INTRODUCTION Not that it’s important or something that everyone needs to know but I thought I would introduce myself first of all and give you the reason why I have decided to do something like this. My name is Gary Choppen (Gary Cee) and I have been a fan of Gary Numan since 1979. I was born in East London on 8

th March 1968. Yes, I share my birthday with the man himself but I didn’t know this

until around 1980 when a school friend handed me a copy of Look-In magazine in a lesson one day which featured a ‘Fact File’ on Gary Numan and to be honest I thought it was pretty cool but I got my fair share of hassle for it (just like many others did back then I’m sure). Again, like the majority of fans I got in to the whole Numan thing after seeing Gary Numan and Tubeway Army perform ‘Are ‘friends’ electric?’ on the TV show Top of the Pops. It would be so cool to say that I had actually heard the likes of ‘That’s too bad’ and ‘Bombers’ and had been checking out the likes of John Peel on Radio One but truth be told, I hadn’t. I didn’t know they even existed at the time and I’d be lying if I said any different. Like most of the fans I expect, I would re-visit Numan’s past later down the line. Top of the Pops was a show that we as a family watched almost religiously and when Numan appeared on it, it would be something that would totally change my life. I was 11 years old at the time and I remember sitting there and just staring at the TV screen, taking it all in as the predictable comments from the rest of the family started to come out of their mouths. Those comments were not very complimentary at the time. I didn’t listen to them, I knew what I liked and I liked what I was seeing. It was totally different to anything I had seen or heard before. Saying that though – I had actually heard ‘Are ‘friends’ electric?’ on the radio a couple of times before seeing the performance on the TV. I used to listen to the radio quite a lot back then as I loved music from an early age. My parents had a record player in the house and I’d listen to their records a lot of the time (the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Bee Gees & Boney M were often played). I think I was bought an Alba radio / cassette recorder for my 10

th birthday and I loved it. I used to tape as much music from the

radio as I could.

After hearing ‘Are ‘friends’ electric?’ for the first time I knew I had to record it and I distinctly remember sitting there all day on one occasion just waiting to hear it again so I could record it. It was a while before I actually found out the name and artist because I never actually caught what the DJ said. I’m sure a lot of fans can relate to a lot of the stuff I have said already and also possibly the fact that what I was listening to at the time before Numan came along was totally different and that’s why it was so good, so refreshing. It felt like it was something I could relate to but I’ve never actually got why? Again, it would be cool to say that I had been listening to punk or early Ultravox, Human League and Kraftwerk but no, I wasn’t. As I said, it was stuff from the 60s and cheesy 70s. I remember a lot of Disco type stuff being played in the house too. That moment in 1979 whilst watching Top of the Pops would be a pivotal moment for me and many others around the UK and we probably didn’t expect what would be in store for us all for the next 30+ years. It sounds strange but I firmly believe that it was that moment that changed my life and many other’s lives too. That may sound a bit over the top but ask any fan who experienced the same and they’ll probably say exactly the same. I’d guess there were people who thought the same when they first saw the likes of The Beatles, Elvis, Nirvana etc… I very much doubt the same can be said for the likes of Rihanna and One Direction but who knows? Each to their own and all that eh! I don’t knock anyone for liking the music that they like because they may have the same feelings about the artists they follow as I did back then and still do to some extent. So, we all know how the story goes – ‘Are ‘friends’ electric?’ went to number 1. It topped the UK singles chart in June 1979. Did you know that when the Top 100 singles of 1979 was published it was Number 4? (Cars was Number 17). You only have to look at what else was in the charts back then to see that it stood out like a sore thumb because it was so different. People obviously loved it for that reason and Beggars Banquet, the record label produced a limited run of picture discs of the single which no doubt helped it climb the charts to the top position. It knocked Anita Ward’s ‘Ring my bell’ (a disco type track) off the top and stayed there for a few weeks before being replaced by ‘I don’t like Mondays’ by The Boomtown Rats. Having something like ‘Are ‘friends’ electric?’ as the top selling single in the UK at the time was a statement that things were about to change. Gary Numan was to be a superstar and it wouldn’t be long before the UK would see 1000’s of Numan clones around it’s streets. I’d never seen anything like it myself. Ok, I had been to the Kings Road in Chelsea a few times as a kid because we had family living near there who we’d visit every now and then so I’d seen the punks by the telephone boxes and I remember being mesmorised by them but looking back, the punks had a number of different bands they’d listen to. Numanoids (as we were called back then) had Numan and that was it and they (we’d) copy him as best we could. I can’t actually put my finger on it as to why that appearance on Top of the Pops got to me so much. It wasn’t just the music. It was the whole presentation. Numan was dark, alien-like and static. I didn’t think of it much at the time because I just really liked what I saw but he looked really cool. Hindsight tells us that he really thought about the whole image and how he wanted to come across. He says he didn’t smile because he had dodgy teeth and was also nervous but to me, and no doubt many others, he came across as someone really cool, someone I wanted to be and someone I could relate to. Some said it was “just a fad”, a “one hit wonder”, “it won’t last” and another comment I heard a number of times from people older than me was “he’s copying Bowie”…….At the time I didn’t know much about Bowie at all so I ignored the comments. Bowie might have been around in ‘their time’ but this was ‘our time’ now and we had Gary Numan. 1979 was Numan’s year. He went on to have another UK Number 1 single with the follow up ‘Cars’ which proved he wasn’t a “one hit wonder” (Noel Edmonds and the panel on ‘Jukebox Jury’ in 1979 said it would be a hit too) and he also had 2 UK Number 1 albums in the shape of ‘Replicas’ and ‘The Pleasure Principle’. Things were going big time for the 21 year old who appeared to come out of nowhere. Again, hindsight tells us that it wasn’t as easy as that.

As I have said already, I think the majority of fans all walked the same path back then. The ‘Top of the Pops’ moment was probably where it all began for most of us. I’d guess that again, the majority of fans all purchased ‘Replicas’ as their first album and then looked in to Numan’s past offerings in the shape of the Tubeway Army album and singles. My Nan actually bought me the ‘Replicas’ album from a market stall in Basingstoke town centre. It would be the place where I would purchase various Numan badges and patches and they’d all sit proudly on my black Harrington jacket. I was very aware at the time that there were lots of people around that liked Gary Numan too so I wasn’t on my own but I was also more aware of the fact that there were plenty of people around who saw it all as shit and they’d take pleasure in telling me so too. Yes, plenty of fans have said over the years that they received abuse for liking Gary Numan and I am no different. I had my fair share of it at school too from the people that just didn’t ‘get it’. School kids could be very nasty and I was called all kinds of things. The most predictable descriptions would be “queer” or “poof”. It did get to me, I won’t lie and that’s probably why I ended up going to see a child psychologist with my parents in 1980 because I kept running out of school due to bad anxiety attacks. I was later told that I had an inferiority complex. I didn’t have a clue what it meant at the time…..I obviously do now and I think they were spot on with their diagnosis. I am pretty certain that there were many other fans around the UK that felt exactly the same. When I started secondary school in September 1979, Numan had started his Touring Principle tour. I really wanted to go and see him and I expected my parents to tell me that I couldn’t but luckily, for me anyway….a neighbour and friend of my Dad knew that I liked Numan and he was a fan himself so he got tickets to Southampton Gaumont on 2

nd October. It was only 30 minutes drive from

Basingstoke. Grahame was around 28 years old I think and drove so they knew I would be in safe hands. It would be my first Numan concert. To be totally honest with you, I don’t remember too much about it. I think I was just in awe of what I was seeing at the time. Yes, the help of videos jogs the memory but that’s nothing like being there at the time. I feel very fortunate to have witnessed watching Numan on his first tour when it was all going mental for him. I just wish I could remember more. 1979 really was Numan’s year I think. The country was going through a hard time with unemployment at a high yet all I was interested in as an 11 year old was Gary Numan. Like many others I would buy every magazine he would be featured in. I would try and catch every TV show he’d be on. I was becoming infatuated with the whole thing. My Mum pierced my ear for me and I had to have it in the same side as Numan which once again bought me a whole new level of hassle from the kids at school. I didn’t care too much really and although life was hard back then at school, I wasn’t going to change for anyone….why should I? The kids at school just didn’t seem interested in anything apart from being twats. Smoking in the bike sheds and trying to look ‘hard’, glue sniffing and just being pains in the arse seemed to be the highlights for them. If they could piss me off at any opportunity, they would. To be honest I only ever saw them at school. I wouldn’t see any of them out of school hours. I would generally go home and listen to my music. I’d play my Numan records on repeat much to the dislike of my brother Michael with whom I shared the same bedroom. One of the things I could never understand back in those days was why Numan was receiving such crap from the press. I’d find myself defending him whenever I could as if it was my job to do so. I remember a moment at school one day in an Art class when I was talking about Numan to anyone that would listen. My art teacher Mr Hill actually sat down with me and listened because he was a fan himself. He was my favourite teacher anyway but that day he went right up in my estimations and soon became someone I would chat to regularly about Numan. It was Mr Hill who told me about the next tour in 1980, the Teletour. He couldn’t go to any of the dates himself but once I knew that Numan was on the road again, it would be my mission to go and see him again. I was doing a morning and after school paper round at the time which funded my record buying. Dad was made redundant from his job and we were a family of six so money was tight back then. Life wasn’t easy in 1979 / 1980. What little money I earnt would mean I could do things for myself, even at that age. I asked Grahame, the friend of my Dad’s when he was round the house one day if he was planning on going to see Numan again and he said that he was. He was going to go to Southampton Gaumont again which would be almost a year since the last time we’d been there.

