Gong, Steve Hillage Gong Steve Hillage/Italy 2009

In 2009, the band celebrated its 40th anniversary and in July they participated in “FUJI ROCK”, proving that they were still going strong. After that, they performed on a large-scale Euro tour, and the second day of the tour, on October 23rd in Milan, Italy, was recorded in full with a high-quality digital audience from DAT master, including the opening act, Steve Hillage Band. First, Hillage, who became the bandmaster of this revival of the golden age of the 70s, appeared with the three members who also participated in Gong. The main performance was from his solo albums in the 70s, and with familiar songs such as “Hurdy Gurdy Man” and “It’s All Too Much”, they developed a parallel psychedelic world full of the floating feeling of the past, different from the recent System 7. In the second half, Gong, led by the great David Allen, including Hillage, appeared on the opening psychedelic 70’s trip! The lineup and composition of the band is almost the same as the Fuji Rock Festival three months ago, with David Allen (Vo/G), Jill Smythe (Vo), Steve Hillage (G), Miquette Giraudi (Kb), Chris Taylor (ds), Theo Travis (Sax), and Mike Howlett (B), and the show proceeded with a focus on representative songs from the 70s. The most exciting songs were from the masterpiece “Radio Gnome Invisible” trilogy that Hillage participated in in the 70s, “Flying Teapod,” “Angel’s Egg,” and “You,” and the power of the band is as strong as it was back then, which is hard to believe for a 71-year-old. Many songs from the 40th anniversary album “2032,” released after the band’s visit to Japan, were also performed, and the current state of the legendary band, where Allen’s experimental spirit has been sublimated musically, is here. (DISC ONE : Steve Hillage Band) 01. Announcement/02. Octave Doctors/03. Palm Trees/04. Searching For The Spark/05. Aftaglid/06. Hurdy Gurdy Man/07. Salmon Song/08. It’s All Too Much (DISC TWO : GONG) 01. Gong Intro/02. Escape Control Delete/03. You Can’t Kill Me/04. Digital Girl/05 . Zero The Hero And The Witch’s Spell/06. Dynamite / I Am Your Animal/07. I Am A Witch / Dance With The Pix Dance With The Pixies/08. Wacky Baccy Banker/09. I Never Glid Before/10. Portal/11. Flute Salad/12. Oily Way DISC THREE : GONG) 01. Outer Temple / Inner Temple/02. She Made The World/03. Master Builder / The Isle Of Everywhere/04. Guitar Zero/05. Selene/06. Band Intro/07. You Never Blow Yr Trip Forever (part 1)/08. You Never Blow Yr Trip Forever (part 2) [Live At Teatro dal Verme, Milan, Italy October 23rd 2009]