Review 1: I'm grateful to Reilly Morse' for this personal review
at the top of a park path, pass between hedges into a hidden amphitheater, across wide stone rows to the upper middle orchestra. candlelit tables spread out below. across the stage is a cream scrim with the double eagle insignia below the band's name. around the edges are satin drapes. before dusk dims out, a pair of bats cut tight arcs above the audience's heads. lights cut out and the scrim glows periwinkle blue then deep violet, then deepest blue. the letters switch to tiger stripe as the opening piano of remake remodel begins. a projection of hundreds of black & white early band photos barrages the stage, overlaid with monochromatic live video closeup of the performers playing on the stage, and intersected by fanbeams of saturated lights.
although the band is large, each component stands out clearly, like an acoustic jazz quartet. the drumming is solid. vocals are supple and fresh. at first the sound level is not quite loud enough for the upper orchestra, so it is necessary to listen closely. the sound was different from any other concert because there seemed to be buffers of space between the instruments in the mix. remake remodel tromps out, pausing for the absurd "solos", featured in the video projections, notably the vintage synth. it is simply stunning to hear this tune performed live. street life percolates with the keyboard, guitar, and sax figures coiling around each other, lucy wilkins' witchy violin shimmers over the drum and low tenor sax. ferry sings so wickedly "it makes you feel like you're losing your mind." at the end of ladytron phil really cuts loose for the only time during the night, really bending strummed chords into unknown territories, for a good long time, ending the tune with the guitar held over his head. no fire lost there. somehow, andy's oboe parts cuts in to coax it on.
while my heart is still beating has one of several beautiful looped film projections of details from nature (clouds, bubbles, water droplets) passing behind it. the percussionist pushes this tune along. both ends burning is another reminder why paul thompson needs to be in this band, heavy propulsive bass/tom drumming. ferry sings "hell, who can sleep in this heat, this night." three very kitschy go go girls work out for this one. ferry gives a fully nuanced delivery of each of these songs. no hoarseness, no corners cut, no high notes dropped. if he used to do it then, he did it now enthusiastically. much better vocals than the frejus concert video. tara is a beautiful interlude, just andy, the violinist lucy wilkins, and the second keyboardist.
a jet passes high overhead, but the distant noise gets covered by andy's melody, closely but not identically following the original. in avalon, yannick etienne appears for the songbird part and is warmly greeted. she stays to join the other female vocalist, and they strengthen the rest of the songs considerably. for your pleasure is a wonderful finale, very nostalgic for what may be the last chance to see these songs performed. the lyrics "for your pleasure in our present state, part false part true like anything, we present ourselves, the words we use tumble all over your shoulder gravel hard and loose" "you watch me walk away taraa taraa......" each band member leaves one at a time, with the electronic crickets and feedback echoing into eternity. walking back down the park path, kicking the gravel, the cicadas in the nearby trees take over the tempo of the finale at nearly the same sound level.

Review 2: I'm grateful to 'The Alb' for this personal review

WOW!!! I've waited 18 years and as much as I hated to wait that long, it was worth it. Now, Chastain isn't the greatest place to watch a show. Many of the seats in the venue are around a table and patrons are encouraged to bring meals and make an evening of things. Most people are more concerned that they have a better looking center piece than the tables around them, i.e., the music is secondary. However, even this wine and cheese crowd (not to be confused with the well known whine and cheese crowd that follows UNC basketball) were dancing and rocking away. And not just to Love Is A Drug, but to Editions of You and Do The Strand. For the most part, it was a knowledgeable audience that actually refrained from the normal continual talking and listened to the music (at least where I was sitting which was close to the stage).
Chastain has two other major drawbacks. Now granted, it's a quaint outdoor theater, but the surrounding neighborhood has this thing about the noise from concerts getting too loud and concerts from lasting too long. This is akin to buying a house near an airport and then complaining about noise from the airplanes. Nonetheless, Chastain has a strict rule that all shows must be OVER by 11 PM. That tends to place a constraint on a band that arrives late to the venue, as did Roxy Music who no doubt got to experience the joys of Atlanta traffic first hand. By the time the band hit the stage at 9:15, there was little to do but run through most of the numbers. Along the way, Virginia Plain became a casualty as it was dropped from the normal rotation and I suspect several solos were dropped or radically shortened. But, the band was on! I was amazed at how good songs like Re-Make/Re-Model, Ladytron and In Every Dream A Heartache were live. Street Life, Out of the Blue, Both Ends Burning and Dance Away all were received warmly by the crowd and deservedly so. I was delighted to hear my personal favorite, one of the all time great romantic songs and/or break up songs, Oh Yeah. Of course, a close second is Avalon. Both songs simply took your breath away.
While the crowd gave too much acknowledgment to the women (sorry don't recall her name) who did the backing vocals on Avalon, the woman on keyboards and violin nearly stole the show! She is a real talent and was like the 5th member of the band. Needless to say, she filled in more than adequately for Brian Eno who was interviewed by one of the free magazines in town which recorded his displeasure with this reunion tour and his lack of interest in it. To which, I say, who cares? (Ironically, the evening before, another Eno collaborator from way back, Robert Fripp was at a small Atlanta club with the latest line up of King Crimson. Another great show, but I wonder what Eno thinks of Fripp still being at it after all these years?) I lost a bet though. Although Bryan Ferry went from black leather to a white linen to a silver outfit, he never (that's right, never) rolled up his sleeves!
Got to tell a great Bryan Ferry story about what a great person he is. Years ago I had the privilege to meet him in an airport lounge in London. It was the Concorde lounge and this tall, lanky guy walks in (by the way, between the three members of Roxy Music they must be the tallest in average height of any band!). Anyway, I made myself a drink and introduced myself. Bryan was reading a book and I apologized for interrupting him, but told him how much I enjoyed his solo and Roxy Music music over the years. He invited me to sit down and we chatted for 20 minutes until it was time to board the plane. He was traveling to New York to put together a band for a US tour in support of Bte Noire (The Kiss & Tell Tour). I saw him again on the plane and he asked me for a business card. Bryan indicated that he would have his tour manager drop me a line when they firmed up the concert dates (they weren't going to be in Memphis, (but then again, who is?), where I was living at the time). Four months later, I get an overnight letter at the office. There's a written note from his tour manager explaining how much Brian enjoyed our conversation in the airport lounge. Enclosed were two front row center seats at, ironically, the show at Chastain in Atlanta. The note closed with the notion they hoped I could make the show, which of course, I did. I've always been amazed that he had the presence of mind after all that time to follow up. To me, that's the mark of one hell of a guy.

