Märkische Allgemeine - July 25, 2007 

translation by Astrid Nolde-Gallasch

by Hanne Landbeck


Chris de Burgh despite higher powers

"King Friedrich, give us good weather!"

That he is a close friend of "King Friedrich" Chris de Burgh let everone know already 
after the first song that he sang on Tuesday night easily over the still dry and full 
row of seats. The little man from Ireland stood in black trousers, black leather jacket 
and a white shirt at the Neue Palais during the two and half hour concert and gave a 
lot. That this doesn't always sound as clear as on his records, the round-about four 
hundred guests in the audience take it easy and generously give their applause. 

In rain coats and with umbrellas they defy the black clouds which ever again make a 
stand against the corporate feeling, but the singer of "Lady In Red" doesn't let any bad 
temper or any break come up. He says right away that he has spoken with King Friedrich 
and has asked him to keep away the worst rain masses, and even though it was windy and 
cold and sometimes rained heavily, nobody from the audience left their place early. 

King Friedrich has a beautiful park and good castles, his own property in Ireland is 
quite similar, the 58 year old ambassador of the United Nations joked. Attuned in such a 
way, the guests applaud during the well-known and also during the lesser-known songs 
which the Irishman delivered skilfully. During "Lady In Red, which rounded up his solo 
part which with he had started his concert, he even ran through the rows with a headset 
and asked a couple of ladies to dance. Of course they loved that, and even if they didn't 
wear red, the star gave them all the illusion, she herself would be the "Lady in Red". 

During the songs of his latest album "The Storyman" there were video projections which 
showed him swaying signboards at all possible places of the world, and his fans love him 
for such messages, that we all live in "One World". 

Often it was about love which is the most important thing we own, against war which 
became distinct in its brutality through the mushroom cloud on the video screen and 
about the fact that we don't need a "Leader" to tell us what we have to do or not to do.

It was difficult for the singer to assert himself constantly against the threatening 
rain masses, and sometimes the drops dribbled on the blue, yellow and red light that the 
headlights threw on him. The Storyman songs were replaced by the Evergreen "Don't tell 
the Ferryman" [sic!], and despite the clammy, wet hands of the audience, they asked for 
encores which the singer friendly granted them. Pity that his connection to King 
Friedrich isn't quite as good as he stressed at the beginning, for the enjoyment during 
the November in Potsdam which sometimes shows itself in July, became a true test for the 
fans.