I was getting very excited already but it was only talk. A ticket hadn’t even been purchased yet and to my disappointment (massive understatement there!) I never went to see Gary Numan in 1980. The reason being, as I said earlier…I was being a bit of a shit at school. I kept running out of school after assembly and registration because I just couldn’t handle it. I was getting shit off people on a daily basis and so it was my punishment. My Mum had to visit the school on a number of occasions which was probably embarrassing for her (and me). The last straw came when I totally lost the plot one day. We were waiting outside a class room, ready to go in for a science lesson and some of the arsehole lads were mucking around with a fire extinguisher, daring each other to let it off. Talk about timing – As the teacher came around the corner the extinguisher was thrust in to my hand, the red button to let it off was pushed and I covered soaked the teacher from head to toe. She wasn’t happy at all and grabbed me and marched me kicking and screaming to the head master’s office. Back in those days there was still the likes of the cane and I knew what was ahead of me. I totally lost it when I was in the head master’s office and was told that I’d be receiving ‘six of the best’ (as they called it back then). I told him in no uncertain terms that if he came near me I would get my Dad to “kick his fucking head in” (oh dear!). It’s no surprise that I was suspended from school for a week. So, because of all that – I wasn’t allowed to go and see Gary Numan in 1980 and I was gutted. It was my punishment for mucking about and it did teach me a lesson but the visit to the child psychologist also told my parents that I had a problem. They never really knew that I was getting grief at school because I didn’t tell them much about it but after a good talk with them and then later, the teachers too, people understood that the abuse had been getting to me. Most of the time it was verbal but on a couple of occasions it was physical too and that was when I decided to tell my parents what had been going on. I thought it was pathetic and I still do. Just because I liked a rock star, I got beaten up. It did teach me one thing though and that was to not take shit off anyone in the future and what with my punishment of not being able to go the gig and a few other things, I think I changed from that moment on. Now, this brings us on to the main reason for creating this document. In late 1980, after a couple of world tours, number 1 albums and top 10 singles and a whole load of grief from the press himself, Numan announced that he was retiring from playing live. He’d had enough. I didn’t understand at the time. I thought he was retiring from music altogether so it was a massive shock. It seemed like I had just grabbed hold of something special and now it was ending all too prematurely. It seemed like Numan had only just started yet he wanted to finish. I didn’t take in to account that he must have been absolutely knackered having toured what seemed like endlessly for near on 2 years. He was a young guy that was more or less thrust in to the public eye. He’d done a few gigs with Tubeway Army back in the day in pubs etc but all of a sudden he was in every magazine, every TV show, touring all the time and yet the press were still slating him at every opportunity. It must have really fucked his head up and he’d had enough. The announcement came in late 1980 and it was that 2 dates at Wembley Arena in London on Monday 27

th April and Tuesday 28

th April would be where Gary Numan would say goodbye. These

would be his last 2 live shows and were labelled as ‘Farewell shows’. Tickets would be on sale in the new year. I wasn’t a member of the fan club as yet (joined in May 1981 – membership number 7176) but apparently tickets were available from there in advance? Tickets were selling fast and there was such demand from them that Wembley Arena sent out its own announcement in late January that an extra date would be added. This was Sunday 26

th April.

I’ll be honest – I was as gutted about the whole thing as no doubt many of you lot were. Like I said, I couldn’t understand the decision but then again I wasn’t Numan and I hadn’t had the whirlwind couple of years that he had. I hadn’t received the unjustified shit comments (in my opinion) that he’d received from the likes of the press either. I don’t know how I would have felt if I had been in the same situation, none of us do. It probably felt right for Numan at the time but I personally thought that he was at the top of his game, he was huge in the UK and Europe and no doubt all over the world. It had all happened really quickly for him and maybe to him it was unexpected and not what he thought it would be? Maybe he thought he wanted to go out at the top and he did just that (again, in my opinion). I didn’t like it and I didn’t like the comments I got at school again from the idiots that took pleasure in telling me on a daily basis that it was all ending for me and many other fans like me.

One lunch time at school a couple of months before the Wembley gigs, I was sat on some steps on my own when I noticed to punk looking girls from the 5

th year sat nearby. I’d never seen them before but

I did notice that one of them had a couple of Numan badges on her leather jacket. I had my Harrington jacket on which was covered in them and I caught her eye. We smiled at each other and she asked me if I wanted to sit with her and her friend. It felt really cool that these older girls had the same interest as me. I don’t remember their names but the girl with the Numan badges said that she was a massive fan and really wanted to go to Wembley to say goodbye. The other girl said she wanted to go because she wanted to see Shock who were supporting as she preferred them. I had never heard of Shock at the time. Both girls said that they were gutted because the tickets had sold out for both nights and that was when I thought my world had ended. That sounds very over the top but it really did. If there was one thing I really wanted to do, it was to go and say my goodbyes too. If it was to be the last time Numan ever played live, I wanted to be there to witness it myself and to also show my support. To my surprise the two girls didn’t know that an extra date had been added. I told them and their faces lit up once they realised that I wasn’t winding them up. I bumped in to them a number of times in the same place and it was probably only a couple of weeks later that they told me that they’d actually got tickets for the additional date. On the day that they told me all the tickets had sold out for the Monday and Tuesday, I was in a bad mood. I had no interest in my lessons for the rest of the day and was pretty much in a world of my own not taking any notice of anything I was being taught. Things would get much better though and that will all become clear as I bring this introduction to an end. The whole purpose of this document is to create something for the fans that attended one or all of those farewell gigs at Wembley Arena in April 1981. The idea is to include as many personal photos and reviews as possible from people that like me, want to remember it as one of the best moments ever. I’ll kick things off with my own personal review and hope that it jogs memories and encourages others to do the same. I would firstly like to thank those that have contributed to the Facebook group already. Some of the personal photos that have been shared on the group are amazing. One of my biggest regrets is that I never took a camera with me. I had an amazing view at the front and if only I had something to prove that. They would be some of my most cherished possession’s that’s for sure. I hope you enjoy the following and please, if you would like to add your own stuff to this, let me know. I think it would be something nice to have.

Wembley Farewell T-Shirt Fans gather outside Wembley Arena WEMBLEY 1981 – Reviews from the fans…. The following pages will feature personal reviews & photos from fans that attended the Wembley Arena shows in April 1981. All reviews & photos credited where possible. If you are the owner of any of the included photos and have not been credited please let us know.

A personal review by Gary Choppen, Basingstoke, Hampshire. “For me, it’s not about being stuck in the past, it’s about remembering an historical moment in musical history” I wrote that in 1986 and I stick by it 100%. I was 18 years old at the time and decided to start writing a book which I titled ‘Numan & ME’. I just wanted to document my history of liking Gary Numan from day 1 and it ended up being a mammoth task but an enjoyable one all the same. I found that when I got to the section about the Wembley Farewell concerts of April 1981 that I really got in to my element. For me, the last night at Wembley on 28

th April 1981 is something I will never EVER forget.

Most people have memorable moments in life. The birth of their first son or daughter, the day they got married, the day they passed their driving test etc. Yes, I got married and yes it was brilliant and I’ll never forget it. Yes, I passed my driving test and that was cool but it’s easily forgettable. I don’t have kids so I haven’t experienced that feeling. Personally speaking, that night in April 1981 was the best night of my life. Don’t tell my wife that though eh! (the wedding night was amazing but come on….). That night was recorded and is in the collection titled ‘private’ (oops!). Enough of that! It’s pretty scary to look back and think that back then, a couple of months before the Wembley gigs, I wasn’t actually sure if I was going or not. It was the only thing I was interested in. I wanted to go more than anything if it was to be the last time I would see Gary Numan live but as I have said already, tickets seemed to have sold out or so I was told. What I didn’t know was that someone would come to the rescue and all would be cool and I would eventually end up going. Like I said, it’s scary to think that I could have missed out and all of these years later I could be regretting it and wondering why everyone makes such a big deal about it. I feel very fortunate to have been one of the many that attended those gigs. Yes, I paid for the pleasure but I would have paid double, treble…whatever amount if I had known what was in store and the memories it has given me over the years. It’s always good to have memories and I have some great ones of the night I went to. I remember everything so clearly as if it happened yesterday. Ok, so the videos, DVD’s etc all help too but to be honest, I’d still remember everything even if they never existed.

