This unofficial site features his current and recent events and tours
Review of Tony Hadley at Penrith Panthers, Australia
4th November 2011by Gillian
I wasn't a massive Spandau Ballet fan back in the day. Sure, I loved 'Gold' and 'True', and liked most of their hit songs, but in the early 80s my heart belonged to Duran Duran. So it was with mixed feelings that I went to see Spandau Ballet in Sydney in 2010. Would it be a disappointment? I hadn't been to see any 80s bands since the 80s, not even Duran Duran, preferring to remember them in their heyday.
Well, I was blown away. We all were - my friends, and my brother-in-law and all of his friends - and afterwards we could not stop marvelling at Tony's voice. It was still as beautiful as ever, but richer, stronger. We were all stunned, and I became a belated Spandau fan.
Fast forward to 2011, and the cancelled Rewind Festival had me buying tickets for Tony's Penrith show. Still, a part of me wondered if it would affect me the same way as the Spandau show the year before. Clearly, I am a slow learner. That voice - that voice! Newspaper reviewers tend to make Tony's shows sound like nostalgia fests. They do him a great injustice, because it is clear to me now that he can sing just about anything, and often so well that the original version seems weak and insipid by comparison. Who would think that a set including songs by Nina Simone, The Killers, Duran Duran, The Foo Fighters, Robert Palmer and Queen would work, but every single one was brilliant, with Tony's voice soulful one second, powerful the next. That I now would prefer to hear Tony singing 'Rio' than Simon Le Bon says it all, really. To top it off, he is so relaxed and happy on stage, so obviously loves perfoming, that you can't help but enjoy yourself. During 'True', a man in the crowd next to the stage proposed to his girlfriend, diamond ring and all, and Tony was clearly chuffed and showed everyone in the audience, who by now were going absolutely nuts. I defy anyone to see Tony and not come away a fan, whether they are a Spandau fan or not. I can't wait for the next time.