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An interesting set, specially given the
newly orchestrated Blink and Dream, and the absence of
Whaling Stories (and perhaps also of Pandora's Box, a strong
hit single in the UK). Wonderful playing from Orchestra and singing from
Chorus, richly detailed and well amplified (for some tastes, a little
too loud for the band at times). Procol Harum themselves: major kudos to
Dave C who stood in the shoes, but not in the shadow, of the great Geoff
Whitehorn: he took some commanding solos, his ensemble playing was
discreet and tasty, and his rapport with the rest of the band and with
an exceptionally warm crowd was lovely to see. All this, on two days'
band rehearsal, and crutches. As GB said, 'If he plays like this ... I'd
like to hear him without a broken ankle' (or words to that effect). Josh
was great, his subtlety of registration more apparent than usual:
perhaps he was filling in more, perhaps he was revealed by the less
saturated texture of the lead guitar. Geoff D had a great show,
specially notable on Conquistador, Symphathy
and Fires. Matt not only played his own part but cued and coached
Dave through the intricacies of the arrangements: a major contribution
to the success of the night. And Gary Brooker, MBE: he sang with
terrific passion and finesse, he played lively piano, he joked with the
audience (apart from a BBC voice-over at the start, he was also the
compère) and he was received with outstanding applause by the sold-out
theatre. It will be very interesting indeed to hear how this show is
mixed for transmission on 28 November, what's in and what's out, and how
much of the audience hollering (and of our tragically ungroovy clapalong
attempts in the Flood hoedown) is audible. Procol Harum have
played so little in their native land in recent years: there seems a
very good chance that this concert, heard in thousands of homes all over
the country, will open people's ears to the unique entertainment that
overseas audiences have been enjoying down the decades. Bravo to Procol
and their stagefellows, and to conductor David Firman: and very best
wishes to Geoff Whitehorn, who hasn't hitherto missed a gig since
he joined the band (except when contractually committed elsewhere at the
time of the Redhill Party). While Geoff texted BtP, from his hospital
ward, that he was 'bitterly disappointed at not being there tonight' he
certainly was 'there in spirit' as he put it: he was surely in the
thoughts of all who have previously heard him play these great pieces.
Geoff's text also thanked everyone for the 'Get Well Soon' messages.
Even without this Pillar of Procoldom, the band turned in a proud and
thrilling concert, and the assembled fans (in the pub before and
afterwards, and during the show) had an excellent time. Lastly, Big
Thanks to manager Chris Cooke, who arranged advance booking for
confirmed Palers. After our privileged period, the general public
snapped up the remaining seats in very short time. It must be a source
of great satisfaction to all concerned that by the end of the evening
the Procol alchemy had transformed this general public into confirmed
fans: the standing ovations, wall to wall, were the proof. |
