ShareRick Astley with special guest Gabrielle performing his Reflections Tour at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Wednesday 22nd April 2026.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
The 80s legend Rick Astley was at the Motorpoint Arena on Wednesday night as part of his Reflections Tour and showed the packed crowd that he still had that big voice that captivated back in the day.
But to get the evening started was Gabrielle, an artist who is normally a headliner in her own right who delivered a nine song set of her hits that still resonate today. Opening with When A Woman her voice powered through the Arena, setting the stage for an awesome night. If You Ever had the crowd singing along before the Arena turned red and purple for Burt Bacharach’s Walk On By. By the time Out Of Reach and Dreams were giving an airing, Nottingham was truly in the party mood.
When Rick Astley took to the stage the crowd went wild. Starting with his 2020 hit Lights Out he set the tone for the evening, a night of spectacular lights and showmanship on stage that went to the very heart of an Astley performance. Delivering a set that consisted of surprises from newer songs and the classics that he is known for, he really endeared himself when he donned a Robin Hood hat for Dippin’ My Feet.
His older hits were given an outing much to the delight of the crowd. The up tempo Together Forever came early in the set as did She Wants To Dance With Me. He took over the drums for a cover of Raye’s Where Is My Husband! before working the full width of the stage for Dance which had the crowd singing along.
For the very emotional Cry For Help there was a sea of phone torches, and Hold Me In Your Arms filled the Arena with blue and purple lights with video cubes multiplying images of him across the screens. The band was introduced with genuine warmth and affection before he launched into an excellent version of Roy Orbison’s Pretty Woman that was one of the best received songs of the night.
Closing the main set with the stunning Keep Singing and Whenever You Need Somebody, the crowd were on their feet demanding more. The encore built from a gentle What Is Love into a full Arena rave as he mashed up Take Me To Your Heart. He closed with Angels On My Side before the moment the whole crowd had been waiting for, Never Gonna Give You Up which landed exactly as it should, with the band coming to the front of the stage to take their bow.
The Rick Astley from the 80’s is still in there but this show was a master class of soul, pop and gospel from a mature performer who has perfected his art whilst still not forgetting how to have fun.