The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
The night Rod gave city a ripping performance
GiG: Three rows of seats wrecked as The Faces played Caird Hall concert
He toppled the likes of Blondie and Bryan Adams in a Courier online poll which asked readers who they would most like to see perform next at Dundee’s Slessor Gardens.
However, it was rows of seats that toppled when legendary rocker Sir Rod Stewart first performed in the city with The Faces 45 years ago this month.
The Caird Hall was the first venue of their tour and music writers from across the country were out in force, including NME writer John Pidgeon whose “behind-the-scenes” review said the band had “rarely put on a more spectacular show”.
The rowdy gig witnessed a stage invasion from Sir Rod’s adoring female fans, bouncers fighting among themselves and three rows of seats being destroyed in the excitement.
The set list was a mix of R&B album tracks and pop hits, with highlights including Maggie May, Stay With Me, Angel and Cindy Incidentally, which was to be the band’s next single.
John said: “No one in the front stalls ever sat down again and, by the end of the second number, it was impossible to distinguish aisles from seats.
“The whole area was a solid mass which swayed when Rod swayed, waved scarves above their heads when Rod waved his, clapped in time whenever Rod put his hands together, sang along when Rod sang and screamed whenever he did anything else.
“During Too Bad things began to get a little out of hand. Girls who managed to clamber on to the stage got bounced by bouncers who then became reluctant to leave the stage and had to be bounced themselves.”
John’s review said although The Faces had played better they had “rarely put on a more spectacular show” and described the feel in the last number as “incredible”.
Sir Rod returned with the band for an encore and kicked footballs into the audience before they finished off with One Last Sweet Cheerio.
John concluded: “Nine more dates to go, but however they turn out, no one’s going to forget Dundee”.
Former Montrose FC player Les Barr was among those sitting in the side balcony that night when Sir Rod kicked a football in his direction. He said: “I reached to grab it out of the air when a massive pair of hands came over my head and securely clutched the ball.
“It was (Montrose goalkeeper) Dave Gollan, putting into practice what he learned on the training field — and thus denying me a historic piece of rock memorabilia.”
The Faces were formed in 1969 by members of Small Faces after lead singer/guitarist Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie.
The remaining Small Faces – Ian McLagan (keyboards), Ronnie Lane (bass guitar) and Kenney Jones (drums and percussion) – were joined by Ronnie Wood (guitar) and Rod Stewart (lead vocals), both from the Jeff Beck Group.
After his December 1972 visit, Rod opened Bruce’s Record Store on Reform Street in 1977, before returning to the city to play back-to-back dates at the Caird Hall in January 1977 – and has never played the city since.