WE SET OFF EARLY AS WE WANTED TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME IN LONDON, WE ARRIVED AT ABOUT 2,30PM TO FIND THE CITY CARRYING ON AS USUAL AFTER WHAT HAD HAPPENED FOUR DAYS BEFORE, WE DROVE PAST TAVISTOCK ST WHERE THE BUS WAS, WHICH WAS A LITTLE SCARY BUT GENERALLY EVERYTHING WAS OK.

WE PARKED IN AN UNDERGROUND CAR PARK AND SET OFF TO FIND THE PALLADIUM, IT WAS ONLY A FIVE MINUTE WALK AWAY AND WE GOT THERE IN NO TIME, THE STREETS AND SHOPS WERE PACKED, WE WENT ROUND TO THE STAGE DOOR AND ASKED FOR MAC POOLE, HE IS ROCKING HORSE'S DRUMMER AND ALSO DRUMMING FOR THE FURYSOUND, MAC CAME ALONG HIS USUAL HAPPY CHEERFUL SELF AND TOOK US BACKSTAGE, I COULDN'T BELIEVE I WAS STANDING BACKSTAGE AT THE WORLD FAMOUS PALLADIUM, YOU COULD SENSE THE HISTORY THERE, IT WAS  BREATHTAKING. VINCE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS SOUND CHECK AND DAVE DEE PASSED BY AND SAID HELLO. WE HAD A QUICK CHAT WITH VINCE AND HEADED OFF BACK TO THE FRONT OF THE THEATRE, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY, WHICH MADE EVERYTHING EVEN BETTER.

CHRIS PAT AND I THEN MET UP WITH SOME GOOD FRIENDS WE HAVE MET OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, FIRSTLY BARBARA, PETE AND CAROL FROM SOUTHEND,

 THEN LINDA C TURNED UP SHE HAD TRAVELLED ALL THE WAY HERE ON HER OWN USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT (VERY BRAVE) 

WE THEN MET UP WITH BABS AND COLIN AND ALL WENT OFF FOR A MEAL IN GARFUNKELS.

AFTER THE MEAL IT WAS BACK TO THE CAR (OUR CHANGING ROOM) TO GET READY FOR THE NIGHT)

WE ARRIVED BACK AT THE PALLADIUM JUST AFTER 7PM TO FIND THE PLACE BUZZING, WE MET LOTS MORE PEOPLE THAT WE KNEW, MARION AND CHRIS CAVE,

CHRIS AND LINDA ELEY, MADERLYN, DANNY AND EMERLY RIVERS, KEN AND CECILLIA, MAGIC DANIEL, AND IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THAT CLARE-MEMET-NEWGENT HAD MADE IT.

TO MY LOSS I NEVER MET HAL CARTER, BUT A LOT OF THE PEOPLE HERE HAD AND YOU COULD FEEL THE LOVE AND RESPECT THEY ALL FELT FOR HIM. THE PLACE WAS PACKED NOT A SPARE SEAT ANYWHERE.

WE FOUND OUR SEATS AND SAT BACK TO ENJOY THE BEST CONCERT ANY OF US HAD EVER SEEN, THE ATMOSPHERE WAS ELECTRIC EVERYONE WAS UP FOR A GOOD TIME.

THE FIRST ACT HIT THE STAGE MUCH TO CHRIS'S DELIGHT, THEY WERE CALLED CLASS OF 64, WE DID NOT KNOW WHO THEY WERE BUT CHRIS RECOGNISED THE LEAD SINGER AS ONE OF HER HEART THROBS CHIP HAWKES FROM THE ORIGINAL TREMLOES.

AFTER EACH ACT  HAD FINISHED THEY SAID A FEW WORDS OR TOLD A STORY ABOUT  THE TIMES THEY HAD WITH HAL.

I DID NOT TAKE NOTE OF THE RUNNING ORDER BUT I THINK IT WENT LIKE THIS.

NEXT WAS THE RUBBETTS WHO HAD EVERYONE SINGING ALONG TO THEIR HITS FINISHING OFF WITH SUGAR BABY LOVE, EVERYONE  DOING THE OOOOOOOSSS

NEXT ON WAS DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK AND TICH, WHO WENT THROUGH SOME OF THEIR HITS, AND THEN DAVE DEE PRODUCED A LONG WHIP FROM BEHIND THE MONITOR SAYING HERE IS SOMETHING FOR THE LADIES AND WENT ON CRACKING IT WHILE SINGING XANADO (GREAT STUFF)

NEXT ON WAS THE TREMELOES SOME GREAT SONGS FROM THE TREMS INCLUDING THE ONE THAT I STILL CANT GET OUT OF MY HEAD, IT GOES HALOUEE HALOUEE LA LA LA. THEN A WONDERFUL VERSION OF "SILENCE IS GOLDEN"

NEXT UP WAS OUR GOOD MATE VINCE EAGER AND ROCOLA WHO PUT IN A BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE AS ALWAYS, HE STARTED OFF WITH LONNIE'S PUTTING ON THE STYLE, THEN DEDICATED "IT'S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE" TO MOYA, HE THEN INTRODUCED A YOUNG GIRL ON STAGE WITH A VERY POWERFUL VOICE, I THINK HER NAME WAS SARAH, I CANT REMEMBER THE SONG SHE SANG, BUT SHE PERFORMED IT WELL, SHE THEN WENT ON TO SUPPLY BACKING VOCALS FOR VINCE, WHO FINISHED HIS SET WITH "NO OTHER BABY"  NICE ONE VINCE

AN HOUR HAD QUICKLY SLIPPED AWAY AND  EVERYONE HAD REALLY ENJOYED THE FIRST HALF. IT WAS OFF TO THE BAR, BUT AT A FIVER A DRINK I DON'T THINK MANY PEOPLE HAD ONE.

