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23/06/04 - MUSEUMPLATZ,
BONN Review
by Moya Stinson and Maria Heutz
The venue was very very good and the security
looked after the queue very well, providing a plastic sheet to cover our heads.
Unfortunately if you were stood at the edge of the sheet, the water ran off in
torrents and ran down your back. Also, during the wait, Dee who had travelled
all the way from Vancouver spoke to some of the fans and gave out “Spirit”
badges. Dee was well known to many of the fans. Luckily,
we were allowed in very early because of the weather and were able to take cover.
The supporting band came on stage at 7pm. The Murphy brothers, two brothers,
Andrew and Stephen and two others, were, in our opinion, very good. The crowd
listened which is not always the case with supporting bands. They were very melodic
with excellent harmonies.
BA came on stage at 5 minutes to eight opening with
There will never be another tonight. This song seemed to go down really well and
there was a really good atmosphere. Bryan then went straight into 18 til I die
which was brilliant as usual. Let's make a night to remember came next and it
certainly was. The atmosphere was getting better with many whoopings and wailings
filling the outdoor arena. The crowd were enjoying the music and they were now
dry under the covered area. The night was looking good. Bryan rocked straight
into Can't stop this thing we started. These well known songs brought the roof
down as usual. These veteran tracks just seem to get better and better the more
he plays them. Football crept in at this point as Germany were playing and Bryan
wanted to know why there were so many people at the concert and asked didn't they
like football. He promised to give out the scores and asked for a prediction as
to the result. He said he would give a beer to the person with the right answer
but we think this was a joke (because he left before the game was over).
Bryan
then introduced the band and then went into House arrest, another good blast from
the past, whipping up the crowd once again. The neighbours were certainly awake
by this time!
Bryan was encouraging more and more noise. This concert was sure
looking good. Bryan picked up his acoustic guitar and played the introduction
to Summer of '69. This was somewhat of a disappointment to us. We prefer the original
version but never the less an enjoyable song. We think this should have been the
crescendo of the performance. In our opinion, the acoustic version doesn't have
the same impact as the original, but this is just a personal reflection. Keith's
spot came next with the chance to show off his excellent guitar skills in It's
only love. There is no doubt Keith is getting better and better, and Bryan and
Mickey always seem to gain amusement whilst Keith is strutting his stuff!
A
more recent number crept in with Back to you which was performed extremely well
and certainly a favourite for us. Next came the turning point song of Bryan's
career, Everything I do I do it for you. This is a wonderful song and everyone
seemed to join in, lighting sparklers and moving their arms in the air. What a
great number!
Cuts like a knife followed and there was the usual competition
of who could sing the loudest na, na, na. Bryan mocked the audience with his mimicry
of their attempts to compete with each other. The audience didn't know who had
won, Bryan was very diplomatic. Julia from Frankfurt was next on stage, taking
the place of Mel C in When you're gone. Bryan asked her what she did and she replied
she studied business administration and after the song had finished he told her
she should carry on with the business administration. Julia was very good but
concentrated more on the paper than looking at Bryan. We can't understand this.
At one point Bryan stopped singing and so did Julia and had to be encouraged to
carry on. She also spent the first few moments waving to her friends and her two
boy friends, but later she said she only knew one of these boys. Bryan seemed
amused by the whole performance and looked as though he had enjoyed every minute
and we are sure Julia had. One of our favourites came next: Heaven. This was the
quicker version and we prefer the original. It was still very good. 
Somebody
followed and everyone joined with the usual - You, pointing towards Bryan, and
really joining in with the whole thing. This mood continued with The only thing
that looks good on me is you, and everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying all
these good songs. It was a big disappointment then, when Bryan introduced the
band for the finale. It seemed only a moment ago that he had stepped on stage
and it was only 9.15. We did not want it to end. However, the band came back to
perform Cloud # 9 and a member of the audience waived a cardboard cloud in the
air. All joined in waiving their arms in the air - and it was very good. Next
came Run to you, with Keith running around the stage, but Bryan did not run from
one side to the other as he used to do. Next was the number we were all waiting
for - The best of me - unfortunately we were very disappointed when we realised
Bryan would not be coming into the audience, this has been the highlight in the
last concerts we have attended. The band left the stage again and the crowd shouted
"Zugabe" (which means "Just one more") Bryan came back alone
with his rendition of Straight from the heart, a great favourite which obviously
was straight from the heart. Unfortunately the concert was coming to a close.
The final song was Depend on me which is an old classic. Bryan waived his farewells
to all sides of the audience and left the stage. The concert had finished only
lasting one and an half hours approximately and we hadn't had enough. The football
was still on though and the crowd watched the screens and only a few left the
arena.
Now we will review the extra little interesting points:
Norman has
now become more animated and during several songs he moved away from his microphone.
First he moved to the front of the stage with determination and sang “YEAH”.
He then moved back to his place.
Football played a great part in this concert.
At one point the Dutch flag appeared on the screen and there was loud booing throughout
the crowd. Someone then threw a Canadian flag onto the stage and Bryan tried to
catch it. Unfortunately, it didn’t make the stage and landed between the
stage and the barrier. Then a German flag was thrown. This made it onto the stage
and he tied it to his microphone. This caused great cheering throughout.
Keith
and Bryan sang very closely together at one point during the show, using the same
microphone. After the song had ended Keith moved away and Bryan wiped his mouth
with a sweeping gesture across his face indicating they had been to close!
One
amusing moment was when a man shouted from the audience to Bryan: “Ich will
ein Kind von Dir!” which means in English: “I want a child from you!”
(If you ever read this Bryan you can make this man’s dream come true.)
Bryan
received a gift and asked what it was. The girl who threw the gift onto the stage
replied that it was a shirt. Someone else threw their leather jacket onto the
stage. Bryan picked it up, looked at it, and decided this was a good gift.
Towards
the end of the concert a fan threw a rolled up ticket together with a pen onto
the stage. Bryan asked the name of the fan and signed it for her. He threw it
back but unfortunately the pen and ticket parted company and drifted to the floor
once again between the stage and the barrier. Bryan looked dismayed and we don’t
know what happened to it. Several more items were thrown but were left there,
only to be picked up by Lance at the end of the concert.
We don’t normally
wait after the show for autographs but we did wait at Dortmund and were successful.
Bryan was very patient and signed many autographs that night. This time we had
good reasons for wanting two autographed photographs so we tried again. Unfortunately,
this time we were told by security that Bryan had already left for the airport.
We left disappointed but not deterred. We would try again in Hull on Saturday
when we hope for a great show.
Setlist:
There Will
Never Be Another Tonight
18 Til I Die
Let's Make A Night To Remember
Can't
Stop This Thing We Started
House Arrest
Summer Of '69
It's Only Love
Back
To You
Everything I Do
Cuts Like A Knife
When You´re Gone (with
Julia from Frankfurt)
Heaven
Somebody
The Only Thing That Looks Good
On Me Is You
Cloud #9
Run To You
The Best Of Me
Straight From The
Heart
Depend On Me | | |
