This unofficial site features his current and recent events and tours
Review of Spandau Ballet at the Liverpool Echo Arena
29th October 2009
After a good nights sleep, a wander around Manchester and a goodbye to one of my friends, it was time to hit the motorway for the short drive down to Liverpool. I'm not really sure why they had two shows so close together on following nights as this one wasn't one of the originally announced ones either and I would have throught that people from Liverpool may have already opted to go to Manchester.
I can't quite remember when they went on sale, but think it was a couple of weeks after the original ones. I checked the venue website and it said that tickets went on sale at 9.30 am, its a good job that I work flexi-time and don't have to be in work until 10 am if I want to. So I was on the computer ready for the 9.30 am on sale time, I wanted flat seats and put in my selection, it gave me row W, I thought I don't think so, if that's all there is then I won't bother, so I reselected and it gave me row N. I was about to give up when I did it one more time and yipee it gave me row A seats 29 and 30, my gain must have been someone elses loss and I quickly got them out through the checkout.
The day of the gig was quite cold and windy and the venue is right on the riverfront. We were going to get a taxi down to the venue from the hotel but decided to walk.
This being the seventh time I had seen the show, there were no surprises, but being on the front row again was really nice and we were just in front of Gary Kemp with an aisle next to us. The venue wasn't as full as other ones I'd been to but think it was because of the gig the day before. The venue was fairly new and that is a bonus.
I think the show and the staging of it was really good, I liked the light show (although I didn't get full benefit of it until I saw the show from the back in London). The video screen behind was good and I liked the film behind during 'Round and Round' and the doves on the screen during 'I'll Fly For You'. A couple of things that Tony did during the songs made me laugh - when he pointed to his left ear during 'Communication' and the line 'I'm left here', he also looked at his watch at the beginning of 'Chant No 1'
Tony's cold didn't seem to be any better, but he gave it his all and made the same jokes as I had heard previously, they would have been funny had this been the only time I had seen the show. We didn't bother waiting at the stage door after this one.
I don't regret going to as many shows as I did but it would have been nice to have had a ticket to one of the meet and greet afterwards as I only spoke to Tony at the stage door once and that was in Belfast. I can see now why they weren't stopping at the stage door as they had to speak to all the people who had invites to after show parties and who had won meet and greets. But just a head out of the car window and a thanks for coming would have been nice, if not for me but for the other people who don't see them so much.
SET LIST
To Cut a Long Story Short
The Freeze
Highly Strung
Only When You Leave
I'll Fly For You
How Many Lies
Virgin
She Loved like Diamond
Once More
Round and Round
Man in Chains
With The Pride
Through The Barricades
Instinction
Communication
Lifeline
Chant No. 1 with
Paint Me Down in the middle
True
- - - - - - -
Fight for Ourselves
Gold
Denise - October 2009