29 August 2026 (gig)
11 h
Experiencing the Waterboys live again after a gap of almost 20 years was akin to renewing acquaintances with an absent friend.
Checking back, it was in May 2007 that I last witnessed Mike Scott and his band of merry men in concert, so it was not before time that I rather belatedly checked them out again.
And I'm pleased to report that they have still got it, and how, even if a too leisurely reworking early on of their perennial radio favourite The Whole Of The Moon prompted a slight sense of trepidation about what could follow.
Irrational fears miles from the stage in the Hydro's distant seating proved swiftly unfounded as Steve Wickham worked his fiddle magic opposite Scott's insistent strumming on a downright rocking We Will Not Be Lovers.
Better still was a darkly epic Medicine Bow, with Wickham and keys wiz Brother Paul Brown engaging in an incredible climactic face-off.
Traditional influences were to the fore on reeling three-hander Raggle Taggle Gypsy, featuring Colin Blakey on flute, before a stunning nine-minute reverie saw the swaying Van Morrison cover Sweet Thing segue into Beatles classic Blackbird – with Wickham casting another spell.
Billed as a revue in homage to the Waterboys' 1988 fourth album Fisherman's Blues, the band's latest outings have seen them joined by American folk-rock troubadour Steve Earle.
The second half of an epic set saw the mandolin-wielding, Texas-raised performer join the collective on Waterboys numbers as well as a few of his own career highlights.
His own rousing standards Copperhead Road and Guitar Town certainly went down well with the massive crowd inside the Glasgow venue, with My Old Friend The Blues providing a moment of tenderness while I Ain't Ever Satisfied bounced along like a heartland jackrabbit.
"I've only ever wanted to be in about three bands and this is one of them," the endearingly dishevelled Earle, 71, growled, before revealing that he hadn't put a record out for a while because he's been working on a musical – eyebrows were duly raised.
His enjoyable spell in the spotlight also included Volver A Celaya, an earnest and decidedly downbeat new protest song recorded with Los Lobos.
The subsequent extended home run saw the eight-piece deliver a muscular rendition of the Rolling Stones' Southern rock anthem Dead Flowers, with Earle sharing vocals with Edinburgh-born frontman Scott – and accentuating that trademark growl – on a wonderful When Will We Be Married?
Down on the floor the audience stood static despite the delightfully jaunty rhythms in the air, but to be fair they seemed utterly engrossed, and understandably so.
Scott, 67, showed he can still comfortably hold a crowd with an acoustic turn, briefly going solo on Has Anybody Here Seen Hank? ahead of the "big music" resuming on a swaggering, twanging Come Back To Galway, with Wickham's fiddle bringing the epic back home to where it belongs.
Wickham's bowing sang just as beautifully on And A Bang On The Ear. This jaunty tune, featuring Earle on guitar and Blakey on mandolin, twirled delightfully every which way as all nine musicians dug deep.
The encore saw the grizzled Earle singing on the Celtic dervish that is Galway Girl, with the phonecams coming out for a thrilling finale in the apt shape of Fisherman's Blues, as the night went full circle on its own bobbing Vital Spark.
There was still time to end on a honky-tonk Will The Circle Be Unbroken with lashings of Wurlitzer antics from Brother Paul, as Scott and Earle fittingly shared vocals.
This had been a joyous and all-in coupling.
Picture credit: Steve Gunn at Shotbyagunn Photography.