I SPOTTED A TALL SLIM MAN IN THE BAR CHATTING TO PEOPLE AND SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS, I FOUND OUT IT WAS A HERO OF MINE JOHN WALKER FROM THE WALKER BROTHERS, AMAZING, i HAD A CHAT WITH HIM AND HE TOLD ME HE WAS TOURING SOON, A REALLY NICE BLOKE.

 

BACK TO THE SHOW AND I WAS RELIEVED TO SEE THAT THE SEVEN FOOTER WHO SAT IN FRONT OF ME IN THE FIRST HALF HAD MOVED.

CARL SYMONDS KICKED OFF THE SECOND HALF WITH JUST HIM ON PIANO AND A DRUMMER. THEY DONE A JERRY LEE LEWIS STYLE SET WHICH GOT EVERONE GOING, SOMEONE TOLD ME HE WROTE "BE MINE TONIGHT" I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS RIGHT, BUT HE DID NOT SING IT ANYWAY.

NEXT ON WERE THE GREATEST BACKING BAND AROUND "ROCKING HORSE" A CLASS ACT, GREAT MUSICIANS AND THE BRILLIANT MAC POOLE ON DRUMS, THEY DONE A COUPLE OF SONGS AND THEN PROVIDED BACKING FOR THE NEXT FOUR ACTS.

FIRST OF WHICH WAS THE "VERNONS GIRLS" WHO GOT EVERYONE CLAPPING ALONG WITH A MEDLEY OF GREAT SONGS.

THEN CAME THE IRREPRESSIBLE JESSE CONRAD HE LOOKED GREAT AND WAS BEING HIS USUAL FLAMBOYANT SELF, "THIS IS REALLY GREAT" HE SAID "I WISH I WAS OUT THERE WITH YOU WATCHING"

HE MADE ALL THE BILLY FANS NIGHT BY DOING A TERRIFIC VERSION OF "HALFWAY TO PARADISE"

NEXT WAS SOMEONE WHO ONLY RECENTLY HAD A TRIPLE HEART BYPASS, BUT HE LOOKED AND SOUNDED GREAT, EDEN KANE GAVE HIS ALL A TREMENDOUS PERFORMANCE.

JOHN LEYTON WAS THE NEXT SINGER HE REALLY TURNED IT ON AND HAD EVERYONE UP ON THEIR FEET WITH SOME TERRIFIC SINGING, ONE OF THE VERNON GIRLS JOINED HIM ON STAGE TO DO" JOHNNY REMEMBER ME" I THINK IT WAS KIM WHO USED TO BE IN BROTHERHOOD OF MAN.

LAST BUT BY NO MEANS LEAST WAS SOMEONE WHO I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THE BRILLIANT "MARTY WILDE" AND HIS BAND THE WILDCATS, I HAVE SEEN MARTY A FEW TIMES RECENTLY AND HE ALWAYS DELIVERS A ROCKING PERFORMANCE, HE IS A GENUINELY NICE MAN AND ALWAYS HAS TIME TO CHAT WITH THE FANS, HE DONE HIS TRIBUTE TO ALL THE STARS WHO ARE NO LONGER WITH US, MENTIONING HIS GOOD FRIEND "BILLY FURY" IN FACT I THINK I COUNTED A LEAST TEN MENTIONS OF BILLY ON THE NIGHT.

THEN CAME THE GRAND FINALE ALL THE ACTS GOT BACK ON STAGE AND MAC MADE A SPEECH ABOUT HAL AND INVITED HIS DAUGHTER ABBEY ON STAGE, HE THEN PRESENTED HER WITH A FRAMED PICTURE OF HAL WITH BILLY, I DON'T THINK THERE WAS A DRY EYE IN THE HOUSE.

WELL THE SHOW HAD ALL TOO QUICKLY COME TO AN END. THE THEATRE HAD BEEN PACKED WITH EVERYONE AGREEING THAT IT WAS THE BEST SHOW THEY HAD EVER SEEN, A FITTING TRIBUTE TO A TRUE LEGEND, I NEVER MET YOU HAL BUT FROM ALL THE LOVE THAT  CAME FROM THAT SHOW  I FELL AS IF YOU ARE A GOOD FRIEND.

 

CARRIED ON CHATTING IN THE FOYER. EMILY RIVERS SHOWED ME A FABULOUS PICTURE OF BILLY WITH HAL.

WHEN WE FINALLY GOT OUTSIDE, DANIEL'S MAGIC BUS WAS PARKED OUTSIDE (WELL DONE DANIEL FOR ALL YOU DO, YOUR THE GREATEST)

WE SAID OUR GOODBYES TO EVERYONE AND WENT ROUND TO THE BACKSTAGE DOOR, WE HAD A CHAT WITH MARTY AND THE VERNONS GIRLS. I GOT NEARLY ALL THE ACTS TO SIGN A PHOTO THAT I HAD DONE FOR CLIVE, THEY ALL WISHED HIM WELL AND HE WILL BE REALLY PLEASED WHEN I GIVE IT TO HIM NEXT WEEK.

WELL THAT'S ABOUT ALL EXEPT TO ADD THE ONLY BAD THING ON THE NIGHT, WE WERE 15 MINUTES LATE FOR THE CAR PARK AND HAD TO PAY £70 TO GET THE CAR OUT (OH WELL THAT'S LONDON FOR YOU)

THIS WAS A FITTING TRIBUTE TO A TRULY GREAT MAN AND ALL THE MONEY RAISED WILL GO TO CANCER RESEARCH, THANKS FOR A BRILLIANT (BILLYIANT) NIGHT TO EVERYONE INVOLVED.

                                                                    

ROB, CHRIS, AND PAT X X X