Yes I was very lucky to be there and love to tell more about this...
In 1993 there was an interview in Record Collector magazine in which Mark told about the process of recording his new album. He explained the four locations with different musicians brought together by friends of him, including Paul Brady. The interview continued and Mark said something like "It would be great if all musicians could come together when the album is finished to do a show, for TV or something".
So I kept that in mind and by the time the record was announced, I already knew that "Later with Jools Holland" would be the best option for this show. With the help of a friend in the UK, whom I informed about Mark's intentions, we managed to get a reservation for tickets (still free at that time) and made plans to go there.
So on the 15th of April 1996, I arrived well dressed at Victoria station, in need for a hotel. I got a 5* hotel for a 3* price just because I was 'properly dressed', anyway that started off well!
Strait to the venue in White City, where I met the others and off for some food.
Then queuing to get in. They let me in first, since I was the only one listed as coming from abroad. The wait in the lobby, with comfortable seats and drinks, BBC goodies and lots of photos from previous shows was filled with chats about previous tours and what was ahead of us.
Then the doors to the studio opened and I was called in and choose a place in the absolute center, about an inch from the stage. The whole studio filled up quite fast and in about 20 minutes the show started. That was pretty awkward, since the stage was very small, Mark stood just about 30 inch away from me. And with a quite low stage, we were exactly the same height. So I did a few steps back, got a thankyou from the camera man and enjoyed the rest of the show from a more comfortable angle.
Well the setlist is well know. Will upload a picture + one of the ticket.
Mark had to play a few songs over and over. He forgot the lines to Rudiger and the fourth time it was finally done correct. A Night in Summer had to be done again when the last track from the set was over, because of technical problems in the recording.
After the 3.5 hour show, I waited till most of the audience were gone and Mark was still talking at the back of the stage. I walked up there and Paul Cummings asked where I was from and how I got there, so I told the story. Then Mark excused for his tiredness since he'd gone out the previous night with the US bandmembers. He signed the 'Darling Pretty' single and we were about the last ones to leave the studio. Somewhere I also heard that Paul Franklin had not rehearsed for this show, so it was literally the first time since the last OES concert that he played the outtro to Walk Of Life.
After the show it was still warm outside and since most public transport had stopped, I decided to walk to the hotel. About a 1.5 hour walk, but accompanied by some persons I met on the street and with this beautiful show in my mind, time flied.
I might have missed out on a few things... will see if I still have the report that I wrote on the night of
