My Heart Down
The Dream That Died
Obsession
Can You Hear Me Calling?
Does it Feel Like Love
Feels So Good
I Belong to the Night
Killed by Love

Gun are easily my least favourite of the three bands featured on this tour, but I am something of a casual fan and have seen the band live a handful of times over the years - usually as a support act. Taking on the World was the band's debut album, and it sold well at the time - leading to the band having a decent career during the early 1990s. Soundwise, I have always found Gun hard to place. They are not heavy enough to be proper hard rock, and in some ways I feel that they are extremely early Britpop. A lot of rock fans like them though, so they are a band that are somewhat hard to avoid. I enjoy Taking on the World, but Gun's set was a very different vibe to the two upbeat sets that preceded it. Many of the songs on the album are quite downbeat, so the overall vibe was quite different - although the band still put on an enjoyable show. The songs from Taking on the World were not played in order, with a few other songs mixed in to make up the time. The set kicked off with the album's first two songs however, with Better Days and The Feeling Within starting the evening off. Better Days is a strong track, and frontman Dante Gizzi sung the song with all of his signature swagger while his brother Jools (guitar/vocals) churned out the simple riff. I am far less familiar with Taking on the World than either Slam or Tough it Out, but I still recognised many of the tracks. The groovy Girls in Love was an early set highlight, before the band's signature cover of Word Up! jacked up the energy in the crowd - with the Dan Reed Network's James clearly enjoying the song from the stairs to the backstage area. Gun's crowd was noticeably thinner than either the Dan Reed Network of FM enjoyed (which is an issue common at gigs such as this), but they still managed to whip up plenty of excitement in their fans and a few sing alongs. The slow-paced Taking on the World created some singing, as did the anthemic single Money (Everybody Loves Her). It was a set that got better as it went along, with many of the band's best early tracks coming towards the end. Inside Out was great fun, before one of the 'other' songs Steal Your Fire saw plenty of singing. There were only a couple of tracks this point, and the final Taking on the World song Shame On You was a set high point. The version played live was much more powerful than the original album version, with a much bigger chorus and plenty of soloing from Jools Gizzi and Tommy Gentry (guitar/vocals). It was left to the band's cover of (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) to round the evening out. Unsurprisingly the song went down well with the crowd, and it certainly ended the evening on a high. Gun will never be a favourite band of mine, but I enjoyed their set and I am sure I will run into the band again at some point in the future! The setlist was:

Better Days
The Feeling Within
Something to Believe In
Can't Get Any Lower
Girls in Love
Word Up! [Cameo cover]
Taking on the World
I Will be Waiting
Money (Everybody Loves Her)
Inside Out
Steal Your Fire
Shame On You
(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) [Beastie Boys cover]

A great night was had by all in Wolverhampton, with three bands all putting on enjoyable sets for a large crowd. The band of the evening were the Dan Reed Network for me, but FM were also excellent and Gun also put on a strong showing. I was initially on the barrier, but after I was handed a Dan Reed Network setlist I gave up my spot to go and get it signed at the merch desk. It was worth giving up my space for, and still managed to get into another good spot for the rest of the evening. It was great to see these bands playing in a larger venue than they usually would, and I look forward to my next opportunities to see them live again.