Hannover concert 2nd March, 2012

[hi it'sme]

Wow, what a show! Chris at his best performing his old and so loved songs in a new intense and rocky quality. The blues are still there, of course, but he and the band added a somehow harder touch, which made this concert completely different from the one in 2010. The audience in the practically sold out 3000 seat-hall seemed to appreciate the slight changes, reacting in an enthusiastic way not typical for us so "stiff" North Germans, also applauding in between to the brilliant soli of Drinkwater, Drennan and Middleton. A pity that Sylvain Marc didn't really have his own solo. Anyway, he seemed to be happy and occasionally sang along with Chris.
Chris Rea's professionalism and genious showed, when after a furious high-pitched solo in "Highway 61 & 49" the thin E-string of his Maranello broke and he went on playing as if nothing ever had happened!
After 14 songs Chris and the band reappeared on stage for an encore of On the Beach and Let's Dance which went into his so much loved version of Never too Old to Dance (... a BIG man saying 'You can't get in'...).
It's all Gone made an emotional and goose-bumpy finale of a terrific evening. The projection of the film-sequence of Somewhere between the Stars ended the show as it had begun - the audience watched it , staying on their seats and hardly anybody left the hall before the lights went on.
Craving for more, but please, Chris, don't lose your blues completely. You finally are a bluesman...
Thank you, Chris Rea, for being what you are and for doing what you do.
And as it's the 4th of March today: "Happy Birthday" with hopefully many, many returns!