The weather gods were far from happy as Mr A, Boy Child and I boarded the 525 to Glasgow last Thursday evening.
Despite monsoon season having been declared, we valiantly set off from Glasgow’s Central Station towards our venue of choice for the night – The Garage. Not much shelter as you queue outside that one.
By the time the doors opened, we were dripping. Our rail position doubled up as a drying rail for our soaking wet jackets.
So, who had we braved the elements to see? Canada’s mighty Monster Truck.
There was only one support act on the bill for the night – Wales’s Those Damn Crows. I’ve been keen to see these guys live for a while.
I can honestly say in all my years of going to gigs that I’ve never heard a support band get such a welcome on stage. The crowd went wild the second that these boys set foot on the stage to open their all too short set with Who Did It. Frontman Shane Greenhall had everyone in the room in the palm of his hand in under a minute. Kudos to you, sir. This charismatic Welshman worked the crowd to perfection.
Who Did It (set opener) – Those Damn Crows @ The Garage Glasgow 06/10/22 – YouTube
There was one bizarre moment at the very start of the set when I looked to my left and realised the fan to my left had donned a full crow’s head mask. Awesomeness!
Who Did It was swiftly followed by Long Time Dead and Don’t Give A Damn.
The clock was ticking, and these boys were squeezing every last second out of their allotted time. Highlight of the night for me was Blink Of An Eye. Love this one.
Blink of an Eye – Those Damn Crows @ The Garage Glasgow 06/10/22 – YouTube
During their penultimate song Go Get It, Shane came off stage, through the crowd, up the stairs and onto the rail up on the balcony while still singing to perfection. The fans were already raising the roof off the place, but he obviously felt the need to check those rafters for himself. An awesome RnFnR moment. Thank God he has good balance!
Those Damn Crows brought their nine-song set to a close with Rock N Roll Ain’t Dead. With talent like that it sure ain’t!
Can’t wait to see these guys come back to play a headline show next year.
The box sitting on stage said Don’t F**k With The Truck…hold that thought for about ninety minutes.
This was the third time I’d seen Monster Truck and I was really looking forward to their set, but Those Damn Crows had set the bar so damn high.
Monster Truck took to the stage at 8:15 to a warm welcome from the Scottish fans and opened their ninety-minute set with Sweet Mountain River. A banging anthem to kick things off. Energetic guitarist, Jeremy Widerman was instantly making full use of the space available on a very stripped back stage and was bounding around at high speed, stripped to the waist. At the far side from where we were standing, front man and bassist Jon Harvey was in fine voice.
Old Train followed on with barely a pause for breath.
Monster Truck’s eighteen song set was a balanced mix of old and new, with several from their latest album Warriors. Judging by the fans’ reaction, they were definitely favouring the older material.
By mid-set, the energy in room felt as if it had dipped a tad from the high that the support act had worked so hard to generate. Before beginning Black Forest, an awesome bluesy song, Jon Harvey thanked the boys from Wales and was rewarded with a huge roar from the audience. Perhaps there were more Those Damn Crows fans in the room…. I’ll leave that thought there…
Black Forest – Monster Truck @ The Garage Glasgow 06/10/22 – YouTube
One key highlight of the set was Seven Seas Blues which really gave Jeremy Widerman a chance to shine. Loved it.
The Canadians rounded out the main body of their set with the title track from their new album Warriors and The Lion.
After a brief moment or two off stage Monster Truck returned for a two-song encore comprising Why Are You Not Rocking and the awesome Don’t Tell Me How To Live. Two great songs to end a solid set.
There was only one minor issue- Those Damn Crows had set that bar so high so early in the night that they’d f**ked with the truck and, in my humble opinion, had blown them off stage.
the525toglasgow 