I really love “Gaye” as the opener. This is a cover of the Clifford T Ward song and works so well, allowing Brian to emerge onto the stage during the intro, and the song itself shows Brian’s vocal talents off so well, allowing for us also to see him turn and move. Brian enjoys some banter with the crowd between songs and finding some (slightly Dutch) courage after the 3rd song, I piped up “Wasn’t it time” Brian took his jacket off, he was looking so hot under the stage lights. It was purely concern for his welfare that made me say it, honestly ;) Brian said that it would cost to remove his jacket now so I wondered “Pounds or Euros” and he laughed.
I had been talking with the friends I went with during the interval, and one had said that she really hoped Brian would sing “Dangerous” but she didn’t want to shout for it, so I said that I would if the opportunity arose, as I love that one too. You see set lists are fluid with Brian: you can shout out songs and sometimes he sings them and sometimes not depending if he remembers the lyrics or tunes or if the band knows the songs too. Brian will also decide as the concert progresses what songs he feels should be next and discusses with his main guitarist and friend, Pat Gribben on where to take the mood or carry on a particular vibe. So when Brian announced he would be Dangerous, there was such a shriek from us at the front – to which Brian asked if there had been a scolding incident? Yep, just too hot there Brian.
At a Brian concert you just get wrapped up and loose yourself, and time almost becomes irrelevant. The Concert Hall has seating in the round, with a large Church organ against the back wall. The seating behind the stage was high up, on par with being in the circle, effectively giving only a half back drop for the stage, but this area was decorated with small blue lights, twinkling like stars on a clear black night. Brian’s tour manager, Fred, is almost as famous as Brian on Brian’s fan forum for concerts, as he announces Brian, re-tunes guitars, deals with emergencies, sound checks the equipment and keeps the timing for the concert. When he appears and whispers in Brian’s ear, that the end will be soon, it’s when you suddenly realise that the magic will end, although fingers crossed you will have the signing afterwards. The whole audience were enthralled, and Brian was given two standing ovations, one for the pretend end of concert and one for the encore. Brian even managed to include some of the Irish Step work he had to learn when he was the Lead (singing) soloist in Riverdance when it was on Broadway in 2000.
Brian thanked the audience for coming to see him - especially given the current climate and as his message for getting through the recession he sang Get On With Your Short Life. He also thanked the band, lighting and sound, his manager and the lady who runs his website, leaving Fred to very last saying that Fred would complain if he didn’t thank him at all.
At most concerts, You Raise Me Up is the last song of the encore, as Brian was the singer on the original version of the song, but in concert Brian sings it accapello, and sometimes without the aid of a microphone. It took him a few moments to compose himself. He has prefect pitch, but often says that he has to get the start of the song in the right key otherwise the ending is too high, even for him. But as soon as you hear the opening words, the audience usually fall completely silent. You can hear your own heartbeat or would hear a pin drop. Someone else described it as “though people had stopped breathing… [no] sound from the auditorium except for Brian’s voice which was soft at first and then stronger, as he delivered the oh so familiar words ‘When I am down….’ People relaxed into the song, and there was an air of satisfaction and contentment running right around the concert hall… the highlight of the night… He truly has a God-given voice. It is sweet yet sharp. Crisp and clear. Soft, yet strong. It is sublime. It manages to wrap your very soul around it when you hear it. It draws you in and takes you away with it and allows you to block out everything else that is going on. ”. What is remarkable is that the voice is untrained, completely natural, even Brian’s guitar playing was self-taught. Brian often describes “You Raise me Up” as a hug in a CD box, allowing the listener to take strength or joy from it.
At the end of most concerts, Brian usually stays behind to sign things and let people take their photos with him. He says he enjoys listening to people’s stories of what certain songs mean to them, or of their news or experiences since their last BK concert. By the time we had left the auditorium, got a drink and gone to the foyer, the signing queue was very long almost literally out of the door. We tucked in at the back, just about the right side of the doors, as it was cold and wet, and waited to get our moment at the front. Unfortunately 2 of our number couldn’t stay, but we did give Brian everyone’s best wishes, rest assured.
The front of the queue was getting nearer and nearer and I was starting to feel sick, but luckily everyone else in our group kept chatting to me, so that was kept at bay. To start off we went up as a group, but each of us got our individual things signed first: I had brought the cd insert for “Captured” as it seemed the most appropriate unsigned thing I had. Brian showed the concert hall’s security guard/usher who was near him the cd photo and said “see how long my hair was?” And then Brian started signing our German lady’s CD, and as we helped him with the spelling, he said “I know that name, are you the ladies that sent me the lovely flowers?” and so then seemed a good place to give the glass and tag book to him. I don’t really remember the exact words I said, but I explained that the flowers and gifts were from our group including people who couldn’t be here as well. I’d brought some chocolate as well which I first gave to him and he said that we shouldn’t have, having already spent money to come and see him, but I explained that we had all wanted to give back to him something to celebrate his 20 years in the music business.
I had taken the glass bowl out of its box and wrappings, having nursed it all the way from home, the flight in hand luggage to arrival in Dublin. I had nearly had to unpack it at the airport x-ray machine because the lead in the glass showed up as a solid black shape in my suitcase, but luckily they had worked out what it was as I was explaining it to them. Brian was absolutely delighted with the glass bowl, and saying “how did you know?” I explained that I had been told that he collected black glass, had then seen the votive and settled on it as it was designed by John Rocha. I said that I had got to because I knew he liked John Rocha and his clothes. Brian then said that he did collect the glass and that the bowl was one of the few things he didn’t have. Lucky coincidence or what. He also said that John had been at the concert and had we seen him? I had to admit that I hadn’t. Brian loved the flowers and said that he had just the right vase for them, for in his kitchen. Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of the flowers but here’s hoping that they looked like Interflora’s pictures.
I then gave him the tag book explaining that this had been put together to go as the tag for the gifts, and he asked if it was for him to keep. He looked so delighted with the items, so surprised by and appreciative of it all, looking through the book briefly, saying genuinely that he would read it later. We then got our photographs taken with Brian, but time was pressing and there were still people behind us and our moment passed. We took a few more photos of each other and then went our separate ways, my friends walking me to my guesthouse and arranging to meet tomorrow for our journey back to East Mids.
It took me ages to get to sleep as my head kept buzzing from the concert and signing afterwards, but finally I did manage, although it wasn’t until the morning that I discovered the roof window in the room had a blind on it, although luckily I had brought a lavender scented eye mask to cut out the light in case the curtains were too thin. So 20 years. As Brian said seemed like only 10, but here’s hoping the next 20 go as swimmingly. Thank you Brian for being so giving and for being just you in a business/world that can be so fake and backstabbing. Until next time.
(Thanks to Carol and Hiltrud for the photos xx)
No comments:
Post a Comment