Roxyrama Reviews Page
Roxy Music on the Road 2001
Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, USA - 6th August 2001

Support Act: Rufus Wainwright - see details here
Setlist:- Re-make / Re-model, Street Life, Ladytron, While My Heart is Still Beating, Out of the Blue, A Song for Europe, My Only Love, In Every Dream Home A Heartache, Oh Yeah, Both Ends Burning, Tara, Mother Of Pearl, Avalon, Dance Away, Jealous Guy, Editions of You
Encores: Love Is The Drug, Do The Strand, For Your Pleasure
Review: - I'm grateful to Derek Gribble for this personal review
For 20 years I've had this fantasy of joining Bryan Ferry on stage to help out with "Dream Home" because he's forgotten the lyrics. Well, no chance of that since a) he had a music stand with all his notes on it, and b), I was about 48 rows back from the stage. But at least another dream came true this night - actually seeing the old codgers perform live again. Now, no disrespect, but this was definitely a reserved, mature performance from a troupe that has still has the artistic zeal but has reincarnated, inevitably I suppose, somewhat static in their stage showing. Except for Lucy Wilkins, that is - what a dynamo!. I hope the fans on the right side of the audience could see her - she was tucked away backstage much of the time. Bryan - if you can give Yanick Etienne center stage and praise her as "Avalon Girl", then surely Lucy should come forward for her virtuoso violin vignettes and get an "Out of the Blue Babe" credit. Major memories of this concert for me were Lucy's twiddlin' and fiddlin', along with Bryan's "Mother of Pearl" apparition and "Jealous Guy" - more on that in a mo'.
"Remake/remodel" kicked things off - instantly evoking images of hearing the first album for the first time (in a flat over a Chemist's shop in Sheffield!) but alas, no similar flashback would stir memories of my first ever encounter with Roxy Music - "Virginia Plain" on the jukebox in the Student's Union - they've dropped it from the USA tour set. Yes Virginia - if there is something missing from the thrill of it all, this was it! Lucy was luminescent with her energetic eno-like noodlings. "Street Life" next - I always thought the movie of the same name would have benefitted from using this for its theme. Definitive urbane Roxy Music music. Great tune - the boys were cooking in the outdoors. "Ladytron" turned into a Manzanerathon - you just hoped he had a spare guitar when he was done, not to mention some spare fingers! Old Phil sure fried up some frets!
"Heart still beating"? Marginally - but it WAS after Lucy climaxed "Out of The Blue". That raised some goose pimples. Now I was having a really good time, but..... Onto a curious sequence - "A Song for Europe" - a tour de force for Bryan, obviously, but it hardly capitalized on the momentun from OOTB. Then "My Only Love" another showcase, this time for Chris Spedding and Sara Brown. However, my pulse noticeably quickened when a lava lamp back projection appeared to accompany "In Every Dream Home a Heartache". I obviously haven't been listening to it enough ,as I was only about 75% on the lyrics - don't worry, I wasn't too obnoxious as I sang - well, recited, along with Doll Boy, but it blew my mind when I stood up and yelled the ultimate line in concert with - NOBODY!! I felt like the guy in the Guinness commercials of years back. It was then I realised - Oh Yeah! this had to be a Bryan Ferry, not a Roxy Music crowd! "Both Ends Burning" - hard to admit it - didn't really set my soul on fire tonight. Even the dolly birds seemed a letdown. Mackay's extended final note didn't waft up to section B. Perhaps he was saving some wind for upcoming "Tara". Maybe it was the sound mix or me not being of sound mind, but I felt this wasn't a Mackay masterpiece. With his compact stature, hunched shoulders and puffed cheeks, all I could think of was Andy as terrific Toby Jug model - hmm, go figurine.
Now Bryan changed and, for me, the concert with it. Previously disinterested ladies nearby started twittering and ogling the suit. I'll swear his vocals perked up for the rest of the show. Prior to that, he looked and sounded rather tired, although with Ferry, you are never really sure, are you? I think he wore this lustrous ensemble the longest, so there must be a correlation between the chanteur and his couture. I thought "Mother of Pearl" was a gem - but then, it is a special favorita of mine, so it could just have been me that felt the band was on the attack again. And so we entered Roxy's most recent era with "Avalon", so recognisable to most of the audience that their response was miles away more enthusiastic than before. Yanick came off the bench to pinch-sing, duly impressing everyone. It was a fabulous re-creation and, following on, the band didn't miss a step on "Dance Away". Then - "Jealous Guy". Now, I'd never fully appreciated this song before. But this was undoubtedly the highlight of the show for me. Bryan put something very personal into his rendition. I'll bet the back row, even if they couldn't hear it or see it too well, could FEEL it. For my part, an tremendously touching, emotionally stirring sit-up-and-take-notice interpretation, the memory lingering long after the final whistle. I was humming it all the way home - well, I had to - I foolishly never included it on my "best of" cassette.
"Editions of You" showcased the true rocking capabilities of the band, leaving everyone clamouring for extra Roxy. No "Roxy -cha-cha-cha" chant though. Oh - how times have changed. Quickly, the lads returned to oblige. However, the crowd seemed sedated after "Love is the Drug" - Ferry had to encourage the crowd to want more! Presumably, they thought it was a one-shot encore. "Do The Strand" is a fine song - maybe that's why he gave us TWO Rhododendrons! I feel its a fitting finale - "Do the - uh - Strand" and outta here. Instead, we had to wait for a little while as "For Your Pleasure" heralded a players' exeunt. I would have preferred if they kept on burning to the end but yes, they did walk out in style.
External Reviews: -
Oscar Martinez in the Dallas Morning News here