CityLife

Lou and Laurie in fitting finale to MIF

STILL WALKING ON THE WILD SIDE: Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson

BELIEVE it or not, we’ve almost come to the end of the 18 glorious days of culture that the Manchester International Festival brings to the city. 

There’s been some truly historic shows. Kraftwerk with Steve Reich at the Velodrome set the bar, but so many others rose spectacularly to the occasion.

Elbow with The Halle at the Bridgewater Hall, Amadou And Mariam performing with The Beating Wing Orchestra, Rufus Wainwright’s foray into opera, Marina Abramovic emptying the entire Whitworth Art Gallery and inviting in the masses for a four-hour lock-in, and the sold-out It Felt Like A Kiss – the reinvention of the old haunted house inside a disused office block – all felt like ‘Sex Pistols at the Free Trade Hall’ moments.

But for the final weekend, that old ‘best until last’ proverb is proven true when, tomorrow, The Yellow Pony And Other Songs And Stories brings legendary rock veteran Lou Reed and his wife Laurie Anderson to the Palace Theatre for their first UK performance together.

The show is billed as a night of music, stories, songs and poems with improvised and spoken works featuring highly, and the promise of some rare duets between Lou and Laurie are on the table.

Festival Feast

It’s a major coup and one of the most anticipated events of the whole festival. But it’s not the only one, and there’s a whole lot more of them going on before the final day’s Festival Feast (Pavilion, from 11am).

De La Soul complete their two-night stand at The Ritz, playing their iconic 3 Feet High And Rising album (Friday) 20 years after its first release; Prima Donna plays for the last time at a matinee performance at the Palace Theatre (Sunday); the Young @ Heart choir wave goodbye to the UK for good at the RNCM (Saturday); and The Durutti Column conclude their tribute to Tony Wilson in the Pavilion Theatre (Friday) before handing over to Delphic tomorrow for a night of new Manchester music.

Plus there are lunchtime concerts in Zaha Hadid’s architectural masterpiece in Manchester Art Gallery and ongoing shows from Abramovic, Gustav Metzger (Flailing Trees), Jeremy Deller (Procession exhibition, at Cornerhouse) and the Pavilion DJs.
 Proof if it were needed that it really isn’t over until it’s over.

Various prices, check for availability. For ticket information for all events, visit mif.co.uk.