The Specials @ Rivermead Centre, Reading - November 8, 2016

The Specials live are all I hoped they would be: genuine and invigorating.

The set opened with their huge hit Ghost Town, and being in Reading at a little used (for music) leisure centre, it seemed fitting. Although the place was anything but a Ghost Town; it was packed with mostly 50+ Fred Perry and pork pie hat wearing blokes, a few with their girls in tow.

Terry Hall quite quickly starting chatting with the crowd and continued throughout the show. For once, I could clearly hear the stage banter. In fact, I thought the sound was really good and at the perfect volume. No ringing ears this morning!

He asked about the Town name pronounciation jokingly and there were some nods to missing band members, particularly John Bradbury who passed last December and should have been on this tour. Gary Powell from the Libertines very ably sat in on drums. At one point Terry admonished whoever threw a bottle on stage, and warned that one more and they'd walk off - they don't put up with that shit. I liked his middle-aged reasonableness: "put the empty in your pocket. Keep Britain Tidy." I imagine that the humble Mr. Hall has always been a decent bloke, and liked seeing this side of his personality.

Lynval Golding was full of energy throughout the show, and also talked to the crowd, mentioning (on this US Election eve) that he now lives in America and doesn't know if that's a good or bad thing. Horace Panter, the only other original member held down stage right with his bass. The rest of the band was guitarist, keyboardist, and at times, 2 trombonists, a violinist and backup singer.

Following Ghost Town were a handful of songs that weren't very familiar to me from my North American viewpoint, but by Blank Expression I was well into very familiar territory. This is the bouncy, driving ska band I fell in love with all those years ago.The only song I'd have like to have heard that I didn't was Pressure Drop, but that's only in retrospect as I type this.

Setlist:
Ghost Town
Do Nothing
Friday Night, Saturday Morning
Stereotype
Man At C&A
Blank Expression
Rat Race
Redemption Song (Bob Marley Cover)
Doesn't Make It Alright
Nite Klub
(Dawning of a) New Era
Do the Dog
Gangsters
Concrete Jungle
A Message to You, Rudy
Monkey Man
Little Bitch
Too Much Too Young
Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)
Guns of Navarone
All the Time In The World (dedicated to John Bradbury)
You're Wondering Now