For me, it's NOT about being stuck in the past. It's remembering an historical moment in musical history !!!

April 28th 1981 was a special day for me. Without going over the top or exaggerating whatsoever I would have to say that apart from my wedding day (I have to say that !!) this day was the best day of my life...yes really! I was the tender age of 13 in 1981. I had recently celebrated my 13th birthday the month before and for the past couple of years had been absolutely mesmorised, infatuated, call it what you like, with Gary Numan. Here was a guy that had literally exploded on to the scene in 1979 with his sci-fi themed, synth led music and it had an hypnotic effect on me. I loved the way that it was so different to the music that I was hearing on the radio at the time. I know a lot of people claimed that Gary Numan was a Bowie clone but I did'nt see that nor did I care to be honest. He was doing something that I found very different and very interesting. It was'nt just the music but the whole package including the image and his mannerisms. He seemed shy, alien-like and distant. He never smiled, his movements were robot like and this was cool as **** in my view and at the time, obviously 1000's of others who were also looking for something new and exciting. Gary Numan was the future and he would make his mark. His first real success on the british music scene was when 'Are 'friends' electric?' slowly moved it's way up the charts (something very rare these days) and hit the number 1 spot and stayed there. It was'nt getting a lot of airplay, if any but the record companies were shifting lots of copies (units) of the single and could see that their faith in Numan was being repaid almost instantly. They also decided to press picture disc copies of the single too which no doubt helped it sell a few (5000) more singles and it had the desired effect. I won't go off on a tangent here as what I am talking about is the Wembley farewell gigs and the 28th in particular BUT as a background, Numan's albums 'Replicas' (1979), 'The Pleasure Principle' (1979) and 'Telekon' (1980) all shot to Number 1 too and the singles did really well too with 'Cars' making it to Number 1 and the follow up singles 'Complex', 'We are Glass' and 'I Die:You Die' all making the Top 10. I had been to a Gary Numan gig in October 1979 at the Southampton Gaumont. I was 11 years old and to be honest I can't really remember that much about it to be honest although I do remember 'Cars' and for some reason, being hypnotised by the pyramids and very tired too...aahhhh. In 1980 I missed the excellent Teletour unfortunately but it seemed like everything Gary Numan touched turned to gold. It all seemed to happen so quickly and for a 23 year old in 1981 it was obviously too much

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I remember hearing about Gary's decision to quit playing live. I can't remember where I was or where I heard it but it was a shock to say the least. I felt numb, pissed off and in a way betrayed but why should I? He was only a popstar...so what? It did'nt feel like that at the time though. It felt as if I had only just got to know him and now he was going. He obviously had his reasons for quitting and history tells us that it was because it had all become too much. Constant touring became both like a job and exhausting and he just was'nt enjoying it anymore which to be honest is fair enough. Why do something that you no longer enjoy? When the 3 farewell concerts were announced for April 1981 at Wembley Arena the fans were told straight that these shows would be the best ever but also the last time that Numan would be seen performing live. Once again hindsight tells us that this would'nt be the last time but for now let's imagine that they are.

I was at school in 1981 trying to see if someone would go to the gigs with me. I did'nt care what night it was as long as I could go and support Gary and say my goodbyes etc etc but there were'nt many Numanoids (as we were called back then) at my school. None of my family would go with me. My brother and sisters were younger than me and my mum and dad did'nt have the slightest interest in it at all. It was bad enough for them having to put up with me playing the records all the time and the last thing they wanted was to go all the way to London to endure a show from "That guy who looks wierd and whines". It was a great relief when one of my mums friends said he would take me. His name was Graeme and he was the guy that took me, along with his daughter to the Touring Principle in 1979 so I was well chuffed !! I was doing a paper round at the time before school every morning and saved the £5.00 ticket fee and gave it to Graeme. I remember him telling my mum that the tickets had arrived and I ran round his house to have a look and held it in my hands. It was for the last night of the 3 and my ticket said Row A, Seat 38. I could'nt believe it and was ecstatic. No'one else could understand why I had a permanent grin on my face and for weeks and weeks leading up to the gig I was just so excited. I could'nt stop talking about it and began to get on people's nerves. I remember when the actual day arrived I was full of nerves. I did'nt want to go to school but was made to and as soon as the bell went for home time, I ran all the way home without stopping. I had a bath, got changed in the quickest time possible and sat in the living room watching the clock. I remember 'Cheggers Plays Pop' was on the tv. This was an old favourite of mine and I never missed it. As I sat there trying to take my mind off the waiting the doorbell rang and it was Graeme who had arrived early to pick me up. I thought something was wrong because he was early but he had finished work early as "The Traffic would be a nightmare" he said. I said bye to everyone 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' 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.

