| Undoubtedly, Annie Lennox is one of the most recognizable voices.
With an ageless simplicity and beauty, she is an icon, with many hits
spanning from the EURYTHMICS era through to her two highly acclaimed
solo albums "Diva" and "Medusa."
Her 1998 reunion with Dave Stewart, and the subsequent album "Peace,"
felt like an introspection on her career and a sort of farewell from
the top of her fame. A four-year hiatus from the spotlight followed,
in which Annie found a new passion for writing, a healing way for her
to understand feelings and express emotions. That renewed passion
gives us the songs from her latest creation, "Bare." It is not only a
very personal account of her life, but also tells of experiences that
many adults can identify with.
ANNIE LENNOX's "Solo" tour is on, and it has several US cities stops.
We were having trouble getting any information about the tour, as no
one from her label would return our call. Desperate we almost gave
up, when on a late Thursday afternoon; a call came from our friends
at FireFly asking us if we wanted to cover the concert in
Philadelphia. We got the tickets overnight, and early Saturday
morning we were on our way to the Liberty Bell city. Our seven-hour
drive from Boston was well worth it, despite the New York city
traffic jams and the quick visit to Delaware after the missing an
exit on the Jersey turnpike. We finally made it to the capital of the
steak and cheese, which by the way was great. The concert was held at
the Forrest Theatre. The theatre is a beautiful venue that was
perfect for a performance of this caliber.
Annie gave us an hour and forty-five minutes show and many
breathtaking moments. She opened the show with a sobering version
of "Money Can't Buy It." She had a standing ovation by the second
song, when the band gave us few string from "Sweet Dreams" as teaser,
but then cut into "Legend in My Living Room." She had a standing
audience that would never sit down after that. An energetic "Little
Bird" followed, and it felt like she was sending us a message of
confidence: yes, she can tour by herself and still amaze an audience.
The rise of energy had to be brought under control and Annie found
the right pick to do the job with "No More I Love You's." We could
feel harmony in the flow of the audience dancing bodies that felt
like being one with the music. Amid a fireworks projection on the
background, she gave us "Walking on Broken Glass" using the audience
clapping as a tempo.
The high point of the concert was when, alone on the stage with only
a piano, she gave us an amazing version of "Here Comes the Rain
Again." Three very talented singers with whom she did a version
of "Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves" backed her throughout the
concert. A projection of pictures of her on the background
highlighted a jazzy interpretation of "Who's That Girl." We got an
unexpected surprise when she sang a powerful unplugged version
of "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" in which she literally
touched our hearts.
We had the privilege to get a sneak peak of the new album
with "Pavement Cracks," a beautiful metaphor about hope, "Wonderful"
in which she describes how addictive desire can be, as well
as "Bitter Pill" where she talks about bitterness and how a person
ought to deal with it.
The energy of the room was at its peak right after the first strings
of "Sweet Dreams" were heard again, and by that time the interaction
of the audience was flawless. She was accompanied with a bass, two
guitars, two keyboards, drums and a fierce trio of back-up singers.
Followed "Missionary Man." that literally rocked the house.
The last song of the night, and the coup de gras, was a very powerful
interpretation of "Why" in a fashion that only she could give. She
and her band and singers lined up with light bulbs falling from the
ceiling and almost touching their heads |
