Esslinger Zeitung - October 6, 2002

by Jürgen Seibold

translation by Astrid Nolde-Gallasch


Roses for the gentleman from the island


Nice guy, big hits: Chris de Burgh celebrated a family party with his
fans in the Schleyerhalle

Stuttgart - As high as the walls between musical styles may be: The
doors between them are opened from time to time, and those who know how
to use them, can fill fans of both genres with enthusiasm. Currently
mixtures of soul and pop are in demand? In the mid 80s a mixture of pop
and rock promised to be successful: Those who could mix catchy or even
sugar-sweet melodies with dust-dry mixed rock rhythms and could
stage-manage them with a hint of drama, were in the top 10 with one leg
already. Diplomat's son Chris de Burgh - actually too nice, too small
and too unspectacular for a star - was carried on hands especially by
his German fans. When the door closed in the 90s again, de Burgh stood
on the pop side of the wall. And as hard as he knocked on the wall with
rocky arrangements, until today he stayed out of the charts in which
current trends are mirrored. Suddenly his affectionate catchy tunes, his
sometimes religiously seeming lyrics and the solid arrangements weren't
cool enough anymore. Suddenly Chris de Burgh was just too nice, too
small and too unspectacular. No wonder that he smiled blissfully when he
took a bath in the cheering audience in the Stuttgart Schleyerhalle:
With his true fan community, big enough to fill the seated giant hall,
the sympathical star celebrated a successful family party. A little
stiffly in the beginning, de Burgh and an excellent accompanying band
started the program with "Guilty Secret", a single release from his
current album "Timing Is Everything". The first roses were given to him
during the second song, the cuddling oldie "Missing You". De Burgh
smiled thankfully, but a little struggling: A sitting audience and
flowers during a ballad are a sure sign that musicians address wistful
memories and live on old fame. But bit by bit the audience thawed, de
Burgh became more cheerful, his announcements lighter and when after an
hour, as if there was a secret signal, suddenly numerous fans between
the rows of chairs ran towards the edge of the stage and the rest at
least got up, Chris de Burgh had made it: The relaxed and friendly mood
that marked his earlier concerts spreaded in the hall - the 53 year old
was now in his element. The fear that the next sing-along chorus could
be without an echo had vanished. He thanked for the German No to a war
against Iraq, made jokes, sparkled with romantic oldies and wished his
guitarist Tim Cansfield a happy birthday. Although Chris de Burgh
strained the mood with an acoustic part that became a little too long,
partly sitting in a circle of chairs with his band, partly solo on piano
or guitar. But as soon as the band revved up again, the audience got
going again. And when after two and a half hours "Don't Pay The
Ferryman" marked the end of the regular program and the singer
theatracally fell to the ground with the final chord, the field was
prepared for cheerful encores: The band played some more bars, and the
boss beamed with delight when he shook hands with the fans in the first
rows, waved, thanked and left the arena - as a winner: Those who have
experienced him in the Schleyerhalle will surely love to return.