Starwatcher
Group: Members
Posts: 129
Joined: June 2004 |
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Posted: Jan. 25 2012, 17:14 |
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Thank you very much for posting that! I really haven't seen it before and also don't know much about 'Lesiem'. That performance indeed is really a bit too gothic for me but Maggie's voice sounds wonderful as ever and makes it worth to listen to.
Concerning the NOTP concerts in 2006 - yes, in fact, that was a great experience. If you are interested... I browsed the forum and found again the post where I had written down my feelings after the concert. As I don't know how to put a link I use 'copy and paste'. Of course this probably goes off topic now...
Starwatcher
Posted: Dec. 13 2006, 00:23
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Hi!
I attended the concert in Erfurt one week ago and I'll try to give you an impression of that event and my feelings about it.
Allow me to analyse it under two aspects:
First and most important aspect: Seeing Mike
Mike appears twice in the concert. During the first part when John Miles has finished his "Music" they announce that the conductor of the orchestra, Robert Groslot, will now play a very famous tune on the piano. The lights go down, only one bright spot at the piano where the master sits down and starts to play... And he plays that tune - you know what I mean!!! And you sit there, paralysed, listening and suddenly recognizing that in the front part of the stage besides the piano in the darkness there's a slightly moving shadow with a guitar in his hands.... And suddenly the stage lights turn on and - there he is!!!
He plays two excerpts, first from TB then from Ommadawn (It's the beginning, Tubularman). I had a seat in the first row, but on the very left where the view to the stage wasn't very good and of course I felt I didn't sit close enough! So what to do? With my small DigiCam in my hands I automatically tried to take some photos - but a quick view at the display showed the miserable results from that distance - forget it! So I stared to the stage (and to the big screen above me) being aware of that he was just about 20 steps away (but still too far!, listening to the music, trying to enjoy every moment as much as possible. But the moments passed and too soon the first part was over.
Later, in the second part of the concert, Mike returns together with Miriam Stockley doing Moonlight Shadow and To France and finally with John Miles singing SOTW. At that time a part of the audience was standing up - so I did too and now my seat in the first row at last proved its flexibility: When I saw that a few people were gathering in the gangway in front of the stage to take some photos I quickly used my chance and ran there, too. The security guys didn't look very happy about it. So, seize the moment!!!
Oh my dear! Standing almost in front of him, only a few metres away, could it be real?!! He's very cool and relaxed on stage, doesn't show great emotional reactions towards the audience - but that's Mike of course! So... looking at him, clicking the camera, looking at him, clicking the camera... three or four times until that security man stepped to me and the others around saying: "Get back to your seat!" Ok, I had to do that running as fast as possible. Back on the left side I noticed a young lady with a backstage-card around her neck standing directly beside my seat staring to the stage. A crazy thought flashed through my mind standing there beside her - and disappeared again because I had to concentrate on the action on stage of course....
The "magic moments" went by too fast, SOTW was over, Mike left the stage and the lady at my side had disappeared too. I sat down again, the orchestra was playing and I checked my photos on the display. Ok, nothing special (not comparable to the pics shown here) but good enough as a personal souvenir. Then the final scene on stage: All artists came up singing "Yellow submarine". But Mike kept himself a bit in the background, could hardly see him from my place. And then it was definitively over. I felt exhausted and a bit confused... Had it really been real???
Now at home again after having read a lot of comments and hints on oldfield.de and after having watched again the Art Of Heaven DVD it's almost a certitude: The lady beside my seat must have been Fanny! You're a fool, Christine, yes you are!!! But on the other hand: Even if I had been sure about it during the concert I would have been too shy to speak to her.... So - it's over.
But let me also tell you about the second aspect: the musical experiece in general
To say it frankly: I never had expected that TB and Ommadawn would sound that good on stage! The instrumental and technical possibilities of the orchestra and the choir really fitted to Mike's music, the fusion between classic and pop was perfect right there! The songs were good, too. Ok, Miriam Stockley is not Maggie Reilly but John Miles "as" Roger Chapman was great I think. Same thing with OMD that evening: Those two guys were simply wonderful in my opinion!
But unfortunately I can't say that about the rest of the program. I love classical music and so I had expected a lot concerning the classical parts... But what can I say? The perfect harmony I experienced during Mike's orchestral pieces - I totally missed it in the classical parts! Too much electronic sounds for me, too loud, too.... rough! Don't know why but for me the fusion between pop and classic only works with modern music but not with original classical pieces. Perhaps I'm too conservative for that. So I also can't understand that "hype" about Tony Henry...
And the rest? John Miles? Solid. Chico and the Gypsies? Nice party. Ike Turner? I've never been a fan of him and surely haven't become one that evening... Of course that's my own personal impression, there are surely very different opinions!
Please excuse my mistakes and tell me if I wrote something that can be misunderstood. Then I'll try to explain it in other words.
To all those people who have tickets for the next concerts: Wish you a lot of fun! Enjoy Mike!
Love
Christine
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"...but every while I would remember..."
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Oops, to correct my post above: Of course I wanted to say that 'Looking back Moving forward' isn't her last but her latest album. Typical German mistake I think... 
