Wilko Johnson

Everything that needs to be said about the circumstances of this gig will have already been said by those more eloquent than myself. Wilko was clearly enjoying himself and his spirit, attitude and energy were infectious. He said very little but there were clues in his choice of material that suggested how he was looking forward to being reunited with his beloved Irene. The only other time I had seen him was at the Word In Your Ear event some 18 months ago. Last night Wilko was a very different person. This was a guy who was proud, grateful and totally at peace with who he was and his situation. At the end he smiled warmly, waved, asked God to bless us all and then left. In other circumstances the venue might have been more appropriate but with a show that could have sold out 20 times over, vantage points were at a premium. People were literally hanging from the ceiling to get a view. How the guy next to me maintained balance standing on handrail for the entire gig, I’ll never know!