I've never seen the O2 Academy so busy, even the KFC across the road(where my daughter and I grabbed a bite before going in) was buzzing with excited 50 somethings.
As with The Beat (we had seen a couple of weeks earlier in Reading), the audience was most definitely 'of a certain age', but there were hundreds of people whereas the excellent "Beat" gig had been pretty quiet.
We squeezed in and found the place heaving.
I must admit, by the time I arrived I wasn't really looking forward to this gig as I'd only arrived back from a business trip to the US that morning, but as it went along I found I couldn't help but enjoy myself.
They started well, with "Ghost Town", which was always a favourite of mine and then rattled through a top notch 'greatest hits' performance.
Terry was his usual 'non-plussed' self and the rest of the band (all of them!) were performing well, it was, it has to be said, a very polished performance and you'd need to hate Ska or be in a foul mood not to have enjoyed it.
A lot of the 50 something men there were clearly reliving their skinhead days and it got pretty boisterous and we shuffled backwards away from the fat blokes barging into each other as the evening went on, but the Academy is a small venue, so we never felt like we were out of the action or distant from the performance.
Highlights for me were "Rat Race", "Gangsters" and "Man at C&A", but you got the distinct impression the band have been doing this a long time and could turn out a good performance in their sleep.
They ended their short encore with "Enjoy Yourself" (in spite of my tiredness, I had, and clearly most others had too!) and "You're Wondering Now" - made famous again as the theme to "Death In Paradise".
Maybe it was me, or maybe it was just a tad too slick, but whilst I'd enjoyed the gig and didn't think it bad value for money (although I did blanch a little when I saw the tickets were £50 a head!), it hadn't been the sheer fun that "The Beat" gig in Reading had been a month earlier.
It was good to see "The Specials", but I think that's done now...
Setlist (From London gig a couple of days earlier, so probably the same).
Ghost Town
Friday Night, Saturday Morning
Do Nothing
International Jet Set
Stereotype
Man at C&A
Pearl's Cafe
Hey Little Rich Girl
Rat Race
Blank Expression
It's Up to You
Why?
Doesn't Make It Alright
Nite Klub
(Dawning of a) New Era
Do the Dog
Gangsters
Monkey Man
Concrete Jungle
A Message to You, Rudy
Little Bitch
Too Much Too Young
Encore:
Guns of Navarone
Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)
You're Wondering Now
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