"I could specialise in rumours, I'll send shivers up your spine"

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 had'nt eaten anything as I was too nervous at home. Graeme asked me what was up, I told him and he gave me a polo mint (as if that would fill me up!!?). As we drove round towards the 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 Numan clothing, Black jumpsuits with red straps etc..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. It filled the streets around Wembley and you could feel the excitement and tension in the air. 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 Numan. Graeme turned off the tape and said "Listen to that!"...He could obviously sense the excitement too. We eventually got to a parking space and as the car stopped I opened the door as quickly as I could. 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. A whole bunch of about 100 Numanoids, maybe more? Walked towards the venue and we joined the army too. Various conversations were going on but I just stayed quiet and took it all in. We turned a corner and I stopped in my tracks to take it all in.....there it was, Wembley Arena!

View the fantastic Wembley gallery

It looked huge on the outside, prison-like even and was swarming with fans. There was a massive queue all around the outside of the venue and it just made it all the more exciting. 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 went 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 that would go down in rock and pop history...I wasn't wrong. We made our way past all the fans in the queue 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 did'nt know why really but I was wearing a jumper that my mum had knitted me which was pretty unique and maybe they were wondering where I got it? Well it was truly a one off because my mum had made it. On the front of it was the Tubeway Army face and on the back were the various song titles and the Telekon stripes. I loved it!! It seemed like ages until we finally got inside the venue but when we did it was superb. It was almost like a busy airport with fans rushing allover the place to find their seats or visit the merchandise stalls. We were escorted to our seats and I could not believe how close to the stage we were. When I say close I mean close!

As I stood there I was gobsmacked at the size of the place. i looked around the hall and saw what looked like dots in the seats above and all around me.There did'nt seem to be a single seat empty and the noise of thousands of fans talking, anticipating what was going to happen was almost deafening on it's own. I sat in my seat for about 5 minutes and stared at the stage. A huge curtain was hiding Numan's stage set away and suddenly the lights went down. On to the stage came the support band, Shock. They did'nt really do much to be honest. There were no instruments 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 Numan's 'Telekon' album. They got a decent reaction and when they had finished and the lights went up I remember Graeme saying to me "If you need the toilet, go now!" 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 the loo 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 got my jumper from. It then became a topic of conversation and I could'nt get away quick enough. On my way back to my seat I noticed that the merchandise stall did'nt have a queue so I brought myself a programme, T-shirt and some badges. I had been saving up my paper round money but couldn't afford all of the stuff on sale. On my way back to my seat I received a dirty look of huge proportions from some woman caked up in make up 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!).

View the official Wembley programme

It was about another 15 minutes before the lights went down and the sounds of screaming filled the air almost deafening me. I was sat there reading my programme when it suddenly went black. The curtain fell to the floor and was pulled away to the side but you still could'nt see anything. Dry ice filled the stage and then there was the deep drones of the Polymoog. The lights began to flash round and it seemed 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 awesome...maybe awesome isn't even a good enough description for what was happening..it was literally out of this world. The deep synths almost shook the whole of Wembley as the intro (Replicas) balsted 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. The lights stopped and the screaming continued. I had'nt seen the band take their places as the stage was full of dry ice but I did see Gary arrive. The intro to 'This Wreckage' began, the lights matched the notes and it was almost as if it had been choreographed, Gary walked towards the microphone. A huge roar came from the venue and nearly took the roof off..this was heaven to any Numan fan. I was never a big fan of 'This Wreckage' at the time and a Top 20 place at the most told me that I was'nt the only one that thought that either but as an intro it was great and for those 5 minutes when it was blaring out of the PA with Numan prowling around the stage, I loved every second of it.

