Trying to write a concert review about a
Kate Bush
concert with three 'totally objective' guys breathing down your neck,
with their fingers hovering over the delete button in case you'd dare to write
even a hint of criticism, isn't very easy. These three men turned from a comfortable
age in their forties into teenagers with a crush again the instant we entered
the waiting line to the concert venue. That feeling was omnipresent; the buzz
was exhilarating, everyone seemed happy and expectations ran high for all the
things to come. I saw only one or two young faces this evening; everyone else
was around our own age group and probably also seeing 35-years of prayers to see
her perform live finally being answered tonight. The music softly floating through the concert hall was by
Eberhard Weber, her bass player on several albums.
The opening song
Lily started off with a long instrumental intro to get the
audience going - as if they needed any encouragement - and then La Bush entered
the stage barefooted and clad in black, flowing clothes, not exactly dancing,
but certainly moving rhythmically and gracefully, with her five-piece strong
backing choir in tow. For a full ten to fifteen seconds there was no more music
to be heard, because the audience almost tore down the roof (again) with their
roars. Good thing the refurbishment of the hall had recently been finished. Second song
Hounds Of Love
got the audience roaring again. It had the
best dog-vocals I've ever heard. In the first four songs, the intros simply had
to be stretched out, because the audience was so loud in their appreciation, that
the band had to wait for them to settle down a bit before Kate could start singing.
Top Of The City had a
refreshing new addition in the middle of the song consisting of a close-harmony
section that's not to be found on the album. All songs in this set that were
very familiar yet had a new and fresh approach, which made them sound as if
they were written only recently. The band was in excellent shape and was
clearly enjoying playing for this audience. Especially percussionist
Mino Cinelu stood out as he had a
winning smile on his face and was dancing and partying behind his set. I could
have watched him all night. There were neither theatrics nor intricate set
decorations in this set, proving that Miss Bush was more than able to captivate
her audience purely with her presence and by her excellent musicianship. Her voice was in great shape!
An intro-video was played depicting an astronomer - excellently played by
Kevin Doyle - calling the Coast Guard
after picking up a faint distress signal from a woman at sea sending out an SOS,
because her ship was sinking. She ended up lying in the water in the middle of
a freezing night. After this video, the show unfortunately came to an abrupt
halt, because there were technical difficulties and technicians were
frantically working to solve them. The whole show was connected by digital
screening and sequence use, so I suspected a computer might have to be
rebooted. It had probably become a bit static; those who've seen the show will
know what I'm talking about. It turned into a half hour break, but the audience
took it all in their stride and not a negative sound was uttered; they were way too happy just to be there.
The show resumed, again under an enormous applause, and
The Ninth Wave
was on its way. This time the theatrics really set
in. An intricate set had been built, complete with a moving house, a massive
buoy, chainsaws, axes and sea-creatures with fabulous fish-bone costumes and
masks: The Lords Of The Waves. The whole stage looked as if it was set within
the carcass of a decayed shipwreck, with only the ribs of the body still
visible. Kate sang along with the pre-recorded video images of her in a tank
with cold water, depicting the main character floating in the sea. By making
the concept album this visible, it became even more obtrusive and certainly
deeply emotional. I had to fight back tears more than once. Miss Bush showed
details of the lyrics I had not interpreted that way before, and some things
that remained a little vague up to now became more than clear as to their meaning.
|
Hound Of Love (Hound Of Love / The Ninth Wave) |
The backing vocalists played various roles from this set on a well as joining in
the dancelike movements along with several movers/dancers that joined the show.
Watching You Without Me
was mind-blowing. Emotionally and beautifully
set to scene with her son in real life. Bertie played her fictional son, who's
at home with his dad, watching a football game and worrying why mum is so late,
while mum's ghost is looking over their shoulders, desperately trying to make
some form of contact and getting them to acknowledge her presence. The house
moved from side to side as if it was dancing on the waves; the TV-screen moved
from left to right and back along with the sofa, a genius invention by set designer
Dick Bird.
Under Ice was another highlight with the crew trying to hack and chainsaw our main character from
under the ice. Very intrusive and actually really scary was the helicopter-like
device that roared very low over the audience's heads at the end of
Under Ice,
blowing dry ice, blasting wind, a piercing voice and hitting individual
people with their very strong spotlight, thus depicting a search-and-rescue
helicopter looking for the victim over the open sea under cover of darkness. The following
Waking The Witch
with its court-like scene was haunting and claustrophobic. On the final (male) chorus of
Hello Earth, the set
ended with the death of our main person being carried away over the heads of
the Lords Of The Waves and making their way slowly through the audience to exit
the hall to the side. I was lucky enough to be sitting in the exact row where
they passed and had I stretched out my hand, I could have touched her. I didn't
out of respect and as not to disturb her concentration. It was great seeing her
so close though, and it made me feel even happier than I already was.
