Amateurs practice until they get it right; professionals practice until they can't get it wrong. (Anon)Last night I had the very great honour to watch Susan Boyle live in concert at the Plymouth Pavilions, and she got everything right!
I mentioned in my last review that whilst Susan loves the recording studio, she was born to perform on stage, and so it was yesterday evening. CDs are, by their very nature, compressed digitally. To my ear they strip away the layers and textures of a singer's voice. They are 'sanitized' for want of a better adjective. I love Susan's studio recordings, but the comparison between those tracks and her live performance is like comparing night and day.
The passion that Susan exudes when she sings certain songs has to be witnessed to be believed. That little lady has a powerful voice that is both compelling and emotive. I think it was Fred O'Neil who said that there was no emotional filter between Susan and her audience, when she sings. He expressed that perfectly. For every song she sings, Susan becomes the song. It is part of the magic that is Susan Boyle.
Susan Boyle has stage presence, before she even opens her mouth. Some people are blessed with that; others are not. It is a gift and one that has been bountifully bestowed upon Susan. Theatres also have their own characters, therefore the ambience of any venue will affect a sensitive performer in one way or another. The atmosphere at Plymouth felt more intimate, somehow, and I'm sure Susan picked up on that. Her manner was more relaxed and she spoke to us in a way that seemed more personal; less scripted.
When Susan appeared at the top of the little staircase, as she had in Manchester, for the opening of the show, I was looking for differences or subtle changes in her routine. I was very relieved to note that she was wearing lower, thicker-heeled shoes. We would describe them as court shoes; smart, dressy but much, much easier to walk and stand in. That might account for the fact that Susan stood far more in this concert than she did in Manchester. Smart lady! That, as far as I could tell, was her only concession to having completed three-quarters of what must be a gruelling concert schedule.
I will not review song by song, as I did last time. That is unnecessary. What I want to try to do this time is to convey a taste of the atmosphere and frisson in the theatre. The concert began with Susan silhouetted, gesturing while the sound track from the BGT audition played. But then the spotlight hit her and she was there, live. Even though I saw it before, in last night's setting it was startling and wonderful and intimate. The music began, she started to sing and we were transported.....
Susan held us in the palm of her small hand over and over again last night. When 'the voice' is unfettered by constraints, Susan's soars like a bird freed from its cage. She raises her audience to seemingly unattainable heights and then, just when you think she has reached her apex, she takes you even further. The difference between the soft, clear bell-like quality of Ae Fond Kiss is contrasted most vividly by River Deep, Mountain High. Susan put her soul into the latter last night. Lance Ellington joins her in this, even though it is not officially a duet. I want, at this point, to give some acknowledgement to Susan's excellent pianist and band but most especially to Lance Ellington. Lance is professional, has good stage presence and gives a polished performance whilst leaving you in no doubt as to who the star is. The two of them were certainly on the same wavelength when this number was performed. Susan produced a visceral, earthy, powerful performance that brought the audience to its feet. There were no 'red scarf' fans present (that I saw) last night to instigate that. The audience's response seemed genuinely spontaneous and less contrived. It was the public at large! She raised the roof! Who knew Li'l Susie Boyle had it in her?
Run Like The Wind has grown on me, since Manchester! I felt the backing was at a better level last night, and I think that is true across the board. The Winner Takes It All benefited, particularly, from this.
Unchained Melody, sung live, is unforgettable. To hear Susan hit that high note in 'I neeeed your love', and to make it appear effortless, bears witness to some excellent vocal techniques, practice and training. Take a bow, Fred O'Neil, because I am sure it was under your expert guidance that Susan perfected her trade.
Last, but in no way least, I applaud the Military Wives Choir who performed with Susan last night. They really are exceptionally good, and their contribution to the show as a whole was a bonus for every audience member in the Plymouth Pavilions.
I have a message for Susan Boyle's management. We want a CD or DVD of Susan, live in concert - please! There are a lot of fans unable to attend live performances. Studio recordings are not a substitute for live recordings. Too often studio recordings are digitally altered, and the spontaneity and vitality lost.
And to Susan: last night you gave a performance five years and one day after your BGT audition was televised. You said, then, that you wanted, "to make the audience rock!" You made the Plymouth Pavilions rock. You can go back to the village with your head held high. You have thousands of Yeses!
