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annie lennox show

phishtaper

By phishtaper
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phishtaper Rookie

phishtaper

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I have to say, I’m a huge Eurythmics fan. I have all of their albums (many on vinyl) and consider them to be one of the most influential bands of the 80’s. Their gender-bending performance on the Grammy’s in 1984 with Annie Lennox dressed as Elvis is musical legend, and they helped set the standard for the music video. I think Love is a Stranger is one of the greatest new wave tunes ever written, and I’m pretty sure I was lucky enough to see them play at Kingswood in ’84 (although, admittedly, the 80’s are a bit of a blur for me). I jumped on each of Annie’s solo albums like Diva, Medusa and Bare when they were released and I ate them up whole. I came to know Annie as a fragile, beautiful woman with the voice of an angel and the pen of an emotional soldier.

But life goes on and I lost touch. So, when I learned that Annie was playing at Massey Hall in support of her new CD, Songs of Mass Destruction I knew I had to go see an old friend. Lucky for me, a special someone anticipated my wishes and got us an incredible pair of 3rd row tickets before I even had a chance. This was a concert I was truly looking forward to.

Did I set my expectation too high? Perhaps. Did she deliver? Yes.

From the time she walked out on stage in her black sequined sleeveless dress, black pants and short bleached hair, until the last note faded, she held musical court and we were her subjects. Her seven-piece band flawlessly played the roles of professionals, all dressed in black, never venturing too far into the limelight, but providing a rock solid foundation for the evening. Funny, determined, confident and vulnerable, Annie guided us on a voyage throughout her entire musical career. An older crowd, tipping well into our 40’s and 50’s, we witnessed a woman now also into her 50’s driven by passion, not only for her music but for life itself.

Standing at center stage, alone at a singular mike stand for most of the night, Annie’s voice was beautiful. She’s theatrical, involuntarily waving her hands as she sings, which for other artists might have seemed awkward or too Broadway, but for Annie, its just part of her. Crowsfeet visible and not quite as agile now, Annie’s body is aging, but aging beautifully. Her voice – that voice – however, is just as pure and powerful as it was in 1982. Two very special parts of the show were Annie’s solo performances on piano, especially the haunting Here Comes the Rain Again and her passionate short video about AIDS in Africa followed immediately by an encore performance of SING – the fund raising single from her new album featuring female powerhouses like Dido, Shakira, Céline Dion, Melissa Etheridge, Fergie, Faith Hill, Gladys Knight, k.d. lang, Madonna, Sarah McLachlan, Beth Orton, Pink, and Bonnie Raitt.

Although a relatively short show, less than 90 minutes, we got our money’s worth (perhaps even the lucky few who paid close to $1000 for a pair of prime seats, according to the scalpers I overheard in a restaurant washroom prior to the show). Annie took us back to our musical youth, gave us a few new songs, and showed us that her music – our music – is about celebrating and living. And we thanked her for that. It was really nice to see an old friend.

Standard tour setlist:

No More I Love You's

Little Bird

Walking on Broken Glass

Pavement Cracks

Smithereens

Here Comes the Rain Again (* Annie solo on piano)

A Thousand Beautiful Things (*)

Sisters are Doin' It For Themselves (*)

Cold

There Must Be an Angel

Ghost in My Machine

When Tomorrow Comes

Thorn in My Side

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

>short video about AIDS in Africa (band offstage)

E: SING

Why

PalacePrincess Newbie

PalacePrincess

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this:

Her voice – that voice – however, is just as pure and powerful as it was in 1982

and this:

Two very special parts of the show were Annie’s solo performances on piano, especially the haunting Here Comes the Rain Again

gave me goosebumps.

sounds like a great show. massey hall is such an intimate place to see a legend up close and in person, too. LUCK-EEEE!!!!!!

bONES Newbie

bONES

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I’m pretty sure I was lucky enough to see them play at Kingswood in ’84

hey, I think I was at that one!

did Howard Jones open the show?

I remember seeing The Eurythmics there in the 80's and it was great!!

phishtaper Rookie

phishtaper

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cool, yes, now that you say this, I think he did open, and now im certain that i was there. :)

remember when a concert ticket was $12? :P

edit to add: thanks for the kind words, folks. was a great show, the words flowed easily. :)

Edited by Guest
  • 2 months later...
Kanada Kev Newbie

Kanada Kev

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Annie Lennox axed by record label

Annie Lennox was reportedly left devastated after she was dropped from her record label and has branded the move a "kick in the teeth".

The former Eurythmics star was reportedly stunned when Sony BMG stopped answering her phone calls just weeks before her contract was due to expire.

Lennox, 53, said she was shocked at the way she was treated by the company which once hailed her as "one of the finest musical voices of the age".

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Soundgenerator.com quotes her as saying: "They totally ignored me. It was bizarre. It was a kick in the teeth. They didn't return my phone calls or emails for three weeks. I'm trying to find out what's behind it.

"Probably a good thing I'm no longer with them - mild understatement. Unless it's them trying to tell me something... Hello!"

The singer admitted she has been left contemplating her future in the music industry.

She added: "It feels like I'm spent, as if I've completely run out of energy.

"I'm going to take my time over the coming months to figure out what to do with this freedom."

phishtaper Rookie

phishtaper

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im happy to report that this is not true, kev. from annie's website:

January 15th 2008

An article has been published in today’s Daily Mirror stating that I’d been “dumped†by Sony BMG. As you know, this is completely untrue. My recording contract with the company has simply expired.

They obviously have been reading my blogs, but have completely misinterpreted and misreported what I’ve written.

I was referring to being totally let down by the South African branch of Sony BMG who completely disappeared, when I came to perform for the 46664 campaign in Johannesburg. In the same blog, I complimented the Norwegian company, who were absolutely great...as were the representatives from Italy and France. I had a meeting with Ged Docherty, the head of UK Sony BMG this afternoon, who was absolutely mortified by the piece. The paper will be publishing a retraction tomorrow.

Annie Lennox

and

London - 15/01/08 -

Sony BMG UK sets the record straight on the company’s relationship with Annie Lennox reported in today's Daily Mirror and other media.

Sony BMG today moved to set the record straight on its relationship with Annie Lennox following a ludicrous report originating in the Daily Mirror that the artist had been dropped by her label.

Annie's career with the company has spanned over 25 years, including 15 as a solo artist, and seen her become one of the UK's greatest ever artists, with 80 million album sales and 33 hit singles.

In that time Annie has been honoured with 4 Grammies, 11 BRIT Awards, 5 Ivor Novello Awards, an Oscar and 2 Golden Globes among many other accolades.

Her last album due under the existing contract was released in October 2007.

Ged Doherty, Chairman of Sony BMG Music Entertainment UK, said “We are immensely proud to have worked with Annie over more than 2 decades. She now has a choice as to whether she wants to continue to work with us in the future. We very much hope that she will.â€

The quotes attributed to Annie’s dissatisfaction with her label arose out of a trip in December to South Africa and have no relevance to the expiry of her contract.

Sony BMG will continue to work with Annie on her current album as well as on her SING project in support of HIV AIDS sufferers www.annielennoxsing.com

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