Rehearsals for Wembley – Stock photo

I remember a couple of months before the concerts in 1981. I was at school and I had been chatting to a couple of girls who had informed me that the tickets to both of the concerts had sold out. Then I saw that another date had been added so it gave me hope. I’d saved money from my paper rounds but I had no idea of how to get a ticket and I thought it was too late anyway. I remember coming home from school one lunch time as the family dog had given birth to puppies. I wanted to stay at home with them but Mum sent me back to school. She seemed a bit weird at the time and I didn’t understand why. Little did I know that going on behind the scenes was some kind of master plan (all will become clear shortly). When I arrived back home later that day I walked straight in to the kitchen

to see the dog and puppies again. I remember getting told off for shouting because Mum was on the phone. I saw her smile at me and she put her finger to her lips to signal to me to keep quiet (or shut the fuck up in reality). I sat down on the floor and stroked the dog and heard her say “Yes, I would be very proud if it was my son too”. I wondered what was going on? The conversation went on for around 10 minutes and I still had no idea what she was on about or who she was talking to. Eventually she got off the phone and it was then that she said “Do you know who I was talking to?” I shook my head, I didn’t have a clue. “That was Beryl on the phone” she said. “Who’s Beryl?” I asked, not realising she had actually been talking to Gary Numan’s Mum for the past 10 – 15 minutes. I had no idea at the time but as I said, Mum had some kind of plan on the go. She hadn’t said anything to me because she wanted to see how things went first but what became clear was that she had contacted Beryl via the fan club. She had written a letter to her asking if it would be possible for me to meet Gary after the Wembley show. She’d told her that I shared the same birthday and would be celebrating my 13

th birthday a few weeks before the concert. She also said that I saved all my money

from my paper rounds to buy his records etc.

Fans Upstairs in Wembley Arena- Stock Photo

Beryl could have easily just sent a letter back replying but she didn’t. She took the time to call my Mum and explain that it wasn’t possible for a number of reasons. Apparently she also said that she’d received sacks full of post requesting the same thing. I hope she didn’t phone every one of those people back. Blimey, her phone bill would have been HUGE! It was a strange feeling that day because first of all I had the excitement of my Mum speaking to Beryl and telling me what her plan was and then I had massive disappointment as the reality dawned on me that I may not be going altogether. I still wanted a ticket more than anything else yet I didn’t have one. I was gutted. Little did I know that I had nothing to worry about. I remember going upstairs, getting changed and then going straight round to my mate Neil’s house. He wasn’t a fan but we got on really well and he never gave me any hassle for being so in to the whole thing. He was a diamond actually and fought my corner whenever possible. I remember knocking on his door and his Mum answering. She was a very large lady and she knew I liked Gary Numan. She was the first person I told…. “Gary Numan’s Mum has just been talking to my Mum” I shouted. I was over excited and it looked like she was too. For a large lady she moved pretty quickly

and ran inside to get Neil. In that short space of time the story had changed because by the time Neil came to the door he said “Are you joking? Gary Numan’s Mum has been round your house?”. I laughed out loud and then explained what had happened in detail and then went back home shortly after.

More Wembley Rehearsals – Photo Source Unknown

At school the next day it was the main topic of conversation and it had yet again been distorted in to almost a totally different story. People were coming up to me asking me if Gary Numan had been to my house. It was funny and I played on it a bit as I lapped up all of the attention. I eventually put everyone straight and told them what had actually happened. The arsehole boys at school who gave me hassle just carried on taking the piss out of me. It was that day though that I will never forget because when I got home I was greeted with the news that I had been hoping for. Grahame, the guy who I had gone with to Southampton Gaumont in 1979 to see Numan was in the kitchen chatting to my Dad. He was giving him tips on making home made wine. It was Grahame’s hobby and my Dad was interested in getting in to it too. I said hello and then went upstairs to get changed. When I went back in to the kitchen to get a drink, Grahame and my Dad were still chatting. Grahame chatted to me and asked me how I was and we also talked about Numan. We then got on to the subject of the Wembley gigs and I told him how pissed off I was that I may have to miss out. I didn’t realise that my Mum, Dad and the rest of the family were in on the wind up but they all played along. Grahame said he was gutted too as he had tried to get tickets but they were sold out. I really believed every word he was saying and didn’t realise that behind me my Mum was trying very hard to keep a straight face. It was then that he said “I heard about your Mum talking to his Mum. If Gary Numan’s Mum can’t even get you tickets then there’s no hope is there?”. It was a very strange feeling as it felt like there and then it was confirmed to me 100% that I would not be going to see him. Grahame then stood up at the kitchen table and said he had to make a move and go home. He put his hand in his jacket inside pocket and pulled out something and put it on the table and then said “I’ll see you all soon”. I had no idea what he had put on the table. I thought it was some tips about wine making for my Dad so I got up and went to go back upstairs. Everyone was smiling and I didn’t know why. I thought they were taking the piss at first because I was so gutted.

David Wingate’s Ticket for Final Night Ian Culver’s Ticket for First Night My Dad said “I think that’s for you” and pointed at the piece of paper on the kitchen table. I picked it up and looked at it and it was just a piece of folded paper. “Look inside” said my Mum. To my amazement, joy, whatever you want to call it…. On to the table fell a ticket for Tuesday 28

th April

1981, Wembley Arena, ROW A, SEAT 38. I couldn’t believe it. I screamed out like a girl and just stared at it. I was fucking going to see Gary Numan on the last of 3 nights of his farewell gigs. I was ecstatic! Again, that might sound over the top but after weeks of being absolutely down in the dumps and gutted, now I was totally the opposite. I felt like I’d found the golden ticket in Charlie & The Chocolate Factory or won the lottery. It was amazing, I couldn’t wait and the weeks leading up to the gig seemed to go at half speed. As I have said before, I have documented this from memory previously but I have also done a bit of research too because I was absolutely convinced that on the day of the last night at Wembley when I had come home from school and was waiting to be picked up by Grahame, I was actually watching Cheggers Plays Pop. This was one of my favourite music / game shows at the time and I also liked a bit of Two Tone / Ska music thanks to my younger brother Michael who had got in to it….I even had some Madness, Specials and Selecter badges on my Harrington jacket nestled in between my Numan badges! I distinctly remember a band called Bad Manners being one of the bands on this particular show and as I said, I was convinced that I had been watching it before Grahame knocked on the door but after a bit of research on Google of the BBC listings for 28

th April 1981, it states that Cheggers

Plays Pop was on 27th

April 1981? Check it out - Very strange……really strange because I can remember the Wembley gig like it happened yesterday but I’ve got confused over the years about what I was doing moments before we started off on our journey to Wembley Arena. My ticket clearly states 28

th April and it was definitely the last night so I am confused…..even more now (he laughs).

CAN’T FIND MY PROGRAMME WITH THE TICKET BUT HERE’S SOME MORE ANYWAY!

Jeff Walker’s Ticket for Final Night Mark William’s Ticket for Second Night That day had it’s ups and downs. The day at school went really slow and I was dis-interested in everything. All I was bothered about was finishing the bloody day and getting home and getting changed and getting to see my idol for the final time. I went home at lunch time and asked Mum if I could stay at home for the rest of the day. She said “NO” and to be honest, she probably did me a favour. I was nervous anyway and I would have only got worse. Going back to school probably took my mind off it all although it didn’t seem like it at the time. Grahame actually turned up early and I

thought something was wrong. I was worrying about the stupidest things at that time. I didn’t want anything to spoil this night for me. He’d simply arrived early because he’d managed to get away from work a bit earlier, that’s all. I was sat in the living room. I remember it clearly (well, obviously not clearly enough because I obviously was NOT watching Cheggers!). I had mousey brown hair and a ring in my right ear. I had black shoes on, black jeans and a jumper that my Mum had knitted me. It was a ‘one off’ and I called it my Numan jumper. It had the Tubeway Army face on the front in black with a white background and on the back it had black Telekon stripes and all the single titles up to I Die:You Die. I loved it. I had my Harrington jacket on over the top so I could show off my badges but if I remember correctly, it was also pretty cold at the time. Grahame said “We best make a move because the traffic will be a nightmare” so up I got from the settee and my legs were shaking. Mum gave me a kiss on the cheek and said “Go and enjoy yourself”. Grahame checked that I had my ticket and out the door we went. It’s funny to think that the ticket cost me £5.00. Grahame had apparently paid for 3 of them on his credit card just days after the gigs had been announced and he’d gone for the last night as “it’s always the best” (he said). I’d known none of this beforehand, if only I had….all of that disappointment and walking around like a stroppy twat for weeks would have been avoided.

