CityLife

Chris De Burgh

STILL A CROWD-PLEASER: De Burgh

DESPITE being held up by many as a figure of ridicule, Chris de Burgh has still sold over 45 million albums.

And fair play to him. He takes the criticism and merely gets on with it, and as a sold out Bridgewater proves, his fan base are as devoted as ever.

In many ways, I’m reluctant to add to the dissenting voices. Not only does he seem like a nice guy, but having a pop at Chris de Burgh is tamer than a Dimitar Berbatov penalty.

But the brutal truth is that much of what went on here tonight was dreadful.

De Burgh, complete with band and orchestra, is in town to promote his new album Footsteps, a collection of covers that influenced his music.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. And you’re right: it is one thing de Burgh doing his own thing, but does the world really need to hear him cover The Beatles?

The answer to that is obvious, yet here we are for a three-hour, two-part show, half original compositions, half nothing more than glorified karaoke. 

Concentrating mainly on his slower repertoire, much of the night varies between desperately dull and overbearingly schmaltzy.

American Pie

Yet give me a trite Borderline any day over an embarrassing solo take on American Pie, where you’d be hard pushed to hear a worse version by a busker on Market Street.  

It’s a shame, as between songs he is genuinely engaging and witty, nicely self-deprecating (joking about ‘reluctant husbands’ in the crowd) and an expert at working his audience, at various points even empathising with the Hillsborough disaster and the effects of the recession.

If only he’d shown the same sensitivity before deciding to butcher the Byrds’ Turn! Turn! Turn! 

The Lady in Red reaches a nadir for corniness as de Burgh trawls the floor picking out ladies – you guessed it! - dressed in red to dance with.

Probably knowing it couldn’t get any more syrupy, he finishes with some upbeat hits such as High on Emotion, the Bridgewater up dancing in unison.

By this point, de Burgh is running round the auditorium like an inebriated dad at a family do, a man clearly enjoying himself as much as his audience.