Sawdoctors gig

[C.Cat]

The Sawdoctors always put on a good show, but this night was exeptional by any band's standards! I went with my parents (it was a family friendly event), and we got there early so we could get a space at the front. We had to wait for quite a while, but it was worth it! The first support band was the Kanyu Tree.I won't say much about them now because I might do a thread about them later. Our friends Stonelakes were up next, and although they played some great songs they had to cut the last two songs from their set because time was running out. When the time came for the Sawdoctors themselves to start, they came on stage to the original Star Trek theme music! They started their set with N17, a big favourite, and in a mere matter of moments thousands of fans were singing along and having a great time. There was a lot of fun and humour in the show, at one point there was a guitar duel between Leo and a teenager from a local band (it wasn't really competitive) and someone threw huge knickers on the stage with "Property of the Bangles no sniffing" written on one side and "Get that wasp off my knickers" on the other. Later on they all switched instruments, so Davey and Leo (the frontmen) were at the back and the rhythm section guys got to show off! One of the things that made this gig one to remember were the guests - former members like Padraig Stevens and Turps came on for a few songs, some of which hadn't been played for years. They played for about two and a half hours (they always give you lots of music for your money) and they played Hay Wrap, my favourite, in the encore. There was a brilliant moment when Leo stopped the song and very seriously said they couldn't play any more unless he read out a health and safty message from the Salthill ministry of agriculture. He then went into the much loved part of the song that goes "Don't go up on the trailer when you're bringing home the hay, the farm is not a place to play!" with everyone shouting along with him. They ended their set with a bit of Hey Jude with all the guests on stage, which was a really great feeling. When it was all over, the security guards handed out set lists. I didn't get one, so a security lady said "Do you want these?" and handed me the knickers! Everyone was invited to go to the aftershow party at a hotel, so we went for a little while. We had a chat with Gerry (from Stonelakes), then my dad spotted Padraig, who we're very fond of, so we ran off to talk to him. We had to leave early to get some food, so we missed seeing the rest of the guys. But the next day as we were walking past a pub in Galway city centre, Mouse McHugh was there and we stopped to say hi. He said he'd seen us up at the front and said that he'd be playing with Dan and Gerry in the evening, and asked if we'd be coming...

To be continued in another gig review!