Swansea Concert

         THE BATTLE (PATTI PAVILION 16 DECEMBER 2000)

First let me give you some personal background. 

I grew up in Wales only leaving for the wicked city of London when I was in 
my mid thirties. During the 70's the BIGGEST band in Wales was "MAN". They 
crossed over and became well known in England but never really made it to the 
big time and I couldn't stand them!! MAN were progressive rock with songs 
that lasted days instead of minutes and were at total different ends of the 
scale to the GLAM ROCK (Sweet; Mud; Suzi Quatro); BOOGIE (Rod Stewart and the 
Faces; ZZ Top) and the NEW YORK PUNK (New York Dolls; Wayne County) that I 
was crazy for. So if someone had said to me that I would be travelling 200 
miles to see a concert headlined by MAN in the year 2000 I would have thought 
them off their $%^&$%^% heads!!!

I had been to just about every venue in Wales but had never been to the Patti 
Pavilion where the gig was taking place - if only I'd thought I would have 
remembered it's reputation for being a sweat box i.e. very and I mean VERY 
HOT!!

The concert was a sell out - in fact I bought the last two tickets (thank 
God!!) from a record store in Swansea. I went to visit the hall on the 
Saturday afternoon - all seemed fairly quiet and if you knew where to look (I 
do and no I won't tell you!) you could just about see where Bonnie's house 
was from it. So getting to the gig was not going to prove any problem for Ms 
Tyler. A hop, a skip and a jump and she'd be there!

I got to the venue around 8.00pm and the first act was on. Two guitarists 
who's name I didn't catch and who's act didn't do much for me I'm afraid. 
Next up were a young rock band which again left me pretty cold and again the 
sound system let me down in trying to catch a name.

The third act were MUCH better PETER BROWN and the INTEROSITAS. Never heard 
of them? Nor me but you would definately have heard some of the songs.
Pete had written for other people perhaps most famous being WHITE ROOM 
covered by CREAM (Eric Clapton; Ginger Baker; Jack Bruce). The band did their 
version of the song which sounded great with the exception of a bongo solo! 
But hey the guy wrote the song he could do what the hell he liked with it 
right?

The next band up were STEELWATER ( a band comprising one half of a very 
popular local Welsh group in the sixties EYES OF BLUE). I really enjoyed the 
band who were a good time rock/blues band covering songs like Chuck Berry's 
"You Never Can Tell"; and Howling Wolf's "Smokestack Lightening". I thought 
they played well which was good because the band turned out to be the same 
band who backed Bonnie who was on next.

Now last time I saw Bonnie do I live show although I had a place right down 
in front of the stage I forgot to check my camera and the batteries ran out - 
result no pics. 
So this time I check the batteries, put in a new film, position myself right 
down the front - take 3 pictures and the camera jams! And no I don't have a 
spare film and no the pictures I took didn't come out!! Hopefully someone 
will have taken photos (I saw one enterprising man video taping Bonnie's 
performance - who are you? If you are reading this please get in touch). So I 
am going to have to try and describe what Bonnie wore and looked like and you 
are going to have to use your imagination!!!

Bonnie hit the stage to the opener HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO - a song I have 
long since gone off but this version was great - a rocking good way to start 
the show!! 

As always Bonnie looked fabulous. Her golden hair is at it's longest, 
suntanned, slim and fit she looked stunning in a black bodiced top; black 
leather trousers with a thin diamond chain (THE fashion accessory of the 
moment). On one wrist she had a multitude of thin Indian bracelets and - what 
is becoming a typical "Bonnie" look - a long black dust coat with a tassled 
hood. As I said she looked fabulous.

The voice? As some of you know I was not the greatest fan for the ALL IN ONE 
VOICE album. I felt Bonnie was too controlled vocally and the album lacked 
real passion and to me sounded sterlile (with one or two exception) and too 
perfect. 
Part of me feared that this was the road Bonnie was going down vocally - a 
more restrained vocal, more control, i.e. not rock and roll. My fears were 
(thankfully) unfounded. After a few years off heavy touring Bonnie was back 
on TOP FORM with a voice that was as rough, passionate and strong as ever and 
some more. Let me tell you now when Bonnie eventually records new material if 
the songs are anywhere as near as strong as her voice - we are in for a 
KILLER album!!

HERO went into STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART - a song helded dear by Bonnie as it 
was written especially for her by Bryan Adams. Unfortunately this is where 
the problems started.

