Concert review: Barry Gibb at London O2 Arena

My personal reflections on my experience at Barry’s concert: 

I had a wonderful time!  Not only is this the first Bee Gees-related concert I’ve ever been to, it’s also the first ever concert I have attended. What an introduction to the experience!
 

My friend had secured some excellent seats for us – we were both in the very front row.  We couldn’t have been closer to the stage/Barry if we tried!  I knew we had good seats, but I hadn’t realised they were at the very front, so that was a very pleasant surprise.

We went inside in time to get about 30-45 minutes of the supporting act, Nerina Pallot, with whom I was unfamiliar before.  I liked her voice and particularly enjoyed her rendition of Bennie and the Jets, it really helped energise me and get me buzzing with anticipation for the man himself (not that I wasn’t already excited, but Nerina was a very effective warm-up and seemed a very nice lady too.)

After Nerina had finished, Technicolour Dreams was played as an introduction. There was an accompanying video to the song which I hadn’t seen before (involving Barry and David English).

After that had finished, Barry made his entrance!  A massive, massive cheer went up as he simply walked onto the stage.  It was lovely to see how genuinely pleased people were to see him.  It was quite heart-warming to be amongst such a huge group of people who were genuinely appreciative and happy
to have him there.  I have a few friends/family members who appreciate the Bee Gees, but that’s about it.  Certainly, most of my friends in my age group are
not fans.  I’ve been able to connect online with Bee Gees fans, of course, but it was a nice change to actually physically be around people who hold the
brothers in genuine affection.

The atmosphere was wonderful.  I’ve never felt anything like it.  I think I can best describe it as a collective frenzy of energy, enthusiasm, passion…and above
all, positivity.  Although there were some sad emotional moments, this was also a joyous occasion.

Barry started things with Jive Talkin’…and proceeded to take us on a trip down memory lane.  There were a few surprises thrown in there, such as Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You, which I hadn’t expected.  He also sang Morning of My Life and With the Sun In My Eyes.

I Started a Joke got an excellent reception, of course.  It was bittersweet (and somewhat ghostly) to hear Robin’s voice.  It was almost as though he was right there onstage next to Barry.  The concert was filled with those moments, but then Barry would improve the mood with a light-hearted comment, or by going into some of the more energetic songs.  He spoke affectionately of all his brothers at various points during the show, and he was very relaxed and down-to-earth.  It was like we were all personal friends sharing a cup of coffee with him.

One of the highlights (and sadder/reflective moments) for me was the introduction to Too Much Heaven.  With background music, Barry explained the song
and its connection with the UNICEF project and did a run-through of the major names involved.  Here was another pleasant surprise of the evening for me –
having John Denver’s name get mentioned (as one of the artists involved in UNICEF) and seeing some brief footage of him as they showed video clips of the
artists who had donated songs.

I felt that Barry was in good voice – I was certainly happy with how he sounded – and I think he was feeding off the positive energy from the audience.  It was a
wonderful night, both joyous and sad, exciting and quietly reflective.  What really made an impression on me was the energy – it was as though everyone was
drawing off everyone else’s excitement.  We could have stayed there, dancing and cheering, all night.  Sleep and rest would literally be foreign words!

I had a wonderful, emotional time, and would quite happily repeat the same experience every week!  If Barry does continue his Mythology shows in other countries, I would recommend them to anyone who hasn’t yet seen them.  If Barry maintains this standard, I think you will truly enjoy them.

–Michelle