ShareMagnum performing their A Passage In Time – A Tribute To Tony Clarkin Tour at Rock City Nottingham on Monday 6th October 2025.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
Magnum’s Tony Clarkin passed away just before the release of their twenty-third studio album, Here Comes The Rain, and to say goodbye the band announced a short tour at the beginning of this year. Now they have got together again to pay tribute to their much beloved band member and made a stop at Rock City on Monday night.
As the lights dimmed a hooded figure emerged from the back of the stage surrounded by flashing lasers, reminding the crowd of the cover of 1985’s album, On A Storyteller’s Night before the opening song How Far Jerusalem rang out.
It felt strange to see front man Bob Catley on stage without Clarkin because they had been side by side for so long. But when replacement guitarist Brendon Riley was introduced, the crowd gave him a heartfelt welcome as the five piece band followed up with Lost On The Road To Eternity, the newest song on their set list.
Dividing their set list into two, the first included the emotional When We Were Younger and Wild Swan. There was a short acoustic interlude that saw bass player Dennis Ward, Riley and Catley simplify the lovely Tall Ships with its beautifully crafted melody. Ending the set with Les Morts Dansant, the crowd were encouraged to light up Rock City with their phone torches as they greeted the song like a long lost friend.
Opening the second set with Soldier On The Line, one of their oldest songs, it was evident that the crowd favoured the older material such as Just Like An Arrow, Vigilante and main set closer, the obligatory, Kingdom Of Madness.
For their encore Magnum went back to one of their signature moments, The Spirit, leaving the crowd with their memories, as they ended with the emotionally wrought and fitting When The World Comes Down.