'Remind me to smile' shifted things up a gear and the full stage set of lights shone in time in all their glory. A huge pyramid in neon blue strip lights shone above cedric's head as he fiercly banged the skins of his drums and it was just awesome to see. When the synths to 'Metal' began it even 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' started the booths lit up. When the song was in full swing it was a thrashy guitar fest full of 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 excatly what he was doing too. Things slowed down after this and Gary got behind a synth and played along to 'Complex'. The viola and violin in tha t song are so sad sounding that 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. Next song of the marathon set we were treated to was, in my opinion, the best ever Gary Numan song ever made. 'The Aircrash Bureau' is a masterpiece and it was almost note perfect on this night at Wembley. The slow strings in the chorus hit my heart like an arrow and I was in awe of what was hapening in front of me...no words can describe how I felt when I heard that song preformed live for the first time.As the dry ice filled the stage, down came a huge screen showing Gary flying and the band played the backing track 'Airlane'. It's, in my opinion, the best instrumental Numan had done and the band played it spot on. I did'nt 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 could'nt see Gary at the time and remember shouting to Graeme over the screaming "Where is he?"...."Look up there!" replied Graeme and up in the air slowly coming to earth was Gary Numan. "Me I eat Dust..." sang Gary from his cage, now dressed in a white leather boiler suit. As the song hit the chorus he touched down. Then the cage lifted above him and left him on the stage to sing the rest of the track, it was great.

More fans personal photos

'Everyday I Die' was one of the highlights of Wembley 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. In the Instrumental / Solo / Outro, Gary got behind a huge light (Super Trouper) and shone it all around the venue. I remember it coming in my direction and nearly blinding me but I waved anyway hoping that Gary could see me....course he could! It was also good to see the 1000's of fans in the venue as the huge light picked out everyone in the highest points. The next part of the set was a bit of a surpise for me as I thought the gig was finished!! 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'nt have worried. As the helicopter noises kicked in once again there was a huge kind of sweeping noise on the synths and the Cedric began to drum the intro to 'Films'. Now the lights were full on 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. 'Remember I was Vapour' was another track that I was'nt too keen on at the time although I loved Telekon but it seemed like tonights gig was just perfect. The band could've played anything and it would have worked. The atmosphere was (no pun intended) electric and it was both rubbing off on the band and us, the crowd. Numan would smile, which was a rarity. He would talk to the crowd and dodge the gifts that were thrown towards him, laughing it off...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' witha choreographed routine. I could'nt tell what they were doing and it's only when I look back at the video now that I can see it. 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 and the audience was at it's quietest.

Wembley Merchandise & Paper Reviews

The next song was a real surprise for me. I did'nt recognise it nor did I hear what it was called but if I am honest, I did'nt like it. 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 remeber the saxophone and that's all. I think the audience were a bit dumbstruck 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 etc. The familar bassline screamed out the P.A., everyone sang every word and 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. The set 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 did'nt 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 was'nt 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 did'nt want it to end. 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.

"We're on Joy Circuit, the image fix"

The next 5 or so minutes saw the return of 'Nash the Slash' and I thought Numan had gone missing again. I could'nt work out the song but it seemed to go on and on and not really do anything. It was 'Cry, the Clock said' and was another preview track from the 'Dance' album. I did'nt 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. 'Tracks' has always been a great live , singalong song and it had the opposite effect to the previous song. Once again everyone was out of their seats and going mad. The whole venue erupted again but deep down you knew the end was near. We were getting nearer and nearer the end of Gary's final live performance and although there were smiles on the faces of all the fans, you could'nt help but think that like me, they all had that same thought etched in the back of their minds. We were setting ourselves up and getting ourselves ready for a huge come down. 'Down in The Park' saw the return of the remote controlled car and I could'nt really see it through the dry ice but the song is and always will be one of 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'. 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. Numan almost screaming his lyrics through the mic. If that was 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. The lights dimmed and the synths were quieter. The whole venue just listened but every now and then girls would scream out stuff to Gary. I had to stand on my toes to really see where Gary was but could only just make out that he was sitting down on the stage. Around me girls were in tears and cuddling eachother, 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 felt sad but it was'nt the end of the world to me. It was just a popstar, it was'nt a member of my family who had been in an accident or anything. 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. This was supposed to be a happy time, the gig was awesome yet people were heartbroken...why? Numan was'nt finishing altogeather, he was just stopping playing live music and I could'nt understand why people were so upset. He changed the words in the middle parts of the cong 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 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.

