MainPost - August 23, 2010


by Peter D. Wagner

translation by Astrid Nolde-Gallasch


Chris de Burgh in the outer castle yard


About 3000 visitors experienced a very atmospheric concert evening on Sunday night in the outer castle yard of the Bad
Mergentheim Deutschorden castle with Chris de Burgh's concert.

Right from the start the pop legend who was accompanied by five band members provided a good atmosphere. And there was no 
damper put on the mood, even though a rain shower came down just at the start of the show.

"It is going to stop - next week", the singer joked, who proved to be an enjoyable entertainer between songs and showed off a 
few bits of German knowledge and often responded spontaneously to his audience.

The friendly and modest de Burgh showed himself close to the audience, sometimes even with skin contact: During "Lady In Red" 
he mixed himself with a wireless microphone during a walkabout among his fans in the wide auditory. 

In his two hours show the Irishman presented numerous excerpts of his 2009 album "Footsteps". On "Footsteps" he presents, 
apart from the title track, cover versions of Beatles hits, Bob Dylan, Toto and other pop greats, and completes everything by 
his own popular hits and classics.

Even after more than three decades "on stage" de Burgh, at the age of almost 62, is still a refreshing experience. During a 
couple of emotional, quiet ballads he enchants his audience simply with his guitar - but during the brisker tracks he 
is typically bubbly and like an elastic spring he animates his listeners to clap and sing along and provides an even friskier 
mood.

This was even incresased, when the Irishman during the last part of the concert asked his audience to get up from their seats 
and dance in front of the stage or at their seats. 

When towards the end de Burgh performed his intoxicating successes "Don't Pay The Ferryman" and "High On Emotion", the party 
atmosphere didn't know any boundaries.

At this time it had long finished to rain. Even a couple of stars were to be seen in the sky, so that the concert in the 
idyllic, historical castle ambience became a successful open air evening all around.