The Saturday gig, the first of two consecutive nights for them at the OVO, is sold out. We arrive early, skip the drizzle-soaked queue thanks to our OVO Live tickets, and make our way in. The wristband the security person attaches, because we have Standing tickets, snags the little hairs on my arm, but I manage to detach them with a twist without too much discomfort. We hadn't intended to go near the front, but as there was space, we ended up about seven deep from the barrier with a trio of shorter ladies in front of us. There are only a couple of tall gentlemen between us and the stage. The view is excellent.
The stage set up for support act KT Tunstall has a drumkit, guitars, and her usual electronic equipment. On the two occasions we'd seen her before, she'd always played solo, joking that all her band members were from Taiwan. Was this going to be a different style of performance from her? Full band?
Not quite. Andy Burrows, drummer with Razorlight, is accompanying her on the drum kit and various instruments. The new dynamic works well. She's no longer the lone voice expecting us to wait while she builds her loops. The sound is fuller, and her voice is clear and pitch-perfect. She's got the banter, too, to keep us entertained. She's played mashups before, where she morphed her songs into covers/tributes, but tonight, they went down really well with the thunderous crowd. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed her short set.
One person drew my ire with her flip-cover camera. It didn't occur to her that she could flip the phone around, so the flap was below, not above, obscuring less of the show for those behind her. This was a minor irritation, though, as by the time Texas came on, she had already moved over, closer to the middle, away from me.
Setlist: KT Tunstall
I Am the Pilot
Dear Shadow
Other Side of the World / America (mash-up)
The River
Black Horse and the Cherry Tree / Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (mash-up)
Hold On / Walk Like an Egyptian (mash-up)
Suddenly I See
A curtain drops from the ceiling as the crew clear her equipment. I liked that. It added a sense of theatricality and mystery to proceedings, building the anticipation.
I'm amazed by how many people this close to the stage have dressed for the weather rather than for the show in their puffy jackets and coats. It's Sweat Central where we are.
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| Bloke at the very front. |
When the auditorium lights go down, we're greeted on the curtain by a striking sunrise silhouette of the guitarist as he twangs the opening chords to "I Don't Need a Lover."
Wow!
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| There's that cover flap again. |
So begins a glorious evening. The set, as the tour title suggests, is brimming with the very best of Texas, covering the entire span of their thirty-five-year career. Sharleen's voice is incredible, and she looks fantastic. In front of her home crowd, she comments we bring out the very worst and very best in her. Her potty-mouthed banter is refreshing. She reminds us she may be a fucking global pop megastar, but she's still a mum forced to clean up the empty beer bottles after her daughter's party, laughing with the band when said girl, in her English accent, tries to say the word 'Bowffin'. Sharleen has never forgotten her roots.
We were standing so close it felt like we could hear her singing unamplified. The crowd was the loudest I've ever heard at the Hydro (maybe because the ladies around us screamed like they were actually watching Elvis, which wasn't far off at the end of the show).
When not showing the band, the visuals on the big screen were used well, looping clips from their videos or scrolling across the crowd. It's still freaky to find yourself magnified on the big screen while thinking, "Gawd, you're ugly."
It was a far better night than I anticipated. Maybe because we were so close. Maybe because the band and the sold-out crowd were so up for it. Either way, it was one of the best gigs of the year, not least because Sharleen still fitted into the Tom Ford-designed Gucci leather jumpsuit that she originally wore twenty years ago.
Setlist: Texas
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I Don't Want a Lover
Halo
Everyday Now
The Conversation
Hi
In Our Lifetime
Tired of Being Alone (Al Green cover)
Keep on Talking
Summer Son
Insane
Let's Work It Out
When We Are Together
Put Your Arms Around Me (acoustic)
Sleep (acoustic)
In Demand (acoustic)
Mr Haze
Black Eyed Boy
Say What You Want
Encore:
Inner Smile
Suspicious Minds (Mark James cover)
Tired of Being Alone
Black-Eyed Boy
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Ticket Price:
2 OVO Live Presale Ticket (enter via OVO door) £50.00 x2 £100.00
Per Item Fees
£6.75 (Service Charge OVO Live Presale Ticket (enter via OVO door)) x2
£1.70 (Facility Charge OVO Live Presale Ticket (enter via OVO door)) x2 £16.90
Order Processing Fees
Handling Fee (£2.00) £2.00
Total £118.90
