After gaining grateful access at 19:00, I made for the front of the auditorium while my friend went to the bar to procure some liquid refreshment :)

We chatted with a couple about the forthcoming performance which helped to pass the time till the support band, Chyna, made there appearance. They made there way through the same set list as the previous night, including the same, rather cliched narrative...
Still, they were an excellent band with much potential. I look forward to hearing their blend of soul/funk/rap in the future, if only to see the great outfit their keyboardist wore. Super-fly!

Quarter to nine, the stage had been swiftly changed and the lights extinguished. The natives were growing restless.
The curtains parted and there he stood, back turned to the crowd. For a while, there was just the white noise of applause. He turned, asked us how we were, and gave us a wonderful aural slap with a great guitar version of 'I'm Alive'. The crowd was going absolutely mental.
The oestrogen brigade were out in force on this September eve, and they were gaggin for it! One woman yelled something, possibly 'give me your body'. Seal's (paraphrased) response was 'Tonight might be your lucky night. I've held back so far, but I don't know if I can any longer...' This gained much applause and laughter. The set list was the same as the previous Hull concert with the following;

I'm Alive
Wild
Deep Water
Don't Cry
People Asking Why
Blues in 'E'
Whirlpool
Kiss From A Rose
Bring It On
Killer
Crazy

With an encore of;

Prayer For The Dying
Future Love Paradise

All the songs were altered vastly from their album origins, but it only served to enhance them.
A couple of notable songs were 'Deep Water' with it's acoustic first part and then breaking into a great rocking, thumping second half, the guitar solo at the end of 'Don't Cry' and the rough-edge sound given to 'Bring It On'

As expected, 'Kiss From A Rose' gained much applause, even in it's eastern incarnation and 'Killer' had everyone rocking.

With 'Prayer For The Dying', Seal asked us to sing with him, and by the sound of it, every one did!

At the end of 'Future Love Paradise', Seal was asking us 'Can I reach out for you if that feels good to me?' and 'Can you reach out for me if that feels good to you?' to which the general consensus was a definate 'YES!'

The lighting throughout the whole show was fantastic. Consisting of a couple of dozen vari-lights and copious amounts of smoke, the beams of shimmering colour gave the gig a surreal fantasy quality.
The audience were far superior in their enthusiasm than the previous nights gig at Hull, which gave this particular performance an edge.

Outside the theatre, there was a gathering at the backstage doors. I decided to see if I could meet the guy for real. The security had us behind railings so the gear could easily be loaded into the trucks. When Seal showed, the group, mainly consisting of women, started shouting and screaming. My friend and I had a good laugh at this display.
When he came to the woman next to me, he was told 'You were orgasmic'. I don't think he quite knew what to say to that. Before I could speak to him, he walked back down the railing, signed a few more posters and went back inside. I guess I should have got his attention instead of standing there trying not to look like a groupie :)

Conclusion to both the Hull and Manchester gigs; fantastic, awe inspiring, professional and uplifting. While the Manchester gig had the edge due to a more enthusiastic audience, the Hull concert is the most memorable for me as it was the first.

I look forward to future concerts from this performer. I hope you do too.

Love & Life,


G.