This unofficial site features his current and recent events and tours
Review of Tony Hadley 'By Request' - Swindon - 21st May 2006
I have a bit of a soft spot for the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon as it is the first
place I ever met Tony and when I saw that Tony was coming back there, I knew I
wanted to go and got front row seats. It is a nice, if a little tired
1960's theatre which hadn't changed much since my last visit with good views
from almost anywhere in the auditorium and no camera or sit down police.
Since the tour started I'd been trying to think of ways to make it more likely that my request would be read out. We'd tried getting hold of extra slips and putting more than our fair share of requests in the box. Asking band members if there were any songs that Tony wanted to sing that hadn't come out of the box. This time I'd decided to put a little present of a box of maltesers in the box with my slip. I'd had a look at the size of the slot on the box and was sure that it would fit.
The show started about on time and Tony bounding onto the stage to sing Life on Mars and continued on with his stories between the songs. It came time for Dave Williams and the new roadie to collect the boxes and for them to take them backstage. A couple of songs later, Tony announces that there is a bribe in the box, but at that point doesn't know what it is. I suddenly feel a bit guilty for putting the present in the box. The first half is over way too quickly for my liking and all through the interval I wonder if he will sing my choice.
The second half starts as usual with Who Are You and during Only When You Leave some of us on the front row decide to stand and that's where we stay for the rest of the show. It is also when I notice the box of maltesers in front of JK's drum kit, but I don't know whether he will just make a joke of the bribe or whether he will sing my choice. I have to wait until the 9th song of the second half and he went over to the drum kit and picked up the box of maltesers and starts passing them around the band, he then took a couple of handfuls and threw them into the audience, he then passed the box to the people standing at the front. He thanked me for the bribe and then started to sing Somebody Told Me. This time he knew it was my request. Just two more songs for the final part of the set and he ended up on a high with I Predict A Riot. They all went off, but were back soon to do the encore of Suspicious Minds and Gold. It had been a great show, one of the best on the tour.
Time to go round to the stage door, since I was there the last time they had painted the door from green to black, but everything else there was the same, but I think Tony was out quicker this time, but he was delayed by competition winners being allowed to go in and meet him. He was lovely to everyone as usual and said that my bribe had been the first one that had been done, I'm quite surprised by that, but it had worked.