Barbara Dickson Festival Theatre Edinburgh 11th February 2024 Review
Barbara Dickson was at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh tonight, the first date on her “Farewell Tour with her full band” and as to be expected it was (as with many other dates on this tour) a sold out performance.
There are few Scottish performers (in fact any performers anywhere) that can say that their career has been as successful as that of Barbara Dickson, and her long list of awards both as a singer and her acting roles on stage and screen is one that few people can match. Barbara Dickson’s popularity as a performer and the loyalty of her many fans in the audience tonight (some of whom have probably been with her since her first headline tour with full band in 1977) was obvious all evening.
Lead vocalists/singers are often the one with the spotlight on them when on stage and they are also the one person with whom time has no mercy. Any person’s voice will change over the years, it is a natural part of life and to expect Barbara Dickson to sound exactly like the singer of the mid 1970s tonight, after 47 years have passed, is simply unrealistic and unfair. Barbara Dickson is a professional with a life-time of the skills needed as a singer/musician/performer behind her and knows her own voice better than anyone and how to select the songs that best suit her current vocal range.
Barbara Dickson, as you would expect, has a band of talented and skilled musicians with her on stage, some of whom have been making music with her for decades and that clearly showed in every song performance tonight. This band, Nick Holland (keys, Moog and vocals), Troy Donockley (guitars and Uillean pipes), Phil Barker (electric and upright bass) and Terl Bryant (drums and percussion) know exactly how to give Barbara Dickson the sound that she wants for every song.
Some of the songs on tonight’s set list were from the new album “My Own Adventure” (2023) and, “Lammas Moon”, “Reynardine”, “My Own Adventure” and “Willy's Drown'd In Yarrow” fitted in well with hits from Barbara Dickson’s extensive back catalogue which included amongst others, “January February”, “Caravans” , “Another Suitcase in Another Hall ” (Evita), and “Easy Terms” (Blood Brothers). Perhaps the biggest applause for the evening was an extended performance of “Maccrimmon’s Lament” which also gave Troy Donockley the spotlight with his skills on Uillean Pipes.
Oddly though for some reason, no “I Know Him So Well” which more than a few people in the audience around me were clearly expecting to be in tonight’s set list.
To be clear, Barbara Dickson is not retiring forever from future stage performance, just from touring with her full band.
Review by Tom King © 2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
There are few Scottish performers (in fact any performers anywhere) that can say that their career has been as successful as that of Barbara Dickson, and her long list of awards both as a singer and her acting roles on stage and screen is one that few people can match. Barbara Dickson’s popularity as a performer and the loyalty of her many fans in the audience tonight (some of whom have probably been with her since her first headline tour with full band in 1977) was obvious all evening.
Lead vocalists/singers are often the one with the spotlight on them when on stage and they are also the one person with whom time has no mercy. Any person’s voice will change over the years, it is a natural part of life and to expect Barbara Dickson to sound exactly like the singer of the mid 1970s tonight, after 47 years have passed, is simply unrealistic and unfair. Barbara Dickson is a professional with a life-time of the skills needed as a singer/musician/performer behind her and knows her own voice better than anyone and how to select the songs that best suit her current vocal range.
Barbara Dickson, as you would expect, has a band of talented and skilled musicians with her on stage, some of whom have been making music with her for decades and that clearly showed in every song performance tonight. This band, Nick Holland (keys, Moog and vocals), Troy Donockley (guitars and Uillean pipes), Phil Barker (electric and upright bass) and Terl Bryant (drums and percussion) know exactly how to give Barbara Dickson the sound that she wants for every song.
Some of the songs on tonight’s set list were from the new album “My Own Adventure” (2023) and, “Lammas Moon”, “Reynardine”, “My Own Adventure” and “Willy's Drown'd In Yarrow” fitted in well with hits from Barbara Dickson’s extensive back catalogue which included amongst others, “January February”, “Caravans” , “Another Suitcase in Another Hall ” (Evita), and “Easy Terms” (Blood Brothers). Perhaps the biggest applause for the evening was an extended performance of “Maccrimmon’s Lament” which also gave Troy Donockley the spotlight with his skills on Uillean Pipes.
Oddly though for some reason, no “I Know Him So Well” which more than a few people in the audience around me were clearly expecting to be in tonight’s set list.
To be clear, Barbara Dickson is not retiring forever from future stage performance, just from touring with her full band.
Review by Tom King © 2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
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