| Product: |
Ronan Keating - Live |
| Date: |
08/02/05 (591 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Guaranteed of a great performance
Disadvantages: None - it's Ronan!
In my younger days I was a bit of a Boyzone fan and extremely jealous of my mate who met the group on several occasions while I was slaving away at university. However, she always promised me that she would get me a ticket to see them live the next time they toured. As it turned out the next time never happened as Ronan decided to go solo but since 2002 my mate has lived up to her promise and on December 23rd we had the pleasure of seeing him live for the fourth time.
Unfortunately our tickets weren’t up to much but then Nottingham Arena isn’t as big as the likes of Birmingham, Sheffield or Manchester, so wherever you sit you will get a half decent view. What made it all the more disappointing was that my mate’s mum (yes she comes with us too) got the tickets a day before they went on general release being a member of the website email list and we were hoping that would guarantee us front row tickets. As it was we were up on the side, row Q but fairly near the stage end of the Arena. It was by no means the worst seat in the house but me and Ronan were certainly not going to share any moments as we had at his last Nottingham gig when we were on the floor and he looked at me – I swear he did!
His chosen support act were an Irish band called Picturehouse who I was very impressed with. They played some really catchy songs and involved the audience in their set. I hope they have some success in the UK because they certainly have some good songs under their belts. If you want to check them out visit www.picturehouse.ie where you can listen to samples of their songs. They are a "real" band by the way, and not a boy band or anything.
This tour was entitled the Turn It On tour after Ronan's third solo album but to be honest it was more about promoting his 10 Years of Hits album which was released in November not that it was a problem because every song he performed during the hour and a half long set was a well known one. He promised us at the beginning that he would be singing some of the Boyzone tracks that made him a household name but stuck to “Father and Son”, “Words” and “Baby Can I Hold You” which are songs very much in the Ronan mould. Bit of a shame really. I was hoping for something a bit more upbeat like “So Good” but having distanced himself from his old Boyzone image I’m sure he didn’t want to take a backwards step.
Ronan always kicks off his shows with something to dance to such as “I Love It When We Do” and this show was no different. Immediately the crowd was up on it’s feet singing, dancing and clapping. A Ronan Keating concert crowd is mainly female but the ages range from 9 and 10 year olds up to women in the 50s and 60s and every single one of them can be seen jigging along to the songs and singing their hearts out.
The audience are always there for a good time and Ronan plays off this including lots of audience participation in his shows. While singing “The Way You Make Me Feel” he got down off the stage and took a walk round the barriers at the front, hence the importance of getting a ticket near the front! Other moments of note was the performance of “If Tomorrow Never Comes” where he let the fans sing the first verse and chorus before joining in himself and during the encore a big bridge came down from the roof of the Arena joining the main stage to a smaller stage situated at the back of the venue. While singing “Life Is A Rollercoaster” he made his way across the bridge and then sang “When You Say Nothing At All” on the smaller stage.
Touches like this really make Ronan Keating concerts stand out for me. He really makes the effort to involve the fans, no matter where you end up sitting for the concert. On previous occasions he has sung “Life Is A Rollercoaster” while suspended from the ceiling and gets taken across the crowd while somersaulting. This is also worth seeing but I have seen this on the two previous concerts so it was nice that he did something different for this one.
As it was the last night of the tour and close to Christmas, we were treated to a few pranks from the band. Just before the Boyzone songs, Ronan made his way back from the catwalk to join the band on the main stage only to find them all sitting there with flashing Santa hats and of course, they had saved one for him. He then noticed a soft toy dog that had been attached to the microphone stand. A member of the crew quickly came on stage and switched it on and we then got close ups on the big screens of the dog doing unmentionable things to the microphone stand and Ronan struggling to keep his giggles under control while singing, even feeling the need to apologise once he had finished. The keyboard player was wearing an “alien” mask at this point which Ronan hadn’t noticed, until he turned round and that really did set him off. Most of the Boyzone songs were interrupted by laughing but it really didn’t matter. It all just added to the camaraderie of the evening.
Ronan was also surprised during his encore as, instead of one band member crossing the bridge playing pipes during “When You Say Nothing At All”, he was joined by several members of the band and crew. Of course, all the fans could see that many people were crossing the bridge. It was only Ronan that was completely unaware. During the very last song of the encore, “The Long Goodbye”, two ladies dressed as cleaners came on stage and started cleaning around Ronan, trying to take his mic stand off him, something that I’ve never seen before so I will just assume it was yet another prank set up by the band and crew. And another funny moment came in the band introductions by Ronan. James, his keyboard player, was introduced to the audience and Ronan mentioned he was getting married in a few days time. The crowd cheered and James pretended to be scared, accompanied by very high pitched screaming reverberating around the Arena.
There were also serious moments during the set. With a captive audience in front of him, Ronan went on to promote his latest good cause – fair trade in Africa. This was also accompanied by a 4 minute film of Ronan visiting farmers in Africa and highlighting their struggle to make ends meet. As much as I understand why Ronan did this, I was unsure as to whether playing the film after three or four songs was the right time. I think it could have been done before the concert started and still got the same message across. I just felt the interruption broke the flow after the great atmosphere that had been created by his opening few songs. There was also a more sombre atmosphere when he performed “This Is Your Song” as it was written for his mother after she had died of cancer a few years ago. After he performed it this time he dedicated it to a friend of his who had died a couple of weeks earlier.
It was clear from all that went on during the evening that Ronan has a good sense of humour and that really came across. Sometimes I think he can come across as being a quiet kind of guy and perhaps people who have never seen him live would think that he comes on stage, sings his songs and then leaves but this isn’t the case at all. He is there to entertain and this is something he does very successfully. If I wanted to hear his music I would put it on the CD player. When I pay £25 to see him live, I expect to see something different. Ronan really appreciates this and gives extra to every performance he does. If you enjoy Ronan’s music you will not be disappointed by his live shows. Plenty of hits mixed in with new tracks means there is something for everyone. Without doubt, recommended and I’ll definitely be going to see him for a fifth time.
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Glory_FishesII - 15/02/05 my mam likes ronan, i find him a bit gruff lol
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