On May 21, 2024 I headed down to San Francisco, California. This time it was to The Fillmore to catch Ricky Warwick and Stiff Little Fingers on the stage. This legendary lineup was lined up for bear tonight and we were all in attendance.
Solo artist Ricky Warwick gripped his Gretsch acoustic guitar and played a Thin Lizzy track and a Black Star Riders track as well. He had the audience jamming as he worked through his set. He played the entire set solo and it rocked. Starting his set with “The Arms of Belfast Town,” he played the guitar through the set stopping from time to time to tell stories about life. From stories about Burnt Lemonade to getting into music, and to having his sister buy him his first album, Inflammable Material which was released in 1979 by Stiff Little Fingers. He also had everyone be the drummer for a Black Star Riders song, “Kingdom of the Lost” and finishing up with Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades”, his set was perfect for this crowd, and the crowd echoed it back.
Follow Ricky Warwick band members:
Ricky Warwick – guitar, vocals
Setlist:
1). The Arms of Belfast Town
2). The Killer Instinct (Black Star Riders song)
3). Fighting Heart
4). The Whiskey Song
5). When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang the Blues)
6). Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy song)
7). Celebrating Sinking
8). Bound for Glory (Black Star Riders song)
9). Kingdom of the Lost (Black Star Riders song)
10). Schwaben Redoubt
11). Ace of Spades (Motorhead cover)
When Stiff Little Fingers appeared on stage, the crowd exploded. Starting with the anthem “Suspect Device” the crowd went nuts and never settled down. The fourth song was their latest, “Hate Has No Home Here” and was the key song of the tour. The song was tight and fresh and all Stiff Little Fingers. The next song, was a Bunny Wailer song called “Roots Radics, Rockers, Reggae”, and they nailed it. The next song on the list was “Silver Lining” with a little info about the down-and-out UK scene of the early 80s (and now) and how it has kept pace with what is going on today.
After a couple more songs, they broke into The Specials “It Doesn’t Make It Alright” which came out before The Specials version even though they wrote it. Toward the end of the evening, the band played a stunning tribute to Joe Strummer introducing “Strummerville”. It was touching knowing that he touched so many many lives while he was here. From there they ventured off into two old tunes, “Nobody’s Hero” and “Tin Soldiers” which ramped everyone up again. They ended the set with “Gotta Gettaway”. But no, Stiff Little Fingers came back on stage for a double shot of awesomeness with “Barbed Wire Love” and “Alternative Ulster” to round out the set.
If you missed the show, you are too late. According to the bill, this was to be, unfortunately, Stiff Little Fingers’ last US tour. The solo events, festival dates, and such are on. So, hopefully, they will return someday.
Follow Stiff Little Fingers band members:
Jake Burns – lead vocals, guitar
Ali McMordie – bass
Ian McCallum – guitar
Steve Grantley – drums
Setlist:
1). Suspect Device
2). State of Emergency
3).Fly the Flag
4). Hate Has No Home Here
5). Roots, Radics, Rockers, Reggae (Bunny Wailer cover)
6). Silver Lining
7). Love of the Common People (John Hurley cover)
8). Just Fade Away
9). Doesn’t Make It Alright (The Specials cover)
10). At the Edge
11). My Dark Place
12). Wasted Life
13). Get a Life
14). Strummerville
15). Nobody’s Hero
16). Tin Soldiers
17). Gotta Gettaway
Encore:
18). Barbed Wire Love
19). Alternative Ulster
Follow Ricky Warwick on social media
Follow Stiff Little Finger on social media
Photographer of about 10 years, I have been shooting concerts for about 8 of those years. I started to get serious about concert photography about 6 or 7 years ago and now try to shoot as many as I can. I shoot mostly rock but, have done some country and big band stuff. I love music and since I am nowhere close to being a musician, this is a way I can be a small part of what, in the words of Henry Rollins, “gets me through the highs, the lows and everything in between”.
