Review: Remembering the 70s
with the Bay City Rollers, David Essex, the Osmonds and Leo Sayer
Jun 28 2010 by Jo Kelly, Liverpool Echo
THIRTY-five years ago the Once In A Lifetime line-up would have
filled the ECHO Arena and driven fans wild. In 2010, nothing has
changed.
The Bay City Rollers, Leo Sayer, David Essex and The Osmonds have no
trouble getting the crowd on their feet singing along to every track
and generally giving them a lovely time.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/multimedia/music/images/2010/06/27/once-in-a-lifetime-tour-at-the-liverpool-echo-arena-100252-26737501/
Rollermania kicks off with the 1976 hit "I Only Want to be with
You."
In a white, tartan-trimmed overcoat, lead singer Les McKeown grooves
around the stage like your dad at a wedding but you can't help
loving him for it.
He stands at the front of the stage holding the mic to the audience
as the mass of women and sprinkling of men shout back "Bye Bye Baby"
after demonstrating they remember how to do The Bump.
Curly-bonced Leo Sayer is up next claiming: "It's good to be in
Liverpool again, I've missed you. Isn't it wonderful to relive the
past? You're making an old man feel really happy.”
The crowd seem a little subdued towards the middle of his set but
get a second wind for "Thunder in my Heart" which revisited the
charts in 2006.
David Essex is cool as hell. Casually swinging the microphone round
his outstretched leg, he charismatically jives, twists.
After smashing "City Lights", he flirts with the audience in his
cheeky cockney-boy accent: "I'm going to buy a big semi-detached
house in Bootle." With hints of David Bowie and Sting, David Essex
dedicates "Rock On" to Liverpool and John Lennon, who he says he
knew a bit in New York.
Although disappointingly "Oh What a Circus" was missed out, "Gonna
Make U A Star" and "If I Could" thankfully weren't.
With fireworks spurting from the end of his keyboard guitar, Popstar
to Operastar's Jimmy Osmond and brothers Merrill, Wayne and Jay
finally take to the stage to rock like only the Osmonds can.
Jimmy says: "It's so fun to be back here in Liverpool, in my
hometown." Jimmy does his famous Operastar number, Jay performs an
impressive drum solo then they come together for "Long-haired Lover
from Liverpool."
Even though I wasn't around in the 70s, I sure had fun at the Echo
Arena remembering them.
8 Still got it.
Review: Once in a Lifetime Tour,
Metro Radio Arena
Jun 28 2010 By Jan Stephenson, Evening Chronicle
JAN STEPHENSON
takes a step back in time to relive her youth with a bunch of 70s
pop superstars
THE woes of the World Cup were swiftly forgotten as the Metro Radio
Arena opened it's doors to a multitude of folks all around a certain
age.
The strains of Scotland The Brave heralded the start of a non-stop
night of 70s nostalgia.
Les McKeown's Bay City Rollers were the opening act and with the
frontman's boundless energy and enthusiasm he could not fail to win
his audience over with hit after hit of songs from the 'Rollermania'
days.
It didn't really matter that his voice wasn't always crystal clear.
We all knew the words so everyone was singing, swaying and
determined to have a fun night belting out hits including Summer
love Sensation, Shang-a-lang, The Bump and Bye Bye Baby.
Next up was Leo Sayer (pictured), who seems to have stood the test
of time well.
He could still reach the high notes with relative ease on numbers
such as The Show Must Go On, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing and
Moonlighting.
His hits, some long forgotten but soon remembered, just kept coming
and he certainly had the crowd rocking in the aisles with his encore
Long Tall Glasses.
The sublime David Essex still oozes sex appeal and has that same old
cheeky charisma of days gone by.
The cockney crooner entertained us with a host of hits including
Hold Me Close, Lamplight and Rock on.
His 70s classic Silver Dream Machine was probably the only song that
the lyrics got drowned out by the backing band.
Nevertheless, it did not deter the fans and the auditorium
positively erupted with his encore Gonna Make You A Star.
Top of the bill were the ever slick Osmonds, featuring Wayne, Jay,
Merrill and Jimmy. They opened their set with a rousing Crazy Horses
and there was an impressive blast of pyrotechnics shooting out from
a guitar/synthesiser.
With their deft choreography, the brothers serenaded us with old
favourites The Proud One, Let Me In and Love Me For A Reason to name
but a few.
Their harmonizing is still as good as it was 30-plus years ago.
One of the most noticeable things of last night was the sheer
simplicity of the stage set up. There were no flashy neon backdrops
or multi-screens to cause distraction from these artists.
In fact there was nothing but curtain and a stage full of amps,
microphones and musical instruments.
Nothing else was needed, the punters came to see old fashioned
showmanship and that's what they got.
It was a party atmosphere from start to finish and had me wishing I
was back in my carefree days of the 70s.
Review: Once In A Lifetime Tour at
Metro Radio Arena
Jun 29 2010 by David Whetstone, The Journal
Once In A Lifetime Tour at Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
The inappropriately named Once In A Lifetime Tour rolled into the
Arena for the third time in recent years.
The tiny, curly haired Leo Sayer was the only new kid on the block,
replacing David Cassidy.
Les McKeown's Bay City Rollers were making their second appearance -
after Showaddyaddy took their slot last time round - and both David
Essex and The Osmonds have been at all three.
First up was Les McKeowan, acknowledging his last appearance had
been blurred by alcohol and thanking fans for standing by him. This time round, the performance was much better and he looked like
he was having fun.
Next came the hyperactive Sayer - a bundle of energy from start to
finish.
David Essex - grey-haired now but with the same boyish charm and
twinkling blue eyes that melted many a teenage heart - was superb
but veered away from his early hits to sing songs from West End
musical All the Fun of the Fair, which he will be rejoining after
the tour finishes.
As always, the biggest cheers were reserved for
Osmond brothers Wayne, Merrill, Jay and Jimmy who performed well
beyond their 30-minute slot, including a fantastic drum solo from
Jay that brought the house down.
Thank goodness these Once in A Lifetime Tours don't mean what they
say.
Helen Long
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