At least till 1996. After then, almost every new addition dragged the standards down. Six or seven underpowered albums later you forget, but god those shows were things of beauty. Every bit as good as the legend claims. Absolutely thrilling. And they ****ing worked for it - 13 takes of 'Brother Louie' in a single afternoon of the 'Evening With' rehearsals, and it showed. There was such a shine.

I haven't tired of classic shows these last few months. The performances are riveting, even of songs you've heard a thousand times. I accidently watched a little of a recent performance (not even one of the *really* bad ones) and reader, I almost cried. It is criminal what that man has done to his band, and the ill he's spoken of them. It was a such a rare blessing he had, and from the sacking of Alec John-Such onwards (I'm convinced for standing up to him), the choices he's made have been such vandalism. It's almost unforgiveable.