10/10/83 - CITY POLYTECHNIC, SHEFFIELD

Summary by Steven Stanley
This gig took place at the 'City Polytechnic' which I take it are where the university buildings are now. Bryan packed a hall out there with 200 lucky people inside. As you can see from the ticket above it says 'union of students' underneath the venue name...so BA's first ever gig in Sheffield (to my knowledge) was in a student union bar! How times have changed...if only he would do it again though!

(Above) A ticket for the show

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Review by Deborah Williams:
Back in 1983 I was spending a couple of days in Sheffield. I wasn't in the best of moods (I wasn't there for the best of reasons) And my friends felt that a gig might cheer me up. Thus I found myself dragged to a tatty college hall preparing to be unimpressed "Who is this guy anyway?" I muttered as a skinny kid with a mop of blond hair bounded onstage. Within minutes I was hooked ! " Who IS this guy?.".

17 years and thirty odd gigs later and I'm standing in a plush Theatre in Vancouver getting sprayed with sweat and spit , Bryan's singing "Remember" (as if we could forget).Two shows in two days both as brilliant as always. Highlights? The crowds pindrop attention during "Heaven" The growling, purring bitching masterpiece that is "Bluesjam" a note perfect "I'm Ready" and that final glorious end of tour boogie to "She's only happy/ C'mon Everybody".. Well worth several thousand miles and a seriously pissed off bank manager. What a way to start Y2k .

The boy is now an icon, a bone fide megastar and I'm sure he gets a tad fed up with all the "Kids Wanna Rock" headlines , yet it just happens to be true! and at every show (even these high priced soft seat extravaganzas) the new kids are there ,13-17 year olds discovering the music for the first time .I trust that at least some of them leave , wide eyed in wonder saying " Who IS this guy"

Heres to the next decade or so, its been a blast so far.

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BA speaking of his rise to fame in '92 - "I think there has always been a groundswell for us in Britain. I remember playing Sheffield Polytechnic in 1983 and the crowd sang 'You'll Never Walk Alone' at the end of the show. There's always been that very supportive vibe."

(Above) Sheffield '83 is always one of the first gigs to come out of his mouth when he talks about his best ever. Even on the 'Room Service Tour' at the Manchester show in 2004 he recalled playing Sheffield back in '83.

Jim Vallance on the European Tour of '83 - I also had the opportunity to witness an amazing audience reaction during a concert in Sheffield, England. The room (the size of a school gymnasium) was so hot and humid that condensation was literally raining from the ceiling. Towards the end of the concert the crowd spontaneously broke into a soccer anthem, the highest compliment a European audience can pay a performer. I believe it's the first time that had happened for Bryan, and I know the Sheffield concert remains a highlight of his early career.

Interview June 2006:
Question: Bruce Springsteen once said that his concert at Newcastle City Hall in 1981 was in the top three gigs he¹d ever done - what are your top three gigs?

Bryan: Well, he's not wrong. it's an amazing place to do shows. I have a similar one, Sheffield Polytechnic in 1983. It was unreal. Since then, the big ones and the very small ones stand out, Wembley Stadium, Madison Square Gardens, NYC, and the Marquee Club in London.