well what can i say?
5 o'clock on a dull dreary sunday afternoon,tired from a long trip up to glasgow and back the previous day,to see the rangers.
sunday morn spent visiting my new grandson,harry,thats six grandkids now,feeling very old when i say that!
something gnawing away in my head.....steve harley is playing manchester tonight....but jim,you already have tickets for sale,sheffield,huddersfield,nottingham,bilston and holmfirth in your drawer,my brain tells me. but its only 37 miles away,i can do that in less than an hour....shall i,shant i,....just do it jimbo you know you want to,HAVE TO.....
SO ONE HOUR AND A BIT LATER(finding a parking space was a bind but hey ho,)i am in a familiar situation,outside a concert venue buzzing with anticipation at yet another steve harley gig. but then again 38 or so years of doing this and the excitement is still there,seeing old familiar faces in the queue,smiling to myself knowingly,not only me with the bug then.
a long wait to get in to the cosy little venue,spotting old friends,good friends from down the years, greying,balding,wrinklier for sure, but loyal rebelfreaks to the core.
mike j,peter jh and his lad, blakey and his missus,neil,hazel,and dear stewart griffin,not seen stewart for a few years now,how time flies,but seems like yesterday,since the last time we met.
great to see you looking so well and sounding so positive stewart,good on yer mate!
and the man up there in his own light on stage sounding as good as ever,nay better,that voice just gets stronger and fuller as time goes by.
a fantastic set giving us the full repertoire of those 38 years of brilliant,spellbinding,mesmerising music that has been in my head since a stupid young teenager went off to london on his own all those years ago,to watch chelsea v sheffield united at stamford bridge,and coming across a busker in the tunnels of londons underground system, and being taken in by songs,words that were amazing to hear,and so unusual,so different,so captivating.......
just a few short months later,this strange looking busker had found himself on the front of new musical express,sounds,and melody maker being hailed as the new hero of british music with the release of a stupendous debut album,those slightly familiar songs,but so different on vinyl and with a band,an orchestra and choir,what a transformation,little did i know then that 38+ years later i would still be gazing in awe at this man,up there on stage in the back streets of manchester.
life is full of unpredictable twists and turns, but back then in 1971 my life took a turn for the better,the day i heard a busker echoing through the tunnels of a london tube station.
thank you steve harley,for the music,the memories,the laughter,the tears and for the friends i found on this journey.
jim pirie,chesterfield.
WOW ,JILLYS ,theres a blast from the past ,iv had many a happy evening there ,correct me if im wrong but i dont think it exists anymore ,a great shame ,and it was run by bikers at one point ,they really dont make clubs like that anymore,mods and rockers in the kebab shop afterwards ,tense atmos ,happy days! 
