I have read many reviews by fans and professional reviewers since Susan Boyle started her US concert tour, but one in particular struck a chord with me. It was written by Clix Pix, and I have her permission to share it here, with a couple of photographs she took on the night.
"Susan's concert was as unique as she herself is -- it was a warm and inviting atmosphere, with the audience being "right there" with Susan, and boy, did those two hours go by too fast! Would I go to another Susan concert? You bet! Would I follow her all over the country or go over to the UK? Not just for that one purpose, but hearing her in her own country would be a fun experience, too.
Susan's concert is definitely in a format and at a pace just right for Susan. Although it is not as polished as most concerts to which we’ve become accustomed, there is a lot of good support from Lance Ellington and the two backup singers as well as the band. The musicians are terrific and I enjoyed every now and then looking over at Kennedy Aitchison on piano. Susan is able to bring the audience into her sphere, inviting them to listen to her and enjoy her music in the way only she can provide it….. She's irresistible! You can't take your eyes off her. Before I went, I told myself, “OK, I am just going to have to not get upset if Susan goofs something up, hits a note a little flat or whatever……” and, amazingly, I was able to do that because Susan was so…..so real, so genuine, so very much just putting herself right out there for all of us, vulnerable and strong at the same time. She was being herself, giving us the gift of singing something and we had the choice to like it or not like it, accept it or not accept it, with the realization that at the same time this probably meant accepting Susan herself for who she is and what she can and cannot do…… She handled the few goofs very gracefully (at times wittily, too) and brought the audience right along with her…..she had us in the palm of her dainty little hand! For example, when she started to sing one number and kind of croaked, she immediately stopped, said something like “can we do this again?” and reached for the bottle of water to take a good slug to moisten her throat before continuing…….and on the second go-around, things were just fine. She handled things with humor and that made it all work out well. Unlike the television show disasters we’ve seen, Susan herself was in control of the timing of all of this in her own show. She gets a frog in the throat…..no panic, just say something quick to the audience, reach for the water, the band pauses, ready to resume when the star is ready to resume……
Susan comes across as very endearing, quite appealing, just delightfully charming and likable — and very real, very authentic, down-to-earth. That authenticity is definitely part of her appeal. She has an engaging personality which floats right out to the audience from the stage. As she said a long time ago, “with me, what you see is what you get — no airs and graces,” and this holds true even now. It's truly delightful. She pours her heart and soul into each performance, and we can see it, hear it, feel it. Audiences respond well to this. We sure did in Durham! The choice of material that was sung and presented gave listeners a wide variety so that as Susan so often says when interviewed about one of her albums, “there’s something for everybody.” For me, being there and already being well informed about what the set list was and about other details of the show, there wasn't quite a surprise factor -- it was a little different experience than the one the woman on one side of me had. While I was eagerly anticipating songs that I knew were coming up, she was only aware of two of Susan's albums, which she had. (I think IDAD and "The Gift.") She was very pleased at hearing the songs from the “Hope” album which Susan sang and I assured her that she would really like that entire album, then. I’ll bet she has already gone out to buy it or has ordered it from Amazon or iTunes.
Susan's voice is glorious, soaring and filled with depth and nuance……amazing! The timbre of her voice is beautiful and she has definitely learned how to harness that power so that she controls her voice and embraces each song in order to convey meaning and capture emotion. She really lets that voice soar, too. That is worth the price of admission, just hearing this. There is indeed a difference between what we hear on the CDs and what we hear in a concert.
A huge, huge thing, too, for me, something which delighted me, is being able to see her moving more around on stage. Gone is the deer-in-the-headlights look, the standing-stock-still, the sense that if anything changed she would fall apart…… Unlike watching her on TV and holding my breath and hoping she could get through a song, I was relaxed and "in the groove" with her. She was definitely enjoying the experience of sharing herself and her beautiful voice with the large Durham audience. I think that one big reason for this is that she’s in control of how things are going to go. It’s her concert, her own show, not “DWTS” or “AGT” or some other television show where there are numerous restrictions set in place from the get-go. Those TV shows operate under time restraints. A concert is very different. If Susan runs overtime during her concert, no biggie. If she needs to cough or clear her throat or take a swig of water during the concert, no big deal — everybody waits for her, as she’s the one who is the star here. If she decides to do a funny little dance move thing or move her arms or hands around in a different way as the music moves her, no one can say, “stop! Susan, don’t do that!” She isn't rushed to perform, she can do things at her own pace. On the concert stage she is the one in control. She can do what she pleases, move as she pleases and as the music or the song lyrics affect her. The band follows her lead, it's all about Susan all the way. It must be a heady experience. Wow…..
I don't know about the other theatres in which she has been, but in Durham they had two monitors, too, so that even people in the nosebleed section would be able to actually see Susan close up. I had an ideal seat -- dead-center, about 8 or 9 rows back, and I was especially fortunate to have short little C*** C***** (from another forum) seated in front of me! Perfect!! I could easily see Susan with an unobstructed view. How lucky was THAT?! :) I mostly watched Susan on the stage, of course, but occasionally would glance up at the monitors, too.
I think we had about four or five standing ovations; we all rose to our feet when Susan first appeared -- that opening sequence is brilliant, isn't it? -- and then for at least three songs ("Unchained Melody" for one) and of course at the end, too. The area of people where I was didn't seem to be as lively as some in other parts of the theatre. Well, I made up for that, swinging and swaying, tapping and clapping in my seat during "O Happy Day" and "River Deep, Mountain High" in particular. Those were two of my favorites, of course. I also loved "Unchained Melody" -- sooooo much more effective than on the album! Even though I've never been very fond of "Cry Me a River" I really liked hearing Susan doing that one live, and it was beautifully done. Wow. "Ae Fond Kiss" was one I was really eager to hear and it was beautiful. Of course most in that audience wouldn't be familiar with that song but I think they all appreciated it for its beauty anyway. Susan puts some real emotion into that one. Another song which I was looking forward to hearing live was "As Long As He Needs Me," and that was wonderful, too.
Susan and Lance did "This is the Moment" and it was a great moment! :) It was really fun seeing Lance and Susan dancing, too! (I think that was during "River Deep, Mountain High".) "Run With the Wind" was very nice -- again, I suspect that one might not be familiar to American audiences. Although "I Can Only Imagine" will never be a favorite song of mine, I will say that it worked well in the concert and that Susan did a lovely job with it.
Susan sings "Angel" beautifully and touchingly. Her performance of "The Impossible Dream" was stunning -- much more effective than on the album. Oh, how could I forget -- when she started singing "Wild Horses" that one brought tears to my eyes. It was amazing being there in person seeing and hearing her sing this most favorite song!
"Who I Was Born to Be" was where she starts the song out at the piano. I have mixed feelings about this, to be honest. I actually prefer the song sung all the way through without the business at the piano, but again it was cute seeing her at the piano and kidding around a bit, too. She is definitely who she was born to be!
Of course it was even more amazing seeing and hearing Susan singing the song which brought her to American stages in the first place: "I Dreamed a Dream." Beautiful!!!!! I really like that change in the final line -- it makes a huge difference and it makes much more sense, given how this song has changed Susan's life for the better. She is indeed living the life she dreamed......."
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| (Credits: Clix Pix) |
I don't think anyone reading this can avoid the very tangible excitement and appreciation that Clix Pix felt watching Susan live in concert. I know she won't mind me stating that she is someone who "tells it as it is", and it was for this reason that I wanted to include her review in this blog. Thank you Clix Pix - and thank you Susan Boyle!
