ShareFM, Europe and Foreigner on their UK Tour at The Royal Concert Hall Nottingham on Monday 7th April 2014.
Dinners were missed, buses caught early, just to catch the start of this ‘package’ tour at The Royal Concert Hall, which promptly started at 7pm. I was surprised that the auditorium was so packed for the start of the show, and clearly I was not on my own. When FM took to the stage you could see that they were delighted at how many people had turned out to see them, and whilst relegated to a mere 30 minute set, these melodic rock stalwarts wasted no time in showing this audience what they were made of.
FM arrived in Nottingham with yet another EP under their belts (Futurama) and a seven song set which proved that they remain a live tour de force. Starting with Tough Love, Steve Overland demonstrated that he has lost none of his passion for this job. A set which included Closer To Heaven and the anthemic, Burning My Heart Down were simply brilliant and woke up this early bird crowd.
To be honest, the set was not long enough, given the talent of this British Rock Band, but it has been a long time since I have witnessed a support band receiving such a heartfelt and fully deserved standing ovation. On this performance I will be sure to catch them when they perform a longer set.
After an interval of 30 minutes, the stage was ready to receive the next of this ‘bubble-perm’ soft rock extravagance. Europe took to the stage with an energy that had the audience rushing to their seats so as not to miss a beat. Opening with Riches To Rags, it was easy to see why this Swedish band are so popular. It was a frenzied, exciting start, with lead singer Joey Tempest never staying still for a second. Dominating the stage he leapt all over the place as he squeezed their perfect career-spanning set into the allotted one hour.
Reminding us that the last time Europe played Nottingham was at Rock City, it was clear that they were more than delighted to be on stage at The Royal Concert Hall. Amusing the audience with his perceived Nottingham colloquiums he shouted “hey up me duck” before reminding this packed middle aged audience that “a pint of Shippo’s” use to be the drink of the day! Firebox was well received and there were rare and rousing outings for Carrie and Cherokee that brought those old enough to recall the 1980’s, to the boil. Tempest even slotted in a mini tribute to Dave Coverdale’s Whitesnake, whose stage craft he clearly admired.
The odd thing about this concert was that the audience seemed to be a little refrained; as though they were waiting for the bands to give them permission to stand up, sing and generally wave their arms about. Both FM and Europe were given this treatment and it was decidedly out of kilter. However, such refrains were immediately abandoned as Europe took to the stage with their encore of Last Look At Eden and the ever popular sing-a-long, The Final Countdown, which brought to an end a brilliant, exhausting set. Again, this group left the stage far too soon, and whilst some may have made the mistake of believing that these two bands were simply warming up the stage for the main act, Foreigner, then let me tell you, they were wrong. This audience had truly been entertained.
Another interval saw the stage stripped back to a very simple set of a background with the letter ‘F’ on the silver screening. At the Royal Concert Hall’s warning bell there was a tidal wave of people rushing to their seats in anticipation of the final act.
A few years ago Foreigner blew away the opposition on a three way bill boasting fellow AOR stalwarts Styx and Journey. Fast forward to 2014 and this star studded line up has lost none of its flair, professionalism and passion for their hits. Opening with the energetic Double Vision, hit followed hit, with Head Games, and the massive Cold As Ice. It was at this point that Mick Jones, founder member of the group usually joins the band on stage. However, for this performance lead singer, Kelly Hansen informed us that Jones was unwell and wouldn’t be performing; blaming English winding roads and the rainy weather!
Whilst I am sure that some of the audience were disappointed at this news, I personally did not feel that it in anyway affected the overall performance. Sure it would have been nice to see Jones but the adrenaline fuelled Hansen more than made up for the loss. They ticked all the boxes and then some. After that initial alarm and with the absence of Mick Jones, they delivered what can only be described as a monumental performance.
The banter between Hansen and the crowd was simply delightful. He introduced all of the band members in a comical and amusing way. He rarely stood still, running to both ends of the stage to engage the audience, who rewarded him with rhythmic hand clapping and an indication that they were ready to sing. Having been granted permission to stand, sing, wave arms aloft and even “take your knickers off”, this audience needed no prompting (although I think the knickers stayed firmly in place).
Hansen slowed things down a little with Waiting For A Girl Like You, which showed just how his voice, which is uniquely his, nailed the vocals for the Foreigner catalogue. Together, Foreigner’s main men drove a dazzling set forward, ably assisted by Tom Gimbel, the band’s third guitarist, who also managed to do a turn on the keyboards, entertain with a flute, and most impressively of all, on the saxophone. With Hansen leaving the stage to join the audience, was this the best version of Urgent ever?
The band illustrated just how talented they are in Dirty White Boys, with everyone being animated and the whole performance being slick. Bass player Jeff Pilson, a Foreigner mainstay for ten years, brought his heavy metal credentials to the performance. Other than when delivering a nice backing vocal, he rarely stayed in one place on the stage. His enthusiasm was certainly another reason why the crowd rarely sat down as he was a bundle of irrepressible energy.
On keyboards Michael Bluestein and drummer Chris Frazier were both afforded opportunities to strut their stuff mid-set with both keyboard and drum solos, which just went to illustrate the wealth of talent on stage during a Foreigner show that makes this band such a compelling proposition. A mention must also be made of Bruce Watson and his 6-string guitar, who for me looked the part with his ‘bubble perm’ hair style.
The set just got better and better, with the less familiar That Was Yesterday included. Finishing the set with an extended version of Juke Box Hero, I am still left wondering just how Hansen managed to hold onto that note for so long!
A sparkling finale featuring Long Long Way From Home, the incredible power ballad, I Want To Know What Love Is, and Hot Blooded brought the house down.
In 2014 Foreigner could so easily be seen as being semi-cabaret, but this gig was a master class in everything. There was nothing remotely cheesy, they delved into a catalogue which has been deftly tweaked for modern ears, are a band with momentum and have a rather appealing heaviness. It was little wonder that The Royal Concert Hall was packed to the rafters and if they choose to come back to this “tiny island”, I am certain that this crowd will be queuing to buy tickets.
