HHHHH
"EUPHORIC!" one elated fan posted on Facebook a couple of hours after the guitarist's farewell appearance in Glasgow. Euphoric was the word. The atmosphere was extraordinary.
Johnson, 65, has terminal cancer of the pancreas and has decided not to undergo chemotherapy. If his intention is to go out with a bang, shows like this one fit the bill perfectly. There was no room for sentiment in a rapid-fire set that showcased the best of his solo and Dr Feelgood material – not to mention the razor-sharp skills of Johnson, bassist Norman Watt-Roy and drummer Dylan Howe.
Arriving at 8.30pm sharp the trio hurled themselves at the old Feelgood hit All Through The City. The pace never slackened over the next hour: Dr Dupree, Roxette, Sneaking Suspicion, Keep On Loving You, When I'm Gone, Paradise. Wilko prowled the stage as he has done for decades, a Telecaster-toting guitar gunslinger to the last. It was an effort to wrench your gaze away. Mobile phones recorded videos and photographs on an industrial scale. As each song died away, the applause was briskly interrupted by the opening chords of the next song.
Don't Let Your Daddy Know, an extended bluesy number, showcased Watt-Roy's remarkable bass work. Back In The Night and She Does It Right closed the set; the band encored with Chuck Berry's Bye Bye Johnny, then, as Johnson thanked the crowd for its appreciation, telling them that his late wife, Irene, had been half-Glaswegian, they threw in Twenty Yards Behind. Finally – too soon – it was all over. At least one fan was seen with tears in his eyes as the crowd re-emerged into Sauchiehall Street. Bye bye Johnny.
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