Roxy Music stylishly celebrate half a century at the O2 Arena
Last Christmas, Roxy Music legends Bryan Ferry and Phil Manzanera met up for a cup of tea. Ferry asked: “Do you fancy doing some gigs ’cause it’s our 50th, and how else are we going to celebrate?”
“‘If you want to do it, I’ll do it. I’ll ring up Andy [Mackay]. I’ll ring up Paul [Thompson].’ And it’s as simple as that,” Manzanera remembered in a recent conversation with NPR host Scott Simon.
Just like that, my dreams were answered. I had yet to see Roxy Music, a band that, in my eyes, deserves enduring reverence equal to that of their late, great contemporary, David Bowie or their archetypal forefathers Velvet Underground.
As a spring chicken or at least one that has very recently sprung into summer, I never had the chance to see Roxy Music at the height of their powers. But with the announcement of this year’s 50th-anniversary tour, it’s safe to say I was bouncing off the walls.
On the train on the way to London’s O2 Arena, I had a similar thought to that of four months prior as I made tracks for Hyde Park to see The Rolling Stones for the first time. Thoughts plagued my mind. As I had pondered whether Mick Jagger still had his vibrant, gregarious mojo, I also wondered if Bryan Ferry still had his seductive croon and statically elegant stage presence.
When legendary artists take to the stage to shed new light on classic material, I don’t expect a carbon copy of the original records and nor do I hope to. I want to see the artists give their fans, young and old, unbridled heart and soul. On both occasions, I saw and felt just that. There are fewer things more special than the tacit warmth that binds performers to their audience, and as I watched Roxy Music play last night, this warmth was as palpable as the chemistry between the band members.
Upon my arrival, I was issued a media photo pass, which, by my assumption, would have allowed me to take a few photos from my seat. As I approached the main arena, I was told to go through a quieter door nearer the stage. Here, I was introduced to the other photographers, the professional ones with three-foot lenses. It’s safe to say they put my outdated film camera and three-inch lens to shame.
Feeling something of a charlatan, I was ushered through to the main arena and realised we would be allowed in the pit in front of the barrier for the first three songs of both sets. My first thought was that these pro photographers likely wouldn’t need their ludicrous telescopic lenses, given that they would be about a feather’s throw from Ferry. My second, adrenaline-surging thought was, “I’m going to be stood a feather’s throw from Bryan Ferry!”
Proceedings were ignited by a sensational performance from Nilufer Yaya. I hadn’t heard of her before I read the lineup, but after having a listen on the way to London, I deemed myself a fan, and even more so after this powerful support set.
After the first three tracks and a great deal of prancing around in an effort to emulate the postures of my fellow photographers, we were asked to go back to the commercial seating area. The fun would really start when we were invited back to the front.
At 8:40pm, we were once again invited to enter the front pit. Filing into the photography area, looking a little like Steven Spielberg’s filming crew, we all took a perch in front of the barrier, excitedly waiting for Roxy to take the stage. In a moment of downtime, I made acquaintance with one of the other photographers. He told me he had only just begun photography as a side aspiration and that his main role was as Roxy Music’s chef for the tour. As far as I could glean, Ferry is as smooth off the stage as on, and his favourite meal is a classic roast chicken dinner.
Cutting our culinary conversation short was the explosive roar of the audience behind us as the band entered the stage. What a sight to behold. All members were dressed to the nines: Ferry in navy, Mackay in turquoise and Manzanera in a patterned dinner jacket with a striking red guitar primed at his waist.
The opener of choice was ‘Re-Make/Re-Model’, the first track from the band’s debut album, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. It was a fitting introduction, and it was great to see Ferry show off his piano skills early on. After a few frenetic moments of photography, I allowed myself to relax and enjoy the next two tracks, ‘Out of the Blue’ and ‘The Bogus Man’. It was a privilege to be so close as Ferry subtly choreographed the bouncing beat of ‘The Bogus Man’!
As the third song came to a close, I was, once again, reluctantly vacating the pit area with my film crew in tow. At this juncture, I had a little time to collect myself and reflect on the fleeting experience. The band were on top form, with Ferry throwing out his powerful hearty vibrato left, right and centre and Manzanera sliding through solos like a hot knife through butter. We still had an hour and a half to go, and my night was already made.
Returning to my seat, I was in the heart of the crowd. There were seats, but nobody was using them. I saw people of all ages dancing away to ‘Dance Away’, swaying to ‘Avalon’ and bouncing along to ‘Love is the Drug’ and ‘Virginia Plain’. The air was electric with sentimental encouragement, and the band reciprocated.
Perhaps one of my personal highlights was ‘In Every Dream Home A Heartache’. For those unfamiliar with the For Your Pleasure cut, Ferry croons through a monologue that tells of a post-industrial relationship between a man and his inflatable doll. After Ferry sang, “I blew up your body, but you blew my mind,” the audience braced for Manzanera’s thunderous, arresting guitar solo. With the might of the O2’s sound system, it was a real violation of the eardrums and a welcomed one at that!
The original Roxy members were joined by a fantastic group of backing vocalists and musicians whom Ferry thanked after Mackay’s beautiful saxophone performance in ‘Avalon’. As the musicians took a bow, their live shot entered the big screen above with mile-wide smiles.
An awkward moment of realisation came when I saw the keyboardist, introduced as Chloe Smith, pop up on the screen. Earlier in the evening, I had been looking for help whilst in the backstage confusion, and I asked her where we photographers were supposed to be. She informed me politely that she wasn’t one of the O2 staff. Laughing self-effacingly, I apologised, insisting that she looked very official with her lanyard. To which she replied with a giggle: “No, I’m one of the performers!” This was what Generation Z might call a “face-palm” moment.
The set was rounded off with a triumphant performance of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ followed by the elegant and sexy ‘Do the Strand’. A grateful crowd waved off a grateful Roxy Music.
Exiting the arena, I reflected on how pleasantly surprised I was by the occasion. While some reunified bands might sound like a pastiche ghost of a former self, Roxy Music were wholly passionate and present, standing comfortably in their supple skin of fifty years.
The full setlist for Roxy Music live at the London O2:
- ‘Re-Make/Re-Model’
- ‘Out of the Blue’
- ‘The Bogus Man’
- ‘Ladytron’
- ‘While My Heart Is Still Beating’
- ‘Oh Yeah’
- ‘If There Is Something’
- ‘In Every Dream Home a Heartache’
- ‘Tara’
- ‘The Main Thing’
- ‘My Only Love’
- ‘To Turn You On’
- ‘Dance Away’
- ‘More Than This’
- ‘Avalon’
- ‘Love Is the Drug’
- ‘Editions of You’
- ‘Virginia Plain’
- ‘Jealous Guy (John Lennon cover)’
- ‘Do the Strand’
