This unofficial site features his current and recent events and tours
Review of Tony Hadley 'By Request' - Burgess Hill- 22nd April 2006
My sixth gig of the tour and I hadn't been home since before the Ball, Burgess Hill wasn't too far from where I had been staying and it seemed silly not to go! We arrived in Burgess Hill just as the shops were closing, so found a pub near the venue. We had been sitting outside the pub, but had moved inside as it was getting chilly, this was a bad move as 10 minutes later, Tony and the band came by, but didn't go in this pub.
Burgess Hill was a standing gig, so we arrived early to get a good place in the queue. The entrance to the hall was from the bar, so it didn't really matter that we had got there early as they didn't open the second set of doors until a bit later. We still got a good place, second row, just to the right of centre. The stage at Burgess Hill was smaller than some venues but not as small as Bilston.
The first half set was the same as it has been for a couple of gigs now, but Tony changed his patter about the song 'Young Girl' after I told him that it was written for Gary Puckett and the Union Gap by their producer Jerry Fuller.
'By Request' time in the second half, it is good to hear 'August Girl' and a friend Helen requests 'Why Don't You Try Me' on the condition that Tony does some of the moves that Pete Cox usually does, Tony obliges, it is funny seeing Tony doing this, but the song is not the same without Pete's lines, it is better as a duet. I had almost given up on having a request done for myself, but my one request in the box for 'Somebody Told Me' yields a result, but Tony doesn't realise it is mine, maybe he doesn't think that I would choose a song like that, but I just love his version.
Time for the encore and he sings 'True and 'I Predict A Riot' again. A brilliant end to a great gig, one of the best I have been to on this tour. No camera police in evidence here (so I did go a bit overboard with pictures) and because it was standing, no sit down police either!
Stage Door time, spoke to Phil Taylor and Jay the roadie along with Tony. Think I possibly overdosed on Tony, seeing him three nights running, but had a great time going to see him.
Denise 29/4/06