Seal Brings It On

The magic 19:30 was reached and we were treated to 45 minutes of the Chyna massive. A promising group with definate gospel and 60's Motown influences. The lead singer at times sounded unbelievably like Eartha Kitt. A few songs into the set, one of which contained a riff which riminded me of Miles Davis' "So What", we were introduced to the band, including the soon to show 'Chyna Jr'.

After Chyna wrapped up, we were left to shout at one another over the infernal ringing in our ears while the roadies frantically raced around setting the stage for Seal. The smoke machine was working overtime trying to fill the arena with a gentle haze.
At 20:45 light dimmed, the crowd grew aprehensive and the curtains parted to reveal all 6 foot 3 inches of Seal's silk-clad back. The stage lights came up and two spots targetted him. He threw a glance over his shoulder with the an expression saying 'what's all this noise behind me?' Slowly walking up to the mike with a wry smile on his face, the night truly kicked off with 'I'm Alive'. This was followed by 'Wild' and a fantastic version of 'Deep Water'.
He then took a couple of minutes to have a word with us. 'How are you?' he asked to much applause, whistles and shouting. 'Get your kit off' was one response, to which he replied 'That could get us both into a lot of trouble. It could get us all into trouble'
There he stood, surveying the crowd, seemingly fixing his gaze on each and every one of the audience.

The songs following were a blur. There was 'Don't Cry' which concluded with a truly brilliant guitar solo from the lead guitarist. 'Whirlpool' recieved much applause to which we had a 'Kiss From A Rose' chaser. To say this song went down a storm would be an understatement. The crowd just went for it big time. The style was very eastern, with a indian-style drums much like those featured in the track 'Fast Changes'. For many this was the pinnacle of the evening, but not for me. A fantastically rough edged version of 'Bring It On' was pounded out of the sound system. While this has never been one of my favourite Seal track, it sounded wonderous in this style. There was 'Killer' and 'Crazy', the two song which consistently come up in my top 5 fave Seal tracks. Again, these were extensively different in arrangement from the album.
While it had only seemed like Seal and the guys had been playing for about 20 minutes, he thanked us for being there and waved goodbye.

After 5 minutes of yelling, they came back for the (now obligatory) encore. he intruduced the members of his band and then asked us to sing along with him as the guys cranked up 'Prayer For The Dying'.
At points in the chorus, Seal would point the mike toward the audience and let us do our bit.
After the tumultuous applause we were dealt a huge dollop of 'Future Love Paradise'. The whole place rocked and I feared the ice beneath us would shatter in the act.
This was the final song and Seal + band left the Hull Ice Arena.

The night will always stick in my mind, mainly because it was such a great gig, but also because it was my first oppertunity to see the man do his thing live and in the flesh.

My only reservations about the evening were the crowd. While they supplied generous amounts of applause, they just weren't getting into the swing of things.
Infact, in my direct field of vision there was only myself and one of my friends who were truly getting down and dancing our butts off.
There are few things that disappoint me more about concerts then members of the audience who stand there, arms crossed with and blank expression on their faces. But hell, it's their evening they're spoiling... :)

We left the arena and went to the bar to wind down before the drive home. We chatted about the whole show for about an hour before leaving.
As I got into my car, I was aware of a rather strange hollow feeling. Like I had just experienced something for the first and last time in my life. This seems strange, as I knew that I would be at the following night's concert. Infact, as I sit here now, casting my mind back to the concert, I find that the feeling still with me now.

Love & Life,


G.