Mindener Tageblatt - October 26, 2002

by Hans-J¡§?rgen Amtage

translation by Astrid Nolde-Gallasch


Pop Irishman makes fan community's blood boil


Chris de Burgh enthuses 2500 listeners in the Mindener Kampa-Halle /
"You are fantastic"

Minden. Since almost three decades he counts as a guarant for successful
live concerts: The rock-pop-bard Chris de Burgh. Thursday evening he
proved it again: Standing ovations alreaday during the concert, more
than 2500 singing, clapping and dancing fans in the Kampa-Halle - and
that for almost three hours, Minden has rarely experienced something
like that.

The listeners experienced a concert evening presented by Mindener
Tageblatt, that didn't leave any musical wishes open for Chris de Burgh
and his excellent five band members (Tim Cansfield, acoustical guitar;
Al Vosper, acoustical guitar; David Levy, bass; Gary Sanctuary,
keyboards and Tony Kiley, drums). The center of attention was of course
his new album "Timing Is Everything", the first single release "Guilty
Secret" has already developped to a really catchy record and made the
audience in Minden cheer right at the start of the concert. But the
Irishman stayed true to his audience also in the respect that he didn't
do without his old hits: "Don't Pay The Ferryman" was among them as well
as the cuddle hit "Lady In Red", which has been on top of the wishlist
of the radio listeners for years. And for one fan, who enthusiastically
waved with the record cover of Chris de Burgh's Vinyl "At The End Of A
Perfect Day" (from 1977), the pop-rocker spontaneously sang its title
song "Perfect Day" during his non-stop concert for almost three hours in
which he used up his voice in big parts for solo pieces. 

"Timing is Everything" - and his current tour that lead him through
about two dozens of big German cities since the end of September and had
already been enthusiastically celebrated in front of 7000 listeners in
Dortmund -  is very much a current statement of Chris's craft, easily
placing all of the several trademarks he has made his own - vivid
story-telling, powerful anthems and heartfelt ballads - against an
undeniably contemporary backdrop. He proved with it how musically young
an old stage professional can be. But the fact that he even hits a few
social critical notes and even congratulated the Germans on Thursday
night for their courage to declare towards US president George Bush they
don't approve a war against Iraq, just rounds off the picture of an
absolutely non-superficially appearing artist.

"This is a modern-sounding record, within the parameter of me as a
songwriter, because I write in the classic vein. I'm writing in that
old-fashioned way, but I think we've brought a very new and dynamic
sound to it.", says Chris de Burgh himself about his new album. That he
isn't wrong with this opinion proves the Minden audience, about which he
says: "You are fantastic." That writing the songs was incredibly easy,
as he told the Mindener Tageblatt before the beginning of his tour, has
been taken in by the audience which covered every age group on Thursday
night. They felt that the "new" Chris de Burgh didn't have to force
himself to compose for his new album, but that he just put stories
written by life into music with a lot of ability and joy. Therefore the
atmosphere was right in Minden, where the convinced drinker of tea and
mineral water presented one of his 16 albums for the first time, and he
joked: "It is great to be at the home of Melitta. I know coffee filter,
although I am not a coffee drinker. But sometimes I use them as a hat
when it rains." That Chris de Burgh has become a little bit cheekier and
rockier with his music, also fits into the time. Because: "Timing Is
Everything".