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Roxy Music on the Road 2001

Valby Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark - 18th September 2001
Support Act: Finnish band Emmi - 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, Avalon, Dance Away, Jealous Guy, Editions Of You, Virginia Plain
Encores: Love Is The Drug, Do The Strand, For Your Pleasure

Review 1: - I am grateful to Claus Vandborg for this personal review
On a rainy Copenhagen-night Roxy Music played in "Valby-Hallen" . "All those vintage years" with great music and all those memories - could Ferry and the boys still give us "the thrill of it all" ? After the support act had finished ( yes they came from Finland !!) we waited half an hour and then a sound came "out of the blue" - and the curtains fell and "Re-make/Re-model" started - as it started the first Roxy Music-album many years ago. On the screen behind the band a montage of their career was shown. Ferry was sitting at the piano and even though the sound wasnt all that clear yet- it was a great feeling and brought many thoughts. "I tried but I could not find a way" - but they really found the way to our hearts that evening.
Then Ferry went up front at the stage - looked "under" the lights and looked at (Im sure of) at me and smiled !!! Said "this is Roxy Music" and the great sound of "Street life" started and the sound had improved - Valby-Hallen is known as a terrible place for concerts. I remember Ferry played there in 1988 without any really good sound. And I was was not happy somebody choose that place for a Roxy Music show, but it was ok that night. Phil Manzanera looked happy during this show and even though he forgot to get his guitar at the right moment and play his solo at "In everydreamhome a heartache" (suddenly he was in a great hurry but he didnt make it !!)- his performance was great - and he played some great guitar together with Chris Spedding who looked a bit like Kevin Keegan that evening. Andy Mackay appeared like The Mummy , but made his usual great sound and the next day the Danish papers nearly made him the hero of the evening. Ferry didnt look anything else but great and everytime he changed his suit the crowd cheered. Paul Thompson was great and secure on his drums - and got at deserved salute from the audience when Ferry said "and on the drums we have the great P.T"
We had booked the most expensive seats at the first row, but after 5 or 6 songs everybody from the back rushed up, and the we were now standing cheering at our old heroes. A lot of people in a little area. Before the concert I asked one of the guards if people were allowed to go up there and he said the "Roxy-leader" (?) said it was the whole idea because of the video being taken !!! I would have loved to hear "Mother of Pearl", but it Roxy Music had decide not to play it - I wonder why ? A lot of people came to hear songs like "Dance Away", "Avalon"(which seemed as the weakest song of the evening ?) , "Oh Yeah" and of course "Jealous Guy", but we were a lot of old hard-core fans who was happy to hear our old favourites who didn't make the charts being played which such love as the band did that evening. My personal favorites that evening was "Both ends burning" with added Ferry unexpected on harmonica and of course "Virginia Plain" which had a great beat. During "Both ends burning" the dancing - girls first appeared back at the stage looking sexy and with happy smiles on theis faces while they were working hard swinging their legs. They later came back in red feathers and looked like Roxy-girls should do. Lovely, smiling cool and still looking hard to get.
The encores "Love is the drug" and the perfect "Editions of you" ended with the big surprise - my old favorite "For your pleasure" with that great ending that had finished all their gigs - bowing and leaving the stages. First percussionist Julia Thornton, then Lucy Wilkins who were so great on "Out of the blue" on her violin. Then Speeding and vocalist Sarah Brown. Then we said goodbye to Zev Katz who we last saw on Ferry solotour in 1999 and then our heroes one by one. Last - but not least - pianoplayer Colin Good who turned on the tape and we heard the end of that song and the end of a great concert. (I noticed they played Brian Eno after the show - the shape of things to come ?) We knew that there wouldnt be any more songs after this - "nothing lasts forever"- the curtains came up again and we were left once again with our memories of songs that forever changed our lives. I asked my friends their opinion - both the old Roxy-fans and the "newcomers I had enticed to join my favorite-band. . They all liked it.......
I stumbled out into the rainy night and wondered if I would ever see my heroes again. On my way home in the car there was "a band playing on the radio"- but it wasn't Roxy Music
Review 2: - I am grateful to Johan Norum for this personal review
Before this event, the closest I have ever come to a Roxy Music consert is the live-video of "The High Road"-tour-France. Well, finally the time had come, Roxy Music was in Scandinavia, to be more precise- Copenhagen. It needs to be said, Valbyhallen was not the ideal place for an event like this, but fortunately the acoustics was fairly good. Around 2.500 witnessed a highly memorable performance, and it all started "as usual" with the well known piano bars of Re-Make/Re Model. At first Ferry seemed to be absent, until we discovered him up left with the piano. I have never had the pleasure of listening to Re Make/ Re-Model live, and I was rather amazed. This was the "Roxy sound", no doubt, and as I discovered that, the pulse was raising, and the expectations were fairly high. Ferry's voice was there, thoug I missed some of his old "agressive" voice.
The settings was intimate and tasty, much due to the rather limited space up on the stage. During the very first part of the consert, we were sitting at the 32 row, but since the sitting-facillity didn`t suffice- plain chairs on a flat floor- we moved forward towards the stage. No one stopped us, and all of a sudden hundreds of people had panoramic view to the band, and the feeling was almost that of a big united family. Ladytron, with its peculiar drumming, was one of my personal favorites, and Manzanera ended the song in a complete and perfect way. Roxy managed to set and capture the audience in a state of "nirvana" with Ladytron, and we didn`t quite managed to wake up until it was all over, and there was so much more to come. Out Of The Blue came Lucy Wilkins and her eletric violin. She really took that song to its limit, with an intensity one does not come across every day.
It took some moments until i recognized the long piano solo introducing A Song For Europe, this beautiful, somewhat melancholic and intimate song, first heard on the Stranded album from 73, and yes Andy Macay still handled the saxophone the way only he can, and we were all spellbinded by his magic play. Mother Of Pearl is still a "pearl", and thanks to Ferry for giving us that one. Avalon- the song that opened the door for Roxy Music to a new generation in 82, was highly appreciated, and so was those beautiful dancing girls with their stylish feather costumes. Julia Thorton showed us a sophisticated way of handeling percussions, and behind those dark sunglasses there was so much rythmn and it was her exellent performance, that made that particular melody so touching .
To my satisfaction Lennon's Jealous Guy was there, and it is probably one of the melodies where one can say that the cover version by far is a much better on than the original. (thanks to John for that song). Editions Of You, another highlight, with the exellent keyboardsolo of Lucy Wilkins. (I must however admit, that it would have been the thrill of it all if Eno was there on that particular melody). Good old Virgina Plain, setting a trend in 72, is probably one of the most "classic Roxy songs", was like balsam to a soul.
The crowd in front of the stage went into hot disco-rythmn and shocked all over the floor when Roxy set off Love Is The Drug. One was carried away back to 75, and the feeling was cool. Finally Roxy Music gave us to songs, . Do The Strand and For Your Pleasure, both from the "For Your Pleasure" album, and they really did that for our pleasure.
So much movements, so many feelings, so many memories. It was sad to wave goodbye to each and one of the members as the left the stage one by one, they were so courteous, and I couldn`t stop waving, until long after Paul Thompson as the last one, had left the stage. It was so obvious, they were not coming back on stage again to do "If There Is Something", but I was more than satisfied, I had just witnessed one of the greatest rockband ever, performing and giving me their very best, as if they wanted to say:
The whole concert was just "For Your Pleasure".
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