2 days on and I stand by my initial take on Gladys Knight live in the year 2020: there isn’t a greater soul singer alive, and nor is there a pop star I’ve seen in my 30 years of gig-going capable of a more flawless in-concert vocal performance. The fact all of this is delivered by someone aged…
Category: Concert Reviews
12 Months Of NZ Herald Concert Reviews, Incl. Paul McCartney, Queen, Katy Perry, Shania Twain, Cat Stevens & Cher.
12 months ago I started reviewing concerts for the New Zealand Herald. Not every week and not even every month, but on average, every couple of months I’d find myself with pen and notepad at a gig by one of the biggest artists of all time. Tough job but someone has to do it! So,…
Katy Perry Live Review: Her “Bonkers” Auckland Concert, August 2018 – NZ Herald
With all the excitement of Pink’s just finished, record-breaking run of seven sold out New Zealand concerts (six in Auckland and one in Dunedin), it’s easy to forget that another female superstar of the same generation was also in town at almost the exact same time. If we wind the clock back about three years, it…
Cat Stevens Live: My NZ Herald Review Of His ‘Intimate And Grand’ Auckland Concert
It’s not everyday you get a retweet from Cat Stevens. Indeed it would be slightly odd if Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam loved your Twitter feed to such an extent. But a one off? I’ll take it. Apparently the man himself liked my review of his Auckland concert late last year and humbly said, that’s a massive…
Top 20 Photos From Bruce Springsteen’s Auckland Concert, Feb 25 2017
I’m not going to lie, these images are unlikely to win any awards in the field of concert photography, not least because even with a 30x zoom and a reasonably flash Lumix camera, I was still much further from The Boss than was ideal this past Saturday night in Auckland, New Zealand. That said, they hopefully can give…
The End Of The Purple Reign: Prince Dead At 57
This morning I woke up to a text message that read “Noooooooooooo” and had a link to an article. Half asleep and thinking I’d probably click on whatever the link was and read it later, I felt wide awake as soon as I clicked. Can’t believe it. Prince is dead at the age…
In The Presence Of Genius – Reflections On Prince’s Auckland Concerts, Plus A Live B-Side Classic
Prince at the American Music Awards, 2015. We toss the word “legend” around fairly willy-nilly in New Zealand. I guess if we call our mates “legend” when they buy us a drink or give us a ride somewhere then it’s little surprise we extol far too many musicians with two albums and three hits with…
When The Bee Gees Performed The Greatest Live Medley In Brit Awards History
Maurice, Robin and Barry Gibb, 1979. Today, December 22nd, would’ve been the 65th birthday for Bee Gee twins Robin and Maurice Gibb. I was with friends playing backyard cricket on a New Zealand summer’s evening, January 12th 2003, when I got a phone-call saying Maurice had died. Fast-forward nearly a decade and it was under…
What If Barry Gibb Did An Entire Concert At The Grand Ole Opry? 30 Country-Ready Bee Gees Songs
Barry Gibb at the Grand Ole Opry, 2012. Two years ago in July of 2012, Bee Gee Barry Gibb walked onto the most hallowed turf in country music, Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. Casual fans and non-believers may’ve been surprised at the fit, but those with a wider knowledge of the Gibb back-catalogue knew it was…
Lionel Richie Review – ‘All The Hits, All Night Long’, Anaheim 2014 + Lionel & Nicole At The Piano
The view from the 5th row at the Honda Centre, Anaheim, June 3rd. It wasn’t just Barry Gibb I was lucky enough to see live in LA a couple of weeks ago, it was also Lionel Richie. Between the two of them, these genius pop songwriters have written 25 US#1 hits (16 for Barry, nine…
Barry Gibb At The Hollywood Bowl: How The Mythology Tour Was Always A Homecoming
Barry Gibb. Almost two weeks on from the Hollywood Bowl and countless five-star reviews later, it’s time for at least one more splurge of praise from that Seger-less Hollywood Night. Barry Gibb; Barry Effin’ Gibb (not his real middle name*). Who knows, maybe Bob Seger was there? We know A-listers like Jimmy Connors, Barry Manilow, Bill…
Barry Gibb’s Boston Concert: A Springsteen Cover, Bee Gees Songs Never Performed Live Before And Hit After Hit
Reading the reviews for Barry Gibb’s first American Mythology concert, last night’s show in Boston, I’d rate this the strongest collection of songs in the tour to date. Looking at the material chosen and the length of the show (2 1/2 hours) – this is not an artist dialing it in, going through the motions….