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Simply Red
Simply Red returned to the M.E.N Arena on Sunday 5 April 2009 joined by special guest Russian superstar Valeriya.
Check out the reviews of their homecoming Manchester show with the men-arena.com's top posts:
Manchestereveningnews.co.uk > Posted Monday 6 April
"SIMPLY Red bid an
emotional farewell to hometown fans in what could be their
last-ever Manchester show.
The band is expected to split next year - after 25 years of hits -
and last night's M.E.N. Arena show was the most eagerly
anticipated date on what is likely to be their final tour.
Led by flame-haired, Denton-born Mick Hucknall, the band has topped
the charts since the eighties with tracks like Holding Back the
Years, Stars and Fairground.
The band took their legions of local fans on a sentimental trip
down memory lane with a set-list featuring classic after classic.
Russian singer Valeriya - and some dogged fans determined to launch
a Mexican wave - warmed up the capacity crowd before Mick himself
bounded on stage to the opening bars of It's Only Love.
Shortly after, he declared he was 'glad to be back home' -
but surely not as glad as the fans were, judging by their rapturous
applause.
In an indication of how things have moved on since the band's
7in debut, USB sticks with the concert pre-recorded were available
to buy.
Mick Hucknall's voice however, and his band's eternal
appeal, are unashamedly unchanged.
Homage was paid to another of Manchester's greatest groups, The
Hollies, with a version of The Air That I Breathe.
The 1960s theme continued with The Moody Blues' Go Now. These
covers were received with as much gratitude as set-list staples
such as The Right Thing and For Your Babies
Yet more recent tracks such as Fake, with its Chicago House-style
piano breaks, and Sunrise, deserve their place in the Simply Red
cannon alongside golden oldies such as Holding Back The Years.
The short but special night ended with two encores.
Money's Too Tight To Mention was given a topical twist for the
credit crunch and If You Don't Know Me By Now closed the show.
Mick Hucknall left the stage with the words: "If by some
chance we don't see each other again, thank you for a wonderful
evening."
It certainly was, Mick."
