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26/06/04 - KC STADIUM,
HULL  Review
by Steven Stanley:
Bryan played the first ever stadium rock show in Humberside
and attracted a 20,000 plus sellout crowd to the KC Stadium. As we might have
expected, getting a good spot for this show was going to be tough so we arrived
at 6.45am in the queue amongst the first 15 people there. Everybody was to get
their hands numbered so we knew where everybody was in the queue... easy you might
think... but in the end nobody doing it could organise a piss up in a brewery! The
doors opened anyway and when I got in behind the 30+ people that had pushed infront
of me and Adrian I was centre stage 2/3 rows back. All I can say is it's unbeliveable
how petty some fans are and I haved enjoyed watching Bryan abroad more than going
to the recent UK shows this June. The first support
band came on anyway called 'Sketcher' and they were brave for a bunch of 17 years
old's I'll give em that. 'Proud Mary' were on after those and they were ok, they
sang 'Rain On Me' which was very apt as it was pouring it down for the majority
of the day... even during Bryan's set late on it was raining hard. On
came the badman anyway at about 8.45am, he just wandered through the curtain and
opened with 'There Will Never Be Another Tonight'... the stadium exploded with
life! You could see Bryan's reaction when he saw how big the place was and that
he had filled it... he looked pretty stunned. Unfortunately just after the '18
Til I Die' jump in the middle of the song Keith slipped on the wet stage near
the side and landed badly on his back. After the show he said it really hurt him...
credit to him though the lad didn't miss a note and held it all together. 
3
songs into the set and a drum beat started and Bryan started to get the crowd
going "C'mon Hull!" Then,........ "turned on the radio, sounded
like a disco!" 'Kids Wanna Rock' back in the setlist... bloody brilliant!
When Bryan started 'House Arrest' he shouted over to the big stand to the left
of the stage (below) "You lot are a long way away...can you hear this?"
Then he played the opening part of the song a few times... even the people in
the seats were up on their feet all night long. 'Back To You' was really good
with me and Adrian starting the bounce and Bryan getting it going even more for
ages... I could see on the big screens the whole football pitch was bouncing! 
A
surprise in the setlist not usually played on the mainstage was 'C'mon Everybody'...
it was really good and Bryan was getting the crowd going for ages on 'Cuts Like
A Knife'... not being satisfied until he had got the most out of us as usual.
He even pretended to fall asleep on the mike stand at one point! 'The Only Thing'
completely rocked the KC right down to the foundations, a lcear crowd favourite.
Bryan came down to the crowd for 'The Best Of Me' and headed straight over to
me and Adrian... Adrian didn't know what to do so ended up stroking Bryan's face...
it was sooo funny! Bryan took a picture of us two with him anyway and continued
getting mobbed by the other fans. Nice to see he is still ending shows with 'Straight
From The Heart' and 'Depend On Me' like in Europe... two really quality songs
to end on. After the gig we didn't bother waiting
for the boys to come out but we bumped into Keith and I let him talk to my friend
Karen on the phone after a brief chat and autographs etc. Bryan came out but we
couldn't be bothered to wait for him as we were drenched and wanted to go home! Setlist:
There
Will Never Be Another Tonight
18 Til I Die
Kids Wanna Rock
Let's Make
A Night To Remember
Can't Stop This Thing We Started
House Arrest
Summer
Of '69
Everything I Do
Back To You
It's Only Love
C'mon Everybody
Cuts
Like A Knife
When You´re Gone (with Alice from Scunthorpe)
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 
********************************************** Review
by Maria Heutz:
Only three days after the Bonn gig, Moya and I flew to England.
At the airport I couldn’t find my passport. First this was a shock for me
and for Moya of course too. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to go to
Manchester and see Bryan again. Fortunately I could get a temporary one which
I was very happy with. It took us a while to get it and we were a bit late. Suddenly
there was an announcement for us to go to the exit. We felt a bit ashamed but
also a kind of importance because our names were spoken in the whole airport.
Moya’s husband Graham picked us up at the airport in Manchester and we
went to Hull for our other BA experience. On the road we made a stop and bought
some drinks and sandwiches. First we arrived at the wrong place. The stadium wasn’t
the KC one. So Graham asked the way and we arrived soon at the right venue where
already people were waiting. We were asked if our tickets were for gate A or B
and than we got our numbers: 37 and 38. A fan had the idea to give a number to
everyone who arrived so we knew exactly where our place in the queue was and could
leave our places whenever we wanted. There were toilets around the stadium, another
good idea. Later during the concert we would be able to use these loos but I’m
sure nobody wanted to do this. When you have your place inside in the standing
area who wants to leave it? Not me!!!
Soon we were split up in two groups
next to the door stated on the ticket. The security men were really good. They
continued with numbering consecutively all people arriving and promised to let
us in earlier than people who arrived later.
