Concert Review: Warsaw, Poland - March 11, 2002

Claudia Schreiber:

Just came back from a really exhausting trip to Warsaw...about 13 hours on a train is not only fun...

When Heike and I decided to go to this show, we had no idea what it means...we thought "well, 13 hours, who cares ? Enough time to talk, laugh, listen to good music ;-) "...

But we were wrong. We've started our journey sunday at about 8 pm. There were 3 other people in the same compartment who wanted to spend the time sleeping, so we had no chance to talk later then midnight...

We fell asleep aswell for a while, but too early the border was reached and we were waken up to show our passes. For some unknown reason the polish man looked at me and my passport again and again, I was afraid he'd hold me there...but we continued our journey.

Next morning at nine we reached Warsaw, found our hotel immediatly and also saw the venue, "Sala Congresawa", from outside. It's a round hall, looking pretty old...

We were glad enough to get tickets in the middle of the front row, due to a nice lady, Magda, who works for the ticket office.

The inside of the venue was the best thing of whole Warsaw...looking a bit like Royal Albert Hall, with VIP boxes above the main arena, and a really pretty ceiling.

Concert started at 8.30 pm, as usual Chris began the show with Carry on / Here is your paradise. Audience was great, enjoying Chris' music very, very much... A few pretty known songs followed, and Heike and I were afraid that Chris would play exactly the same set as he did in Jersey, but he did not. When he asked "Any requests?" we wished for "Simple truth", but Chris mentioned that it's a piano song and he was standing there with his guitar in his hands. We wished for something else but somebody shouted "Don't pay the Ferryman", which was answered by Chris with "Don't pay who?", and then "Revolution" was asked.

Like before, Chris asked the audience to "sing" the guitar solo part that Neil usually plays, and they did. Like in Luxemburg Chris stopped the song after the end of the second part, and left out "Liberty", which for me is the best part of it. I don't know why and how, but a few seconds later Heike and I found ourselfs singing it through the applause, and when people stopped clapping they listened to us...Chris nearly fall from the stage, but smiled at us, so we continued. Have you ever tried to sing so loud that a whole venue can hear you, and in tune at the same time ? Believe me, it did not work, and so we earned a lot of laughs. But they were a little impressed as well, I think, and after the first half Chris tried to join us with guitar chords, but he failed. So we continued alone and Chris joined us for the final shout "Never forget!", saying "Thank you girls, cheque's in the post"....

After that my heart was beating even louder than we sang before, I feared, and I wished for the floor to open and let me vanish away, but it was real fun to do it...

Concert went on, and when Chris started to do "Lady in red", everybody was shouting and clapping, they had only waited for it. This was bringing Chris to the idea, to repeat it (!!!) at the beginning of the encore...

Now we're back again, and although it was a pretty long way to go, it was worth it. Chris' voice sounds stronger than ever, at least stronger then the last years, and so I can hardly wait to hear the new album as well as the new concerts.

Adam:

The day was sunny and there was rather warm... Thank to this time to concert (20:30 our time-like in Germany) went fast for me and my friend. When we went to the door of Kongresova Hall in centre of Warsaw we were shocked how many people were there in queue. I think that in Poland CdeB music isn't very popular... but fortunately I made mistake... The Hall was full of people... The concert was full-seated. My friend and I were sitting in 7th row so we could see Chris rather good (not as good as Heike and Claudia). About 20:35 Polish lector said some words about Chris -his country,career and music and after that short presentation A MAN has come. There were claps and Chris looked happy. He was dressed as usual in his black leather. On a stage there was a piano and his guitar. Chris talked to us in Polish "Dobry wieczor" what means "Good evening". Than he got a piece of paper from his leather and read in Polish sth like this "I'm very happy that I can sing for you in Poland again." Than he added in English "It will be another concert than in Zielona Gora in year 2000. I will sing my songs and songs of my favourities singers only with my piano and guitar, without a band. I hope you enjoy this concert".

