Chris de Burgh - The Video
Format: PAL, Stereo
Catalogue Number AM825
Producer A&M Records
Release Date 1984
Playing Time 68 minutes
Carry On
Waiting
for the Hurricane
Spanish Train
A Spaceman Came Travelling
Borderline
The Revolution
A Rainy Night In Paris
All The Love I have Inside
The Traveller
Ship To Shore
Shadows And Lights
Don't Pay The Ferryman
The Getaway
Patricia The Stripper
This video was recorded in Hamilton, Canada just prior to
the beginning of Chris de Burgh's sell out 1983 Getaway World Tour.
Contained here is 68 minutes of Chris in conversation, rehearsal and concert.
REVIEW by Dave Doohan
The video opens with a panoramic view of Snowy Mountains and in the background a piano is playing and you can hear Chris' voice singing Carry On. After a quick voice over from Chris about why they chose the venue we are in to the concert action with Waiting For The Hurricane. One thing that is noticeable is the crowd involvement - they are already very vocal, however, they tend to remain seated at all times. Spanish Train is next performed with Red Stage lights for maximum effect and before the song Chris talks back stage about where the idea came from. A Spaceman came Travelling and Borderline lead to the close of Part 1 number Revolution. Borderline has Chris at the Piano during rehearsal and the full version of the song is not on the video. Chris also talks behind the scenes about Revolution, and his desire to paint a movie in the mind, which he feels he has achieved with this song. The crowd really loved this song - but again they stayed seated. Part 2 opens with the following words from Chris on stage..
"Let us go to the sleazy back streets, and the bars and cafés, with a half dozen hookers on every corner. In the distance you can hear a lonely sax" (cue a really poor sax impersonation here) "two lovers (well it's always better with two!) are saying auvoir"
Guessed it yet? It's the introduction - and what an introduction - for "A Rainy Night In Paris".
More songs follow, Ship To Shore is very well done, as is Shadows and Lights but the crowd get really excited over the final three songs of the night. More interview footage first though, as Chris explains how he wrote out the story behind each song on the Getaway album so it made more sense, and this is his reason for the album working so well. The crowd by the way are still sitting down!
Into Ferryman and The Getaway - the crowd…..sits. Chris invites them to dance - they decline rising only at the end to applaud the song and the introduction (finally) of he band. Patricia The Stripper is definitely one worth waiting for and even when Patricia herself makes an appearance the crowd stay seated.
At the end Chris gets a great farewell, with the crowd finally rising. It has to be said, they did seem to enjoy themselves but the concert itself lacks a little polish and the camera work leaves something to be desired. While it is not a patch on the Munich Concert video, the music sounds fresh and it is worth having in the collection if only to look back and see how he didn't quite have the concert technique pinned down.