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by Dieter Jäschke translation by Astrid Nolde-Gallasch Triumphal walk through the floors of the hall Surely: On a concert evening for every star "the hall is the best", "the audience is the best". But when Chris de Burgh comes to Dortmund, the joy seems real. Here he had filled a big hall for the first time in 1984. It was in November, so exactly 20 years ago, and Chris made a tour for the album "Man On The Line". To play in front of 9000 people, that was new for the musical latecomer from Ireland, who started his professional career only with 26 and had to do for a long time with appearances in ice sport halls or town halls. "Because the Westfalenhalle stood for my breakthrough, I really wanted to celebrate the 20th anniversary here", de Burgh emphasized, when Jochen Meschke, manager of the Westfalenhalle, handed him 45 minutes before his appearance two bottles of his favourite wine in the catacombs of the hall. The irishman has a good taste: The standard bottle "Solaia" from the Tuscan noble winery Antinori cannot be bought under 119 Euro. But the guest also proves social conscience, he had put up Christmas trees next to the stage. It looks a bit out of place in early November. But it's for a good cause: Hundreds come towards the festively decorated trees to put presents for the Dortmund institute for educational help underneath. They care for parentless kids between six and eighteen years. But now let's go: With a powerful-voiced ode de Burgh starts: "The Road To Freedom", named after his current album from March. Of course the almost orchestral piano ouverture, the pan flutes and Indian drums are missing, compared to the CD version, but like this it comes across even more passionate and more authentic. It is the ouverture for an evening with mostly beautiful ballads, that is going to last for a whole three hours and that is being arranged by de Burgh in a very personal way. He looks for the dialogue with the audience, always again. Jokes, tells little stories about the development of his songs. For the whole evening the soft rocker stands in front of his fans just in a white shirt and black jeans. The clear form language is mirrored on stage, which does without any bits and pieces - and in the music. He tailored his last album for himself only, and so he plays in Dortmund without a band, solo, only with guitars and piano. Next to more titles from "The Road To Freedom" (like "Five Past Dreams" or "Snow Is Falling"), he garnishes the program with milestones of his career: "Sight And Touch", "Last Night", "A Rainy Night In Paris". During "Save Me" he starts with a mobile microphone towards a triumphal walk through the floors, enjoys the cheers of the audience, whose heads will be bathed in red light a little later during "Lady In Red", the world hit from 1982, and who answer him by waving with hundreds of purple light sticks. Moved, de Burgh receives the applause. He performs more and more songs, at around 10:15 almost nobody sits on their chairs anymore. When he starts the first encore with "High on Emotion", the bow has been drawn perfectly. The title has been a huge success during his concert 20 years ago, and after two and a half hour of concert, the emotions are really high. The hall is raging. Chris bids farewell in a party way with "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by the Beatles and the "American Pie"... |
File last modified on August 26, 2006