dpa - July 6, 2003
by Fajsz Deáky translation by Astrid Nolde-GallaschSongs like candy floss: Chris de Burgh in Siegen
Siegen (dpa) - Nothing has changed much with Chris de Burgh during the past decades - and obviously this doesn't need to be either. At the start of his German tour on Saturday evening in Siegen the British man offered a mixture of his repertoire: Beautifully soft ballads and cheerful, clearly arranged pop songs. The 55 year old played his two and half hour program completely on his own, sometimes at the grand piano, sometimes with guitar. Without the support of a band which would have given his voice some breaks, he sang practically all of his big hits plus songs of his newest album. And even after four encores he didn't show any signs of tiring. At the end Chris de Burgh even added some classics of the Beatles and Roy Orbison. But at the beginning he sang ballads at the grand piano. Many of the roundabout 4000 visitors seemed to remember their first romantic evenings. A few couples in their forties flirted to the sounds as if it was their first date. The atmosphere came to its first peak during the classical "Lady In Red". During hits like "Don't Pay The Ferryman" or "High On Emotion", nobody stayed on their seats anymore on the Siegen Schlossplatz. All in all it was a brilliant achievement of the singer who has sold over 45 millions records during his career. De Burgh flirted with the audience, even greeted spectators who listened to the concert from near rooftops ("Did you pay for the show?") and played everything the fans wanted to hear. During other concerts of the current tour he will be on stage with band or orchestra, some are again "solo".