The Hollies - Concert Review

Chesterfield, Winding Wheel, 17^th February 2004 - by Keith Porter

I had seen The Hollies last year at Pennington’s nightclub in Bradford, and was a little disappointed as they played a reduced set and the venue just didn’t seem right for them.

Despite being only 20 minutes from home, The Winding Wheel was a place I’d never been to before, and wasn’t sure what to expect. It turned out to be a small but pleasant theatre – ideal for the band. As usual the concert started on time, with I’m Alive kicking off. Hit after hit kept coming along. I was aware of others in the audience suddenly realising how many hits the group have had.

One new feature is the projected images onto the backdrop. This was a mixture of fancy patterns on some numbers, and shots of individuals of the group playing – presumably from something like web-cams placed strategically on the stage – on others. Look Through Any Window featured shots of the group through a window! I have no idea why we had the story of bananas showing during the interval!

I have always felt that Alan Clarke had one of the best voices in pop, and was concerned when he retired that the group would not be able to continue. But the group has taken the opportunity to develop, and despite Carl Wayne sounding different to Alan, the unmistakable sound of The Hollies is still there. It is interesting to hear what a fine voice Alan Coates has, as he takes lead vocals on some numbers.

The highlight of the show, apart from the obvious finale, was undoubtedly Soldier’s Song. Always one of my live favourites when Alan sang it, Carl adds some extra drama to the song, and you can almost see the storyline being painted! The drumming of Bobby Elliott on this song is immense. Tony’s guitar playing is very underrated – he should be mentioned up there with the greats. By the way, I’m sorry ladies, but I think Tony is looking older now – he must be at least 25!

The end, as always came far too soon. Carl gives the impression that he feels privileged to be able to sing all the songs, but particularly He Ain’t Heavy – and he does it full justice. The final song, It’s In Everyone Of Us, sums up the strength of the group with its superb vocals.
I have always found that around this area, audiences tend to be sparing with their applause, but this wasn’t the case tonight. A rapturous ovation, which I believe impressed the group, seemed to go on forever. Perhaps the relative intimacy of the theatre helped. It was well deserved.

It was interesting to hear comments from people who had not seen the band recently as they were leaving. Amazing and sensational were the common descriptions. Hopefully we’ll see them back in Chesterfield soon.

Setlist

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