The decision was made to have fish and chips at home and take a taxi to the Hydro, for the RMT decided to have a Scotland wide rail strike on the day Roxy Music were playing the OVO Hydro. Up the workers! In all honesty, I am on their side.
The weather was forecast to be dry but we’re in Glasgow, so… rain sailed in and out through the day.
When food and transport had been decided on, I booked a taxi. This booking took place around 3pm for a 6.30pm collection. In their inherent wisdom, GlasGO taxis decided to create the live booking (as seemingly “pre-bookings” just sit about until nearer the actual booking time to go “live”) at 6.23pm. The booking now said 7.30pm. I tried NOT to freak out but it had me wondering if I would make it in to see Roxy’s support act. The app update read “Assigning Driver” for what felt like an aeon. 6.30pm came and went…then 6.45pm…then at around 6.55pm the driver finally arrived. Traffic was fun! He wasn’t the most decisive of drivers but somehow, mostly through sheer luck, I think, got us along the least congested parts of Glasgow and safely to the Hydro in enough time to get seated in readiness for the support.
After being dropped off right out the front of the Hydro at the taxi drop-off on Congress Road, we (Birdy and I) joined a relatively short queue to get in. I said to Birdy I was heading straight on in as I wanted to make sure I was in and seated before the support act started. We had bought our tickets at separate times and were seated at polar ends of the Hydro. We arranged to meet back at the left side exit after the show. Bag searched, ticket scanned and off I went up the escalator to Level 2, in through Door M and in the auditorium to find my seat. Block 335, Row T – yaysus! I was getting vertigo just looking at the thing! Certainly not as close as I was for either Crowded House or Massive Attack – and certainly nowhere NEAR as close as I was for Simple Minds! No matter. I was here, and I had my new distance glasses as well, so all would be fine.
The support act was Nilufer Yanya. I enjoyed her set. It was a bit trip-hop and a bit shoe-gaze. I knew she came with Phil Manzanera’s full endorsement. I checked out some of her music on Spotify last week but wasn’t too sure but I did enjoy her set. I was worried about the sound of her set in terms of acoustics. The drums were quite distorted and the treatment on her voice made it hard to hear her sometimes. Will I be going out of my way to check out her music again? I’m not sure. Perhaps I’ll give her catalogue another perusal at some point soon. For the acoustics? 6/10. For performance/enjoyment of the set? 7/10
There was the usual crap that happens when support acts are on. People making their way to their seats, copious drinks in hand. Others already seated, chatting at full voice over the top of the support act performing as if it is their privilege with the ticket price to sit about and have a conversation. Fuck me! Stay in the fucking bar or shut the fuck up! You might not be interested in the act, but others are and they have paid just as much money as you and would actually like to HEAR THEM perform, and not your conversation! As for those arriving and taking their seats during a support act’s set…YOU HAVE A MINIMUM OF 30 MINUTES (usually 45) TO TAKE YOUR SEAT AFTER A SUPPORT ACT IS THROUGH, OKAY?! Just wait until the support act is done and THEN come and take your seat. Or, if you actually want to see them, ARRIVE ON TIME! Fuuuuuuuuck!!!! It’s not hard.
During the break between sets, there was music being played over the sound system while the stage was set up for Roxy’s arrival. The selection of music being played was obviously chosen by Bryan. Mostly 60s Motown and Do-Wap classics. Things of note that I heard: Dancing In The Street, followed by Then He Kissed Me, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (which Bryan himself covered at some point) and It’s In His Kiss. I sit listening in a growing melancholy of being alone and being almost 52 and not having had a real kiss from a man in more years than I care to admit here. I was on the brink of tears, caught up in my own longingly wistful nostalgia of feelings a lifetime has wilted away, albeit still alive in dreams. Sat wishing that, one day, I’ll get to know what it’s like to be kissed by a man once again, just one last time. Oh…woe is me.
Anyway! Enough of that hogwash.