Review 3:I'm grateful to Michael Gallaher for this personal review

Offering another view of Roxy's Atlanta concert--this time from the cheaper seats... Sadly for me, the distractions of Chastain were far less tolerable from the mid-price seating: the audience was inconsiderate of the listeners, and unappreciative of the band, with much conversation and milling about and drunken stumbling. The surprising availability of glass-bottled beer for sale was problematic, as every 10 feet there was a "recycling bin" into which patrons all seemed to have the urge to hurl their empties with as much vigor as possible.
Aside from crowd problems, the stage lighting and projection effects worked poorly in this environment, making the monochrome video more of a distraction than an enhancement. But the very worst was the unfortunate timing of several overpassing jets: the one that flew by during "Tara" could almost have passed for the "tidal" sound effects on the recorded version, but there was no such benefit offered by the jet that completely erased Colin's intro to "A Song For Europe." Despite these problems, as a long-time Roxy fan, I greatly enjoyed the show.
I was a little apprehensive due to the familiarity of the setlist--considering that the majority of the songs are available on the "Heart Still Beating" CD, would I hear anything fresh in the performance? But indeed I did! This lineup had much more to offer in those familiar tunes than the Roxy of 1983, or the various Ferry versions I've seen and heard in the years between. Although Bryan started a bit weak, sounding congested, he warmed up noticably after 3 or 4 numbers. I was particularly pleased that the show at no time felt like "Bryan Ferry and His Backup Musicians"--this was a *band* and Ferry seemed ever-eager to share the spotlight, with his frequent retreats behind the piano, and dodges to the edges of the stage. It's quite amazing how much time Andy Mackay found the starring position, considering how occasional the sax solos can seem when you're not thinking about them. Phil was quite a wonder, wringing some surprising new sounds out, and recreating some of his most psychotic solos.
From the roxyrama reviews, it appears that audiences all over are especially taken with the wonderful Lucy Wilkins, and that was no different here. While I was a little disappointed that her "Out of the Blue" solo was just a note-for-note recreation of Jobson's, I loved seeing her play it, evidently with every muscle in her body! And I was quite astonished that she was able to recreate almost exactly Eno's avante-garde synth solos! While there weren't many true surprises (deep down, I was hoping for the miraculous debut of a new addition to the set...say "Pyjamara" or "Casa Nova...") I did have the joy of seeing the amazing Yanick Etienne join the tour. And she was perfect, and quite the crowd-pleaser.
I didn't find the show to be rushed, and I thought the set list was generous enough (18 songs seems to be at or above their average for the tour...sorry to miss "Mother of Pearl," but surely there'll be a CD from this tour, and they'll include the tunes that weren't on previous live releases, right?). "Oh Yeah" seemed to be done at too quick a pace, though. And the dancers must have arrived late, since they didn't show up for "Street Life." And finally, Paul Thompson...I have to confess, I was never impressed by his work on Roxy's first 6 albums, so I wasn't particularly concerned about having him on the tour. That has all changed. He's clearly much more versatile than I'd given him credit for being, and fit perfectly even into the newer songs. I was impressed that he'd been allowed to introduce his own touches to "Jealous Guy." He simply must be involved in any future Roxy endeavours.