Tonight my musical heart is very much in the Uptown Theatre in Kansas City as Myles Kennedy (pictured above) plays his first post-lockdown show. I’d have loved to have been there!

Is it time to press “play” again on live shows? I sure hope so.

This blog has been mothballed since 23 February 2020 – the last night I was at a gig. New Year’s Day have the honour of being the only show I caught last year and, in hindsight, I feel fortunate to have at least had one gig before the world closed for what has felt like forever.

I did consider reviewing the livestream shows that, like many of you have done, I’ve used to plug the gig gap but they didn’t seem “real” somehow. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve been awesome but the atmosphere in the living room just isn’t the same. I wouldn’t rate it as a venue but the bar prices are great and there’s never a queue for the loo!

I’m sure, when the time’s right, we’ll all be queuing up outside venues in the rain, vying for that coveted rail spot.

I have a few shows lined up, that if the planets align both in the music world and my personal world, I’ll get to, camera in hand.

So far, I have tickets for the following:

Mason Hill

Black Stone Cherry

Skindred

The Quireboys (I’m really going to see Massive who are supporting – don’t tell Spike!)

The Cadillac Three

Blackberry Smoke

Halestorm

Eric Gales

The White Buffalo

and last but not least on 24 May 2022, Brian Fallon.

Keep safe. Stay positive. Obey the rules and, hopefully, we’ll get to enjoy live music as it should be enjoyed before too long.