ShareWill Young performing his Twenty Year Celebration Tour at The Royal Concert Hall Nottingham on Monday 7th November 2022
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
It is hard to believe that twenty years have passed since Will Young won the inaugural series of Pop Idol, and began his journey which has seen him become a household name as a singer, actor, author and a mental health campaigner.
But it was clear to a packed Royal Concert Hall on Monday night that he is most comfortable on stage as he presented his Twenty Year Celebration Tour that had a set list that was full of his greatest hits.
Coming on to the stage dressed all in white with his two excellent backing singers and five piece band he began the evening with Evergreen, the song that started it all for him, and which set the bar for the evening.
Proving that his voice is still as distinctive and soulful as ever, he got everybody pumping with Love Revolution and old fans favourite, a cover of The Doors’ Light My Fire. Between songs he took every opportunity to engage with the crowd and as he performed his hits Daniel, Losing Myself and Jealousy he also told some brilliant stories.
A wonderful All Time Love was one of the slower songs of the night and a soulful version of Changes that may have come straight from the Motown catalogue was a real highlight. Switch It On saw him engage with his band and Grace was given a rockier ending than usual and got everyone up on their feet.
With his easy going stage presence which really made for a relaxed atmosphere, he drew the night to a close with the heart wrenching Leave Right Now with its perfect soulful tones.
Young had delivered a grown up concert with no funny gimmicks or stage props to detract from what was a simple show, with no fancy lights and not even an encore. It was ninety minutes stuffed full of big hits with just Young, his band and his incredible voice that never wavered below perfection all night.
