Colston Hall Bristol - Fri 11th Oct
Evening Post MELTING MOMENT FOR KING OF COOL 17:12 - 11 October 2002 Bryan Ferry: Colston Hall REJUVENATED by last year's Roxy Music reunion tour, Brian Ferry seems to be enjoying his best form in years. This sell-out show, in the middle of an exhausting world tour, may have seen Ferry playing to a full house of devotees, but by the end of the seamless 90-minute performance, the sweatdrenched icon was grinning as much as his audience. Principally a tour to promote his acclaimed recent album, Frantic, Ferry kept new songs to a minimum and trawled his back catalogue of solo material and Roxy Music favourites. Of the new songs aired, Goddess Of Love and A Fool For Love were outstanding, with his unique voice sounding stronger than ever. Ferry was bolstered by an eightpiece band (featuring a glamorous blonde percussionist who switched from gold harp to a tin washboard during the set) and three backing singers, including Katie Turner, the 21-year-old dancer who Ferry is allegedly seeing now that his 20-year marriage has ended. With Roxy Music's Paul Thompson on drums and solid guitarwork from veterans Chris Spedding and Mick Green (who older rockers would have recognised from his days as one of Johnny Kidd's Pirates), Ferry cruised through classics like Slave To Love, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and the brilliant Jealous Guy. Not to be outdone by his water tight band, Ferry slipped in some sterling piano and harmonica playing of his own. By the end of the set, Ferry, who looks a fraction of his 57 years, had swapped his black dinner jacket for a shimmering dark silver suit. It coincided with a handful of Roxy favourites, including Love Is The Drug and Let's Stick Together, by which time his ice-cool aura had melted as he danced around the stage, arms outstretched to slap the hands of a few fans. Ferry hadn't said a word to his audience all night, save for a couple of band introductions, but his sheer star quality spoke volumes. This was a masterclass in suave, stylish pop and it's unlikely that we'll see a slicker performance this year. Star rating: 5/5