Bryan and his ten-piece band were great Friday night. Several of the musicians have been working with him since the 2001 Roxy reunion, and even before -- Chris Spedding on guitar, bassist Zev Katz, backup vocalists Michelle John (who absolutely thrilled on "Avalon") and Fonzi Thornton. He doesn't have quite the range he used to, sometimes dropping the key of his songs two or even three full steps so he could sing them. But he still has that same unmistakable tone, and that same suave stage presence. It seemed to take the sound guy a few songs to tighten things up, but by the time they got to "Out of the Blue," the sound was just about perfect.
It really occurred to my wife and me, more than ever before, how timeless these songs are. Later-day Roxy, and Ferry's own solo material, really don't seem beholden to any era -- no matter how much "More Than This" and "Avalon" take us back to the night we met. And early Roxy songs like "Ladytron," "Re-Make/Re-Model" and "Editions of You" have a sound that a brand new rock band could really go far with.
None of the songs in the set list was abbreviated, apart from the two-song VU medley. Instead of leaving the stage and coming back for an encore, the band just stayed there, and Bryan looked around the crowd, acting as if he just couldn't believe they wanted to hear more. (Midge Ure's comment last year, about doing the encore routine and "standin' at the side o' the stage, lookin' like right prats" came to mind.)
SETLIST:
The Main Thing
Slave to Love
Ladytron
Out of the Blue
Simple Twist of Fate
Wasteland
Windswept
Bête Noire
Zamba
Stronger Through the Years
Like a Hurricane
Can't Let Go
Re-Make/Re-Model
In Every Dream Home a Heartache
If There Is Something
More Than This
Avalon
Love Is the Drug
Virginia Plain
Let's Stick Together
What Goes On/Beginning to See the Light
Jealous Guy
Do the Strand
Editions of You
An English singer/pianist named Judith Owen opened the show, along with her four-piece band. She sings in a light, airy soprano and writes songs in a jazzy pop style ... sort of where Norah meets Rickie Lee. Her set was interrupted, though, when an audience member fell near the stage. Must've been a rough fall, because medics had to maneuver a gurney in there and wheel him out.
