Artist:Barbara Dickson
Venue:The Sage
Town:Gateshead
Date:16/02/09/09
Website:www.myspace.com/barbaradickson
2008 saw native Scot Barbara Dickson celebrate 40 years as a professional musician and an Olivier Award winning actress. She has without doubt established herself as one of the UK's most talented and most versatile performers, and there are few who would disagree.
Hall one was close to capacity - I had actually heard that it was a sell out. In many ways this is no surprise considering the following she has amassed over those four decades.
I had seen Ms Dickson play in Newcastle over half my life ago and had always said I'd like to see her again. Whatever doubts I'd had as to how she has stood the test of time were immediately dispelled.
Whilst her choice of black outfits were intriguing at best, it is obvious she is looking exceptionally good and sounding even better.
There was no support act; the night billed 'An Evening with Barbara Dickson.' She played two sets, with a short break between. All in she entertained us for around two and a quarter hours, which in itself is rather impressive.
Opening the show with State of Independence the audience were hooked from the outset. A haunting version of the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby followed; I have to admit that this was never my favourite Beatles number but I really enjoyed this version with almost ethereal backing from the band. The sadness of the lyrics really resonated, somehow.
Barbara then paused to introduce herself to the assembled people from Newcastle and County Durham. The latter was a bit odd but whatever. She proceeded to join the many before her who admitted to loving The Sage and wanting to keep coming back, further testament to what this great venue has done, musically, for the North East.
A striking version of Four Strong Winds by Canadian Neil Young, took us all back to her origins playing folk clubs in the 1960s (she has often said that folk is where her heart has always been and has influenced everything else she has ever sung), followed by our first theatre number of the evening; the Kurt Weill and Bertholt Brecht collaboration The Ballad of the Soldier's Wife. I have heard this previously but can't place where. Apparently this song first came to Ms Dickson's attention when she heard it sung by Martin Carthy.
The Silence of the Dawn we learned was composed by Abba's Benny Andersson as a Millennium hymn for Sweden.
A second Beatles number followed, If I Needed Someone was her tribute to George Harrison whom she considers to be the most underrated. Joking in her obviously natural manner that she was gabbling about this as she could hear someone tuning behind her, she demonstrated her comedic side. It has to be said that she comes across as being incredibly down to earth and certainly not caught up in the trappings of celebrity. It appears she sees herself as a musician and singer who enjoys sharing her songs with others. In fact, so lovely is her accent, I could actually have listened to her just talk all night!
A welcome addition to the set was JD Souther's stunning song Faithless Love and what a gorgeous version this was, enhanced by the addition of the tin whistle.
Barbara is unmistakably very expressive; from her facial expressions to her hand gestures and I couldn't help but wonder if she is naturally an expressive singer or if this is her acting experience entwined with the singer in her.
A traditional song, Lowlands of Holland, whilst admittedly not my favourite of the evening, demonstrated excellent musicianship from the band, one of whom on flute got to play the lead role in Singing Bird inspired by a book found on a holiday to Ireland.
Taking to the keyboard for an old favourite, Answer Me, there was great applause. This was perhaps the only song in which I felt she struggled to hit the high notes, all evening.
Easy Terms from Blood Brothers in which she created the role of Mrs. Johnstone in 1983, concluded the first set. (if you haven't seen this musical, you need to!) It was apparent that this song marks a special time in her life and her career, and touchingly she lapsed back during the song, to the character's Liverpudlian accent; suggesting that Mrs J is still a part of her psyche. Whilst perhaps not the most obvious choice from this show, it epitomises the character and as a stand alone song it is no less poignant. Introducing her band, it was apparent that Barbara thinks the world of them, stating she gets to thank them all the time, but loves to have others appreciate their brilliance.
Troy Donockley, with whom Barbara co-wrote Palm Sunday, plays a range of instruments, his specialty being Uilleann pipes. Pete Zorn plays flute, sax and percussion, Russell Field adds drums, with a smile that never leaves his face, Nick Holland plays keys and Brad Lang contributes a variety of basses. I have rarely seen such a great band supporting an artist, nor such mutual respect demonstrated between the two. There were moments when my eyes couldn't help but drift to observe what various band members were doing and playing. (All members also contributed vocals during the evening.
Bob Dylan's Don't Think Twice was followed with Always The Last To Know,' which gave the band a chance to rock and Barbara a chance to show her skills on the acoustic guitar. I suspect there is a rock chick hiding somewhere in her, to watch her play! Another Suitcase in Another Hall gained huge applause from the first note as she began a beautifully stripped back version, allowing her voice to shine.
Going Back by the Byrds, written by Carole King and Jimmy Goffin, was a great addition and was a perfect match to her vocals. Across the Universe, another Beatles cover, was another striking version, which made the song hers and hers alone. The beauty of hearing someone with a voice like Ms Dickson, sing a Beatles song, is that it stops being a Beatles song enough that you are able to appreciate the lyrics in a whole new way.
An unexpected highlight came, for me, in the form of a little known James Taylor song. Mill Worker, from a show which never quite made it, tells the touching story of a woman working in a shoe factory in Boston, Massachusetts. It was nothing short of magical and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as the story unfolded of this woman's life and regrets.
Then came the moment I had been waiting for - to hear I Know Him So Well. This, a hit in the early 1980s as a duet with Elaine Paige. In this duet from the concept album and subsequent musical Chess by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. In this duet, two women - Svetlana, the Russian chess champion's estranged wife, and Florence, his mistress - express their bittersweet feelings for him and at seeing their relationships fall apart. This was a song I had to hear on long car journeys as a child and somehow hearing it in Hall 1, for four minutes, took me back to being five years old. Even it being sung as a solo rather than a duet and he harmonies and echoes being sung by a man didn't detract from what a wonderfully written song this is.
Ending the evening with the Caravans, the theme to the film of the same name, revealed the other song the audience had been awaiting.
Exiting the stage to a huge standing ovation, Barbara returned to play the 10cc hit I'm Not in Love, which was a very interesting choice and worked well stripped back with the omission of the drums. Our final song of the evening was a beautiful rendition of the traditional Scottish song, Eriskay Love Song. Between Barbara and the band this was without a doubt the perfect song to end a wonderful evening of music.
After the show Barbara happily sat and signed autographs, posed for photographs, chatting and laughing with people; during which time she demonstrated that she is simply a real person who loves to sing music and not in any way the diva many would have been by this time in her career. This alone leaves you unable to fault the lady!
There is already talk, I hear of a live CD release in 2009 and another tour in 2010; I shall be looking forward to those as I am sure will many across the universe.
Helen Mitchell
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