From his earliest recordings with Roxy Music at the beginning of the 1970s, Bryan Ferry has taken his place as one of the most iconic and innovative musicians and songwriters to emerge in popular music. Ferry’s Olympia tour traveled the world in 2011, including this spectacular performance filmed on July 25 at the 2000 year-old ancient Roman amphitheater in Lyon, France, as part of the Nuits de Fourviere Festival.
The show features tracks from across Ferry’s 40-year career, including classic Roxy Music songs, solo hits and his renowned interpretations of other writer’s material, all delivered with the style and panache that is uniquely Bryan Ferry.
If you’re even a casual fan of Roxy Music or Brian Ferry, this concert has some great performances that will certainly make you smile in appreciation. His songwriting was always a cut above the other pop performers of his day, often with insightful or clever lyrics. It’s amazing how timeless these songs are today; his touring band contributes greatly to keeping the material fresh.
Ferry croons through the songs masterfully, although you can tell it takes some effort to achieve his trademark falsetto vocals later as the show progresses. Although in his mid-sixties during this tour, Ferry still manages to recreate the trademark persona of utter style while still belting out vocals for a couple of the more raucous numbers without looking like a fool (like some other artists his age).
His humble (often shy) demeanor between songs adds to his charm and likeability, which seems absent from most contemporary performers. You can easily see where the comparisons to Sinatra and Presley can be made.
His backing band is a great blend of veteran musicians and session players featuring his son Tara on percussion. I believe he’s the lead drummer in many of the songs), his guitarist Oliver Thompson, and sax/keyboardist Jorje Chalmers. Oliver Thompson is really the breakout musician in the concert, playing with the authority of a veteran, although he’s very young. His guitar work is sometimes sublime but can easily melt off your face with scorching solos that would make even the most jaded, old-school Roxy Music fan give a standing ovation.
Jorja Chalmers’s sax performance is well done, although there are a couple of minor clinkers, but that’s to be expected in a live show. It’s nice that they didn’t try to mask or “fix” it. Overall, the band is tight and has impeccable musicianship, which is what you’d expect from an artist like Ferry. The backup singers are sublime and, in some cases, assist Ferry with managing the more difficult vocal passages.
TRACKLIST:
- 1. I Put A Spell On You
- 2. Slave To Love
- 3. Don’t Stop The Dance
- 4. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
- 5. If There Is Something
- 6. Make You Feel My Love
- 7. You Can Dance
- 8. Alphaville
- 9. Reason Or Rhyme
- 10. Oh Yeah!
- 11. Like A Hurricane
- 12. Tara+
- 13. Bitter-Sweet
- 14. Avalon+
- 15. My Only Love+
- 16. What Goes On
- 17. Sign Of The Times
- 18. Love Is The Drug
- 19. All Along The Watchtower
- 20. Let’s Stick Together
- 21. Hold On I’m Coming
- 22. Jealous Guy
Video Quality:
Technically, the show is not what you’d expect regarding staging. Everything is a little scaled-down, which gives it a nice, intimate feel. Close-ups and solo performances feature rock-steady camera work. Distance shots give a nice ambiance, providing context and illustrating the venue’s size.
The lighting is nice, but it is mainly static for each song, while the background screen synchronizes colorful and sometimes random images behind the set. There are a couple of beautiful go-go dancers on the upper stage platform, providing the Roxy Music glam; he was never shy about his love for women.
Audio Quality:
The audio is surprisingly good for an outdoor concert recording. The DTS-HD 5.1 mix is extremely immersive, and the sublime amphitheater acoustics are captured nicely. Audience noise is minimal and really only heard between songs. There is also an uncompressed LPCM 2.0 stereo track included, which sounds in some ways a little more polished. The LPCM stereo soundtrack is the default setting.
Overall, this is a concert that has tremendous repeat play potential. The songs are timeless, with great hooks and melodies you’ll find yourself singing along with as you watch the concert. Ferry has somehow aged gracefully through the years and still manages to carry a swagger and confidence that belies his true age. There’s even a nice little booklet included with a brief bio and concert photos, which is a rare treat these days. If you’re a fan of Ferry and haven’t heard him recently, you owe it to yourself to pick up this disk.
Technical Specifications:
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Resolution: 1080p
- Release date: September 24, 2013
- Actors: Bryan Ferry Band
- Audio: English Lossless DTS-Master HD 5.1; English Uncompressed LPCM Stereo
- Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
- Run time: 99 minutes
Highly Recommended; one of my favorite shows of all time.
This is Alphaville