So I'm gonna see Graham Parker Friday night ...

Just saw Graham - surprisingly his voice is in excellent shape! Furthermore he was very cheery and happy - also unexpected as the few print interviews I’ve read had him coming off as a bit grouchy and caustic, but I think those were published decades ago so they may have been done at a bad time or perhaps he’s grown happier over the years.

He did a handful of Rumour songs (“Protection,” “Fool’s Gold,” “Don’t Ask Me Questions,” “Silly Thing,” “Back to School Days,” “Stick to Me”), a couple of new songs (soon to be released), a couple of unreleased songs that pre-date his recording career, and a bunch cherry-picked from the rest of his career. It made me wish I had caught his final tour with the Rumour, which I neglected to go see - at minimum I imagine he would’ve sounded great as he did tonight.

He’s still good live. I saw a tour with the Rumour and saw him solo a few times. Not crazy about all his latest music.

I guess he’s still living in upstate NY now

I saw him back in ... 2012? With the Rumour, and he/they were great

I saw him on that reunion tour as well and it was great. Believe another ILX0r was there too.

yeah i think i saw them a couple of times on that reunion tour -- maybe the gramercy and also the place in huntington that is now called the paramount? also saw them the first time around on the "squeezing out sparks" tour at the palladium (still might have the little sparkly pinwheel toy they gave out that night). saw the rumour sans GP at the heatwave festival in toronto.

"NOT graham parker's rumour!" they remarked.

lots of denial going on that day. elvis costello denied he was the clash.

to be honest he actually said he *was* the clash. (clash were originally scheduled but wound up cancelling out of respect for their fans or some such bs. up to the last minute people were holding out hopes they would appear.)

Goes w him as last minute sub for Pistols on Saturday Night Live, enraging Lorne Michaels by subbing unsched "Radio RadiOH," "Do wot you are told," they called it Punk! After all.
GP and The Rumour set on Chicago PBS concert show Soundstage worth looking for: audience in flames, Parker like "Another nice day at the office." Rick Danko & Friends held their own with all that.

Ah yes the aren’t Graham Parker and Elvis Costello the same days . Those nerdy Brits

Joe Jackson would like a word.

Found GP & The Rumour's Live At Marble Arch on Spotify - really great stuff. Strange how they released two great live albums as promo LP's (the other being Live Sparks) yet the mostly-live Parkerilla was dismissed as their worst album.

Also found this - originally released on a UK/EU DVD containing both of their Rockpalast appearances. This one's from 1978 and even though they're touring behind Stick to Me, those songs generally come off better here (except "Heat in the Harlem," the one egregiously bad song from this era) and there are plenty of songs from their first two albums as well. Excellent show, almost as great as Marble Arch.

FWIW, the other show on the DVD was from 1980 - while Parker and the band sounded great, that setlist leaned heavily on The Up Escalator and the songs were clearly a cut or two below the ones from their previous LP Squeezing Out Sparks.

He's apparently playing at a Civil War-era house in Staten Island in a few weeks. I never heard of this venue though tbf they appear to book sporadically.

https://www.hamiltonparkhouseconcerts.com/events1/graham-parker