|
Albums
|
by Andrea Nemetz De Burgh charms Cohn crowd Irish balladeer thrills audience with song list spanning 30 years A late November visit to Halifax by Irish balladeer Chris de Burgh was like an eagerly anticipated holiday stop from a much-loved uncle full of wonderful stories. The diminutive singer charmed an appreciative audience at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium on Saturday night (the first of two shows with a second on Sunday) with lots of personal anecdotes, some slightly suggestive jokes, a few local references and a hearty dose of humour to go with his heartfelt songs, which he accompanied on guitar and piano. The troubadour delighted his fans, spanning a range from 30-somethings to seniors, by including lots of oldies in his set. Early favourites A Spaceman Came Travelling, Patricia the Stripper and Spanish Train, all from his 1975 debut album Spanish Train and Other Stories, were among the tunes that received the biggest applause. He opened on guitar with the instrumental When Winter Comes from his current album The Road to Freedom, the first release on his own label, Ferryman Productions. That was followed up with the 2004 discs title track, before de Burgh described how he awoke from his nap at the Delta Barrington hotel Saturday to the sounds of marching bands and looked out the window to find a "spectacular" Christmas parade. The first really big wave of applause came for the 1975 anthem Lonely Sky with de Burgh soaring across the vocal range, proving hes lost none of the power or purity of voice that has delighted fans for more than 30 years. The audience began murmuring expectantly from his first notes on the piano and the prolonged clapping brought the singer to the front of the stage to acknowledge the crowd. Fans love the tales told by the consummate storyteller, whether they are bridges between songs or the songs themselves. The description of the creation of his 1986 megahit Lady In Red had an informal de Burgh speaking as he might to his mates over a pint at his local pub. Though everyone expected him to launch into the unmistakable melody, he instead played a tune called Five Past Dreams, from The Road to Freedom, which he described as a sequel to his best-known song. When he did play Lady In Red in the middle of the set, it was a simple piano version with no introduction. Hearts were fluttering when de Burgh put on a headset mike and walked up and down the aisles singing a medley of hits including Fire on the Water, Save Me, Tender Hands and Missing You, shaking hands and pausing to sit and flirt with a few lucky women. The singer, clad simply in black dress pants and white mandarin collar shirt, gave his most powerful performance of the night with the touching Borderline, the words "these are only boys and Ill never know how men can see the wisdom in a war" clearly striking a chord with an audience touched by the war in Iraq. They leapt to their feet for a prolonged standing ovation that de Burgh accepted with his hand on his heart. De Burgh noted he has often returned to certain themes, "songs against the horror of war, for example," and Saturdays show included Say Goodbye to It All, Snow Is Falling and Up Here in Heaven drawing enthusiastic response. There was an introspective air to much of the repertoire with songs like St. Peters Gate and Where Peaceful Waters Flow reflecting on mortality. The Tower, with its images of deathbed regrets, sent shivers down the spine. A rollicking Dont Pay the Ferryman, from the 1982 album The Getaway, concluded a well-received set and was met with another standing ovation. Fans shouted for a range of numbers from de Burghs 17 studio albums for encore choices. And during the first song, Patricia the Stripper, many members of the audience accepted the singers invitation to dance in the aisle. He wrapped up the 135-minute show with The Snows of New York, which he described as a song about friends and friendship, "the feeling I get when in Halifax" walking the aisles shaking hands to the delight of an adoring crowd already hoping hell be back for more. ( anemetz@herald.ca) |
File last modified on August 26, 2006