The Hollies - Concert Review

Torquay Princess Theatre, 23^rd October 1999 - by Vicki Clark & Sally Gurney

Whilst the rest of Torquay settled down to a wet and wind lashed Saturday night, a packed Princess Theatre were looking forward to an evening of nostalgia and musical excellence, and the fans were not disappointed.

From the opening bars of their first number to the last chords of the now famous rock and roll medley, the fans were singing along and bopping in their seats.

The theatre was soon ringing to the close harmonies of all the 60s favourites such as 'Carrie Anne', 'Bus Stop' and 'Stay' but special mention must be made of Ian Parker's keyboard virtuosity and Alan Coats vocal prowess on 'Butterfly' which is now becoming a firm favourite with the fans.

Ray Stiles taking centre stage with 'Blackbird' was a joy. Although Allan, Tony and Bobby are the heart of The Hollies, the "new boys" have now served their apprenticeship and are true Hollies in every sense.

We missed some of our old favourites such as Gasoline Alley and Soldiers Song but the boys more than made up for this with gems such as 'When I'm Dead and Gone', their backing of 'Peggy Sue Got Married' and the brilliant 'After the Fox.'.

What a wonderful evening. The boys still have the ability to make our skin tingle as they did on our first concert back in 1964 at the Regal in Gloucester. Considering they have been around for 37yrs they still have a rapport and chemistry between them that is both comical and entertaining.

Here's hoping they will be around for many more years to come.

Vicki Clark / Sally Gurney

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