The Angels : The Greatest Show On Earth (Review)

The Angels hard rock band has been a favourite of mine for 40 years and I’ve seen them live in any number of venues; pub gigs, festivals, entertainment centre and performing arts centre — with the backing of a symphony orchestra.

Every show has been phenomenal, but the show at The Triffid here in Brisbane on Friday, 6 January 2023, took it back to basics to make it one of their best shows in years.

To see them back in a pub environment 40 years after I saw them live for the very first time, was epic to say the least.

A hot, sweaty, pumping, dancing, screaming, singing, energetic night was had by all, with a full house of 650 in the audience, the roof was lifted off that venue. It was loud, it was memorable and it was ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’.

Like my remembered 18 year old self, I scored front row against the stage barrier at the front of the stage, packed in like sardines, happily stuck there until the end of the show, right in front of the speakers I might add. The bass was a heartbeat in my chest, the music became the blood running through my veins. The fast energetic pace of hard rock the only communication that seemed important for that space of time.

For 2 hours I was transported back to my youth, the only thing missing was frontman, Doc Neeson and he is sorely missed.

Dave Gleeson, of the Screaming Jets, fronts for The Angels, and although I’ve never been a real fan of Dave’s, Friday night’s gig worked. Dave is not too bad in a pub environment. No offence to Dave, as I don’t think anyone could ever replace Doc and be as good!

The set list for the night consisted of all our favourites and I was able to take some awesome videos, which I’ll share with you below.

Enjoy ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ with the best band ever, The Angels.

Set List Number One

Ivory Stairs

After The Rain

Shoot It Up

No Secrets

No Exit

Devil's Gate

Mr Damage

My Light Will Shine

Face The Day

Set List Number Two

After Dark

Fashion And Fame

I Ain't The One

Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again

This video, of course, includes the famous Australian comeback.

Nobody knows when it started or why it started, but everybody knows where it started — right here in Queensland — came the core response that made this song the epic Australian classic — Dave Gleeson.

Comin' Down

Take A Long Line

Shadow Boxer

Be With You

Marseilles

ENCORE

Love Takes Care

Sung by the Brewster brothers as a tribute to Doc Neeson and Chris Bailey — RIP.

Straight Jacket

It was ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, and I doubt there is one person in the crowd of 650 that attended, who would deny that, as we all left the venue with a huge smile upon our face!

What a night!

I wanted to include something that happened that night that made it all a little more special for me — not to mention freaky — I questioned if I was in the Twilight Zone.

Here’s that freaky moment :

Anyone who knows me well knows I’m your classic introvert. I’m not good with people and the older I get the worse I get…..I have a phobia about meeting people and women….well they terrify me…..always have.

I’m standing at the front of the venue, at the barrier on my own, when this woman comes and stands next to me with her husband behind her.

Not sure how it happened but this woman and I hit it off and we were chatting like crazy when I decided to introduce myself. This is not an easy feat for me.

So I say, “I’m Colleen by the way.” She looks at me really weirdly and says “Really?”

I felt like I’d done something wrong just by the way she was looking at me.

She repeated her question, “Really? Because my name is Colleen.”

I rarely meet anybody with the name Colleen as it’s not very common, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Now I don’t know what made me ask but it was while we were waiting for the second set to commence, so about an hour after I’d introduced myself.

I asked her, “Would your birthday be in October by any chance?”

Well, she looked at me like I was full of voodoo and black magic. Her stare and shock was scary.

She finally responded saying yes it is and gave me the date.

Turns out her birthday is 10 days before mine and we are similar in age.

It truly blew my mind.

At the end of the night we made plans to meet back there, at that very spot, in January 2024, if The Angels play at that venue in the new year.

Hopefully Angels, we’ll see you in 2024, if not before.

Next year with be the 50th anniversary of The Angels, as they started down this road in 1974.

Rick and John Brewster are the last two founding members left in the band, and there are only a few ‘true gentleman of rock n’ roll’ left in our world, of which the Brewster brothers are two.

Rock on Australia!

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Originally posted on Medium