I have always been a massive rats fan and was there for their first full UK tour in 77. Thy were the best live band around when punk broke – and that includes The Jam and the Clash.

Their star waned as the seventies closed, they were unable to keep producing  high quality songs at a time when new bands were breaking who could do just that.

Ironically their musical high water mark- “Mondays” was also their nemesis. It was wholly atypical of their material. It alienated their die hard punk fans and set a benchmark for their new fan base which  they could not possibly emulate.

Geldof is 74 years old now. Although there are peers who are older frontmen ( Iggy pop, Jagger) this tour will surely be his last hurrah

The unbilled support act  London based “The Horn” offered ostensibly indy fare, but really harked back to Simple Minds and Duran Duran. They were politely received.

I love Bob, but he can border on the preposterous, and the documentary celebrating the Rats past fifty years  was preposterous. It is fifty years since their inception, they have not had fifty years of success. The snippets from the early years merely serving to emphasise what is gone. A few bars of  the magnificent Born to be Wild inspired Mary of the Fourth Form teased and tormented in equal measure, but is  impossible to play live now in The Jeffry Epstein. Prine Andrew/ Jimmy Savile era.

Symphony Hall I acoustically one of the finest auditoria in the world- but the dialogue was muffled- no excuse whoever was in charge of sound.

Those sound issue persisted. The chiming piano intro to the opening “Rat trap”  was lost in a sludge of guitars. As the show unfolded matters did not improve.

Opening with  Rat Trap was bold- sometimes Springsteen would open with Born to Run. When opening with your biggest song works, it sets a high water mark which does not recede. When it doesn’t- you have blown your best song.

Eva Braun, is a routine rocker, Like Clockwork, an irritating  novelty song, the energy dipped.Never mind, next up was Neon Heart a great rocker, it fell flat.

Bob then decided that he would stretch out the routine rocker She’s Gonna do you in from four to tenn minutes courtesy of a blues harmonic solo. Only three people are allowed harmonmica solos, Neil young ( heart of Gold), Bob Dylan ( blowing in the Wind) and Stevie Wonder ( isn’t she lovely). And that is it. There is a reason for this. Normally they are rubbish. Bob proved the point.

“Mondays” was good- with a poignant Gaza monlogue. Close as You’ll ever be was ruined by a poor arrangement. “f*** the world” was embarrassing, fine if you are 14 not when you are 74 and certainly not sing along material. Modern was very good- and the show should have ended there.

Rat Trap

(I Never Loved) Eva Braun

Like Clockwork

Neon Heart

(She’s Gonna) Do You In

Monster Monkeys

Someone’s Looking at You

I Don’t Like Mondays

Whole World

Close as You’ll Ever Be

When the Night Comes

She’s So Modern

Banana Republic

Diamond Smiles

The Boomtown Rats

The truth is that without Johnny Fingers and Gerry Cott who are both pursuing other musical projects the band is shorn of its original musical dynamism with Garry Roberts sadly now dead. It’s over- but thanks for some great memories Bob