Went to the Steeleye Span concert in Auckland. Last saw the band at the Pitt St (Auckland) YMCA in 1975 not knowing many of the songs except Thomas the Rhymer - great jigging then and I thought towards the end they may have been heading that way with this concert.
Thought the support acts did well - especially Ralph McTell. The kiwi guy was very bluesy which I imagined might seem a bit odd at a folkie event, but his original songs were pretty cool. McTell was wonderful and I agree with people who feel he was worth the price of the ticket alone.
Span I have to say did disappoint in some respects - principally (as has been mentioned) in respect of the sound system which from where I was sitting (downstairs row L)was very muddy and lacking finesse and precision. Very loud too. The harmonies were essentially lost. When people grumbled after one song, they did some repair work and it seemed better after that. I was also annoyed by the spot behind the drummer which came on from time to time and blazed in our faces. I looked forward to the lead guitarist moving as he occasionally blocked it out.
However, that aside I did enjoy Drink Down the Moon, Long Lankin and All Around My Hat. Missed the Black Jack Davy and a couple of others but that's personal preference for you.
Have to say Kemp the Fiddler stole the show for me. Superb stuff which really drove many of the songs. Plus of course Maddy's voice.
Bonus was seeing Billy Connolly in the audience (to whom Maddy dedicated one song - Cam ye o'er frae France)...seems there's a Billy Ralph tie-up. Wonderful also to see the strength of folkie support - heaps of people singing along to McTell's very moving tunes was a revelation to me.