The Hollies - Concert Review

High Wycombe Swan , 28^th November 1997 - by Sue Kelly

The second of The Hollies two nights at Wycombe Swan was a night to remember. There was a lovely atmosphere in the theatre right from the start of the concert. Although he was later to say that he had a cold, Allan Clarke was in fine voice and looking great in his ‘visual disturbance’ jacket.

‘Stay’, ‘Here I Go Again’ and ‘Yes I Will’ were all warmly received by the audience before the blood was well and truly stirred by ‘I Can’t Let Go’. The sight and sound of Ray, Alan and Tony all hammering their guitars in unison is unforgettable! The current version of this song is the best I’ve ever heard.

Next, the tempo slowed down with ‘Sandy’, featuring a poignant guitar solo by Coatsie, before things hotted up again with the dynamic ‘Draggin’ My Heels’. Bobby and Ray kept a fantastic rhythm going as Ian dazzled us on the keyboards. Allan, quite rightly, complimented Bobby on his drumming.

Allan’s solo rendition of ‘If I Were The Priest’ followed, before Ray joined Allan, Tony and Alan for ‘Helplessly Hoping’. The addition of Ray’s harmony on this song - and many others - has added richness and depth to The Hollies sound, and has proved to be an inspirational move on this tour.

The gentle tempo continued with ‘Butterfly’, the stage flooded with swirling red lights, before the whole group returned for ‘I’m Alive’, ‘On A Carousel’ and ‘When I’m Dead And Gone’, ending the first half on an upbeat note.

‘Stop In The Name Of Love’ was just the right song to open the second half, getting the concert underway again at a cracking pace. The audience then happily clapped along with ‘Jennifer Eccles’.

Next came the song which, for me, is the highlight of the show - ‘Just One Look’. The ‘What Goes Around’ version of the song is quite superb. The undoubted star is Ray, his bass playing is an absolute joy to watch and hear. He, quite simply, makes this song a fantastic listening experience!

There has been a great deal of humour on this tour and much of it has been down to Ian’s walkabouts during ‘We’re Through’. As well as his leather gear and scarf, tonight he was wearing a woolly hat as well. Complete with accordion, he left the stage. It was amusing to note that the dedicated Hollies followers in the front three rows, who all know the routine, turned round to search the back of the theatre for Ian, whilst the rest of the audience remained facing the stage! Ian’s antics seemed to amuse the rest of the group as much as they amused the audience but, despite the hilarity, Tony still played some lovely acoustic guitar.

The Buddy Holly segment went down very well, with Allan’s authentic Buddy style vocals and Ray’s wonderful deep backing vocals. However, much as the audience enjoyed these songs, it was The Hollies own hits which won the greatest applause. The reception given to ‘Bus Stop’ was impressive but it was totally eclipsed by the roar of approval which ‘Look Through Any Window’ provoked.

The hits continued with ‘Carrie Anne’, ‘Stop, Stop, Stop’, ‘The Air That I Breathe’ and ‘He Ain’t Heavy’ before the "Regulars" in the front three rows stampeded to the edge of the stage for the Rock ‘n Roll section. As the group played ‘Great Balls Of Fire’, ‘Let’s Dance’ and ‘Long Cool Woman’, I noticed that most of the audience was clapping along, with groups of people dancing in front of their seats in many places throughout the theatre. Another classic Hollies concert! Roll on the next one!

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