The Stone Roses @ Wembley Stadium, London UK

DSCF6051 The infamous Manchester band sold out Wembley Stadium flooding the gates with a sea of bucket hats and lemon t-shirts. With 90,000 die-hard fans singing every lyric Ian Brown (Singer/Songwriter) wrote and every riff John Squire (Guitarist) played. The hype was justified. With supporting acts like Stockport’s Blossoms, an indie band well on their way to greatness, which was reflected in their set incredibly. The band also had support from Sleaford Mods and The G-O-D.

The excitement was seen all over London with fans coming from every corner of the country. Pubs were filled with fans drinking and connecting through their love of music. Many British bands have their own style or trade mark look which the fans adopt, The Stone Roses are no exception. London was full of band t-shirts, bucket hats, stone island clothing and Adidas Gazelles the signature look for Roses fans. A swarm of fans laughing and discussing music, both young and old. The Roses were at the height of their Musical greatness across the late 80’s and 90’s coming out with hits such as ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ the regular stage opener and crowd favourite and ‘Fools Gold’, the list goes on. This timeline would suggest a much older crowd; this could not be further from the reality. A vast mixture of ages was seen filling the stadium making the bands incredible music timeless.

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After a lot of drinking and singing in the streets the stadium soon filled ready in anticipation for the four Manchester lads to do the thing they do best in the countries capital. Being in the heart and centre of the crowd you really felt how important music and musical events such as these are to British culture. It is fair to say that all who attended had a few hours of their lives with none of the worries or stresses that the everyday person has. It was just them, their mates of old and the music.

The band walked on with confidence stringing out a long intro to ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ soaking up the love their fans have for them. As soon as Squire cuts into the main riff the whole crowd erupts, singing the tune back with all they had. Brown walks on with the Manchester swagger that we all know and love, tambourine in hand he starts one of the most memorable gigs of each of the fans lives. Wembley stadium being a perfect venue to carry the sound of both the music and crowd. The gig was consistent throughout in every way, strangers hugging each other and singing in awe of the day, coloured smoke filing the air from the renown flares the band attracts at their live performances.

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The band played 19 classics during their set and there was not a fan in sight that was not screaming back every lyric. The set included tracks like ‘Sally Cinnamon’ and ‘Mersey Paradise’ the type of tracks that make your mind bounce back in time to the first time you heard them. The hit ‘Made of Stone’ had the best singing response from the crowd with the memorable chorus being repeated by all.

As the sun started to disappear over the back of the stage, the gig ended with an incredible performance of ‘I Am the Resurrection’. Released in 1989 and recorded by the band in one take, the 8-minute track has always been the perfect way to end an unforgettable set. Throughout the track the crowd would seem like a riot from the outside but from the inside it was pure magic. Beers flying everywhere, people picking each other up on their shoulders, awful drunken dancing and a lot of missing shoes. The song has a celebrated instrumental with incredible synchronization between Reni (Drummer) and Mani (Bassist) with Squire providing us with a solo that sends chills through your body. By the end of the track most fans had their hands in the air, eyes closed and head back just taking it all in.

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To have named but a few of the tracks played is not to take anything away from the rest, every song played had a tremendous response by the fans. It was an experience that every music lover should get the chance to be a part of. The band now come to the end of their current tour with two dates in Leeds and finish at Hampden Park National Stadium in Glasgow. Tickets are hard to find but take any opportunity possible to see the band create the atmospheres they attract.

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