Set Lists

Ray Davies and Band
Sunday, 19th June, 2011
Royal Festival Hall, London, UK

Contributed by: Olga Ruocco

Hurrah for Ray's Meltdown Festival - a great blend of the new, the celebrated, the unusual and the resurrected. Wonderful stuff, and it ended with the biggest bang of a truely wonderful celebration of The Village Green Preservatioin Society with not only his band, but The Crouch End Festival Chorus and The London Philharmonic Orchestra to a packed Royal Festival Hall. We were treated to songs we've never heard him sing before, and I sure hope someone's recorded this!!!!

A short orchestral introduction led to

Village Green
Picture Book
Big Sky
Do You Remember Walter?
Animal Farm
Last of the Steam Powered Trains
Star Struck
Monica
Phenominal Cat
Sitting by the Riverside
Wicked Anabella (for some reason known only to himself, Ray walked from the front and stood by drummer Damon, where most of us could only see the top of his head! Maybe this was in deference to this being Dave's song, who who was he hiding from???)
All of my Friends Were There (He remained hidden for this one too....!!!) Then, thankfully, he moved to the front for
People Take Pictures of Each Other (Before the concert began, the audience had been encouraged to take a snap of Ray during this song. Our cue to let rip was "Pose!". I had hoped for one massive white-out of flash so we could get decent pictures, but I don't think mine were very successful).
Johnny Thunder
The Village Green Preservation Society

Shangri-La
Victoria
See My Friends
Sunny Afternoon
Imaginary Man
YRGM
Dead End Street
Celluloid Heroes
The Way Love Used to Be (WOW! He thanked the man who he heard singing it in New Orleans, for reminding him that he wrote it).
Postcards from London
Waterloo Sunset (Even more magical being sung in Waterloo!)

Days

Lola
ADAAOTN

Orchestra and Choir exited

Come Dancing
TTTOTD
Low Budget

The autocue had Hard Way next in line to Come Dancing, but Ray launched into TTEOTD. I would have preferred Hard Way!

It was a wonderful sight to look back from the front and see everyone on their feet yelling and cheering for more and in delight at being at such an entertaining and perfect evening. It was a fitting end to ten days of great programming.


Olga



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