BARBARA DICKSON - VICTORIA HALL, STOKE-ON-TRENT
May 2002
It is always an occasion for me to watch Barbara, be it in the theatre or the concert stage. As we all know, Barbara is at her very finest performing in front of a live audience, so the 2002 national tour was long-awaited by fans who had been starved of Barbara on the concert stage for quite a few years. Despite the flurry of dates in late 2001, this was Miss Dickson's first major concert tour for six years.
The great strength of a Barbara Dickson concert has always been the eclectic mix of material she draws on. This tour proved that Barbara is still at her peak as far as the voice and ability to choose the finest material are concerned. I caught up with the tour at the newly-refurbished (much to Barbara's delight) Victoria Hall in Stoke On Trent.
With Barbara looking radiant in a purple two-piece trouser ensemble, the band launched into 'Love Alone'. A great opener which paved the way for the much-loved 'Caravans', for my money the finest of Barbara's hits, and one that she seems happy to perform at virtually every concert. But this tour was no greatest hits package, with only two of her big-selling numbers included, which paved the way for some exciting new additions to the Dickson repertoire.
It was rumoured that Barbara was trying out some songs live before making a choice of what material to include on her mooted studio album project. Two Gerry Rafferty numbers followed, the liltng 'Over My Head' and the contrasting toe-tapping catchiness of 'Stuck In The Middle With You'. On many occasions during her career, Barbara has championed the work of Randy Newman and on this tour she showcased his song from 'Toy Story 2', 'When She Loved Me'. A great moment with the audience listening attentively to the tender vocals.
'Faithless Love', and a song she first sang in 1977, 'The City Of New Orleans', were two wonderful songs that could easily be contenders for the new album, both hailing from the 1960's American folk scene. A relatively new composition by the unlikely-sounding combination of Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello, 'This House Is Empty Now', demonstrated that Bacharach is still producing great material.
We Dickson-ites all wait patiently for a foray into the folk music for which Barbara is now renowned. We were not to be disappointed. Two Jacobite rebellion songs - originally recorded on the 'Fate O'Charlie' LP with Archie Fisher back in 1969 - were dusted down. 'Cam Ye O'er Frae France' preceeded the stunning 'O'er The Water To Charlie'. This rousing chant of defiance with words by Robert Burns sent a shiver down the spine of the Victoria Hall audience, and was for me the highlight of the whole show.
We'll o'er the water, we'll o'er the sea,
We'll o'er the water to Charlie;
Come weal, come woe, we'll gather and go,
And live or die wi' Charlie
After such an incredible end to the first half, a tribute to the late great Peggy Lee followed. The immortal 'Fever' and 'I'm A Woman' gave new life to a couple of classics. 'Another Suitcase In Another Hall' was greeted with rapturous applause as always, and marked the first of three songs from theatre productions. 'The Scars Of Love' from 'Spend, Spend, Spend' revisited Barbara's most recent Olivier Award-winning role, and by way of surprise there was a very convincing interpretation of 'Adelaide's Lament' from 'Guys And Dolls'. A rather lovely 'Separate Lives', detailing the pain of a break-up, took the concert into another musical departure.
Benny and Bjorn's much talked-about song, 'The Day The Wall Came Tumbling Down', was premiered. It concerns a romance set against the backdrop of the Berlin Wall. It's hard not to imagine Agnetha or Frida singing the song (it could easily have come straight off Abba's 'The Visitors' album), though Barbara sings it perfectly, and I assume it is a front-runner for inclusion on any new recording. James Taylor's sexy 'I Gotta Stop Thinking 'Bout That' and the rocking 'The Thing Called Love' had the band giving it some stick. It was clear throughout the concert that Barbara and fellow musicians were enjoying themselves enormously, and this infectious love of music flowed out over the footlights.
'(I Want To Know You) Inside Out' fetched the show to a soulful climax, with the audience showing its delight via loud applause and cheers. The traditional encore resulted in a Gershwin classic, 'But Not For Me', and finally a Nick Lowe song which I've long thought Barbara should commit to disc, 'Peace, Love & Understanding'.
He have all craved some new material from Barbara since the release of her last studio album, 'Dark End Of The Street', an unbelievable seven years ago. This tour really was Barbara getting back into gear as a singer once again after several years carving out a niche in many acting roles. If this show was an example of the sort of material we can expect to hear from her over the coming years, then I would say that Barbara Dickson is still, after all these years, one of the finest singing talents we have. Her OBE signified that she is a national treasure - some twenty years after declaring myself a fan, the thrill of hearing Dickson's voice live is still there. I was walking on air a week after the concert.
Let us not forget either the input of her brilliant band. Jerry Stevenson, Bob Jenkin, Brad Lang, Neil Drinkwater and the ever-faithful multi-instrumentalist Pete Zorn. Sometimes you forget that there are just five guys supplying the mighty sound which fills the concert hall. Thanks to everyone involved for such a memorable night in Stoke. After a full two hours on stage, Barbara even sat in the foyer following the concert, signing autographs for a long queue of admirers. This woman's got stamina, I'll give her that. But then again, to survive all these years at the top she's got much more : a unique talent and star quality. Roll on a 2003 tour.
(Rob Cope)