Robin Nichol’s Ticket for Final Night Svenny’s Ticket for First Night I said goodbye to the family and then got into Graeme's rusty old burgundy Ford Cortina. In the front sat his daughter, Lisa and I jumped in the back. Graeme reached for the stereo, pushed the tape in and as the synth intro to 'Airlane', the opening track from The Pleasure Principle began, we pulled away. We drove up the M3 towards London, past Fleet, listening to The Pleasure Principle and as Graeme and Lisa sang their hearts out to 'Metal', I sat there in a world of my own staring out of the window and feeling very nervous and excited as to what would be in store later that evening. As we approached Wembley I remember winding down the window to get some air as I was very hot and felt sick with nerves. I hadn’t eaten anything as yet as I was far too nervous at home. Mum had tried to get me to eat something but I just couldn’t do it. Graeme asked me what was wrong, I told him and he gave me a polo mint (as if that would fill me up!!?). It sounds funny now but sucking on that Polo Mint gave me something to focus on. As we drove round towards Wembley Arena I could see swarms and swarms of fans filling the paths and making their way to the venue. Some were walking in the roads in full Gary Numan clothing. Black jumpsuits with red straps, Red Streaks in their hair, Blonde Hair etc. It looked like the various different images Numan had gone through were all catered for. Some were kitted out in the old black shirt with blue/red tie but it was like it was some kind of Numan invasion. It felt very cool. Everyone had a uniform and it really was a Tubeway Army. The Army filled the streets around Wembley and you could feel the excitement and tension in the air. My nerves had disappeared now and it was pure excitement. I took in everything at the time because I wanted to remember the occasion. I didn’t think that many years later I would write an in-depth review like this. It seemed like everyone was in a rush to get to the venue and it was very exciting. I could hear music blaring from people's cars and could make out that it was a mixture of various Gary Numan songs. Graeme turned off the tape and simply said "Listen to that!"...He could obviously sense the excitement too. The atmosphere outside the venue and around Wembley was brilliant – Just think what it would be like once we were inside!

We eventually got to a parking space and as the car stopped I opened the door as quickly as I could. I couldn’t wait to get out to take in the while occasion.

Wembley Arena – Photo courtesy of Ian Lafferty

I had been almost silent in the car on the journey to London. I stretched my legs and tidied myself up. I left my jacket covered in badges and patches in the car and as soon as Graeme had locked the car up, we were on our way. I stood there for a moment and just looked around me and took everything in. A large group of people walked past us smiling and singing and as we made our way towards the venue, we joined their army too. I took everything in but said nothing. We turned a corner and I stopped in my tracks.....there it was, Wembley Arena! Wembley Arena looked huge on the outside, almost prison-like and was swarming with fans queuing outside and pottering about. There was a massive queue all around the outside of the venue and it just made it all the more exciting. Again I stood there and just watched everybody. Graeme was talking to me but I was in a world of my own. I just stood there as his words went over my head and I smiled at the view I saw. Above the venue in massive letters was a banner which had Gary Numan plus guests Shock written on it and that's the moment I think that the nerves really did disappear and the excitement really kicked in. I was shaking with excitement and thought there and then that I was going to be a part of something special, something that would go down in rock and pop history...I wasn't wrong. We made our way past 100’s, 1000’s of fans in the queue and found a place near to the end of it and as we walked past I could see loads of different images. These people were a lot older than me by the looks of it. There seemed to be a lot of girls too (which was good) and as we walked past them. Everyone seemed to be either talking Numan or looking at us. I couldn’t really understand why but thinking about it, I was wearing a jumper that my mum had knitted me which was pretty unique. It was a one-off. I was pretty certain that nobody else would have one in the world (who would want one?) and maybe they were wondering where I had got it? Well it was truly a one off because my mum had made it.

Outside Wembley Arena – Photo Courtesy of JO79

A girl in front of us in the queue who was from Scotland and with her Mum asked where I had got it from. She even took a photo of me. I wonder if she still has it? It seemed like ages for the queue to start moving and when we finally got inside the venue it was well worth the wait, it was superb. The scene was almost like a busy airport with fans rushing all over the place to find their seats or visit the merchandise stalls. We were eventually escorted to our seats by someone from Wembley and I could not believe how close to the stage we were. When I say close I mean close! I remember thinking, “How can little old me from Basingstoke get a seat this close to the stage at Wembley Arena?”. I wasn’t complaining! I didn’t sit down straight away. As I stood there, I was amazed at the size of the place. I looked around the massive arena and saw what looked like tiny dots in the seats above and all around me up in the rafters. There didn’t seem to be a single seat available and the noise of thousands of fans talking, anticipating what was going to happen was almost deafening on its own. I sat in my seat for about 5 minutes and just stared at the stage. A huge curtain was hiding Gary Numan's stage set away and suddenly the lights went down. On to the stage came the support band, Shock. They didn’t really do much to excite me to be honest. I didn’t know much about them but it seemed like lots of others did. There were no instruments and the group appeared to be just miming or singing over backing tracks and although I don't remember too much about it, I do remember them playing a version of 'I Dream of Wires' from Gary Numan's 'Telekon' album and I think ‘Einstein A Go Go’ by Landscape? They got a decent reaction and applause and when they had finished and the lights went up, the noise was deafening again. I know it might sound nasty but I was glad they had finished at the time because I just wanted to see Numan take to the stage. Graeme had bought me a programme and I began to look through it. I remember him saying to me "If you need the toilet, go now because you won’t get a chance later” So off I went in search of the loos. I followed a crowd of blokes that seemed to have the same idea and I was right. I was directed all the way to one of the many toilets by following them and as I stood at the urinals in between 2 very good lookalikes in full Telekon Space Cadet costumes, one of them asked me where I had got my jumper from!! It was quite funny.

It then became a topic of conversation in the toilets and quite a few blokes were trying to read the back of my (now famous) jumper, I couldn’t get away quick enough. On my way back to my seat I noticed that the merchandise stall was pretty quiet and didn’t have much of a queue so I brought myself a T-shirt and some badges. I had been saving up my paper round money but couldn't afford all of the stuff on sale. I wish I had thought of asking Graeme if I could borrow some money off him but the thought never crossed my mind. On my way back to my seat I received a dirty look of huge proportions from a woman who was caked in makeup who obviously thought that she had more right than me to be at the gig as I was just a kid (well, that's what I thought anyway!). It felt as if she was looking at me in disgust as I made my way past her and to my seat with Graeme and Lisa but I guess that’s the whole Inferiority Complex thing again? Grahame stood on his seat taking some photos of the curtain covered empty stage. He managed to take a few more during the show itself and I can honestly say that still to this day I have never seen any of them! We had an instamatic camera at home and I don’t know why but I didn’t even think about taking it with me to Wembley. I really wish I had so that I could have some personal memories in photo form but hey, at least I was there which was all that mattered to me at the time. It was about another 15 minutes before the lights went down but it felt like ages. The sounds of screaming filled the air, almost deafening me. I was sat there reading my programme one minute when it suddenly went black. The sound of cheering, screaming and chants of “NUMAN” filled the venue, again deafening. I looked towards the stage and saw the curtain hiding the stage set fall to the floor. It was pulled away to the side but you still couldn’t see anything clearly. It stayed dark for a while and dry ice filled the stage. Suddenly the venue was filled with the deep bass drones of the Polymoog. It felt like it was going right through you and the floor of the venue rumbled.

Gary Numan Wembley Arena – Photo Courtesy of Anthony Holmes

The lights above the stage set began to flash round and it looked as if a huge spaceship was landing on the stage. Maybe that's the effect that Gary wanted and if he did...it had the desired effect, it was truly awesome...maybe awesome isn't even a good enough description for what was happening? It was seriously out of this world and I had never seen anything like it. I thought the stage set for The Touring Principle was good but this was even better! The deep synths almost shook the whole of Wembley as the intro (Replicas) blasted out of the PA System. The lights began to speed up as the

intro came to a close and then it sounded like a helicopter (if that makes any sense) landing in Wembley Arena. The lights stopped and the stage was still. The screaming continued. I hadn’t seen the band take their places as the stage was full of dry ice but they were all there waiting to start and I did see Gary arrive to a deafening applause. The synths to 'This Wreckage' started the show, the lights matched the notes and it was almost as if it had been choreographed to perfection. The slight figure of Gary Numan walked towards the microphone. You could see his silhouette through the dry ice and a huge roar came from the venue and nearly took the roof off. This was heaven to any Gary Numan fan. Unbeknown to the 1000’s of fans at Wembley Arena that night, it was to be Gary Numan’s finest moment in mine and probably their opinion. I was never a big fan of 'This Wreckage' at the time and a Top 20 place at the most told me that I wasn’t the only one that thought that either but as an intro to this amazing concert, it was perfect and for those 5 minutes when it was blaring out of the PA System with Gary Numan prowling around the stage, I loved every second of it. Gary said hello to everyone in the Arena and the huge smile on his face told everybody there that he was already enjoying himself. 'Remind me to Smile' shifted things up a gear and the full stage set of lights shone in time in all their glory, the crowd singing along during the choruses. A huge pyramid in neon blue strip lights shone above Cedric's head as he banged the skins of his drums and it was just awesome to see. When the synths to 'Metal' began it took it up a notch further and the crowd joined in clapping along (as always, out of time). The synth players were in booths on either side of the stage and it was all symmetrical. As 'Me, I Disconnect from you' from the album ‘Replicas’ started, the booths lit up with colour. When the song was in full swing it was a mixture of guitars and full on synths and Gary ad-libbed in the chorus singing "I won't be a falling star". This said to me that he wanted to go out at the top and that was exactly what he was doing too.

