Thin Lizzy

Phil Scott

Don't believe me if I tell you, not a word of this is true
Don't believe me if I tell you, especially if I tell you that I'm in love with you

Newcastle City Hall - 20th June 1978
Live and Dangerous Tour

Thin Lizzy recorded probably one of the greatest live albums of all time and decided to tour to promote it. Up until that point Lizzy had gone on quite lengthy UK tours but this one was quite short - only 5 or 6 dates as I remember and each venue had it's own badge with the date on it. Our tickets were really bad and we were only a few rows from the back of the hall.
Thin Lizzy ticket 20/6/78

In the back of a black cadillac, the voodoo music travels
Down on skid row only blackmen can go, the shady deal unravels

Phil Lynott
Newcastle City Hall - 12th April 1979
Black Rose tour

Brian Robertson had left and been replaced by Gary Moore. The band were playing two nights and we got tickets for the second night. Unfortunately it turned out to be the same night that Kate Bush played in Sunderland and after a lot of sweet talking my Mum and Dad let us go down to Manchester to see her on what turned out to be her only ever tour.

We had really good seats down the front and it was at this show that the photographs that are on these pages were taken. Obviously we didn't know it at the time but it was the last time we would see the band. The venue had even spelt the band's name wrong on the tickets. I have to confess that I didn't like Gary Moore as much as I had liked Brian Robertson. In some ways I was glad when he left but then I never rated any of his replacements either. The two guitar line up would never be the same again. Thin Lizzy ticket 20/6/78

Gary Moore We should have seen the band again later that year at Reading where they were due to headline on the Saturday night but due to the disarray in the band they pulled out and were replaced by the Scorpions. Brian Robertson's new band Wild Horses played on the Sunday afternoon. The rest as they say is history - I never saw them again and to be honest everything they did after that time left me cold. But I'd give anything to see that famous line up of Lynott, Downey, Robertson and Gorham just one more time.

Somewhere on the waterfront, Johnny's hiding with a gun
Swears he'll kill any man that tells his story, he's not sorry for what he's done
He broke into a drug store to cure a daily need
He didn't mean to shoot the guard but he was blinded by the greed
Oh Johnny

All my Thin Lizzy Photographs can be seen here

Part one | Music index

Thin Lizzy Logo

Lizzy Links

The "Official" Thin Lizzy site
Thin Lizzy - A Rock Legend
Black Rose magazine
Jim Fitzpatrick's website - The illustrator of many a lizzy album

ŠAll photographs copyright Kevin Shewan
Lyrics and Bad Reputation cover art used without permission