The penultimate song of this brilliant 2 hour set was Numan'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 ushers tried to get people out of the aisles to no avail. What an atmosphere!! 'We are glass' was the last track and it seemed to go on for ages. 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 etc..Gary came to the front of the stage and you could see he wanted to say something but we would'nt 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 polymoogs for 'Replicas'. Gary muttered something (or it sounded like it) like "These are the best 3 years I've ever had - Thankyou" and then beckoned the other members of the band to the front of the stage too...This really was it now, it was all over. If he had just had the best 3 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. I looked all around me and the venue and could see the 1000's swarming out of the exits. What was wierd about it was that it was almost spookily quiet. Although there were loads of people about, no'one was hardly making a sound. No'one was talking and it the atmosphere was horrible. It was almost as if we had all attended a funeral and not the best night of our lives.

"I'll miss you"

We eventually made our way towards one of the exits and walked in slow motion towards the venues entrance. 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 retirng too now, thanks for nothing Gary" and he started ripping his badges off and throwing them away. I thought that was a bit extreme but again, that's something I'll never forget.We eventually walked out of the venue in a sea of black and red clothes along with the lookalikes. I did'nt say a word all the way back to the car and when we finally got to the car Graeme said "Well?"...I simply replied "Briliant" and then got in the front. The journey home was terrible. It took us ages to get out of London and whereas the feeling before was excitement, now it was disappointment. I've often wondered if Numan went back on to the stage on his own after every had left to gather his thoughts and think about what just happened over the past 2 and a bit hours and if deep down he regretted the decison he made at the time. When I finally got in I was greeted by my mum who was up late waiting for me. I did'nt really say much, I just went upstairs to my room and crashed out on my bed, falling asleep almost instantly. The next day was filled with depression. I was very down. I did'nt go to school as I was given the day off by my mum as I was home late. I went in to town with my dad who was also off and for some reason I took my programme and ticket with me...not sure why. The next day I did go to shool and took any chance I could to tell anyone that wanted to listen about the fantastic night I had. Shortly afterwards I joined the fanclub.

To think that the Wembley shows were over 25 years ago makes me feel really old but memories are a wonderful thing and Gary Numan has given me the best memory of all. I have 2 copies of the Micromusic video of the show and it's brilliant but it's the being there and experiencing it all that really does it for me. I can say I was there and I saw the greatest Numan performance ever and anyone that was there will more than likely agree with me. Nothing Numan does will ever better that gig, I'm sorry but it's true. Gary Numan was a huge star, he had the world at his feet and a lot more to give and in my opinion he made the wrong decision back then. I think that he realised this at the time but also you have to remember that he made the decision to retire because he had just been touring and touring constantly and it had got to him. Looking back, he should've taken a break for a while and not said anything about retirement.Saying that though, if he hadn't of announced his retirement from live shows we would'nt have had the gigs and I would'nt have had such fantastic memories to pass on would I? Gary Numan lost a lot of fans after the Wembley shows. For some stupid stupid reason some of them thought that they were being betrayed and the guy I mentioned with the badges is a prime example. Gary Numan is still recording and playing live today and there have been a whole host of albums and singles since those days in 1981. He's been through good times and bad times, up and down but has always had a brilliant fan base. His style has changed many times over the years and once again, some of it good, some not so good and I'm sure he would admit it himself but the one thing that is plain to see is that Gary Numan is a talent and one that will be etched in the Rock/Pop History books.

Did you go to Wembley?

If you were lucky enough to go to Wembley too and witnessed those fantastic shows, maybe you have your own memories of the gigs and would like to share them with us and the rest of the world? Maybe you have some souvenirs from them which you could share with us? It is not often that you see photos from the concerts taken by the fans themselves and we are on a mission to get as many old photos from the Wembley gigs from the fans as possible. More often than not, the photos are professionally taken and yes, they are very very good but we want to catch the atmosphere of these gigs so we are appealing to anyone out there who may have some personal pictures from the concerts to get in touch with us. We are looking for pictures from outside the venue showing the huge queues with the many lookalikes and shots from the crowd etc. Anyone that does send us pictures will be credited with them and we will also watermark them too. We want to show the new fans and anyone that didn't go to the concerts just how good they were but more importantly, we want to remember this special night. Please check if you have anything that may be of help to us and email us HERE