Cher J.O'B,

You make a good point albeit Dublin (2nd Night) worked because the songs chosen had more orchestral elements to them.

W2 would love him to do a concert and album with a full orchestra and to perhaps throw in a couple of duets. Lana Del Rey would be a perfect muse. Perhaps they could do her song,'13 Beaches' together. That would be a killer.

Salutations,
Windswept (with springs)

Bonsoir mes amis!
Trés intéressant...
But I am not so sure, Bryan is not exactly an Andrea Bocelli (thanks for that). To have a smaller orchestra, preferably cellos, would maybe work better, yes, in the style of the ATGB-tour. More material from BF;s later albums and less of the early, noisy RM stuff, please! But how will a broad audience react? After all, BF has had a fantastic year with the present ensemble and set list.

I would love Bryan to do a show like that with an just an orchestra and no electric guitars, sax, drum kit, electric bass etc.

J.O’B.[/quote]

Didn't Robbie Williams try to pull that off. ?

Peter Gabriel did.

That said, it looks like they orchestrated the existing, well trodden set list rather than come up with something new for the evening. Whereas the set list for Dublin (RTE String evening) in 2014 was markedly different from the rest of the tour. The songs were better chosen for a strings project.

While I only attended the first night in Dublin and the second got better reviews, I didn't recall the setlist being markedly different from the other tour dates. A quick review of the 2014 tour page here on VRM seems to support my view.

I thought then that there were many BF & Roxy songs which would better suit orchestral arrangement (most of the IYM and TBSB albums for starters) and that it was rather an opportunity missed. Sadly, I think the same could be said of the Hollywood Bowl setlist.

Of course, there would probably be significant expense in shaking up the setlist for the sake of one or two shows, but I'd have hoped for something special for the prices being charged in Hollywood.

The lack of variation in the setlist from gig to gig has always been a bit of a bugbear for me anyway; surely most musicians would enjoy playing something fresh most nights?

It's in stark contrast with the E Street Band, which has to know pretty much every song ever written by Springsteen (plus a major chunk of general rock 'n roll history), as The Boss takes audience requests each night.

Even some less well known bands reward their fans' loyalty in this way, e.g. the first time I heard Gov't Mule in London they were aware that a small group of Germans and Scandinavians were following them around the UK & Europe, so they deliberately changed the entire setlist from the previous night in Manchester.

Now, where did I put my anti-grumpy medication?

Cher Smudge,

New for Dublin (RTE Bryan Ferry With Strings) was:

Feel The Need
A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Can't Let Go
Carrickfurgus (shivered W2's timbers)
Tokyo Joe (great with strings)
When She Walks In The Room (amazing version)
Running Wild (strings worked well)

Windswept thinks that 30% being different probably constitutes markedly. It also has to be said that many of the songs that were on the normal set list for that tour (Reason Or Rhyme, Casanova etc..) also worked well with the RTE.

Mais, don't be grumpy there must be a SpecSavers near you or if you fancy a pair like Bryan's, there is always 'Cutler And Gross'!

Salutations,

Windswept (with strings)

From the clips that I've seen, I'd sure like it if Bryan's voice was louder in the mix, so that the "backing vocalists" are not at the same level or even louder. I realize it's a band but sheesh.

Catching up, as I have been on holiday and I felt I had to comment on this thread. I thought Windswept with the orchestral arrangement was outstanding and yes very " Bond - esque ". As a classical musician myself ( with rock kit thrown in ), I can really see the potential of new avenues for Bryan to explore by using the different timbres, range ( dynamic and tonal ) of orchestral instruments. I agree totally with J O'B regarding dispensing with guitars and keyboards etc. Bryan has plenty of material at his disposal e.g " Slave to Love - The Best of the Ballads " which could have a complete new lease of life.

It would be a similar concept to " An Evening with Bryan Ferry " which has been the best concert of his ( not RM ) that I have seen in recent years.

Happy birthday Bryan Thank you for all your wonderful music.