Tom Rapp Live at Terrastock III

London - August 27/ 28/ 29, 1999



Tom in London August 1999

The University of London was the place and August 27,28,29 the time: The third Terrastock festival (and the first one in Europe) was finally happening!
Saturday August 28 was an important day for me at Terrastock III: Finally I was to witness my first Tom Rapp gig. His first performance in Europe since the early seventies. Pete Frame Tom was introduced by Phil McMullen (Ptolemaic Terrascope) and by Pete Frame (left).

Confident and with humour and wit Tom played classic Pearls Before Swine songs as if his last performance was just a couple of weeks ago (, or should I say days...).
Tom opened with 'Translucent Carriages', accompanied by Prydwyn on Harp and Flute and Sherona on backing vocals. Nick Saloman (of Bevis Frond) assisted Tom with an electrifying performance on a toy-phone on 'Oh Dear Miss Morse' (We won't see that happen again soon). Other players included Spacious Mind and Paul Simmons of Kiss, eh no, the Alchemists.
Of course there where the hilarious anecdotes on drugs in the sixties (if you missed Terrastock, on Tom's latest album "A Journal Of The Plague Year", there are some samples of Tom's stories on a 'hidden' track). Tom played acoustic guitar, harmonica, something that looks like an electric glockenspiel and electric guitar on a spacy version of 'These Things Too'.

The audience was thrilled and enthusiastic, and so was I.

Sunday August 29 Tom played an extra set on stage three, which in fact was in smaller room with a small platform, as in a small venue. This atmosphere did more justice to Tom's music than the much larger main stage. Again Tom was accompanied by Prywyn and Sherona, and for 'Another Time' Nick and Debbie Saloman joined in. The set list included also 'Blind' and 'Mars' from the new album.

Anyway, enjoy the following pictures, and for those who missed Terrastock, or for those who were there and want to relive the memories, "Radio Never Say Die" (a pirate radio station in London, as well as an Internet bitcaster) has recorded a bunch of the Terrastock performances and made them available in the popular RealAudio format.
Check out theRadio Never Say Die website for more info.

(all pictures by Kees van der Lely (c) 1999)

Back to the Articles page to the first picture

(c) 1999 The Pearls Before Swine Connection