The Hollies - Concert Review

Royal Hall, Isle Of Man, 4^th June 2004 - by Phil Baird

This was a great concert, highly polished yet relaxed, and the guys seemed to enjoy themselves. I felt they had just the right approach to their wonderful catalogue of songs, with a nice balance between fidelity to the original songs and a willingness to be fresh and inventive in some of the arrangements.

This meant there were no mere 'covers' and there were enough surprises to keep the material interesting. It's wonderful to hear just how fresh these songs still sound after all these years - what a legacy for the boys to work with.

I did feel the introductory music rather overshadowed the first number and they lacked, for me anyway, a strong opening to kick-start the show. Maybe the intro should have been faded and wasn't (I obviously don't know) but it took the edge off the first couple of numbers.

With such consummate professionals and such wonderful music, I would have expected a stronger impact to the start of the show. I know others thought the same.

However, from there on in, particularly with 'Carousel' the show hit a high and just got better and better.

I particularly liked the pared down arrangements and 'acoustic' readings of songs like Gasoline Alley Bred, and the constant changes on stage kept the show interesting and dynamic.

It was nice to hear the lads having a laugh and a joke with themselves and the audience, whilst maintaining a healthy reverence for their material - they played with a lot of heart.

The audience got all their favourites, amazing how many more classics they could keep hitting us with well into the second half of the show. The only song I would have liked to hear, that I love, was King Midas, but maybe next time.

The audience were a little slow to respond on the night, but by the end we were completely with the boys on stage as they did their encores.

On this evidence, the music of one of the most important bands of the sixties is in good hands, and long may they continue to perform these wonderful songs.

Can't wait to see them again in October.

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