Review: Midge Ure at The Sage Gateshead
Dec 5 2009 by Barbara Hodgson, The Journal
IN jeans, T-shirt and loose check shirt, the former frontman of Ultravox (which reformed briefly this year) looked more like a roadie when he ambled onto the stage of Hall Two on Thursday night.
But minutes into Love’s Great Adventure and there could be no doubting his star quality.
Quietly spoken and looking every one of his 56 years – and a few more – Ure powered out numbers including Fade To Grey and escorted us back to those golden 80s days, sounding as good as ever.
It’s nearly 29 years since Ultravox’s signature Vienna but that was clearly the one the audience wanted to hear and Ure’s vocals – soft and melodic then spine-tingling power-packed – didn’t disappoint.
He followed it up with If I Was, his first chart-topper as a solo artist, and the magical Dancing with Tears in My Eyes.
The intimate Hall Two makes for a rather casual affair and suited the mood of a relaxed evening as fans settled back to listen first to the lovely voice of support act Lavinia Ferguson then just one man and his guitar.
It’s 25 years ago this week, Ure told us, since Do They Know It’s Christmas? – the Band Aid hit he co-wrote with Bob Geldof, and with which he rounded off the night – and it rolled back the years. His fans could not have been happier.
