The Gonzo Daily: Mick Abrahams Benefit – The Borderline, Soho, London, May 9th, 2016

Wednesday, 25 May 2016

Mick Abrahams Benefit – The Borderline, Soho, London, May 9th, 2016

“Just to see him get on that stage, put his guitar around his neck and play when people were saying ‘Oh, he’ll never play again!’ is everything… and seeing everyone here who’ve come to support and listen to him. Hopefully this is a new beginning and the start of many more shows to come.”– Rick Wakeman

“Benefit” is a loaded term; it can invite patronizing pity for the beneficiary’s circumstances rather than genuine empathy for struggles with health or economy that can easily become – or maybe already are – our own. Benefits which serve all participants bring us together in a celebration of the resilience of the spirit during even the hardest of times.

Mick Abrahams, 71, is a survivor of two heart attacks, a stroke, and other health issues which compromised his finances and called for improved living conditions due to lack of mobility. To say he invites neither pity nor patronization is an understatement. From the moment this original lion of British blues ascended the stage in his first live performance in five years and took the guitar, the venue was already cheering. The band ripped into the Jimmy Forrest classic “Night Train” – a befitting song, considering Mr. Abrahams was born in war-torn Bedfordshire, to “the generation that just got on with it.” There was no sitting still;

Read on...

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM GONZO