Venue:
Bath Forum
Date: 11/11/2023
Had been waiting since I bought tickets in March in high anticipation for this concert. Last time I saw her was I believe the year before Covid – she toured with just an acoustic guitar player and her shows were intimate and deeply moving. @Vulpes-Vulpes saw the same tour and I know was as smitten as I was.
This time around she was with a nine piece band comprising keys, guitar, bass and drums plus a 4 piece string section. The show was markedly different ot the previous one and have to saw she was a force of nature with her constant dancing, whirling and sashaying that belied the fact that she had just turned 60 this past week. She was enjoying herself so much that the vibe was completely infectious. Her voice was crystal clear and the band musicianship peerless throughout.Obviously she covered a number of songs from her most recent majestic release Keep Your courage but the arrangements were altered in places so was good to get new slightly different arrangements. Also numbers from Leave your sleep, Tiger Lily and Ophelia. The set was in 3 parts -she arrived on stage at 8.05pm and played for an hour with a half hour interval. She eventually left the stage at 11.25pm after more than 3 hours of top entertainment.
The final 45 minutes covered her ‘hits’ Life is sweet, Carnival, These are ther days (the only 10,000 maniacs cover) and Kind and generous. By which time half the audience were on their feet and partying.
The last song was The end a new composition about the terribel wars that we are currently livig through and the anguish faced by many throughout the World. It was perhaps not in keeping with the joyous numbers that had immediately preceded it but at the final bars she stood with her back to the audience and unfurled a band the bomb flag that she preceded to display to the audience and blocking out her own image. She was visible moved to tears and so too were many in the crowd. A sombre ending but something she felt she needed to convey and she did it very well. I dont think aI will see a better concert for a long long time and I hope to get the chance to see her again because she is a quality performer and a delightful person.
The audience:
Rapt and respectful. Glued to their seats for the most part- Natalie cajoled them into party mood well before the end of the set.
It made me think..
Nights like this are life-affirming and not to be missed.
God bless you Natalie and thanks for giving us this special night.
Awesome. Not a word I regularly use, but here I think she justifies it. Wish I could have been there too – and the Forum is such a great venue for an artist like her. Colour me tinged with green. Great review @SteveT.
Not very often that I have left a concert of 3 hours duration and wished it could have gone on longer.
She gave everything and then some more.
Great review Steve – was already very sorry to miss her on this tour and now am even more so.
Excellent review , I just wish I went now. Can’t believe I missed this 😱
We saw her at The London Palladium and she was similarly magnificent.
This was the sixth time we’d seen her and it was by far the best. She’s one of those rare artists whose power is increasing rather than diminishing as she ages.
BTW, The End is the final song on her eponymous album that came out in 2014.
She was also moved to tears in London when she performed Beloved Wife and had to leave the stage for a minute to recompose herself when she finished it.