Tuesday night was spent at the Summit Music Hall with the Beat Girl, a friend who could have been the model for the iconic figure on the English Beat's albums and posters. But before we went to the theater we learned that Dave Wakeling was appearing at Illegal Pete's in downtown Denver to meet with his adoring fans. When I arrived, he was at the Beat Girls table, talking to her and her friend, having just finished signing a pair of record album covers. A short time later someone found a guitar and he took a seat at a mic and played an acoustic version of Save It For Later. Other members of his band were also hanging out at the restaurant.
We arrived at the music hall fairly early to stake out a spot along the front rail, essentially standing at Dave's feet. DJ Aaron, a local fixture here in Denver, started the show at 8 PM, followed by Shaw-skank Redemption. Shortly after 10 PM The English Beat took the stage and ruled the evening with their joyous, fast paced dance sound. Loved it! Another fun, but late, evening out enjoying a great band, Dave truly showing his appreciation to his loyal fans in attendance this evening. He always makes a point of getting down off the stage and thanking members of the audience after the shows. A real down to earth guy.
'The Love You Give tour exemplifies band member Dave Wakeling's humanitarianism by donating all proceeds from the special solo, acoustic recording of the song to organizations that make a direct, positive impact for families of those with autism."
"Dave and The English beat hail from Birmingham, England where they rushed onto the music scene with their simple message of love and unity in 1979, which was a period of political, social and musical turmoil. They first became popular in the U.S. by touring with The Clash and The Police and have become one of the most influential bands of the British Ska movement."
http://www.examiner.com/city-buzz-in-denver/the-english-beat-brings-the-love-you-give-tour-to-denver-on-march-22nd
Find it here, an excellent audience recording:
http://www.filefactory.com/file/45i6e1swnnk7/MP3%20EB%20Summit%20Denver%20CO%2022032011.rar
Your photos are great! I copied most of them for my own album; thanks for sharing! It was a great evening...now it's just a matter of waiting until they come thru our area again.
ReplyDelete- the beat girl
This is great!
ReplyDeleteMany many thanks for the excellent recording & photos.
Thank you for caring & sharing.
Unity Rockers!
The Love vigilante