Phil Kelly & Shadowmania

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Re: Phil Kelly & Shadowmania

Postby petercreasey » Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:47 pm

Just a thought........ would it be fair to all the people who are spending their hard earned money on tickets, hotels and travel to attend Shadowmania to know what the line up is going to be? Shurely they should be offered a refund if they are not happy with the changes?
Peter

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Re: Phil Kelly & Shadowmania

Postby donna plasky » Mon Aug 20, 2012 3:28 am

petercreasey wrote:Just a thought........ would it be fair to all the people who are spending their hard earned money on tickets, hotels and travel to attend Shadowmania to know what the line up is going to be? Shurely they should be offered a refund if they are not happy with the changes?


This is just my opinion, but...under normal circumstances, I think your point is a valid one. But Bruce did recently announce that this is the final Shadowmania. I think that, among other things, this was everyone's cue to cancel your trip and sell your tickets up if you had such concerns.

Shadowmania is about many things, like mutual admiration and friendship -- but money is not one of them. And it's not a commercially packaged and marketed concert like the "50th Anniversary Tour." It's about an Evening With Bruce.

I meant no personal offence by my remarks. You have every right to your opinion and your feelings.

Sincerely,
Donna
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Re: Phil Kelly & Shadowmania

Postby David Martin » Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:03 am

dave robinson wrote:As many of us were shocked to hear that Phil wouldn't be performing with Bruce at the final Shadowmania after thirteen previous appearances, I felt that it only right to contact Phil and get the full story on behalf of the members of this site, many of whom buy the tickets for this event.

Below is Phil's reply to me which he has asked me to share with you all. To say I'm disappointed in the way that Bruce seems to have dealt with this would be an understatement.
Here is Phil's email to me on Thursday last - read on . . . . . and tell us what you think.



Hi Dave,

I am truly gutted to not be a part of what is deemed to be the last shadowmania, a couple of months ago i would have put my hands up and stepped down myself because.i could not have coped with it, i have a large piturity tumour that has apparently been growing for about 6 years and that needs to be removed from under my brain ,which hopefully is benign, most of them are, but they reap havoc throughout your body with your whole hormonal system, so you cannot concentrate, you suffer memory loss, ( look at me on some previous shadowmanias ) i would just go completely blank, it effects your mood and attitude, my thyroid has hardly been working hence the weight gain , you name it , the list goes on and on, the sad fact is i am responding well to the medication i am being given to replace in my body what the tumour has prevented me having hormonally speaking, and i am getting better every day , my eyesight is not so good at times and glasses only help to a certain degree as the tumour exerts different pressure on my optic nerves from day to day, but i could have done the gig, i was stunned to be blew out with 6 weeks still to go, so not given a chance really, at the worst i would have maybe needed my glasses on from time to time if i went blurred on stage, but i think the audience would have excepted this rather than me not be there at all..
I am truly grateful for all the messages of support, truly amazed, people have been really kind.
I felt people should know what had transpired with regards to the show as nobody else had been vocal..
Anyhow, i will just have to get over it, thankyou again for your message ,i mean everthing i say, it was really appreciated,
best regards Dave,
Phil.



Just my happorth... Phil, thanks for the inspiration (and your "baby" boy - remember that?), and thanks for the pleasure of hearing you play. Heartfelt best wishes for a complete recovery too... It's tough love when someone decides not to expose you to more pressure and stress and that's hard to take, as you have written... But it is love - from him and from all of us. :ugeek:
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Re: Phil Kelly & Shadowmania

Postby rogera » Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:30 am

I hardly ever dare comment on this board as it's Roger - my hubby- who's the registered member here. However I feel upset to think that the last Mania event will be ever so slightly tarnished by the events leading up to it. Roger and me have travelled literally hundreds of miles over the years to see the boys in concert. As soon as tour dates were announced we would book seats for several shows at venues across the country and we made a sort of mini break out of it, driving from city to city and treating ourself to a 'nice' hotel to top off the evening. Like many others here, we've seen the Shadows at theatres from Edinburgh right down to Plymouth and enjoyed every single moment of it. We knew nothing of any 'behind the scenes' situations, we just went to enjoy the music and see musicians we loved and respected. But on each occasion we knew the line up and were sure of who would be appearing. Sadly, because of the recession and because a lot of people going to see the show are now pensioners on limited incomes, and may well have health issue themselves but are making a huge effort to support the meeting, then the line up for the show does become an important part of why we want to go. Of course it's Bruce's evening and everyone loves and wants to see Bruce on stage at Mania this one last time, but a lot of folk would also have been looking forward to seeing and hearing our much loved Phil Kelly. He's done so much toward making the absence of Hank in the line up go almost unnoticed by his tireless search to achieve that Hank sound. He's worked hard and put his heart and soul into what he has done. I think Phil is pretty special. I've never been to Shadowmania, I've preferred to stay home and enjoy my knitting without having to worry about getting another bloomin' meal (wonderful peace and quiet with no guitar twanging wafting about the place!!) but I have heard Phil play while he's been visiting us and he is top notch stuff. In fairness, I think that it would be right and proper to let people know who they are going to see in the line up in a few weeks time. It's the done thing really. There must be a good reason why Bruce has chosen not to make known the line up...maybe it hasn't been finally settled yet? Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful week-end, that the weather is kind and the music on both evenings gives pleasure to all.
Needless to say Rog and me wish Phil the speediest of recoveries and our love and best wishes to you and your family Phil.

