This unofficial site features his current and recent events and tours
Review of Tony Hadley at Party on the Square, Nottingham
1st April 2007
I'd found this event on one of my searches for Tony. It hadn't been announced on the official site but my daughter had been to Nottingham and seen large posters announcing that Tony would be there on the Sunday. I'd also found details of it on the BBC, Nottingham City Council and the local radio site, so I was pretty sure it was taking place.
The best thing of all was that it was Free! Saturdays are better than Sundays for me, but by carefully choosing my train tickets and finding the Nottingham Central Travelodge at its cheapest price, it was definitely worth going. I'd also arranged to meet up with my northern friends.
I wasn't sure about an outdoor gig in April, so went prepared with warm clothing, raincoat, umbrella, scarf and gloves. None of these items were needed! It was a lovely sunny day, although out of the area in front of the stage there was a bit of a cold wind, but I have been to much colder and wetter gigs in July and August!
It would be a reasonably early start and I was confused when my first train of the journey which normally has two carriages, had eight. It turned out that Bristol Rovers was playing Doncaster in the Johnstones Paint Trophy at the Milennium Stadium in Cardiff. As the journey went on, the train got filled to capacity, it seemed that I was one of the few people not going to the football. The rest of the journey passed off uneventfully and I arrived in Nottingham at 1.30 pm, just enough time to go to the hotel, get changed and I was ready to go to the newly refurbished Old Market Square in time to meet up with friends and take our places at the front.
A Glen Miller Tribute band were on when we got there (whilst they were on we spotted Tony looking out from the backstage), but soon they were off and I could see Tony's crew setting up the stage for Tony and the Big Band. Almost on the dot of 3.30 pm Tony bounded onto the stage to start his Big Band show. I was unable to get a set list due to the distance from the stage, as with most outdoor shows, there is a gap between the stage and the front but as far as I can make out from the scribbles I made on the day it was:
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One man in the audience kept shouting out for Tony to sing Gold, in the end Tony had to say, I will sing it later and did so as the encore, he said he was going to sing something else, but I don't know what it was.
It was an excellent show, on a lovely sunny afternoon in Nottingham. Tony was on top form. We waited for him afterwards and he spoke to the waiting people. Alison had been at the show and as they were leaving we saw baby Zara, she is a beautiful baby with big brown eyes, she is very alert and taking notice of everything, although she has no concept of who all these people are waiting for Daddy!