Brussels Review (1983 - UK Review)
For a man who knows that the reputation of his concerts is a
significant part of his continuing European success, Manfred Mann's refusal to play more than a couple of British dates (in London of course) at the end of his 50 date European tour smacks of willful perversity. But then, the obstinate
streak that condemns Manfred to the status of ageing old fart in this country ironically keeps his music free from the kind of clichés that ultimately strangle so many bands. Sweet contradictions are made of this... His two hour show at the
Brussels Forest National Stadium was one of the most adventurous I've seen him attempt; it pulled the best tracks from his last four albums and most of the excellent "Somehwere in Afrika". If the light show is a bit weak, the special
effects and films more than make up for it as a line of ominous-looking dummy heads across the stage brings a sinister touch to the heavy reworking of Al Stewart's "Eyes of Nostradamus" and there's even a robot that waddles into life
later on. These may sound like silly little stunts but Manfred's skill at integrating the music to the visuals has always been one of his strong points. He's not afraid to bend the music for the sake of a good effect and while this
sometimes sinks to chauvinist levels such as having a cartoon lady removing her clothes while the band and crowd howl "give me more" during "You Angel You", at least Manfred is a shrewd judge of his audience and the film
that accompanies "Afrika Suite" rams home the anti apartheid message unequivocally. But the single biggest improvement in the group stems from the new understanding between Chris Thompson and Steve Waller who share the vocals and
guitar duties and have brought an extra dimension to the band's sound. While Chris provides the staple diet of the band's catalogue of Springsteen and Dylan classics, Steve has developed a more light-hearted approach on songs like
"Don't Kill It Carol" or "Angels At My Gate" which spills over into some wonderful buffoonery on "Demolition Man", making him the unlikeliest heavy rock here this side of ZZ Top. And through it all Manfred bobs
and weaves at his keyboards, happily out of the spotlight most of the time but secure in the knowledge that this is his band and his show and both are still getting better after all these years.
Maybe he just enjoys being an obscurity in this country. Hugh Fielder
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
