Set List: Pretty Vacant / Seventeen / No Feelings / New York / Did You No Wrong / Liar / Holidays In The Sun / Submission / Stepping Stone / No Fun / Problems / God Save The Queen / EMI. Encore: Bodies / Anarchy In The UK.

I've never seen the MEN Arena this full for any concert I've attended at the venue. It's important to state this. A press report in the Mirror had made a fuss over ticket touts "overestimating demand." I'm told 15,700 tickets had been sold by the Monday before the show, and by the day of the show it was officially sold out. The place was heaving. THIS IS THE BIGGEST INDOOR SHOW THE PISTOLS HAVE EVER PLAYED IN THE UK. I was floored by the anticipation and atmosphere.

They arrived on stage, acknowleged the crowd, took their positions, and already looked like the best rock 'n' roll band on the planet.... and they had yet to play a note. Steve in black T-shirt, Paul in brown T-shirt, John and Glen in their waist coats....

John reminded us that it was thirty years since they had last played Manchester "I've missed ya!" From the off they were awe inspiring. The band has gelled like never before on this tour. Wisdom, rock and roll heroics, music hall theatricals, and the best set of songs ever committed to vinyl, have combined to put the Pistols back up where they belong.

The Manchester audience, so starved of such delights, roared their approval throughout the evening. "Only the Sex Pistols could make it a United City of Manchester for one evening" remarked John in reference to the city's two football teams. It was true, everyone was on the same side tonight.

The sound in the Arena was superb. Loud and clear. The two big screens either side gave many great close-ups of the band. John was yet again, animated, witty, frightening, hilarious, serious and sincere. No performance is the same - that's why he is so compelling. That's why you have to see the Pistols as many times as you can. Steve's guitar always sounds like ten guitars, how does he do that? Glen and Paul are full of attitude which is manifested in their on-stage confidence and thundering delivery. This IS rock 'n' roll.

They were as near flawless tonight as a band, any band, can get, or would ever want to get. I'm not picking any favourite songs from the show, that would be wrong - I just absorbed them all from start to finish.

It's over too quickly. "Would you like to hear some more of our popular show tunes?" enquired John before the encore. Bodies and Anarchy In The UK - shows tunes don't come more individual than this.

How did it compare to the Brixton shows? It was grander and more epic in feel, due in part to the scale of the event. But I won't be ranking the shows in order. I can only take away with me the feelings I got on each occasion and hold onto them. Every time they blew me away. As simple as that.

So, for me, the 2007 shows are over.

Ten days I'll never forget.

Ten days, five shows.

Five confirmations that my favourite band are the best in the world. I never doubted it. Ever.

Review by Phil Singleton

Glasgow 18th November Review >

Holidays In The Sun 2007 Index

Feature ©www.sex-pistols.net 2007. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced without permission.
God Save The Sex Pistols ©2007 Phil Singleton / www.sex-pistols.net.