The Hollies - Concert Review

Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, 13^th March 2001 - by Simon Tordoff

The Hollies turned in another polished performance upon their return to the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham on Tuesday night. The audience gave the band a warm reception in what is an impressive arena, and seemed to instantly warm to the ‘new boy’ Carl Wayne, helped no doubt by his reminiscences of his previous visits to Nottingham with Rod Hull and Emu which raised more than a laugh or two in the process. The band were in buoyant mood and seemed particularly relaxed which was plain for all to see.

The customary opening flurry of hits (‘I’m Alive’, ‘Here I Go Again’ and ‘Jennifer Eccles’) were followed by less well known hits such as ‘Soldier’s Song’ and later Chip Taylor’s ‘The Baby’, both of which still received generous applause from this appreciative crowd. The opening half ended on a high with a rousing version of Bob Dylan’s classic ‘Blowing In The Wind’, leaving the audience filled with eager anticipation of what was to come after the intermission.

And they would not be disappointed with a masterful display in the second half containing hit after hit, interspersed with the occasional gem such as ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’ (featuring the voice of the late Buddy Holly), Paul McCartney’s ‘Blackbird’ and the beautifully arranged ‘Too Young To Be Married’ which, for me, is definitely one of the highlights of this Spring tour. I attended this show with a friend who, having seen The Hollies a few times, had not seen them perform this song before, and was really impressed to say the least.

As the evening built to a climax, the final bunch of hits ended with ‘The Air That I Breathe’, respectfully dedicated by Carl to his predecessor, Allan Clarke, noting his considerable contribution to The Hollies and to the music industry in general. But the crowd were not about to let the band leave the stage so soon, at least not without performing their trademark ‘He Ain’t Heavy’, in between which ‘Blackberry Way’, ‘Tiger Feet’ and ‘Long Cool Woman’ were rolled out, bringing the crowd to their feet.

A poignant closing touch of this latest tour is the beautiful four part harmonies from Carl, Tony, Alan and Ray in the shortened acappella version of ‘It’s In Every One Of Us’ which leaves everyone temporarily spellbound.

This was the perfect end to a perfect evening, with yet another perfect performance from The Hollies.

Simon Tordoff

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