Gary Numan Wembley Arena – Photo Courtesy of David McGarva

At the time I wasn’t thinking about this being the last time I would see Gary Numan live. I was just taking in the whole experience and loving every second of it. Things slowed down after this and Gary got behind a synth and played along to 'Complex'. I say “played along”, it was more like he was adding effects here and there. The viola and violin in the song are so sad sounding and it bought a lump to my throat even as a 13 year old kid. It was performed brilliantly with lights at a minimum and plenty

of dry ice. It was to be the first ballad of the set but also, not the first time I would get a lump in my throat during the evening. The next song of the marathon set that we were treated to was, in my opinion, the best ever song that Gary Numan has ever made. 'The Aircrash Bureau' is a masterpiece in my opinion and shows huge maturity for a guy who was probably 21 when he wrote it. It was almost note perfect on this Tuesday night in April at Wembley. The slow strings in the chorus hit the fans hearts like an arrow and I was honestly in awe of what was happening in front of me...No words can describe how I felt when I heard that song performed live for the first time. That may sound well over the top, cringe worthy even but anyone that was at the gig that night would agree with me, I’m sure? The next part of the show had us all wondering what was going on. As the dry ice filled the stage, down came a huge screen showing Gary flying and the band played the track 'Airlane'. It's, in my opinion, the best instrumental Gary Numan had done and the band played it spot on. I didn’t understand at the time but this was obviously done so that Gary could have a costume change and get ready for the next song. As the last few seconds of 'Airlane' played and the screen went up, the stage filled with dry ice again and the huge synth drones of 'M.E.' kicked in. I couldn’t see Gary at the time and remember shouting to Graeme over the screaming "Where is he?"...."Look up there!" he shouted back and as my eyes went skywards I noticed that up in the air slowly coming to earth was Gary Numan. "Me, I eat Dust..." sang Gary from his illuminated cage, now dressed in a white leather boiler suit. As the song hit the chorus he touched down. The cage then moved above him and left him on the stage to sing the rest of the track, it was great. It was almost as if we were all being treated to a bit of theatre too. Gary Numan wasn’t one for just standing there like a traditional band back in the day. The huge stage set, costume changes and little extras like the cage and the car in ‘Down in ‘The Park’ were all part of the experience and what made his live shows stand out from the rest. It’s well known now that he lost lots of money putting on these extravagant shows and we were very lucky.

Outside Wembley Arena – Source Unknown

The song 'Every day I Die' was one of the highlights of the Wembley concert for me and something I will never ever forget. The stage was dark with minimal white lighting again and the lights went in

time with the music which covered the stage. During the instrumental part of the song, Gary got behind a huge light (Super Trouper) and shone it all around the venue. I remember it shining in my direction and nearly blinding me but I waved anyway hoping that Gary could see me (of course he couldn’t!). It was also good to see the 1000's of fans in the venue as the huge light picked out the fans around the arena and in the highest points. The noise levels went up another notch as fans screamed, cheered and waved as the light shone in their direction. The next part of the set was a bit of a surprise for me as I thought the gig was finished!! I don’t know if anyone else had thought the same thing at that moment but I was shocked. I didn’t realise that there was still so much more to come and realised that he hadn’t played the huge hits as yet. The intro to 'Replicas' began again just as it had when the show started and I wondered what was going on "Surely not!?" I asked myself but I need not have worried. As the helicopter noises kicked in once again there was a huge kind of sweeping noise on the synths and then Cedric began to drum the intro to 'Films'. Now the huge Super Trouper lights were shining full on Gary Numan and the white of his boiler suit made it easy for us to see him. The massive synth line sent shivers up my spine as it kicked in and as Gary sang the words "I don't like the film...", 1000's of others joined in too. The arena was rocking!

Gary Numan Wembley Arena – Photo Courtesy of JO79

'Remember I was Vapour' was another track that I wasn’t too keen on when I had first heard it although I loved Telekon but it seemed like tonight’s gig was just perfect. The band could've played anything and it would have worked because the atmosphere was (no pun intended) electric and it was both rubbing off on the band and us, the crowd. Gary Numan would smile, which was a rarity at the time. He would talk to the crowd and dodge the gifts that were thrown towards him, laughing it off. He also came across as very cocky, strutting around the stage, owning it. It was one big party, one big family. Once again the set was to slow down and once again it was for another costume change. On came the girls from support band 'Shock' with a choreographed routine. I couldn’t tell what they were doing and it's only when I look back at the video now that I can see it. I didn’t see them up above the synth booths and I could just about make out that one of them was under the huge red ‘T’ which was the symbol for the Teletour. They made their shapes to a well performed 'Trois

Gymnopodies' which was the B-Side of 'We are Glass' and it kind of mellowed out the crowd for 5 minutes. The audience was at its quietest. The next song was a real surprise for me. I didn’t recognise it nor did I hear what it was called but if I am honest, I didn’t like it at the time. Now I know it was the first airing of 'She's got claws' which was to be off Numan's 'Dance' album which was released later that year. It seemed like a mess of noise to me at the time and I just remember the saxophone and that's all. “Gary Numan with a saxophone? Surely not?”. I think the audience were a bit confused by that too and the next song in the set 'Cars' picked everyone up again. People jumped out of their seats, danced in the aisles etc. The familiar synth bass line screamed out of the P.A. System and everyone sang every line. As I looked around, I could see everyone out of their seats dancing. It was a brilliant sight and one that I will never ever forget.

Gary Numan Wembley Arena – Photo Courtesy of Anthony Holmes

The set then went dark again and one of the synth booths lit up. The stage became filled with dry ice again and the synth intro to 'I Dream of Wires' filled the venue. "I am the final silence" sang Gary "I Dream of Wires" sang the audience. The drums kicked in and the venue erupted. Gary screamed through the words and Wembley Arena rocked!! 'I'm an Agent' saw Gary at his screeching best and when 'The Joy Circuit' was performed he was joined on stage by someone/something I didn’t recognise at the time It was 'Nash the Slash' dressed in bandages with a violin. He strutted up and down the stage, his playing getting wilder and wilder and faster and faster as the song went off on one. The distorted guitar filled the speakers as did the screeching violins and it was a noise fest but a noise fest of the highest order. 'The Joy Circuit' was another highlight of a brilliant set. As the synth intro to 'I Die: You Die' began, the crowd stepped up a gear again now knowing that the end of the set wasn’t far away. We all clapped in time to the music and I joined in calling out "Numan!!" as loud as I could. I remember thinking that I wished I could turn the clock right back to the beginning of the set or freeze the moment in time because I was having the time of my life. I didn’t want it to end and I bet I wasn’t the only one that felt like this. All around me were faces, young

and old, covered in sweat, make up on girls and boys streaming down their faces, girls crying but most of all I remember that every single face I saw had a smile on it. The next 5 or so minutes saw the return of 'Nash the Slash' and I thought Numan had gone missing again. I couldn’t work out the song but it seemed to go on forever and not really do anything. It was 'Cry, the Clock said' and was another preview track from the 'Dance' album. I didn’t think much of it at the time if I am honest and during the whole song I just looked around me at the audience. I saw the dots right up in the roof area in the highest seats and was amazed. I spent that time taking everything in. The moment itself, the atmosphere, everything. Although I didn’t recognise the song at the time, it was obvious that it was brand new stuff that Numan had written. For the first time ever the thought crossed my mind that this may be the end of my Numan fandom. As it happens, I really liked ‘Dance’ and even today, the song ‘Cry, The Clock Said’ is actually one of my favourites from the album. It’s a great chill out track. 'Tracks' has always been a great live , sing along song and that was next in the set. It had the opposite effect to the previous song. During ‘Cry, The Clock Said’, the atmosphere had dropped a bit. The venue was quiet as fans just stood and watched what was going on. I couldn’t see where Gary was but I could hear him. With ‘Tracks’ ,everyone was out of their seats again, cheering, singing and going mad. The whole venue erupted again but deep down you knew the end was near. That was one of my main memories from Wembley that night. I didn’t want it to end. Every time a song finished I wondered how many were left. We were getting nearer and nearer the end of Gary's final live performance (or so we thought?) and although there were smiles on the faces of all the fans, you couldn’t help but think that like me, they all had that same thought etched in the back of their minds.

