It’s taken me nearly two weeks to post this update! S&TC has been very busy lately (mainly painting doors) but this story cannot go un-published so here goes!Cast your mind back to the evening of Tuesday 13th February, this was a night in the true spirit of Simon & the City. I had wanted to see Shayne Ward in concert for ages and had planned to attend his Birmingham gig on the Saturday of the same week. Unfortunately, as the date drew nearer, so my funds drained and I knew I would not be able to afford/justify the ticket…But no fear - enter stage right my good ole chum, Chig. A good friend of his, who will remain nameless (lets just call him a Troubled-Diva…) offered him a review of Shayne’s Nottingham gig and guess who he asked to accompany him? That’s right, me!
After a hot and hearty meal at Wagamama, we jumped into a cab to travel the short distance to the Nottingham Arena and headed to the Box Office to collect the tickets. On entering the arena I could barely contain my excitement as we were led to our seats in the middle of the FRONT ROW! Boy how it pays to have friends in high places!! While sitting rather excitedly, waiting for the show to begin, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to investigate. A guy two rows back was pointing at a female companion of his and said ‘she wants to know if you’re Shayne’s brother!’ – Flattered and somewhat flustered I replied ‘…unfortunately not mate!’ It was at this point I realised I was dressed a little too similar to the photos of Shayne that were being flashed up on the video screens! It seems a white shirt, plain v-neck sweater and a few mills of stubble are all you need to get the Ward look!
Anyway, 9pm finally struck and Shayne was thrust up from beneath the stage right in front of me! I was so close I could tell you his religion and see the price tags hanging of his rather fabulous accessories!
It was a shame there was no new material for him to perform, but given his operation last year, it’s probably not surprising given it must have set the record company machine back a couple of months. He treated us to the best of his No.1 album, together with a wealth of classics which included George Michael’s ‘Fast Love’, ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’ by The Darkness and ‘Never Too Much’ by Luther Vandross. One performance that really worked for me was a cover of ‘Dare’ by Gorillaz. The vocal arrangement and indeed the whole feel of this record suited Shayne perfectly. It’s exactly the style of music he and his record company should be pursuing. Let’s hope the positive reaction to this particular performance influences Shayne’s second album which is currently in production!
There were two theatrical sections to the show – one a tribute to the man in purple – Prince and another to the Milk Tray man, sorry James Bond! The latter saw Shayne lowered onto the stage to the opening bars of Bond theme ‘Live and Let Die’ - his performance of which contained spectacular pyrotechnics warranting the under 7s to be issued with ear plugs!!
After giving me a wave and a smile, Shayne left the stage to the roar of the fans in the arena. He wasn’t gone for long though and returned to perform his no.1 hit ‘That’s My Goal’ followed by the fans favourite, ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’. The show left me in no doubt that Shayne is a great talent. His voice is incredibly strong and charismatic and his stage presence engaging – mainly down to those smouldering good looks! What he needs now is for his record company to understand him better and together produce a killer album!
High on Shayne’s smile, Chig and I left the arena for a late night cruise around the centre of Nottingham, followed by drinks in a local bar with our hosts. Yes, in one evening, I had discovered a new city, new friends and a new star! Truly a night in the real spirit of Simon & the City!
The author would like to express his sincere thanks to all who made the evening possible and so memorable. He would also like to point out that the person with Shayne in the accompanying photo is not him, but presumably the owner of the rather fabulous linked web-site. :-)
4 comments:
Glad to be of service, Simon. You and Chig clearly enjoyed the show much more than I would have done, and so I'm pleased that the press tickets found their way into the right hands.
(Chig and I weren't so lucky at the X Factor show the following week, where prolonged guest list hassles meant we missed Eton Road entirely. Aaargh. At least the PR company apologised... too late to stop my stinky review from going to press, though...)
:-) I can imagine your frustration! Eton Road would have been the no.1 reason for me to attend too! Thank you again for opening your home to a complete stranger, Chig and I both enjoyed Shayne's company and your own! :-)
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