I Can Make It If You Can

noelindublin · Loudmouth

I Can Make It If You Can

Wes[Wolverhampton] · House on Fire

Bob played it a few times on the SAD tour because Liz and myself requested it.Also the new Rats played it when they first toured,not sure if they are still doing it

Jules · The biggest Geldof fan in the world, bar none!

I've heard it too a few times. He told the story behind it too. Have you heard that? I love that song.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Wes[Wolverhampton] wrote:

Bob played it a few times on the SAD tour because Liz and myself requested it.Also the new Rats played it when they first toured,not sure if they are still doing it

Sorry I presumed because I didn't see it coming up on live set lists on bootlegs or the occasional Geldof solo gig I've attended over the last number of years that he hadn't played it.

The extra song on the first album reissue called Second Time is maybe the closest thing to Make It that they did at the time- it certainly for me was the best of the four extra tracks- and shows that a bit of vulnerability never did much harm- at least it shows they had a wider emotional range than a lot of the more shouthy punk bands.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Jules wrote:

I've heard it too a few times. He told the story behind it too. Have you heard that? I love that song.

Bob tells so many stories! I think Bob plays songs if they suddenly seem relevant to him maybe by some unconscious process of memory. Its the way some half forgotten song will suddenly occur to a person for no reason or there is some emotional trigger that puts the song in mind again.

Fingers was on a trip back to Dublin a few years ago and one night he was in a taxi and When The Night Comes came on the radio and he said he had forgotten about this song and that it sounded great so sometimes the band can't even remember writing the songs! Again Geldof has only started playing When The Night Comes due to fans requesting it- it seems he had half forgotten it too.

Jules · The biggest Geldof fan in the world, bar none!

I like hearing the story behind the songs, puts it into context and gives it meaning. Especially if you can relate to it too. That's what makes Bob's shows special and different isn't it?

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Jules wrote:

I like hearing the story behind the songs, puts it into context and gives it meaning. Especially if you can relate to it too. That's what makes Bob's shows special and different isn't it?

I prefer him to make short quips like in the Boomtown Rats where he just says something sardonic or scathing at the audience and we lap it up.

Too much long storytelling behind each song can be a bit like a review of his life when some may prefer him to just get on with the songs!

Remember when he used to say things like "There's a girl and she thinks shes so hip, she thinks shes so cool she thinks shes so MODERN" and then launch into the said song.

I always liked his short spiked comments better but his stories are always interesting.