This was the first of two nights in Wolverhampton as part of their tour – A Passage in Time, A Tribute to Tony Clarkin – who sadly passed away just over 12 months ago. Frontman and fellow stalwart of Magnum– Bob Catley – announced late last year that “We want do a tribute to Tony and the respect for all those songs me and him did over 50 years, actually. I can’t believe it.”
The lights went down and the evening started with a montage of images of Tony Clarkin’s life. Which was initially greeted with applause but the crowd fell silent as the images played through, showing what reverence the KKs audience held for Clarkin. The evening was going to be a real showcase of the wonderful music created by this legendary band.
The first half of the show kicked off with How Far Jerusalem from the brilliant 1985 album On a Storyteller’s Night – which we kept revisiting throughout the night. At this point Catley paid tribute to his mate Tony Clarkin expressing how much he missed him. Then a newer song Lost on the Road to Eternity followed by the emotive Wild Swan. Rick Benton on keyboards was loving it and he helped to bring the songs to life alongside Catleys timeless vocals. Before When We Were Younger, Catley introduced Brendon Riley, Clarkin’s longtime guitar tech, who stepped into the guitarist’s role and provided an understated yet solid performance. The first half of the show finished with Les Morts Dansants and Don’t Wake the Lion (Too Old to Die Young).
The second half of the show was a real step back in time and featured songs from On a Storytellers Night as well as earlier tracks such as Soldier Of The Line then Just Like An Arrow. Catley was truly in his element and the crowd were really enjoying the trip down memory lane. Lee Morris – drums and Dennis Ward – bass guitar, provided the beating heart of the evenings music. Was time for a couple of tracks from On a Storyteller’s Night, first the title track complete with sing along from the crowd then All England’s Eyes. The second set ended with Vigilante and a track from their first album Kingdom Of Madness which concluded with confetti canons going off showering the crowd and sending the already excited masses into ecstasy.
The evening concluded The Spirit then a poignant rendition of “When The World Comes Down,” with a back drop of a huge image of Tony Clarkin, a fitting end to a brilliant night and a lovely way to remember how he had an important part in many of audiences lives.
Setlist
Tour: A Tribute to Tony Clarkin – A Passage in Time Tour
Set 1
How Far Jerusalem
Lost on the Road to Eternity
Wild Swan
When We Were Younger
The Tall Ships
The Flood (Red Cloud’s War)
Les Morts Dansants
Don’t Wake the Lion (Too Old to Die Young)
Set 2
Soldier of the Line
Just Like an Arrow
Need a Lot of Love
On a Storyteller’s Night
All England’s Eyes
Vigilante
Kingdom of Madness
Encore:
The Spirit
When the World Comes Down
