Tages Anzeiger - April 6, 2011


by Thomas Wyss

translation by Astrid Nolde-Gallasch


In the end everybody was "high on emotion"


Romantic rocker Chris de Burgh performed in the Hallenstadion. During his performance he played about a dozen roles without 
changing his shirt even once.

We all know the songs from Chris de Burgh, even if we often don't know that they are by him. We know them from the waiting room 
of the dentist, from the elevator in the mall, from the romantical candlelight night on Elba or Crete or Sylt. They always fitted there 
perfectly. But how, one has to ask while standing in front of the Hallenstadion, will the cuddly rock and pop songs sound in the 
biggest concert hall of Zurich?

Let's say it in advance: They sound just wonderful! With his 62 years of age the Irishman who was born in Argentina isn't really a 
totally dynamic and elastic big shot. But on the other hand, trained by his almost 40 years of stage experience, he plays the 
claviature of emotions as perfectly as only few of his guild. By constant variations of tempo and styles he and his four-member-band 
create a wave that is sometimes softer, sometimes like a rough ride, on which the performed music and the felt emotions ride along 
in unison. Fittingly the rock-romantic, who never was a dandy in his early years either, lead the 4300 visitors to a never-ending story, 
which doesn't even stop at the cosmos, or at legends or at the ancient Rome.

Comedian, pal, dancing bear

Chris de Burgh plays about a dozen different roles - and even without changing his shirt even once! He turns from the fairy tale uncle 
to the comedian, from the pal (spontaneously greeted by a group of people from Küsnacht who had invited him the night before to 
some fine wine) to the lumbering dancing bear, when he dances through the sitting world of women a bit awkward during his hit "Lady 
In Red".

That's moving, sympathical, amusing. When he even tries himself as a protest singer with "People Of The World" - he explains that 
he has dedicated the track the Iranian Neda who was shot in 2009 and all suppressed people - that seems like a forced game with 
collective consternation. That's straining after effect, cheap, socially cheesy.

But that fauxpas has been forgotten quickly - especially when, after an opulent but rather melancholy start, which was mostly 
dedicated to the rock opera style album "Moonfleet & Other Stories", the crackier songs were celebrated after the break. Part of this 
furious best-of were hits like "Africa", "Don't Pay The Ferryman", "The Getaway" and certainly "High on Emotion".

High on emotion? That's right. If you looked at the faces of the fans after the concert, you could detect exactly this state everywhere.