Toronto Show - Sun 10th Nov
A smooth Ferry ride Former Roxy Music frontman puts on elegantly glamourous show By JANE STEVENSON Toronto Sun BRYAN FERRY Hummingbird Centre, Toronto Sunday, November 10, 2002 TORONTO -- What would Bryan Ferry be on stage without a bevy of beautiful women? Frankly, pretty wonderful, but there's something so picture-perfect about the still-elegant 57-year-old crooner and sometime frontman for art-rockers Roxy Music being surrounded by a galaxy of glamourous gals. In this case, last night at the Hummingbird Centre, Ferry was joined by a total of five ladies: A harpist/percussionist and violinist/keyboardist -- part of an eight-piece band -- and three sartorially splendid backup singers. Their presence only added to the lovely lustre of the nicely paced show that clocked in at slightly over 90 minutes. It began with just Ferry on piano accompanied by his violin player, but by the time the eighth song rolled around -- the Roxy classic,The Thrill Of It All -- the stage was teeming with a mighty ensemble of players including Roxy drummer Paul Thompson and local favourite Chris Spedding on guitar. Even some of the weaker covers from Ferry's latest album, Frantic, like Bob Dylan's Don't Think Twice, It's All Right and It's All Over Now, Baby Blue, worked much better in a live setting due to the singer's sheer charisma. And Ferry -- who appeared to have song lyrics on a music stand in front of him -- certainly didn't scrimp in the covers department, including in his set such standards as Falling In Love Again, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? and Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, along with the John Lennon classic, Jealous Guy. Meanwhile, fans were obviously thrilled to hear so many Roxy songs including My Only Love and Slave To Love along with older Ferry fare like Boys And Girls and Let's Stick Together. Of the new songs, Cruel -- co-written with Eurythmic Dave Stewart -- and A Fool For Love stood up well alongside Ferry's impressive songbook. The singer, who most recently performed here on the Roxy Music reunion tour at the Air Canada Centre last July, is obviously still warmed up from that experience . He even employed some of the same costumes -- a shiny silver suit that he wore for the second half of last night's concert -- and the fuschia-feathered, Las Vegas showgirl outfits, complete with headdress and train -- that two backup singers wore during the Roxy songs, Love Is The Drug and The Strand. I'd seen both before, but certainly wasn't disappointed at seeing them again