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The appreciation for Chris de Burgh as he performs at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall is so tangible that it could cast its own shadow in the sunshine of a warm Liverpool day and be taken on its own private tour of Anfield. Four long years since he last performed on the Liverpool stage, Chris de Burgh once more took the audience on a roller coaster of emotions that culminated in a touching memorial to those who lost their lives at Hillsborough and to the city that has given much to the world and been repeatedly kicked for its pains.
Like the city in which he was performing, Chris de Burgh wears his heart upon his sleeve, it is an admirable feature which others may find easy to knock or subject to certain derision and yet that same feature marks the man out as being human, as having the common touch in which his fan base take to their hearts as he sings for them with passion and truth.
The set list was large, expansive and the Philharmonic crowd would have not had it any other way. The back catalogue demands that old favourites are played alongside new tracks from his latest album, that same demand is met with the vigour it deserves and the admiration level creeps up ever higher because of it.
Tracks such as The Hands of Man, Candlestick, Spanish Train, A Spaceman Came Travelling, There Goes My Heart Again, Transmission Ends and Lady In Red were greeted with respect and an overflowing of joy that would have knocked lesser artists off their feet. It was though in the finale of the show that the measure of the man was to be seen at its fullest. To be a passionate fan of the city and one of its clubs is one thing but to try and reproduce the Gerry and the Pacemakers’ hit You’ll Never Walk Alone and to have a moving memorial to those that lost their lives on that fateful day is to show true devotion. It was with little wonder that Chris de Burgh was so moved by the experience that the tears of pain were visible long after the song had finished.
A fantastic evening of music produced by one of the masters of the art, an evening of heartfelt emotion and joy!
Chris de Burgh
The Hands of Man Tour
The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
May 8th 2015
PR Rating: *****