The Hollies - Concert Review

Hayes, Beck Theatre, 24^th February 1999 - by Sue Kelly

At last! The long awaited first night of the 1999 Spring Tour. Last Summer, when the dates were announced and we began the task of chasing round all the theatres in pursuit of tickets, this tour seemed to be years away. Suddenly, here we were, meeting up again with all our Hollies friends from around the world......and it seemed like only yesterday that the 1998 Spring tour ended. To say that we were all very excited would be a minor understatement!

The Beck is a modern theatre. Outside, a sign announced that the concert was a sell-out. As Norah and I dashed enthusiastically up the stairs towards the hall, the steward jokingly told us:

"Stop smiling! You're not here to enjoy yourselves!"

How wrong he was! We couldn't wait to get in there and get sat down and be entertained by the best group in the world. Our seats in the front row of the stalls gave us a perfect view of the stage and, as the lights went down, a buzz of anticipation went around the hall.

Two things hit us immediately: the familiar Herb Alpert anthem had been replaced by a very dramatic piece of music, and a stunning new lighting system was sweeping beams of fluorescent purple lighting around the stage and into the audience. It was all very atmospheric and exciting.

At last, Ian, Ray, Tony, Alan and Bobby appeared on the stage, finally followed by Allan. The applause rang out all around the theatre. They kept us guessing as to what the first song would be. The short instrumental introduction gave no clues until it suddenly broke into Look Through Any Window. It had reverted to the original 60s style, which was very nice although it lacked the staggering impact of the version we have recently been hearing. It was followed by Here I Go Again and - getting the audience clapping along - Jennifer Eccles.

The group were all looking a little on the nervous side. As Tony was to explain in his opening speech, the first night of a tour was always difficult. He promised us about six new songs, quickly qualifying this to, "Well, 'new' old songs!"

There was a little 'in joke' for the benefit of Regulars, when Tony pointed out that he had got a new suit. (And very smart it was too). Allan was dressed in a bright red suit, giving Tony the opportunity to point out that he looked like a tomato!

Just One Look was next, and long-time favourite, Sandy, was still in. Much was made of Allan's alleged friendship with its writer, Bruce Springsteen, to the amusement of the rest of the group and the audience. It sounded great, Alan Coates playing some lovely guitar in his solo spot. To my surprise, Peggy Sue Got Married was also still in. Ian Parker read out a formal introduction to the song, explaining the background to how the group came to record a song with Buddy Holly.

Next, both tempo and temperature rose dramatically, as Tony introduced a song which they had done in many different ways over the years but were now going to do in the original style: Stay. It looked and sounded fantastic, with beams of white light flashing around the stage, everybody singing and playing at 90 miles an hour, and Ray throwing in the echo on the word 'Stay' ("ay-ay").

A favourite from the last tour followed - Don't Let Me Down. Once again, Allan sang lead and played acoustic guitar, with Ray and Alan, Ian and Tony accompanying him on backing vocals. Unfortunately, the guitar didn't sound too good - Tony had a good laugh as poor Allan claimed that it was "broken" and blamed Tony for selling it to him!

The first 'new' old song was next - and a very imaginative choice it was too. It was Not That Way At All. The line up for this one was Bobby on drums, Alan on acoustic guitar, Allan playing his new Telecaster and Tony playing slide guitar. It was a fast and furious version and my first impression was that it was a winner. The group looked pleased with themselves and the audience seemed very happy with what must have been an unfamiliar tune to the vast majority of them. I hope it's kept in.

Next - Butterfly. Tony gave it the briefest of introductions before Alan seated himself on a stool and Ian's orchestral arrangement rang out. This sounded as beautiful as ever and the new, improved lighting enhanced the whole thing. For the majority of the song, purple and green rays swirled but, as it drew to an end, they changed to red and then finally blue, before fading away with the music. The effect was stunning.

With the exception of Allan, the whole group was back on stage for the next song - the welcome return of Running Through The Night! Tony sang the first verse, accompanying himself on the banjo, with Alan coming in on the second verse. It sounded great.....although, at times, Tony and Alan seemed to be at odds with each other over which verse they were supposed to be singing! But - hey! - this was the first night! We loved it!

Allan returned to the stage to join the rest of the group for I'm Alive - the same version as on the last tour - before the first half ended with Coatsie singing lead on On A Carousel.

No doubt there was a quick inquest going on backstage during the interval, and we fans held one of our own, awarding marks out of ten for presentation! So far, we were pretty happy with how things were going and unanimous in our approval of the 'new' songs and the new lighting. However, we did wonder whose idea it was to play the theme to The Flintstones in the background! Was somebody enjoying a little joke there?!

The second half got off to a brisk start with I Can't Let Go, followed by one of my favourites - Yes I Will. This featured The Hollies' harmonies at their very best. Next came Sorry Suzanne, with Bobby excelling on the drums.

The group seemed a bit more at ease by now, and Allan joked about the rather exotic outfit Tony was wearing, saying he should wear it when he does his Tai Chi. Tony's reply was that Allan could talk, for there was a story to be told about Allan's lilac suit. Allan was all for telling us there and then but Tony insisted they save the story "for when we need a laugh!"

On with the music, and the return of another old favourite - King Midas In Reverse, featuring some brilliant orchestration by Ian. This was followed by We're Through with, as usual, Ian going walkabout with his accordion.

A truly NEW old song came next. To the amazement of everyone present, Allan began to recount the tale of when they were asked to record the theme to a film with Peter Sellars......could they really be going to do After The Fox? Yes, they were! In the style of Peggy Sue Got Married, we heard them duet with Peter Sellars. The audience was stunned at this innovative move and rewarded them with appreciative applause.

Next was THE highlight of the concert. It was another 'new' song. Tony announced it as being a Paul McCartney composition from The Beatles' White Album, giving it away by strumming a few chords. The song was Blackbird, performed by Tony, Alan and Ray and accompanied by Ian on keyboards. Tony played acoustic guitar, very much in the style of Helplessly Hoping, and the harmonies were just exquisite. A superb choice, superbly performed - perfect for The Hollies' treatment.

From there, it was time for everyone to return to the stage for a typically 60s version of Bus Stop. As ever, this drew a roar of approval from the audience. This song was followed by the four which traditionally lead to the rock 'n' roll section: Carrie Anne, Stop Stop Stop - complete with a fantastic mood-setting 'buggering about' banjo intro - The Air That I Breathe and He Ain't Heavy.

In the time-honoured way, there was then the usual mad scramble to the edge of the stage for the rock 'n' roll, Allan saying "This is new" even as Bobby began to pound out the beat to Let's Dance. Suddenly, the rhythm broke and they started to play the Cliff Richard song, Do You Wanna Dance, instead. This was swiftly followed by another new choice - the Danny And The Juniors' song, At The Hop. Both sounded brilliantly fresh and exciting and were voted a big hit by the fans. As ever, they were to end with Long Cool Woman.

As the concert drew to a close and Tony prepared to introduce Allan Clarke, he thanked us all for being such a good audience and for helping them out on their first night. No need - it was, as they say, a pleasure!

Sue Kelly from Bristol

Setlist

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