On Tuesday I boarded a train to Glasgow unchaperoned…. Not the 525 to Glasgow but the 1154 to Glasgow.

Yes, I was setting off for round two of my Myles Kennedy adventure.

Round two began in beautiful spring sunshine. Much more civilised weather after the snow and ice of Birmingham. It also began with a lovely relaxed lunch with some wonderful member of the AB family. Good food. Great company. The day was off to a great start.

By three o’clock we were all lined up waiting to enter The Garage for the sound check and meet and greet. And we waited… and we waited…..

Yup..you guessed it…they were running behind schedule again.

Oh well, more time to catch up with friends.

Eventually we were invited indoors where you guessed it…. we queued and waited a little longer. (Meet and greet requires a bit of patience)

I’ll confess to losing track of time as we were all still chatting but at some point (I’d guess around 4.30) we were allowed to climb the stairs an enter The Garage.

The venue was a tad on the chilly side but there in front of us on stage, snuggly wrapped up in a warm scarf, was Myles and he was still playing that beautiful resonator. As we gathered round and listened to the various snatches of songs, we were treated to a brief rendition of Life Must Go On (one for a future set perhaps?)

As in Birmingham, there was a brief Q&A before we formed a queue for the signing and photo aspect of proceedings. I had brought Myles a small gift (well, I was brought up not to visit friends empty handed) The gift was a copy of Gerry Rafferty’s 1978 album City To City on red vinyl. Myles thanked me kindly for it (prior to opening it) CDs and ticket signed and photo taken (thanks Paul) it was time to exit the venue and queue outside again for the show.

When the doors opened and our tickets and wrist bands had been checked, there was a mad sprint up the stairs to secure that coveted rail spot. Lord, those stairs were steep! It was worth it though 😊

Holiday Oscar opened the show with his mercifully short 30minute support set. Honestly, I tried to like him. I really did! But, he just doesn’t do it for me. The Glasgow crowd were relatively kind to him and he survived the experience more or less unscathed (largely because the Scots humour went over his head.)

The Johnny Cash PA tape provided some welcome relief!

On the stroke of eight, the lights dimmed, the curtain to the back stage area twitched and Myles slipped into the shadows at the side of the stage to the recorded opening segment of The Devil On The Wall. As he stepped onto the low stage the capacity Scottish crowd went wild!

The tone was set for the evening. A Glasgow crowd is seldom a quiet crowd and is always a singing crowd.

From the smiles on stage, the fans’ passion for the music was warming Myles’ heart.

Standing In The Sun followed (SMKC ticked off) then Before Tomorrow Comes (AB ticked off the list). Next up was Eden, the gorgeous song from Myles’ Mayfield Four days. Nothing could have prepared Myles for the reception this song got. The Glasgow choir sang sweetly and word perfect from the start, much to Myles’ obvious delight. He was impressed!!

How to follow that? Starlight, another SMKC song, did the trick. It is truly a beautiful ballad. All Ends Well had also retained its place in the nineteen song set. Love that song.

Introducing his partner in crime as a “Renaissance man”, Myles was joined on stage by Tim Tournier for Haunted By Design. It was also time to shed the dark blue jacket to reveal the evening’s choice of tartan shirt (not flannel, not plaid, tartan!)

Another song was ticked off my dream list two songs later as Myles introduced Mars Hotel, another Mayfield Four classic. The song came with a story and a confession. Myles revealed that the lyrics were written composed in around forty five minutes but that he now struggled to sing some of them with a straight face. As he began the song it was easy to tell when he reached the lyrics in question. Fabulous song enhanced by this human humorous element.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQnFbmem3B0&t=45s

As ever Watch Over You was an intensely emotional part of the set. This is a truly gorgeous ballad and again it was clear to see Myles’ appreciation of the fans throughout.

There are several stunning guitars being used during these acoustic shows but the tone and beauty of that resonator steals my heart every time.

Myles started Travelling Riverside Blues…. Paused…. upped the tempo….then stopped. Channelling his inner drum major, Myles reminisced about his high school days in the marching band and as drum major in his senior year, before conducting the Glasgow choir’s clapping tempo (Having zero sense of rhythm and being unable to clap in time I declined to participate- sorry, Myles)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLVbqQADS5g&t=3s

(credits to the owner of this video – sourced via You Tube)

I love love love this song and never tire of listening to it.

Slickly Myles transitioned into World On Fire. I was amazed by just how well that song lends itself to an acoustic set. Slash better watch out. He has competition here!

The title track from the album, Year Of The Tiger rounded off the main set and Tim Tournier returned to stage to support the boss.

The Scots fans’ please for more were swiftly answered as Myles returned to the stage mere moments after leaving it. Having fed off the audience’s energy and enthusiasm all night it was obvious to all that Myles had had as much fun as the adoring fans had. As he limbered up for the next song, a few short bars of music made my heart soar – Baker Street! He’d opened his gift from earlier. (I just wish I’d captured the moment on video.) Thank you, Myles.

When I first heard the album, Year Of The Tiger, two tracks made me cry. One of them was Mother. The other was Love Can Only Heal. As Myles played Love Can Only Heal a lump formed in my throat and my eyes filled with tears. There was a goosebumps moment as he held “that” notes mid-song. Kudos to the fan who stomped out the heart beats. Highlight of an incredible night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=576Ys0bQL-c&t=31s

Addicted To Pain had the honour of being the final song of the evening.

What a show!

With very mixed emotions, I headed home, having said farewell to my AB family and located Boy Child, FB Son and their two friends.

My Myles Adventure had come to an end for this tour but it sure went out on a high.

Thank you, Myles. Till next time.