Gary Numan Wembley Arena – Photo Courtesy of Anthony Holmes

We were setting ourselves up and getting ourselves ready for a huge come down. We were all excited and loving the occasion but deep down we all knew that afterwards it would be horrible. 'Down in The Park' saw the return of the remote controlled car and I couldn’t really see it through the dry ice but the song is and always will be one of Gary Numan's finest moments and it was performed superbly at Wembley with the packed venue singing each and every word to the song. I always remember the first time I heard 'My Shadow in Vain' which followed. I thought it sounded like 'My

Sharona' by The Knack and this was even more evident when the band rocked out big style with huge sounding guitars and that hypnotic riff. The synths seemed to have disappeared with Numan almost screaming his lyrics through the microphone. If that was to be the rockiest part of the set then the next track 'Please Push No More' was without doubt the slowest, mellowest and saddest of the whole show. It would be one of the moments in a Gary Numan fans life that would never be forgotten. If you were there, you will understand exactly what I mean. The lights dimmed and the synths were quieter. One of the synth booths lit up and that was really all the light that was in the venue at the time. The whole venue was still and we just listened but every now and then girls would scream out stuff to Gary. I had to stand on my tip toes to really see where Gary was but could only just about make out that he was sitting down on the stage. Around me girls were in tears and cuddling each other, guys were looking at the floor or standing there with their heads in their hands. Graeme who was stood next to me was cuddling Lisa who was crying and I just stood there not knowing what to do. I didn’t know how to feel. I felt sad but it wasn’t the end of the world to me at that very moment. Gary Numan was just a Rock Star wasn’t he? It wasn’t as if anyone had died but at the time, it felt like it. We were hanging on to what was happening in front of us and it was all ending too quickly. As Gary sang the words, people tried to sing along too but it seemed like it was hard work holding back the lumps in the throats. At 13 years old I had a lump in my throat too. I think it was because I saw so many people upset. This was supposed to be a happy time but it didn’t feel like it. The gig was awesome yet people were heartbroken...why? Numan wasn’t quitting altogether, he was just stopping playing live music and I couldn’t understand why people were so upset? It’s funny because when I watch the Micromusic Video / DVD, I can TOTALLY understand why they felt like they did, why we felt like we did. It felt like the end but it wasn’t the end as we know from hindsight. It’s hard to explain unless you were actually there. Numan changed the words in the middle parts of the song to "I'll miss you" which was almost the final stab in the heart for some. People were in hysterics and it was just like the scenes I had seen on the TV from the Beatles concerts from the sixties with 1000's of screaming, tearful teenagers. I think Gary was in the same boat as you could hear it in his voice as he choked up but he managed to get through the song and as the last notes were slowly played I'd say that this song got the loudest applause of the whole set. It was a moment that you knew you would never ever forget.

Gary Numan Wembley Arena – Photo Courtesy of Mark Williams

The penultimate song of this brilliant 2 hour set was Gary Numan & Tubeway Army’s first number 1 single 'Are 'friends' electric?' and as those famous first few notes came through the huge P.A. speakers, the crowd forgot all about the previous song and went mad. Once again people stood in their seats dancing and singing along. Once again the security people tried to get people out of the aisles but it was to no avail. What an atmosphere!! It was performed brilliantly with the crowd joining in with the chants. 'We are glass' was the last song and it seemed to go on for ages but we weren’t bothered because it meant that the concert would last longer. All the lights on the huge stage set were now working and it lit up the whole venue. Gary stormed around the stage, backwards, forwards and up and down the stairs until the final notes faded out. We (the crowd) all clapped as loud as we could, screaming, shouting etc. The atmosphere was amazing throughout the gig, from the opening notes of ‘This Wreckage’ to the last few notes of ‘We are Glass’. The noise was unbelievable and once again the arena at Wembley was filled with Numan chants, tears and more importantly to the people that were present, the realisation that this was a gig that would never be forgotten. Gary came to the front of the stage and you could see he wanted to say something but we, the fans wouldn’t let him speak. We just wanted another 5 minutes of his time if we could. Once again the

huge space ship lights at the top of the set began to move and back came the bass drone of the synths for the 'Replicas' outro. Gary muttered something (or it sounded like it) like "These are the best 2 years I've ever had - Thank you" and then beckoned the other members of the band to come to the front of the stage too. This really was it now, it was all over. If he had just had the best 2 years of his life, he had given me and 1000's of others the best night of ours. When the venue lights went on I stayed where I was. I was in no rush to leave and I just stood there looking at the empty stage for a while in a daze. Graeme said we should stay where we were for the moment as it would be madness trying to get out. I wanted to savour the moment and as I looked all around me I could see the venue slowly emptying out as the 1000's of fans headed towards the exits to leave the arena. What was weird about it was that it was spookily quiet. You could hear the sound of feet on the floor and people in conversation but it seemed really quiet. Although there were loads of people about, hardly anyone was making a sound. It felt strange, really strange. I stood there for a moment in a daze and just stared at the stage. It was huge. I could see the whole stage set in all its glory in the light and I could see lots of bunches of flowers and various cuddly toys scattered around the stage and to the sides where Gary had obviously thrown them. There were still a number of fans hanging around and I saw a few girls being comforted by their friends. The atmosphere was sad and it almost felt like we’d attended a funeral and not the best Gary Numan concert that there has ever been!

Gary Numan outside Wembley Arena – Source Unknown

“Come on then, let’s start making our way out” said Graeme and with that, reluctantly I turned around and said goodbye to Wembley Arena. We eventually made our way towards one of the exits and walked in almost slow motion as we joined the sea of fans exiting the arena. All around us were fans with disappointed faces. Some still had tears in their eyes, some were actually crying but I'll never forget what I heard from one lookalike speaking to his mate. He said "That's it! I'm retiring too now, thanks for nothing Gary" and he started ripping his badges off and throwing them away. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I thought that it was a bit extreme but again, that's something I'll never forget and it all added to the occasion. The guys looked older than me and were obviously pretty pissed off. We eventually walked out of the venue in a sea of black and red clothes along with the lookalikes. I didn’t say a word all the way back to the car. I didn’t know what to think and once again I took in everything. We finally got to the car and Graeme asked "Well?"... I simply replied "Brilliant" and then got in the passenger seat.

Gary Numan outside Wembley Arena – Photos Courtesy of Ian Lafferty

The journey home was terrible. It didn’t just take us ages to get out of London but it was the atmosphere too (or lack of) and whereas the feeling before was excitement, now it was disappointment. It’s very hard to explain. When we arrived at Wembley for the gig earlier that evening, the feeling around the whole place was excellent. You couldn’t help but be excited and taken in by the whole thing but now it was the total opposite. As we sat in the huge line of cars exiting the car park, I could see swarms of fans walking towards the tube station or boarding coaches that were ready to take them back to where they’d come from. You could see people chatting, crying etc. I've often wondered if Gary Numan went back on to the stage on his own after everybody had left to gather his thoughts and think about what had just happened over the past 2 and a bit hours and if deep down he regretted the decision he had made at the time. I have read somewhere and I am sure I have seen a photo somewhere too that it’s exactly what he did. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to realise that you’ve just made possibly (well, in hindsight – definitely), the biggest mistake of your life. We know now that it was a big mistake. Gary Numan felt like everything was getting too much for him and he wasn’t enjoying what he was doing. As I said earlier, it’s a simple thing – If you don’t enjoy what you do, why do it? Just stop! Gary Numan was huge at the time. 1979 was amazing and 1980 carried on where 1979 left. He had 2 Number 1 singles and 3 Number 1 albums. He was a worldwide star and one of the most famous Rock Stars in the world at that time. He had everything but rather than take a break for a while, he decided to make a huge announcement and well and truly mucked it all up for himself. That’s just my opinion though. I think Numan would and has admitted it himself and that if he had just taken a break, things may have been a bit different? He lost lots of fans after the Wembley concerts and more when the change in direction that resulted in the album ‘Dance’ was released. Anyway, When we finally arrived home and I finally got back to my house, I was greeted by my mum who was up late waiting for me. I didn’t really say much, I didn’t know what to say. She asked me if I had enjoyed myself because I didn’t look that happy. I didn’t think she’d understand so I just went upstairs to my room and crashed out on my bed, falling asleep almost instantly. Once again this may sound pathetic when I say this but the next day was filled with depression. I was very down in the dumps. I didn’t go to school as I was given the day off by my mum as I had got home late. I went into the town centre with my dad who was also had a day off and for some reason I took my Wembley programme and ticket with me which I had stuck inside the front page.

It wasn’t until recently that I remembered why and that was because there was a guy who I used to speak to who was the manager of a record shop in the town centre and also a Gary Numan fan. I remember now that he mentioned on the Saturday afternoon that he was going to the concert on the Monday night. I asked my Dad if we could pop in and see him so that I could see what he thought of the concert. I am glad we went in to see him as I found out that he actually ended up missing the gig for some reason. I felt sorry for him because he missed an amazing night. At the time I wished that everyone could have attended that concert so that they could see just why I was such a massive fan. Pretty silly when you think about it. Anyway, he had a good look through my Wembley programme and that was that really.

