Blazing saddles
Blaze and his band... Christopher Appleton, Luke Appleton, Martin Mcnee and Tom Atkinson (Aki). At Knebworth, not far from Luton airport. Friday 10th & Saturday 11th July 2026. Blaze headlined the 10th in front of a crowd in the region of 13-15,000. Hallowed turf with a spectacular rock and metal heritage.
A big night for us all. It means so much to have even got a sniff at playing on this event - Iron Maiden's 50th anniversary Eddfest. Blaze Bayley headlining the Maidenville Stage on day one. Is there anything better than watching one of your absolute favourite artists delivering an immaculate set, in the middle of a large field, with the lights capturing the atmosphere, as the sun sets on a very happy and satisfying day?
We had set off from Manchester on the evening of the 9th as soundcheck was set for next morning. Smart tour van, comfortable enough until the restless legs start complaining but I hung on, one stop settled us down and we arrived at the hotel in reasonable time.
Tour party, in addition to Blaze the man himself, myself as manager, Lynne Appleton (merchandise), Chris as guitarist and tour manager, Luke as bassist, Martin Mcnee on drums, Aki as guitarist, soundman David O'Farrell-McGuery, Joe May (crew), Kate Ross (P.A. and fiance to Blaze), plus guests Rishi Mehta and Tony Malone. After a few false starts with collecting our passes and getting directions to backstage, we settled in and everyone did their job. To be honest, the tour party now is such a well-oiled machine I felt a bit of a spare part. I taught them well! 😅One of those days where everything just came together on a special occasion. The set was played virtually without putting a step wrong. Saying I'm proud doesn't really cut the mustard, beyond words.
We ended up in the VIP bar, which turned out to be free, and a few drinkies were consumed, purely for medicinal purposes of course!
Next day it was our turn to be the audience as supports The Almighty, Airbourne, The Hu, The Darkness, prepared the crowd for the ultimate, arguably the biggest metal band on the planet... Iron Maiden. It was to say the least an incredible experience. My personal favourite on the day... Hallowed Be Thy Name.
All-in-all another great day.
Next day... home time, a few of the travel party nursing just modest hangovers, nothing silly but suddenly 10 minutes after setting off from the hotel the noise of something firm yet moist puncturing the air. Now it's a little known fact that one of the very early symptoms of Parkinson's is a poor sense of smell. Well, here's the living proof that even that weakness can be overcome... by the terrible smell, the flatulence, of the Appleton brothers after a night on the beer... a sure sign of man's inhumanity to man 😝