On to the main act. The anticipation was palpable and as the lights dimmed and the Hydro went dark, a growing ripple of cheers and applause began, reaching a crescendo as first Andy MacKay appeared, followed by Phil Manzanera, then reaching its maximum eruption as Bryan Ferry glided onto the stage. Wasting no time at all, he seats himself down by the keyboard and begins the opening bars for Re-make/Re-model. Then the real anticipatory moment…how was his voice going to sound? Is it too much to ask for a miracle and hope there are some vestiges of strength left to his voice? In a word – yes. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom! Before you get too disheartened! If you are prepared for how his voice is, you can still derive much pleasure from the performance. For one, I think that for some of the songs his sometimes barely audible whisper is suited to the songs…giving them a different atmosphere or feel, or is simply more in line with the vocal that he gave to the song when originally recorded. A case in point is The Bogus Man. He certainly can’t get anywhere near those higher octaves like he did on the original, but he certainly has the whisper.
Particular highlights for me were: the build up and anticipation that was let loose by Re-make/Re-model. The Bogus Man being suited to Bryan’s voice as well as that bass reverberating around the Hydro. A most splendid Ladytron with fantastic drums and percussion (though missing the castanets for some reason?). A thrilling middle section trio of If There Is Something, In Every Dream Home A Heartache and Tara. A sumptuous My Only Love. Audience participation highlights on Love Is The Drug and Virginia Plain, as well as a fabulous Editions Of You “WOOOO!” In fact, I was stunned when I heard the opening bars of Virginia Plain strike up as I had seen others from the North American leg of the tour express disappointment at Virginia Plain not being on the setlist. I hadn’t expected to hear it last night. I then feared it was added at the expense of Do The Strand but I needn’t have worried. Commendable effort given for More Than This.
Where I felt Bryan particularly struggled was on: Out Of The Blue, Oh Yeah!, To Turn You On, Dance Away, and Avalon. Given the state of his voice, to have a slightly higher pass rate is pretty darn good in my books.
Notable standouts – the level of musicianship. Neil Jason on bass, percussion by Tugg Curran, Phoebe Edwards fantastic backing vocal on Avalon (though her mic did have some sound issues), along with the talents of Paul Thompson, Andy MacKay and Phil Manaznera. Phil, in particular, was of an unsurpassed level last night.
Bryan was the consummate frontman. Ever stylish, generous in his recognition of his fellow stage performers, wonderfully responsive and receptive to the crowd, relishing in the audience participation point in the night of rousing the audience to call out at the delivery of “Virginia Plain” after the beckoning of “what’s her name?” I admit to wearing a broad smile for the majority of the night.
A prompt (metaphorical) curtain drop to it all at 10.30pm. A great set and a thoroughly enjoyable performance. Anything missed? Not really. I know the songs that I like most wouldn’t make the cut. Would not have expected Mother Of Pearl to be there, nor Over You (though given the melancholy I felt during the break in sets between support act and main draw, it might have given me a boost). Amazona could have been nice. Perhaps The Thrill Of It All or Both Ends Burning or even Angel Eyes making an appearance, but alas. I was more than happy to hear what I had heard and was ecstatic to hear Virginia Plain as I had convinced myself it wouldn’t be in the set.
If that was my last chance of ever seeing Roxy Music, I have not a single regret for going. I was armed for how Bryan would be vocally so that didn’t really detract on the enjoyment of it, and it was wonderful to be in the presence of Thompson, MacKay and Manzanera and see them perform for what might be my first and last time.
A rating for the night? A solid 8/10. Was I going nuts? A little here and there…constrained ‘nuts’. Was I feeling like I do at a Simple Minds gig? No! Did I feel like I did at the Crowded House gig? No. Did I enjoy myself? Yes! The two point deduction for minor technical issues here and there, a few minor … dull patches, Bryan – for aspects of the voice. I feel REALLY bad for saying that and I am by no means expecting him to sound like he did in 1982, or even 2001 for that matter, but I appreciate that he’s a 77 year old man, lifelong chain smoker and that his voice has diminished. It was a consequence I was willing to accept.
While waiting for a taxi to come and collect us (again, booked with GlasGO for 11pm but booking not created by them until around 10.50pm meant a 25 minute wait for a taxi). After some moments outside waiting in the Campanile Hotel car park, I suggested to Birdy we go in and wait in the hotel lobby. We soon got chatting to a man from Belfast who had been to the gig. With the mention of Simple Minds at one point during the conversation, he mentioned Cherisse. That girl’s been impressing people for a long time!
For those heading to Manchester and London, enjoy!
NB: No photos of the night other than the one from my viewpoint within the auditorium. There is a video of almost a complete version of “Oh Yeah!” (might be restricted viewing in certain countries.)