Concert Review: Toronto, Canada - May 21, 2003
Brian Morton:
Chris was in fine form last night... The sound was excellent and it was
a great show. De Burgh's talent lies in his writing and he did his
best to showcase the variety and range of the material. As this was the
Canadian leg of the world tour there was an emphasis on material from
ST&OS... He only played three songs from TIE!
I wasn't floored with the venue. The seats were really, really cramped.
Also security was a real pain in the neck, especially during the
"beatles" encore when most of us went to the front of the stage... I
noticed them methodically chasing people back to their seats... (At the
Centennial Hall in 2000, which is also a theatre venue, there were no
such restrictions)..
Some nice moments, most especially the piano version of LITTLE ANGELS,
which Chris dedicated to the memory of Holly Jones. The song is
basically the same as the BBC version from last year, although there is
a sad instrumental part and then he repeats the chorus twice... The
song works much better on piano (IMHO), and I do hope that it ends up on
the next CD. (There is nothing in-appropriate with Chris writing about
his own emotional reaction to a horrendous event.) Chris said that the
song still needs to be finished, so I'll expect a "bridge" to be added
to the finished version.
I also loved the simple stripped back version of LEBANESE NIGHTS...
Really liked Chris singing the words to bridge in English, (I know they
are printed in the CD booklet, but it was the first time I had ever
"heard" them before.
SAILOR was another standout for me. The Sound techies used a cool
"slap-back" vocal delay on the chorus. Chris now plays the song in
B-minor istead of the D-minor it was written in, which makes it a little
quieter and less "screachy" then the original version.
Here be the the set list..
Hummingbird Centre, Toronto, Ontario - May 21, 2003 8 - 11 pm.
CARRY ON / HERE IS YOUR PARADISE (Piano)
Chat about SARS. "will be playing a medley of Elton John and Billy Joel
songs tonight"
SAILING AWAY (Guitar)
Chat about taking a streetcar along Queen Street to the beaches and
sitting in a nice café. Then heading up Yonge Street and passing the
"Zanizibar" strip club. "Over 75's welcome"..
TRANSMISSION ENDS
Chat about his daughter Rosanna and her friends using cell phone
technology to "text" messages to each other in the dark.
SAVE ME
SAILOR
HEAD AND THE HEART (Piano)
BEST THAT LOVE CAN BE
NATASHA DANCE
Chris - "I've lived a saintly life, so I'm sure I'll have no problem!"
SAINT PETERS GATE (Guitar)
SAME SUN
LONELY SKY
SPACEMAN CAME TRAVELLING
MOONLIGHT AND VODKA (Piano)
LADY IN RED
BORDERLINE
("Somebody has to write these anti-war songs... So it had better be me!")
SAY GOODBYE TO IT ALL
LITTLE ANGEL
SPANISH TRAIN (Guitar)
THE TOWER
LEBANESE NIGHTS
REVOLUTION/LIGHT A FIRE
(He was going to play LIBERTY too, but the audience applauded madly at
the end of LIGHT A FIRE, so he stopped).
"Tonight you are my band - keep clapping!"
SHIP TO SHORE
MISSING YOU
DON'T PAY THE FERRYMAN
(First encore)
PATRICIA THE STRIPPER
SNOWS OF NEW YORK
(Second encore)
HARD DAYS' NIGHT
PRETTY WOMAN
HEY JUDE
The post concert meeting was much smaller, then last time, there were
about 10 of us there and it was just a chance to have a quick chat, and
to put some faces to the names on the list
I scored an official set list and a backstage pass from an IATSE stage
hand I know, alas Chris and everybody had left by the time I went to
use it.. Oh well it makes a great souveneir of the night!