Hersbrucker Zeitung - August 26, 2010


by Andrea Pitsch

translation by Astrid Nolde-Gallasch


Great concert experience


REICHENSCHWAND - In the end the park of the Reichenschwand castle was "high on emotion". The Irish singer Chris de Burgh put
 every hard core fan as well as curious listeners into an ecstatic mood with his musical ability, his intoxicating naturalness,
 and his sympathical attempts to speak German.

In the early afternoon one could hear a few musical bits of Toto's "Africa" in the village. The wind carries the first 
impressions of band, setlist and the unmistakeable voice of Chris de Burgh. This wets the appetite. Most of the visitors 
don't hear anything of this, because they are arriving much later from all kinds of places to Reichenschwand.

The way towards the venue is already putting the evening into a special flair. Hundreds walk along the alley towards the new
 gothic castle, where the concert is held in the park. Many of the quite mixed concert visitors have dressed up nicely, only 
few show off their fanhood by wearing special t-shirts. But later on everyone is able to sing along. And then there he is: 
The Irish world star seems almost a little bit inconspicious, when he enters the huge stage with his simple trousers and a 
blouson jacket in dark colours. But with his distinctive voice he fills the venue completely from the first moment on, his 
presence is unmistakeable. De Burgh does not only have his own songs in his guitar case, but also songs which influenced his 
musical development.

The Irishman interpretes "Long And Winding Road" by the Beatles with a lot of emotion, or he conveys true goosebumps during 
Mariah Carey's "I Can't Live". His excellent band with Al Vosper (guitar), David Levy (bass), Nigel Hopking (keyboard) and 
Tony Kiley (drums) make a balanced frame for the clear head voice of de Burgh. They are cover songs, but the down-to-earth 
singer, who enjoys telling stories of drinking Glühwein at the Nürnberg christmas market, makes them effortlessly unique, 
sometimes soft, sometimes rocky, and there is always a lot of applause going on.

A first highlight of the show for the energy-bound 61 year old, who jumps unabashed over the stage during rock passages, is 
his knowledge of the German language. The words "Bier" and "Toiletten" come easily over his lips, however "Reichenschwand" is 
a jaw breaker. The fully professional in the short-living music business knows how to joke, how to get his audience to clap 
and sing along, how to involve them in the unobtrusive, yet atmospheric show.

Apart from de Burgh's voice, exactly defined light effects added accents: Fire illustrated the rocky "Revolution", a Russian 
flag a song about vodka. Fitting to this, suddenly a server enters the stage with that high proof "water". De Burgh knows how 
to keep the atmosphere at its peak, and let out emotions for the highlight of the concert. For everyone is waiting for his 
biggest hits. Before that, the singer shows the diversity of his music. Whether it is a slightly jazzy track or a ballad with 
guitar - everything sounds wonderful with him. A new intensive song called "People Of The World" proves that the Irishman also 
wants to convey messages with his music. It is dedicated to the young Iranian woman Neda, who lost her life in a demonstration 
in 2009.

De Burgh also shows a lot of emotion during "Lady In Red". Now all barriers have broken down. Couples hug each other dreamily,
 and people get up to dance. At the latest during "Don't Pay The Ferryman", nobody is on their seats any longer. The coldness 
is just being danced away. With a full heart, the audience sings along to "High On Emotion" and lets all emotions flow freely.
When de Burgh takes another bath in the crowd during the encores, some can't believe their luck: "He has shaken my hand!" The
world star knows no fear of contact. This makes the concert a perfect, but also sympathical production of a great artist and 
also a unique musical treat.