Liverpool Kings Dock - Mon 15th Jul
Bryan Ferry: Summer Pops From A Liverpool Newspaper. THE Sultan of Suave made a triumphant return to the Big Top last night with a fairly short but powerful set which oozed class. Although billed as a solo appearance, it looked and sounded more like a Roxy Music gig, as it comprised several of the musicians and many of the songs featured on the band's highly successful "greatest hits" tour last year. With Bryan on vocals and Paul Thompson on drums, we already had nearly half the original lineup of the band on stage. They were joined by a full complement of musicians and backing singers - two of whom doubled as dancing girls for Both Ends Burning, Love Is The Drug and Do the Strand. As Bryan is blessed with one of the most distinctive and instantly recognisable voices in rock, you could almost imagine it was Roxy Music up there on stage, even if it wasn't. The classic tunes came thick and fast - Oh Yeah, Out of the Blue, Dance Away, before the Big Top erupted with the distinctive opening chords of Virginia Plain. Although few would argue that Bryan Ferry's solo material ever reached the dizzy heights he achieved with Roxy, he wisely chose the highlights from his solo career, such as A Hard Rain's AGonna Fall and Let's Stick Together. It was a tribute to the high quality of his band that even such quintessentially studio numbers as Slave To Love sounded great performed live. "Thank you - what a great audience," said Bryan to the thousands who were on their feet by the end of the set. He's still a class act. SET LIST: It's All Over Now, Baby Blue/Sign Of The Times/Can't Let Go/Oh Yeah/Out Of The Blue/Don't Think Twice, It's All Right/Both Ends Burning/Tara/A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall/Slave To Love/Dance Away/Virginia Plain/Jealous Guy/Let's Stick Together/Love Is The Drug/Do The Strand