Well it’s not often that you see Chris de Burgh between Kasim Sulton’s legs…...at least not in public!

The Arena in Oberhausen is adjacent to the largest indoor shopping mall in Europe so there was loads of free car parking around. As I couldn’t see any signs to the Arena, I decided to follow the crowd…..and they promptly lead me to the late night shopping!! I then managed to find a sign and made my way to the venue. It was a large circular arena with seats around the sides and standing in the middle. The stage was less wide than at other venues and didn’t slope much so it was difficult to see the choir from the floor.

Tom Petersen was “Ihr Gastgeber” (the compere) and, as he’d compeered the Cologne show, he knew what was expected of him.

The first half was good as always. Patrick de Smeet produced his Father Christmas cap again and played Jingle Bells before the intro into The Look Of Love. No bright glow was being omitted from off stage so I correctly guessed that Martin Fry had opted for his black suit. It looks better on him but the wide white tie should be lost en-route to Bremen! There was a review in a newspaper of the Erfurt concert on Sunday and they gave the ages of the artists - apparently Martin Fry is 43 (but Kasim looks a lot younger than him!).

John Miles (52) is introduced as “Mr Proms” because he’s played all the NOTP tours I believe other than last year. His great song Music (Was My First Love) really sums up the motto of NOTP. Someone at the concert tonight had both an English flag (the cross of St George) and a British flag (the Union Jack) and these were waved when the two English guys were on stage!

The cameramen didn’t manage to spot anybody waltzing tonight but during Lady In Red, Charles II and his lady partner, as well as two double bassists, danced at the beginning and then three couples from the choir danced all though the song! In the orchestra all the men wear black with white shirts and the ladies wear all black so, being pedantic, I had wondered how Charles II’s partner wears a red jumper but I spotted her putting it on just before they danced tonight.

Being even more pedantic, at the end of Chris de Burgh’s set, he picks up a baton from the floor by the conductor’s podium and runs around “conducting” with it. I thought that the floor was a strange place to keep a spare baton but tonight I spotted a roadie carefully placing it there as he put his glass of water out!

Chris de Burgh (53) went down quite well tonight but he really does tend to milk the applause. Whereas Meat Loaf waits about one beat from the end of No Matter What to the beginning of You Took The Words Right Outta My Mouth, Chris de Burgh will just stand there listening to the applause.

I think out of the four songs he sings, my favourite is The Snows Of New York as the words are lovely - originally I thought it was a love song but I think it’s more a song about platonic male friendship.

Laith Al-Deen (29) sang and posed again tonight too.

When I’m waiting for Kasim (46) to come on stage, Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody #2 seems to be the longest track ever! Liszt (190 if he was still alive) certainly wrote some long tracks but I doubt that he would have realised when he wrote it that the last two chords of his tune is very similar to the opening bars of Home By Now!

The sound system at this venue wasn’t perfect (the speakers near me started hissing at one point) and Meat Loaf’s voice has passed it’s best for this tour so it wasn’t an ideal combination but he still never takes the easy way out and will hold some notes for a long time rather than just the time required in the song. Kasim sounded especially great in No Matter What tonight! He holds “Aaarh” at four different notes and he’s just spot on every time.

Kasim did his behind the back double handed clapping trick again tonight and then clapped normally but unfortunately he started the two-one clap the wrong way round which threw me totally (as I just happened to be watching him at that point!).

The Europeans (not so much the British or Americans) all clap in time a lot at the beginning of Anything For Love so Meat Loaf (54) will just pace across the front of the stage a few times.

Paradise By The Dashboard Light was busy on stage as always! Constantly through that song members of the orchestra are standing and sitting or dancing or just waving their instruments in the air! Plus the choir are constantly dancing, Meat is doing his acting at the front of the stage, as well as Kasim going on walkabout - you need several pairs of eyes to take it all in!

Thankfully the mass walkout was back tonight! I don’t like a lot of Meat Loaf’s theatrics on stage but that one breaks the song up nicely and involves the audience and that’s what NOTP is all about! Some poor people were leaving as the house lights went up for Meat Loaf to moan at us, so they got some ribbing from him!

Yellow Submarine was as light-hearted as ever! Kasim came on stage after the others so he stood at the end of the line-up. As he was beside the piano, he hopped up on it and sat there singing. After Chris de Burgh finished his singing part, he stood in front of Kasim with Kasim’s legs over his shoulders. The next time I looked, Kasim was flat on the piano with Charles II leaning over his shoulders! The photo of Kasim in that position will not be going on this website!!

Roll on tomorrow night…..!

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