This unofficial site features his current and recent events and tours
Review of Tony Hadley Big Band Show for Radio 2 -
Crawley -13th April 2007
This was billed as Big Band Special with special guest Tony Hadley. This title should have alerted a couple of women (not anyone I know) who bought front row tickets that this wasn't a gig, but a concert to be recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 2 (on 11th June 2007 at 10.00 pm). Their behaviour was appalling - shouting out and waving their arms drunkenly. The camera police were out in force too - I'd left my camera behind accidentally, so that's why there are none on here as I'm sure I would have managed a few.
I'll stop being negative and get onto the evening itself. I'd got front row tickets for myself and friends against the advice of the woman in the box office who informed me that I would get a pain in the neck being so close to the stage! The evening was being recorded as two separate shows, so Tony wasn't on until after the interval. The first show started with Clare Teal singing, but I don't think that was being recorded, the rest of the first half proceeded with Clare coming on and introducing the music as there was no singers. I would have advised the conductor Jiggs Whigham to have pressed his trousers before coming on stage as they were quite noticiably creased (but maybe this was only noticable from the first couple of rows). I also noticed a couple of the musicians from Tony's big band tour in the BBC Big Band.
Time for the second half and for Tony to come on. Clare Teal introduced him, but from there onwards it was very similar musically to the Big Band shows I'd seen before Christmas, although he didn't sing as many songs. I didn't try and scribble down the set list, so I'm not really sure which songs he sang but it included True, Gold, Passing Strangers and Wives and Lovers. I'm sure I will be surprised when I actually get to listen to it on the radio the rest of the set list and I hope they are able to edit out those awful women. Clare seemed to be a bit starstruck by Tony.
We waited for Tony at the stage door and he came out to speak to everyone waiting.
BBC Big Band Website here