Gary Numan & Paul Gardiner Wembley Arena – Photo Courtesy of David McGarva

The next day (Thursday) I had to go to school and grabbed any chance I could to tell anyone that would listen about the fantastic night I had. I thought people may be interested in my experience but it was as if I had been dreaming and now I was back in the real world. Nobody seemed to care and I still got the piss taken out of me. I do remember however that on that day I actually managed to talk to the girls in the 5th year that liked Gary Numan who I found it very hard to talk to before. I sat with them both at lunch time just talking about the concert. I only ever spoke to them again once before they left school a few weeks later. Shortly after the Wembley experience, I joined the fan club and received my little membership card with the number 7176. To this day I still firmly believe that the last night at Wembley Arena is the finest Gary Numan moment EVER. There may well be lots of people that will disagree with me and maybe Gary himself doesn’t tend to think much that about it and the effect that it had on a lot us because we all know that he doesn’t like to look back on the past and wants to continue to move forward. To be honest, would you want to look back on the past and remind yourself of what is probably the biggest mistake you ever made? I doubt it BUT for people like myself and others included in this document, those 3 nights at Wembley Arena WERE the best I for one don’t mind chatting about it and re-living it every now and then.

My own personal review may be very long winded and I apologise for that if it’s taken you all day to read it and stopped you from doing other things. However, I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading it along with the other reviews that people have taken the time and trouble to send me. For a lot of us I guess Gary Numan back then was THE Gary Numan we all got in to and therefore we see it as being his best era. Like I said right at the beginning, I am not stuck in the past. I totally understand why Numan does what he does these days and why he doesn’t like to look back and I also totally understand that every fan will have their own opinions on what his best stuff is. Despite all of the above I would have to be totally honest and state that I wouldn’t want to go back and re-live the occasion. That may sound stupid after everything I have said but let me explain – A question that has been asked a number of times over the years has been “If you had a time machine would you like to go back in time to that night to experience it again?” I would have to say No because it could never be the same in my opinion. I wouldn’t have the same feelings as I did as a 13 year old. It would be a totally different situation and I’d be worried that it would not be as good second time round. If I were to go back to that date at the age I am now, I don’t think I would enjoy it as much. I think it should be kept as an exceptional memory of something brilliant that happened all those years ago and that I should be fortunate to have been a part of it. I hope that it stays that way and is never tried to be re-created for old time’s sake which I very much doubt will ever happen. At the end of the day, I am happy to share my own thoughts with other like-minded people and even if just one single person has enjoyed reading it or has related to what I have written then that suits me. Obviously I would like as many people to see this and to contribute to it as possible. The more, the merrier as they say. Thanks again for taking the time to read it.

Gary Numan ready to go on stage at Wembley Arena – Stock Photo

WEMBLEY REVIEW – A Personal Review from Dave Gammon, Basingstoke I asked my brother if he would get me a ticket for the Wembley concerts. I was only thirteen at the time. I never thought any more about it and assumed, being a Rolling Stones and Progressive Rock fan that he wouldn’t bother. I was desperate to go. One of my friends had been to both the UK tours in the run up to Wembley and it all felt like a big mystery to me.

The day he told me that the tickets for the first concert on Sunday 26th April had arrived I was genuinely stunned. A little nearer the date I was discussing what I could wear with my mum. I tended

to follow the party line fashion wise at school (it was safer that way) so didn’t really have anything with a Numan vibe.

Coach Ticket to Wembley Arena – Photo Courtesy of Jeff Walker

She took my black Harrington jacket and sewed on Telekon stripes down the back and the word Numan down the front. It looked awesome and as I donned it on the night I just had no idea what to expect.

My brother was working for a boys home at the time and he gave a spare ticket to one of the kids from the school and took him along. He was a nice lad but with a violent past. He looked pretty out of place amongst the throngs of Numan fans as we entered the Arena.

The first thing that stunned me was just how many people were there. Aslo the amount of trouble people had gone to, to emulate their hero, even as far as donning makeup. I think I was the only Numan fan in my year at school (there were a few more slightly older kids who used to chalk Telekon stripes and Numan faces on the blackboards). In fact it got me into a lot of fights. In RE (Religious Education) I wrote a piece about Numan as someone I admired. I even used some of my precious press cuttings. It was placed on the classroom wall and within two days some bastard had scrawled GAY across it with a marker LOL.

I bought a programme and we went into the Arena. This was my first ever concert and the size of the place blew me away.

Our seats were up the side of the arena (Gary had to look to his right to wave at me) and we were close to the front which meant one of the keyboard towers was obscured from view.

Shock were interesting enough but to be honest I found there show a bit disjointed and confusing. I’ll put it down to excitement. I seem to remember just before Numan came on that an announcer presented him but I can’t be sure.

When the lights went down and the crowd noise reached fever pitch I just didn’t know what to make of it all. And then that thundering synthesizer kicked in and I could feel my chair shaking. That opening just blew me away. I had never seen anything like it and as the huge spaceship rig descended I was dumbstruck.

Gary Numan Wembley Arena – Photo Courtesy of Anthony Holmes

The opening line to this Wreckage thundered out and when the lights burst on I recognised the stage from pictures I had seen of the Teletour. It all looked massive (when I go to Wembley now it all looks a little small). Numan strolled onto the stage and that was it. My hero was now right in front of my eyes. Strange but I don’t really remember much about the gig after that. I was so in awe of the fact that my idol was walking around on the stage I missed a lot of what went on around with the lights. Odd eh? Funny little things spring to mind like the explosion at the beginning of Me I disconnect from You, the searching lights during Everyday I die, the cage coming down for M.E., the flying scene during Airlane, Nash the Slash on the Joy Circuit (there was a rumour at the time that it wasn’t actually him there) and the car on Down in the Park.

When I saw Micromusic for the first time there were bits of the show I just don’t remember happening including the epic spaceship sequence during Films… Just no memory of it. I vividly remember We are Glass as Gary used the walkway over the touring principle lighting panels, which was a close as I got to him. Then it was over.

I was dazed during the drive home and couldn’t quite take it all in. This went on for days if not weeks as my brain tried to re-assemble and relive the concert. I couldn’t think about anything else. It was impossible to describe it because descriptions couldn’t do it justice. I remember showing one of my teachers the programme and trying to put across the sheer size of the spectacle.

Letter from Wembley Stadium advising of additional third night scheduled for Sunday 26th

April

The first time I saw Micromusic (six months after it was released) I remember being a bit disappointed with it. All of the vividness and scale I remembered just didn’t come across but I guess it was asking a lot of a video.

I have been to many concerts since then and with the exception of the NIN concert at the O2 (when Numan came on stage) nothing has ever come close. Other stage sets have been more spectacular and some music better, but as a whole package it was a life changing experience. In fact I would name it as one of the ten most incredible events of my life.

Wouldn’t it be amazing for Gary to put on one last big show like that. The big stage, lots of effects, great musicians and a setlist to die for. I wonder if it will ever be as good as it was seen through the eyes of an impressionable thirteen year old Numan fan.

Paul Gardiner & Russell Bell outside Wembley Arena – Photos courtesy of Ian Lafferty

Here are some quotes from some more fans that attended the farewell concerts. Nigel Mahoney – Cambridge I was at all three nights, after the first night a friend and I went back stage and got to sit in the roving car before being chased away! And on the very last night I was one of 4 or 5 cars that chased Gary and his driver to his after show party at legends in Mayfair! Those were the days.

Paul Taylor Went with a bunch of mates from school and college from Middlesborough. Just the last date but one of the most memorable nights of my life at the age of fifteen. It was my first gig ever and I've never looked back. Neil Henry The 28th for me. I was only 13 and had to beg my parents to let me go. A night of very mixed emotions as it was my first concert and at the time I thought I wouldn’t get to see him in concert again. School the next day was a tough one! Keith Price – Sedgley I went to the three nights at Wembley and can still smell the dry ice and feel those lights on my face when they were full on. I remember arriving at our digs and dropping cases off and running round to Wembley arena to see that massive sign GARY NUMAN. We ended up walking round the back and came to these gates and I couldn't believe my eyes when there he was standing signing autographs . We pleaded with security to let us in and thankfully they did. I remember walking towards him and everything was so quiet and calm, then I was standing by him and I couldn't believe it. His hair was pretty long at the front, a bit wispy so his mum had obviously cut it for the show. Is there anybody out there that was with us that day have any photos because rushing out of digs I forgot the camera and it’s haunted me ever since. I was 21 at the time. I could be here all day with so many memories of those 3 nights. I think either the first or second night we were on upper tier to the right of stage and when Gary sings ‘We are glass’ and climbs up the stairs to the top of the tower I couldn't help myself and climbed up onto the boarding and was dancing right opposite Gary. I'm pretty sure he said “be careful” because it was quite a drop down. I was gutted when they never used it in video but apparently they only filmed the last night. Paul Warner – Chelmsford I was desperate to get to the Wembley shows but my Mum wouldn't let me go without some adult supervision. As no adults I knew liked Gary Numan I went and bought thirty tickets, sold them to my friends for a little above the face value and used the surplus to hire the school minibus and a teacher, who I gave a free ticket to so he wouldn't have to sit outside. The sight of Mr England (our Tech Drawing teacher) sitting smoking his pipe whilst we all went bonkers around him is an image that will stay with me to my dying day!

