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So here we were, on the 1/12/99, waiting in anticipation for Paul Young to appear on stage. First time ever since he had become famous, we actually had the chance to see the man live in Vienna.
For his "Intimate Evening - Live & Acoustic" Paul had chosen the small venue of Metropolis Theatre, which proved the perfect setting, at least from our point of view, literally. But let's get down to the main event.
My sister and brother-in-law had come along as well, and as luck had it, they were already at the theatre and... managed to grab 4 seats right in front of the stage. I was excited like anything, a) with expectance of a special concert and b) because I couldn't wait to see the "real" Paul singing live. We weren't to be disappointed, none of us.
They headed it off with an acoustic guitar version of "Come Back And Stay", followed by "Angel", a story about a married woman having an affair. Paul hopes the song will be released onto the next album, as it's one of his favourites and has been left out on the last one.
Anyway, the duo changed, not just their guitars from time to time, but also their style of music and played a few songs, such as "Shadows On The Rise", from Paul's other musical commitment, Los Pacaminos, mexican music, as the name of the group already reveals.
Noteable
weren't just the various beautiful guitars but also one particular shoulder
strap, black strap covered in red and green peppers. Different for sure.
Yet
another thing that caught my eye was Paul's t-shirt which showed a drawing
of a busy London street with the word F*** underneath it in a kind of anagram.
Errrrrrr..... back to the concert.
During the whole evening Paul & Matt kept cracking jokes, entertaining the audience full power. The show was packed with 'unplugged' and 'plugged' versions of his old and new hits, at one point tearing his "Playhouse" down, at another having had full vocal support from his fans at the theatre on "Love Of The Common People", "Every Time You Go Away" and "Come Back And Stay". Also, he indulged in performing "SYSLJFM", his first hit with the Q-Tips, his first group, and then put all his emotions into "Wherever I Lay My Hat".
One
of the most memorable moments of the concert was Paul Young's excellent
rendition of the Frank Sinatra oldie "It Was A Very Good Year", with Matt
on the keyboard for a change and the imaginary JUAN on drums (imaginary,
cause the drums were actually pre-programmed and started with Paul's foot
tapping, announcing the 'drummer').
Before
beginning with the song he acquired Ole' Blue Eyes' habit of smoking a
cigarette on stage, a glass of some short (in his case a Scotch & Coke)
in his hand, and quipped that what's good enough for Frankie Boy is good
enough for him. I wish the song had gone on forever and ever, as it had
a sort of magic to it, though up-beat and 'revamped', Paul's voice lending
it the extra 'something' to make it perfect. Hope that one will be released
on cd.
Unfortunately
time passed too quickly and before we knew it Paul & Matt were gone,
however not without two more encores.
Also,
some Young fans were clever and quick enough to catch Paul before leaving
the stage and managed to get his autograph without any problems.
First
we chatted to one of his roadies about their experiences and impressions
of the tour so far, among many other things.
Then,
eventually, finally, Mr Irving and Mr Young strolled through the the main
exit. I was surprised at just how tall Paul is in real life, but his broad
smile got me back out of my hypnosis. We had a brief talk with both of
them and they were everso friendly and down to earth, not rushing or trying
to get rid of us at all.
As
our back luck would have it though, we didn't have a camera on us, since
cameras are forbidden at concerts in Vienna most of the time. Damn! Still,
what's left of that wonderful evening is not just a personal autograph
but also the memory of that night, something we'd never forget.