Once we did a walk around the
stadium and met Steven from the 18tilidie-site. We shook hands and hoped for a
good concert. We had a look into the stadium and could see the stage. We decided
to try to get places on the right side this time. We would have preferred the
left side but the chance to run there was better for people with a Gate B ticket.
I
was surprised at the English people who were waiting. It seemed they were all
doing a big picnic. Mostly everyone had a lot to drink and eat. One woman had
the Harry Potter book and read some chapters in to pass the boring time. The typical
English weather - which I also had on my first English BA concert in Leeds in
July 2000 - came soon. It started to rain but in our raincoats and with umbrellas
we were well protected. The only regrettable thing was that you couldn’t
sit down because it was all wet. Later we were allowed to move near to the stadium
underneath an overhang. There you could lean and also it was a bit dryer.
Another
surprise was the merchandise. A woman next to me bought some BA stuff and came
out with the ZOO magazine. I tried several times to buy it here in Germany in
the shops around but no chance. In England you got it as a gift when you bought
some fan articles.
Next to our queue there were more and more people waiting
and it seemed they were looking for a chance to get into the queue. I worried
about my place. We were told they had their places in the sitting area. What a
pity they had to pass our queue to get to their entrance. When the doors opened
it was a mess. People who came many hours later than Moya and I managed to get
in before us. I cannot understand why no organizer is able to handle this in the
right way. People who wait from early in the morning should be allowed in before
the ones who arrive late - more often than not, just a few minutes before the
doors open. It’s not fair to push in but it keeps on happening.
Nevertheless
we got our places at the front on the right side of the stage and were happy.
The stewards there were very friendly. They had a big pile of plastic cups and
a big pail of water, they offered us a drink and also took photos. Soon the pouring
rain came back. It isn’t easy to keep dry under an umbrella when you are
standing like sardines. Your neighbours get a flood of water. Also it is dangerous
for faces and eyes next to you. Furthermore people behind you can’t see any
more and so we decided to close our umbrellas when the supporting bands and Bryan,
were on stage.
First Sketcher came out. They were very loud and I couldn’t
understand the lyrics. They were also very young and I had read before on a website
they had won a competition enabling them to perform. I imagined how wonderful
it would have been to see Boston Wood there. They are so good and I hope they
will make their way. The next supporter band was Proud Mary. Not bad but we were
waiting for Bryan.
He came on stage some minutes to nine and began as he did
in Bonn with There will never be another tonight. Don’t know why this tour
is called the Here-I-am-tour when he doesn’t play this song. No matter he
did a concert very similar to the one in Bonn. The concert was really good. Bryan
is such a great singer even if it is all old stuff he is playing. I can’t
tell you which of these concerts was better. In my opinion they both had some
highlights and so I gave them the same rate. Bryan didn't talk that much but played
two further songs: Kids wonna rock and C’mon everybody which he performed
last year only at the b stage. Some titles were played in a longer version. The
stadium atmosphere was of course better than the one in Bonn. 20,000 people could
give more enthusiasm than 6,000 can. A funny thing was when Alice came on stage
for the part of the When you’re gone girl. She told Bryan that she was studying
PE and Bryan was a bit confused and asked a second time because he thought she
said she was studying peeing. So he joked about this misunderstanding. Near to
the end of the concert he came into the gap again (he did this often in 2002 and
2003 but not in Bonn) and Moya and I were able to clap his hand twice. Next to
me there was a man with his little son. I think this boy was only 4 or 5 years
old and waited with us through the whole day without being impatient. Bryan went
to this little boy climbed up the stairs and held him in his arm. Security was
worried about the boy because Bryan had the microphone in his other hand and there
were many fans who tried to touch him. The boy looked a bit sceptical and didn’t
know whether he should cry or not.
During the encores I asked Bryan with a
paper to play I fought the law. Moya and I had decided to ask for this one because
it is a rocking song which we would like to listen to live. He read it but nothing
happened. So I will have to try it again next time. Bryan played an expressive,
sensitive, acoustic version of Straight from the heart and Depend on me and the
show was over. He announced his new album for September and as you sure have seen
the CD will be in the shops on the 20th of September with a single coming out
in August. So clean out your ears, the radio stations will be allowed to play
the maxi from the 2nd of August.
Bryan will do a promoting tour in the UK
in October and also one in Germany in November/December. Moya has bought us tickets
for the shows in Manchester and Sheffield and I will go to England for these both
shows. In Germany the cities where the concerts will take place are all far away
from where I live so I’m still hoping for a show next to my door.
We
had some problems after the show because we couldn’t find Moya’s friend
and her husband who were taking us home in their car. Fortunately we found them
later but because we walked around the stadium and through the car park we weren’t
able to get the autographs we wanted. | 
