This unofficial site features his current and recent events and tours
Review of Tony Hadley – Poacher’s Bistro, 17th June 2007
by Julie Munn
I didn’t realise I was going to this until five days before – my super-hubby had managed to get tickets as a surprise. I wasn’t really sure what to expect – but it exceeded all expectations – as usual!
We arrived at Poacher’s Bistro at about 7pm and were immediately greeted with a glass of champagne. Chris, the manager, came and introduced himself to us and said that Tony had done his sound-check earlier and had popped back to his hotel – I think he might have been telling porkies though and that he was really hiding upstairs in the restaurant!!
The second set was the “By Request” concept, so the sheets were duly completed and posted in the wooden box before we were shown to our tables.
The room seated about 70 people, but I don’t think it was a full house. There was a long table in the centre, which was for all the couples, and we were seated fourth from the front, which was just fine!
The starter and main course were served (very nice!) and then Tony and the band came on for the first set. It was really varied and it was nice to hear some songs that I hadn’t heard in a while – particularly Great Wide Open. He finished with Michael Bublé’s Home, which was absolutely fantastic. As you can see from the set list – it looks like it was a last minute decision! Tony was really chatty and clearly enjoyed the intimate atmosphere.
Dessert then appeared, before Tony and the band came back for the second set. As usual, he had his wad of request sheets in his jacket pocket and enjoyed reading out the messages. The first surprise was With and Without You – I’ve never heard Tony sing that and for me, it was one of the highlights of the evening.
The main highlight however was the fact that he picked my request for Time in a Bottle. I had written a comment on my sheet about the fact that he was late for lunch in Bristol the previous week, so he read that out and had a few laughs!
He also picked out my second request for Freefalling – so I was a very lucky lady!!!
It was a fantastic evening and a perfect venue for Tony to relax in and get close to his audience. Chris was a great host and indicated that this might be an annual event – so if you get the opportunity to go – just do it!!!
Oh - and the other bonus was that we all got a bottle of Tony’s beer on the table! Haven’t tried it yet – but as we managed to go home with three bottles, I think I might open one of them!