Gabrielle

Nynex Arena

Saturday 14 June 2002

Another one which isn't really "my type of music", strictly speaking, but unlike with James, I have taken the trouble to make a Greatest Hits album, and there is plenty of great stuff on it. She has made some haunting and memorable records, most of them about various aspects of being in love, and there is none better in this respect than "Give Me A Little More Time", which like many songs, reminds me in particular of one person. "Dreams" is an iconic record of our times, and in my case it brings back happy memories of the FA Cup Final at Wembley against Chelsea, where it was played just before kick off and was followed by a memorable 4-0 win and our first "double". It was therefore an evening of mood music and nostalgia. As ever there were a few "new" tracks, but these didn't seriously detract from the high quality generally on show. There were drawbacks, primary amongst them being our distance from the stage, right at the back of a steep bank of terracing. Gabrielle looked as small as an ant, and the situation wasn't helped by the lack of a large screen. Of course it was also a quiet concert, expected this, but perhaps the distance from the stage emphasized it more. Still high quality songs, much nostalgia, and as it was definitely not a rock audience there were plenty of littil beauties for Mr Gut and I to feast our eyes on! (18.10.03)