Shane Moxey It was 1981 and Gary Numan took us all by surprise by announcing his retirement from live performance. A massive farewell concert was scheduled to take place at Wembley Arena on April 26th, 27th & 28

th. I had already seen the synth god on his Teletour and no way was I letting this one

slip through my fingers if it was to be the last farewell. I purchased my ticket for the very last night of the three concerts (28th April) My father kindly drove me up the motorway to London from the southwest. I met up with my numanette penpal on arrival and we gathered on the Wembley forecourt with a sea of Numan fans as far as the eye could see. What a buzz of shear adrenalin with pictures taken with fans dressed as our idol as I was with red & blue tie and all in black and Julie in a Telekon boiler suit with red belts. We entered the hallowed arena to a wonderous sight and a mouthwatering setlist was about to take place. The rest is history. Sophie Ball – Warrington 33 years ago I was 17. I remember going to this like it was yesterday. Gary Numan Wembley farewell concert April 28

th 1981. Where did those lights come from? It was pitch black and then wow!

From where I was sitting I could see the show was being recorded. I was sat in the top, looking down. I remember seeing a camera facing the stage at the back of the venue looking out over the crowd. Everybody that was there felt the same connection. Everybody was crying, me too. It was so loud too. The bass speakers in the old Wembley swimming pools rocked. Sadly I had to leave before the end as I had to get my train back to Warrington, Cheshire for midnight. I had my scarf and programme with me. Sadly I had to work the following day but for days I was numb. If I’m right it was bloody freezing to. I am so glad I was there as something magical happened and I have never heard anything like it to this day. Sharon Hawkins – Leicester This time 33 years ago I was in Wembley Arena watching the of the most spectacular concerts I have ever seen. I remember walking through Leicester town with my uncle and some of his mates. We had to get batteries for a camera. Some of the lads were dressed in black jumpsuits and red belts, I had a blue t-shirt with a picture of Numan on that my mum had had made for me and blue jeans and as a thirteen year old felt very grown up. We caught the coach which was especially for the Wembley concerts and off we went, listening to Numan all the way down and then we arrived with a sea of black and leather as far as the eye could see. This was my first ever concert and I was so excited and didn't know what to expect then Boom the lights went down, the crowd cheered and then it started. Out walked Gary Numan. The place erupted. It was a night that I will never ever forget and a night that made me a lifelong Numan fan. Mike Burns I went to the last night at Wembley. I was 14 years old and travelled down on the train from the North West (Widnes) with my 19 year old sister. I remember feeling really excited (obviously) but still believed that "this was it". I'd seen him on the Teletour and couldn't understand why something so good was coming to an end. I'd heard the interview Gary gave to Radio 1 on the Sunday afternoon (sure I've still got the cassette I'll try & convert it ) and was so excited to see the stage set and hear what songs would be performed. I can't fault my parents at all, my Dad (although going against everything he believed in) wrote me a note for 2 days off school and mum ordered (and paid for) a taxi as we had to get to Runcorn station for the train I'll always feel privileged to have been at Wembley it was an awesome show, there's the obvious favourites were i went mad but i can remember there were times just standing there taking it all in. It's probably the most played album on my ipod! I can remember the train back to Euston being jam packed with Numanoids and there was a girl sat opposite us holding a signed cover of Replicas. It was only when i saw MicroMusic & Gary signs something at the very end !!!! (Could this have been her ?) and then there was me waiting for my sister outside the ladies toilets on Euston station and suddenly I'm approached by 2 policemen, quizzed as to what my name was, how old I was, where I was from. It was like good cop / bad cop and luckily when I told them where I'd been and they had seen my programme, the good cop told the bad cop to stop hassling me. Looking back though I probably did look like a runaway....or worse !!

David Hall – Wolverhampton Hi Gary, I wanted to contact you to say what a fantastic idea this is to remember such a special occasion. Back in 1981 I was 18 years old and I had been to see Gary Numan a number of times before the Wembley concerts took place. I actually knew someone who was working as part of the crew on the 1979 Touring Principle Tour and also the Teletour in 1980. He was my friends Dad and so he got us free tickets to a few of the gigs (we actually met Gary backstage at Hammersmith in 1980). We didn’t get free tickets to Wembley though as my friends Dad was off on tour with another band (sorry, I can’t remember who they were), so we paid for our tickets. I think they were £5.00 each and we got them via the fan club. We went on the last night of the 3 (which was apparently the best night). 4 of us got the train down to London from Wolverhampton. We had the day off work so thought we’d really make a day of it. Once we got in to London we headed straight for Wembley Arena. It must have been around 1.00pm so we were there far too early. I remember walking out of Wembley tube station and my friend said to me “Fancy a pint?” We headed to the nearest pub for a quick drink and ended up staying in there for a couple of hours before getting some chips and then heading over to the arena. My story is pretty much like everyone elses really. The first thing that struck me was the size of the place. I had not been to a venue that big before. I recall seeing the massive sign on the outside of the building and that’s when the excitement really hit me. I also remember thinking that there would be more people milling about who’d also got there early too. As we approached the venue there were some fans that were already queuing. There was also a small crowd forming to the side of the venue and one of my friends spotted a couple of members of the band. We didn’t go over to them and just made our way to the back of the queue. As the afternoon went on and it got closer to the doors opening, we chatted to other fans and heard lots of different stories. Within a couple of hours the whole scene had totally changed and Wembley was very busy. You could see 100’s of fans making their way towards the venue, there were buses and coaches full of fans too and the queue was now huge. That was a really exciting time for me as I took all of it in on the day. I knew it would be something that I would never forget. The concert itself was outstanding and I thought it was the best Gary Numan concert ever. I thought the Teletour was great but this night was on a totally different level. Having Shock as the support band was pretty cool. I quite liked them at the time. The sound quality in Wembley Arena was very good and I know it’s been said already but the bass rumbling under the floor went right through you. I’m not sure whether it was luck or what but we were stood a few rows from the stage and it was mad. I remember one of the security guys telling us off a couple of times but nobody listened to him. When Gary took to the stage there was a huge roar from the crowd. I loved every minute of the gig and I even got a bit tearful when Gary sang ‘Please Push No More’. You could almost hear a pin drop during that song (apart from the girls screaming). When it came to ‘We Are Glass’ at the end of the set, my mates and I all looked at each other and one of them said “This is it”. There was a sad feeling there. It was like it was all over. I read your own review and you summed it up perfectly when you said it was almost as if someone had died. Unless you were there I guess some people may think that’s a bit extreme but it really was sad at the end of that night. It seemed to go so quickly. We couldn’t really hang about too long once the gig had finished because we had to get the train back to Wolverhampton. We had enough time to grab a programme and some badges and then that was it. I remember walking back to the tube station in a daze. There were tons of fans probably doing the same thing. I don’t remember too much about the journey home because I fell asleep on the train and got woken up as we pulled in to Wolverhampton. I got up and went to work the next day and just carried on as normal really. It was a strange feeling. That was really the end of my Numan gig days. I kept in touch with my friend and we’re still mates to this day but we stopped going to the gigs after Wembley.

I did buy the Dance album and I liked some of it but to me, Gary Numan finished his career at the top that night at Wembley. After that I thought it went downhill and was a bit embarrassing really. Thanks again for remembering Wembley and please feel free to add this to your document if you think it’s worthy. If I can dig out some photos I will send them to you but they’re likely to be a bit blurred as it was quite mad down the front!

Wembley full stage rehearsals – Photo source unknown

Sunday Night Photo courtesy of Bri Challis

Sunday Night photos courtesy of Bri Challis

Sunday Night photos courtesy of Bri Challis

Sunday Night photos courtesy of Bri Challis

Sunday Night photos courtesy of Bri Challis

Sunday Night photos courtesy of Bri Challis

Sunday Night photos courtesy of Bri Challis

Sunday Night photos courtesy of Bri Challis

Sunday Night photos courtesy of Bri Challis

Sunday Night photo by Bri Challis

Sunday Night photos courtesy of Bri Challis

Sunday Night photo courtesy of Bri Challis

Sunday Night photo courtesy of Bri Challis

Sunday Night photo courtesy of Bri Challis

Backstage at Wembley with Shock – Photo courtesy of Lowri Ann Richards (Shock)

CREDITS It has been a lot of fun putting this together and I would like to thank the following people for their contributions no matter how big or small. JO79 (R.I.P.), Sophie Ball, Mike Burns, Bri Challis, Ian Culver, Dave Gammon, David Hall, Sharon Hawkins, Neil Henry, Anthony Holmes, Ian Lafferty, David McGarva, Shane Moxey, Nigel Mahoney, Robin Nichol, Keith Price, Steve Roper at The Touring Principle, Svenny, Paul Taylor, Jeff Walker, Paul Warner, Mark Williams, David Wingate……and Google! I hope you’ve enjoyed this document and it is something you can keep with your memories of those fantastic nights at Wembley Arena back in 1981. It will be updated as and when more photos and reviews are provided. All the best and thanks for the interest Gary Cee **This document is dedicated to the memory of my Dad, Michael Choppen and also Jimmy (R.I.P.)**