Jack then
It's November 26th 1968 and a 13 year old boy stands outside the Royal Albert Hall in London. It's a day he will never forget, it's a gig that will live in the memory. he has no ticket. They sold out rapidly even without the help of the internet. He's hoping he'll be able to buy one but none are on offer. As the concert start draws near he becomes disappointed, resigning himself to the fact that there is no chance to see his favourites that night.
However, someone was looking after him. Around the corner came another agitated figure. 'When does the concert start?' asks the stranger. 'I'm supposed to be meeting my friend and he hasn't shown up.' As if by magic a bell sounds inside the foyer. 'Well that's the bell that means the concert is due to start' the boy informs him, grasping at straws. 'You need to get in or you will miss it'. The stranger looks disappointed so the boy offers to buy his spare ticket. A deal is struck and 10/6 is handed over (I still have the stub) and the two of them make their way up to the upper circle to see the last ever performance by The First Supergroup- Cream. I wonder if the stranger ever wondered about the fact that there were two support bands that night (Yes and Taste) and in reality the concert didn't really start until an hour and a half later. If he did he didn't let on.
Jack now
So you can imagine what a thrill it was on Tuesday night to see one third of that dynamic trio-Jack Bruce in the rather more sedate surroundings of The Stables Theatre in Milton Keynes. The place was sold out as it had been 43 years ago and once again we were not disappointed. True, Jack now looks like the sort of elderly bloke you would give up your seat for on a bus or train, and his tiny body seemed to be lost in his clothes but his bass playing was as good as it was when Frank Zappa got him to play on 'Apostrophe'. Indeed for most of the night his bass bins burned and bounced with exactly the same tone as on the title track, worth a listen if you have never heard it. Of course Jack treated us to some classics, 'Theme From An Imaginary Western, Born Under A Bad Sign, Spoonful and We're Going Wrong being my favourites. it was pretty loud too (not as loud as Johnny Winter apparently) and by the end of the show Jack had rolled back the clock, wound it up and set it going hell for leather down nostalgia road.