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Re: Phil Kelly & Shadowmania

Postby Amanda » Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:21 am

I've worked out who the "mystery guitarist" is.....


It's...........





ECCA!!!!!!

That long holiday in the Isle Of Wight was a front, he's been practicing with Bruce all the time!!! :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Phil Kelly & Shadowmania

Postby dave robinson » Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:46 am

howarddobson wrote:This is my first post on Shadow Music - hello to everyone :) - despite having been a Shadows fan for six years or so. I was a late starter - but thankfully got to see them on the 50th Reunion Tour and shake hands with them at HMV Oxford Street, plus I was at Shadowmania in 2010 and 2011.

I wanted to post having read the previous posts regarding popular lead guitarist Phil Kelly. The thing is, I can't imagine many sectors where someone would be allowed to work if they were ill. 'Employers' have difficult decisions to make sometimes - but it could be seen as irresponsible to allow someone to work when ill, regardless of how much that person wants to work. There are insurance considerations too I'm sure. So, in our world of heightened health and safety awareness, I can understand any decision to play it extremely safe.

There are practical considersations too. Given 1,000 or so people will be journeying to see this last Shadowmania, the headline band needs a full set of musicians without the risk of someone pulling out last minute.

Perhaps though given the weight of demand to see Phil Kelly one last time, he could guest with one of the other bands for a few tunes in the same way Jet Harris and Licorice Locking have done in the past. That way he appears but can pull out too if he's not feeling well on the day.

One other thing - surely Shadowmania could continue with a different name with a whole host of tribute bands and perhaps the occasional appearance from the key members. Don't you think?



Thank you for your first post Howard, you talk a lot of sense and one wonders where on earth you have been all these years, as your input here would I'm sure have been invaluable.
As Roger's wife has said, this is the final Shadowmania and Phil Kelly has been part of it from day one, he is almost a big a part of it as Bruce, Jonesy and Cliff Hall.
In the economic climate and the fact that many attendees are pensioners who undoubtedly will feel the cost of the weekend, but still make the effort, it is not unreasonable to expect to know what the lineup will be. I fully agree that if someone is ill that they should be advised not to take on the task and be subject to the pressure, but it should be down to the person to make the decision using common sense. Would it not have been a good idea for Bruce to have gone with Phil in the assumption that he would be OK, but have a plan 'B' involving other guitarists on the show being able to step in and help out if Phil was not up to it ? That way the audience would fully understand and appreciate the situation and Phil's pride and feelings would remain in tact along with the concerns of those paying for the tickets, who were expecting to see Phil perform. Unless Bruce has someone up his sleeve that we don't know about that's the common sense way out of this problem and I know it works as I have had to do it with our own band. :idea:
All of that said I wish Phil a speedy recovery and the very best for the future.
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Re: Phil Kelly & Shadowmania

Postby David Martin » Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:17 am

Whilst I appreciate the sentiment of Robbo's posting, I don't quite see it that way...

On some occasions in my past, I have been absolutely committed to something - notably my first career - eaten, drank, slept it... neglected my family for it... all in the belief that it was the right thing to do. And someone else stepped in and said, in effect, "you're too close to all this to make the right judgement, David. You must give it up ... there is no alternative." I hated it at the time, but it was the right judgement. I'm still alive, and have two further careers before happy retirement...

It's just "tough love" on Bruce's part and we should respect that now...
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Re: Phil Kelly & Shadowmania

Postby rogera » Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:22 am

Donna_Plasky wrote:
petercreasey wrote:Shadowmania is about many things, like mutual admiration and friendship -- but money is not one of them. And it's not a commercially packaged and marketed concert like the "50th Anniversary Tour." It's about an Evening With Bruce.I
Sincerely,
Donna


I understand the point you make but with all due respect I can't quite agree with you there. Shadowmania isn't organised as a charity fund raising event either. It may not be as large an occasion as a tour or special anniversary show but it is a commercial, business event. If it had not proved profitable to the organisers I doubt whether it would have run for this many years. Having said that, nobody goes around counting the profits. They attend - as you quite rightly say - to meet up with friends and to spend an evening in the company of Bruce Welch and the guest bands he has invited to join him. Phil kelly not being at the final Shadowmania is a bit like Hank not making it for the last night of the last ever tour... Phil was the founder lead guitarist with Bruce's backing line up and to most folk he is as great a part of Shadowmania as Hank is to the original Shadows.

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Re: Phil Kelly & Shadowmania

Postby George Geddes » Mon Aug 20, 2012 11:03 am

Just for the record, Phil is indeed a founder member of Bruce Welch's [Moonlight] Shadows but at the first Shadowmanias he shared lead guitar duries with Barry Gibson.

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Re: Phil Kelly & Shadowmania

Postby rogera » Mon Aug 20, 2012 11:23 am

Thanks George! :)
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