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Douglas Smith:
I think most points have been covered by all the reviewers but here goes :-)
First it was great to have him back at the Bridgewater Hall - he started at 20:15 and was supposed to end at 22:45
We got there too late for Al's set so went to the merchandise stall and bought the double CD (GBP13.00) and a keyring (GBP2.00)...there were other CDs including those from Al Vosper and Krystina Myles and other items included the 2006-7 tourbook at GBP5.00, a flashing badge at GBP1.00 and the usual T-type shirts ...even the signed Beautiful Dreams poster was still there
The CdeB part of the concert started with the instrumental The
Storyman theme then CdeB sang the first verse of The Storyman ( upto "Always by my side" )
The first part of the show was very strong with an excellent Country Churchyard and Same Sun. Sailing Away was great until the ongoing ending and Borderline was as marvellous as ever. The first verse or so of The Lord is my shepherd was sung acapello but this showed the sound was not quite set ( more later )
I still find it strange not to have Where Peaceful Waters Flow at the end of the show but its still a great song except for the "twiddly bits" where it drags on a bit too long...
I'll ignore the football and Britney comments
The Lady In Red walkaround was good with the "mobbing" near the back interesting as was the lady in red hanging over the balcony of the circle but perhaps best was when he went down the aisle and lounged in 2 or 3 seats left vacant for the purpose by Al's family (?) to sing a few bars
Leningrad was excellent with a minimal introduction and letting the words and music tell the story as only he can do.
Unfortunately The Grace of a Dancer had the complete story told in the introduction. It would be much much better to pare down that intro.
Where We Will Be Going was back to form and One World was fun again. CdeB hit top gear with Missing You and carried it through to the amazing duet with Kristina. This was the best Raging Storm I've heard them do much better than on The Storyman and better than at Birmingham last year. She certainly has a lot more confidence than even last year and it shows in her voice. It was at this point that CdeB praised the Manchester Evening News for helping Kristina's career
For me the highlight was Spaceman followed by Spanish Train. Exquisite ...but... The Bridgewater Hall is acoustically excellent for classical concerts, organ recitals, choirs and folk-rock but the sound has to be carefully structured for rock bands...last month there were a lot of complaints about the sound for Don McLean and at times the CdeB sound was drowned out by the band
Other highlights included CdeB naming several of the ladies who gave him flowers ( I'm sure he mentioned Doris ! ), chocs or wine
I really like Spirit on the Storyman CD but I understand completely what the Manchester Evening News reviewer meant about "Lion King-esque"...this song is universal in theme and does not need pseudo-African chants which overwhelm it live
Then The Leader...good graphics and Steve Bennett was spotlighted but I really would have preferred the Revolution trilogy
Back to form with the words "I Love You" with the multi-lingual backdrop. Bel Masque and Father's Eyes were great but overshadowed by the evergreens Say GoodBye/Ferryman
Heather Ward:
Hi All,
Just got back from a terrific evening at the Manchester concert. I took about 100+ photos from my vantage point, three rows from the stage! And yes, CdeB was superb. As always. :-)
Here's the set list from tonight's show:
The Storyman Theme
The Storyman (partial)
In A Country Churchyard
The Same Sun
Sailing Away
Borderline
Psalm 23 (The Lord Is My Shepherd) [a request]
Where Peaceful Waters Flow
The Lady In Red
Leningrad
The Grace Of A Dancer
Where We Will Be Going
One World
Missing You
Raging Storm (with Kristina Myles)
A Spaceman Came Travelling
Spanish Train
Spirit
The Leader/The Vision/What About Me?
The Words "I Love You"
Bel Masque
In My Father's Eyes
Living In The World
Say Goodbye To It All
Don't Pay The Ferryman
High On Emotion (first encore)
The Snows of New York (second encore)
The night was electric and the energy amazing. My fiance, father and I had a fantastic night and loved every moment. I aim to post a more thorough review/my thoughts and some photos to my blog over the next few days, and when I do I'll include a link here. :-)
Blessings,
Heather
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