At four o‘clock the word is out. There is going to be a resurrection.
Flickering up on the Stone Roses website there’s a message about a secret gig in Warrington. It says bring some artwork to get a ticket. Within seconds in the Cheshire town people run from their houses and locals drop shopping to get into the most eagerly awaited comeback gig for years.
After 16 years, the Stone Roses have returned to the stage and they didn’t choose a hipster infested big city gig but a show right in their heartland, in the town that Ian Brown was born in, in front of the people who love their music that has soundtracked their lives.
Pre gig the atmosphere in the venue is electric as the DJ plays house and northern soul, people are dancing, arms are in the air – a party atmosphere. When the Roses enter it ratches up a lot of notches, Ian Brown and Mani dance onto the stage goofing around whilst John and Reni, the serious musicians, assume their positions. The four Robin Hoods of pop culture have returned and people can’t believe its finally happened.
The atmospheric bassline to ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ curls in and the audience sing along – this is a feature of the night, it’s rare to be at a gig where the audience sing the bass and guitar parts as well as the vocals but this is a measure of just how melodic the Stone Roses are.
The whole room is jumping and the drums haven’t even kicked in yet, ‘...Adored’ is the Roses’ calling card and it still sets the atmosphere with its glacial cool.
The songs tumble out, songs that people fell in love to, got off their heads to, got divorced to, lived and loved to.
Next up, ‘Mersey Paradise’ has that light touch that the band mastered in that pre-first album period, Ian’s voice is as high as it was then – a year off the fags has helped – ‘Sally Cinnamon’ is pure pop shakes, ‘Made Of Stone’ cranks the atmosphere if that’s possible and comes armed with one of the great choruses, a watching Liam Gallagher is ecstatic, ‘(Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister’, has that loose groove that the Roses were masters of, you notice what a great drummer Reni is, those rolls, that casual brilliance, the power and the movement of his playing exquisite,
‘Where Angels Play’ sounds better than ever dripping pure melody, ‘Shoot You Down’ is sweet and dark, that perfect balance of euphoria and melancholia that the Roses made their own, ‘Tightrope’ is the first of the Second Coming tracks to be played live and sounds all the better for it, ‘Waterfall’ is fantastic, the instrumental section mesmerising whilst ‘She Bangs The Drums’ aches with pop perfection – the song is like a collection of the great pop guitar riffs, John Squire looks so casual as he dashes them out, making the complex look simple.
Ending with the slide blues proto Zep sprawl of the fantastic ‘Love Spreads’ – the first time the song has been played live with Reni sees the drummer adding to that sticky black fun undertow mashing with the blues. It’s creepy and dark and huge and a perfect ending to the set.
There is no encore, just stunned euphoria.
The big debut show is out of the way, the pressure is off, the Stone Roses delivered, the hall is drenched with emotion and excitement.
The resurrection is on.