After the scheduled break it was time for
A Sky Of Honey. One of the main
characters and certainly the most endearing was the wooden, child-size puppet,
brought to life through its very talented puppeteer
Ben Thompson.
A massive big world for a little guy, enhanced even
|
Aerial (A Sea Of Honey / A Sky Of Honey) |
more by the enormous wooden doors he walked through as he entered the stage.
With childlike curiosity and fragility and therefore easily spooked but too
curious not to look, the puppet moved over the stage, through the band and
looked at everything as if he did for the first time, feeling the need to touch
and experience everything, including the musical instruments. A lovely
interaction with the band members and Miss Bush ensued. The other main
character, the creator here, was a painter played by
Albert McIntosh,
who set the scene and made things come into
existence by painting them on his large canvas. In combination with the slow,
almost minimalistic tones of this concept music, an almost trance-like state
came over the audience. One could hear a pin drop. When the puppet was coldly
sent away by the painter I suspected that many men in the audience must have
felt insanely jealous as the puppet got to lay its head on Miss Bush's bosom
and was comforted by her. A large part of this sequence took place in slow
motion; a very hard thing to do. The live performance of her bird calling
skills was spot on. Miss Bush's son Bertie got to shine in a solo, the song
Tawny Moon,
and although he's only sixteen he proved to be both a very talented
singer and actor, who clearly felt very much at home on stage, but his voice
sounded quite musical-like and therefore couldn't appeal to me that much. I had
the feeling that a larger part of the audience felt the same.
The second part of this set caused me to lose my focus for a while, as they were
quite long compositions and I had the feeling they remained in the same frame
for too long, not layered enough for me. They were very well performed though,
but just not my cup of tea. The quite disturbing scene, where the puppet killed
a bird, was rather graphic and pulled me back into the show. At the end of this
set, Miss Bush ended up rising in the air, tied to huge black wings and struck a pose
|
The Kick Inside |
that took me right back to the sleeve photo on her first album
The Kick Inside (1978); a very nice touch.
After a long and thunderous applause, Miss Bush returned alone to the stage and sat behind the grand piano to sing
Among Angels. Quite a feat to sing such a
delicate, intimate song after your audience went through the sound barrier, but
she pulled it off and the people sat back to listen and enjoy the only time
Miss Bush was on stage alone. Then the whole Fellowship returned for the ultimate song
Cloudbusting. The
audience joined in for the vocal sequence at the end of the song and nailed the
timing of the words. Now really loud cheering and clapping thundered onto the
stage - and judging by the type and level of noise I suspect there were quite a
few Dutch fans in the audience. The performers were really surprised by all the
enthusiasm and Kate Bush most of all. It was endearing to see that you could still sense
a form of shyness and insecurity on stage; her voice actually trembled with emotion caused
by the audience's response. She thanked the people many times for their warmth,
their support and their patience during the technical hiccup, which I think
most of us had already forgotten again by then. She explained that she was glad
her son Bertie had convinced her to return to the stage. Without his support
and encouragement she wouldn't have had the courage to go through with it all.
A big, big compliment to all of the technical staff, but especially to the sound
engineer(s), who made the blending of a band of this magnitude (see line-up)
sound easy and I know all too well that it isn't an easy thing to do. The sound
was even, well-balanced and transparent. The level was such that the show could
be enjoyed without the need for earplugs. We were seated on row nine in the
direct line of the side speakers and that is no mean feat in a venue that fits over 5000 people. Thumbs up for them!
Is Kate Bush still the lithe and supple dancing figure she was 35 years ago? No,
definitely not! She has grown into a mature woman of 56 years, with an even
more beautiful face and an aura to match and with a stage presence that would
easily make you believe that she had done this kind of show every night for the
last three decades. The emotion that comes with maturity and experience in life
has taken the place of the unobtainable, elfin myth she had become, and I
wouldn't want to have it any other way. She (and the show) was everything I
hoped for and more, much more. It made me feel extremely privileged and happy
to have been part of this teeny, tiny particle of world history, but for me it was the historic event of a lifetime.
Until the day I die, I will think back on this night with a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart.
Esther Ladiges