Fish – O2 Academy – 10/3/25

Some concerts feel important before they even happen.

This was one of them.

My connection with Fish goes back a very long way. In 1989, I found myself in Aviemore on an outward-bound trip with work. By pure luck, the weekend we had free happened to coincide with Fish playing in a local bar shortly after the release of his first solo album. As a fan of his work with Marillion, there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity.

Recently, I even discovered a photograph from that concert online.

Finding it felt like opening a time capsule. Suddenly I was transported back to a very different version of myself, standing in a small venue watching a singer embarking on the next chapter of his career.

Neither of us were getting any younger.

Fast forward more than three decades and the news arrived that Fish would be embarking on a farewell tour. As soon as I heard, I attempted to get tickets for the final night. Unfortunately, so did everyone else.

The show sold out almost immediately.

Thankfully, an additional date was announced and I managed to secure a ticket. Emma initially wasn’t planning on coming, but after realising what she would be missing, she kept an eye on Twickets and managed to grab one a couple of weeks before the concert.

Crisis averted.

As the date approached, there was a growing sense that this wasn’t simply another gig. Whatever people think about the highs and lows of Fish’s solo career, there was no denying his importance to thousands of fans who had followed him from the Marillion years through every stage of his solo journey.

This was the end of an era.

The atmosphere inside the venue reflected that from the moment the lights went down. Fans had travelled from all over to be there, many of them carrying decades of memories attached to the songs. There was excitement, celebration and, beneath it all, a certain sadness.

After all, there are only so many times an artist can perform their final show.

Fish seemed fully aware of the significance of the occasion and delivered a performance worthy of it. The voice, the stories and the unmistakable stage presence that had first drawn people to him all those years ago were still very much intact.

It was an emotional night.

At times it felt less like a concert and more like a gathering of old friends saying goodbye. The audience knew they were witnessing something historic, and the connection between performer and fans was evident throughout.

Fortunately, I managed to capture the entire final performance on video.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Fish fan community also rallied together online afterwards. The Facebook fan page was flooded with footage from different perspectives, offering a wonderful collective record of the evening. Inspired by this, I put together a compilation featuring some of the best fan-shot moments from the farewell shows.

I also assembled a number of additional videos gathered from Facebook.

Strictly speaking, I borrowed them without asking every individual contributor, but I have a feeling most Fish fans would be happy to see their footage helping preserve the memory of such an important occasion.

Looking back, what struck me most was how fitting the whole thing felt.

Like many artists, Fish’s solo career had experienced peaks and valleys. Some albums connected more widely than others, and some periods were more successful than others. Yet none of that mattered on this night. What mattered was the music, the fans and the opportunity to celebrate a remarkable career.

And in that respect, everything worked perfectly.

From a chance encounter in a bar in Aviemore in 1989 to a farewell performance more than thirty years later, it felt as though a circle had finally been completed.

Fish may have stepped away from the stage, but he certainly went out on a high.

The videos below include the full final concert, along with a compilation of fan footage that helps capture the emotion, atmosphere and sense of occasion surrounding the last performance of one of Scotland’s most distinctive frontmen.

When I found out he was doing a farewell tour I tried to get a ticket for the last night but it was sold out pretty quickly. Fortunately he added another night so I picked one up. Emma didn’t want to miss out and she got a ticket a couple of weeks before it on Twickets. Here is the footage of the whole of the last gig that Fish will ever perform. It was an emotional night.

There was a lot of fan footage on the Fish fanpage on facebook and I made a video of the best of them which you can view below.

I also put together a few videos taken from facebook. I trust the fans of Fish wouldn’t mind me sharing these.

It was a great gig and although he has had a few ups and downs with his solo career over the years, he certainly went out on a high.