Chris started with as usual Carry On going to Here Is Your Paradise on piano. There were great lighting effects- for every song there were another sort of light. Than he sang Sailing Away on guitar, during this song audience started to clapping and singing with Chris but it was rather unshy begining of our audience. Than Chris said story like in Avo sesion about women that think about sex and men who must look after their women to other men. Audience was lauging and clapping. He sang of course A Woman's Heart on guitar, but this version was a little bit slower than version during Avo session in December 2001.

After this song Chris returned to piano, said some words about next song (he gave us some info to almost every song he sang) - The Head And The Haert. After this romantic piece he mentioned about his concerts in Russia few days ago and started to sing Natasha Dance (he ended this song hit his foot on piano keys). Following Let It Be was in memory to all people in America day 11th of January (it was exactly six months from this awful event). Next Chris got his guitar and played Yesterday (I heard after this song how one woman sitting in my back talk to her friend "oh, how beautiful he sang this..."), In A Country Churchyard (he said "When I was romantic :) I wrote this song about wedding...) and Same Sun and Sailor-it was wonderful, I heard for the first time these two songs live solo on guitar. As Claudia and Heike wrote in their review, Chris voice was very very strong....

Chris was in a good mood, he was talking some funny stories during whole concert. One of them was before he sang Moonlight And Vodka by piano. This was funny version. Next were two known ballads Borderline (some pepole light a fire during this song) and Lady In Red-audience was shouting and clapping and singing with CdeB stronger than so far. Chris talked us about Irish St Patrick Eve which was on 16 March and than he do acappella Danny Boy. My friend said "Oh God, what a voice this man has..."

Now Chris got his guitar and asked us which song we want to listen ? Somebody shouted Ship To Shore, Don't Pay The Ferryman (Chris joked "Don't pay who?"), but Chris sang Revolution (only two parts and some of third with Claudia and Heike-please read their review for more, anyway it was good to hear how Chris try to find chords during girls were singing). Spanish Train and Carry Me were next 2 songs.

Than by piano CdeB sang Without You, Always On My Mind and Snow Is Falling-his newest song....He talked about history of this song ("Please imagine a small forest,village, snow and people murdered") and played melody-very beautiful an sad. It was thrilled to hear about death,souls for the first time, and Chris voice sound so strong and suggestive... It seemed to me when I hear Chris during this song that I really was in forest...this man really can do completely stories in one short song.... I only remember some words begining of the song "Snow is falling Snow is falling on the ground Deep in the forest" and end of chorus "They are calling to be found". Pretty song anyway and I know I would buy his new album even for this one song....But there will be more great songs,I'm sure!!! I'm waiting...

Chris played by guitar Snows Of New York. When he sang Missing You, Pretty Woman and Don't Pay The Ferryman all audience was clapping and singing with him and almost everybody was standing. Girls and boys also danced near the stage...Chris taken us to real enjoy... There were very hard not to sing and dance with him and the audience.... to this beautiful music...Everybody shouted "Don't Do It"

As encore Chris sang Lady In Red by piano once agian-as far as I know, he doesn't it very often!!! And then as usual Where Peaceful Waters Flow with Hey Jude...Everybody was standing and clapping...As I counted, Chris sang 28 songs and said many other words during 2,5 hour concert. When we left Kongresowa, I heard people talked that this was very good concert. Unfortunately we didn't get autographs because security didn't let us go to Chris...

It was pretty concert, reviews in our papers were very good about Chris and his concert. Atmosphere was super, Chris really did great atmposphere...Not every singer (and there are many younger singers than Chris-but he has more energy than most of them) can sing for 2,5 hour only with guitar and piano without a band in a way that even people who don't know all his songs dance and sing and have such a great time, I think. It's a pity that nobody record this concert.... But we all have beautiful memories... And I'm happy that Kongresowa Hall was full of people-before concert I was afraid that there will be many free seats...And everybody has a good time during Chris de Burgh concert, I'm sure!!!

So it's the end. Sorry for my mistakes and that this review is so long...But it was so unusual and great event for me to be see this performance that it is possible to write and talk about this concert more and more !!! CHRIS DE BURGH- A REAL MAN, MUSICAN, STAR !!!