Although all the talk at the moment is about the fiftieth anniversary of Apollo 11’s Moon Landing, this night at the Apollo had nothing to do with that at all.
What it did have everything to do with was great songs, sung well by great singers. It was at the Eventim Apollo, formerly sponsored by numerous companies, it was the Hammersmith Apollo, and before that the Hammersmith Odeon, and if we go all the way back to when it originally opened in 1932 it was the Gaumont Palace.
It is a magnificent example of an Art Deco building, with original features both inside and out, and it thoroughly deserves its Grade II* listed status. The decoration and detailing inside is wonderful, and it is worth visiting the building just for that.
However we were there for what, when we bought the tickets, was an evening with Joss Stone, and she was going to be performing with the legend that is Burt Bacharach. However the billing was the other way around. It was an evening with Burt Bacharach, and Joss Stone was the leading lady in terms of accompanying him through his amazing songbook. however there were three other singers who also accompanied Burt as he went through a repertoire of songs covering more than sixty years of song writing.
It was a nice summer evening as we got there, having stopped for a nice Indian just around the corner from the venue. Again we were drawn in by the advertising of what dishes they did, only to find that the menu inside had been swapped around. As with the concert, we weren’t really disappointed as the food was good. That plus I had forty five minutes of a lovely cool air-con unit blowing cold air on to me, always a bonus.
There was quite a queue outside the Apollo as it got to doors opening time. And some people were still trying to pick tickets up on the door. As is usually the case the eccentric man in the queue happened to be in front of us and decided to spend the time snaking through the barriers talking at Helen. It was amusing that he had been tutting at people to hurry up and get in there, only to stop and hold the rest of the queue up on occasions when he stopped to take photos of the building. He was hoping that Burt would play “Do You Know The Way To San Jose?” but he was unlucky this time, as that was one of his classics that was missed out this time.
The support act started early and by the time we’d got a drink and to our seats he was on his last song. The orchestra and band started to accumulate on stage and then Burt came teetering out. despite looking somewhat unsteady on his feet, he was able to play the piano, and conduct the band in a free and easy way as befits his compositions.
Joss Stone joined him on stage for song two, a very good rendition of “Walk On By”, and stayed for seven or eight more songs, and some quite awkward chat between songs, before going off again. She made two more appearances during the two hour set, happily wandering around the stage in a gorgeous red dress and in bare feet.
The two hours flew by, and when it got towards the end, Burt wrapped up, saying there would be no encore, but getting the audience to sing along with the classic from the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid soundtrack – “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head”.
It was a surprise just how many of the so called Easy Listening classics Burt wrote or co-wrote with various other songwriters. I was also surprised that he is still writing, moving away from the general theme of love, hearts and flowers that his songs are so famous for, and moving into love of all people, as he played songs written about the difficulties there are in his home country under President Trump, and about the seemingly never ending toll of school shootings and deaths in the country.
He only sang the one song himself, a raspy version of “Alfie”, but it was probably the most memorable moment of a great evening of song.
We may not have booked tickets if it had been billed originally as and evening with Burt Bacharach and mentioned that Joss Stone would be singing for some of it. But we were both glad to have gone and seen one of the classic song writers of the twentieth century. At 91 he may not tour these shores again, and if he doesn’t that would be a shame. If you get the chance to go and see him while he is still touring then do so, it was a great evening well worth every penny.