The guy operating the mixing desk either had no idea of the power behind 
Bonnie's voice and the material she was singing or had no idea on how to use 
a mixing desk
(from speaking to people later on the general concensus was it was the later) 
or there were problems I know nothing about but the sound was a growing 
problem. Screaching feedback was to spoil a lot of the songs starting with 
STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART.

Next up was a full electric version of LOST IN FRANCE. It's rare to hear this 
all the way through as Bonnie normally sings this with just an accoustic 
guitar.

Around about this time Bonnie started to complain more and more about the 
lack of monitor on stage. (For those of you who don't know there are usually 
at least two speakers "facing" the stage to enable singers and guitarists on 
stage to hear what they sound like - take this away and if you're on stage 
you hear next to nothing as the sound is usually pushed out from speakers at 
the side of the stage - away from the performers). STEELWATER had complained 
about this problem during their set - now it seemed the problems were getting 
worse.

Up next was the first of two songs I had never heard Bonnie perform before 
(YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE) A NATURAL WOMAN. Boy was this song good!!!
Bonnie should keep this in her set the power and the passion behind it was 
unbelievable!!

More monitor problems, more feedback and were in to a real crowd pleaser, TO 
LOVE SOMEBODY.

Next for me the highlight of the performance I PUT A SPELL ON YOU. This was 
SO good. Very much like the version of ALL IN ONE VOICE incredibly restrained 
and full of emotion with superb backing vocals from one of the two backing 
vocalists.

The band? 

Well as I said they were called STEELWATER but were joined by two backing 
vocalists in crouched pink dresses, who were I believe, called Stella and 
Cheryl - they were great. On drums was Brian Thomas; Andy Collins on bass; 
Paul Williams, Andy Pickbone, Pete King and Hywel Thomas made up the rest of 
the band - three guitarists and keyboards. 

Next up was THE BEST. From here on the lack of monitors would prove a real 
problem. The guitar solo was out of key and at the start the backing vocals 
came in at the wrong place. Still the song went down well.

Bonnie introduced the next song by telling the audience that she and the band 
had managed only one rehersal "around the coffee table in my house" and that 
the next song had originally been recorded on 64 different tracks. TOTAL 
ECLIPSE OF THE HEART. Bonnie fought her way magnificantly through this song 
WITHOUT ANY BACKING VOCALS WHATSOEVER. I don't know what went wrong. There 
were three people clustered around a mike to sing but nothing came out!! When 
you think that this song is over 6 minutes long you would have thought the 
sound engineer would have done something - but from the opening to the ending 
the only voice you heard was Bonnie's. Bonnie ended the song to rapturous 
applause but you could tell she was upset.

Next up was a song tucked away on a very early b side LOVING YOU MEANS 
LEAVING YOU TODAY which Bonnie had written with the lead guitarist GARY over 
24 years ago. They sang it as a duet and once again the lack of monitors 
spoiled things with the song being very "loose". 

Now for those of you who have seen Bonnie and her band the word "loose" is 
not a word you would use to describe them. The band is SO tight - Bonnie is 
rightly proud of them. I know Bonnie could not have expected wonders with a 
band who had had only one rehersal, but had the monitors been right I'm sure 
half the problems would have gone away.

Next up TURTLE BLUES - a song I have always loved and the set ended with IT'S 
A HEARTACHE - I'm not going to review this last song - suffice to say it went 
down really well despite being hampered by a number of problems not least 
that Bonnie's vocals were drowned out by two backing vocalists.

Bonnie left the stage not looking the happiest I had ever seen her and 
unfortunately personal circumstances meant that I had to cancel the interview 
that Paul had set up for me with Bonnie. I did however manage to hand over 
Christmas cards some of you had sent me to someone I know who works for 
Bonnie. But I had to leave - the one good thing about that was I never got to 
see MAN!!!

So to sum up not the greatest of shows - but this was a charity event that 
had been put together really quickly and rehersal time had been virtually non 
existant. Then there was the appauling sound problems to battle with.

The good news was that BONNIE looked fit and well, her voice on TOP form and 
once again the world is waiting for her - and with the right material and a 
new record company right behind her this time the world might just be hers!!!

Steve Bowen Lawrence
c. 18 Dec 2000

The set list:
HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO
STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART
LOST IN FRANCE
(YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE A) NATURAL WOMAN
TO LOVE SOMEBODY
I PUT A SPELL ON YOU
THE BEST
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART
LOVING YOU MEANS LEAVING YOU TODAY 
TURTLE BLUES
IT'S A HEARTACHE