Well, he's done it again. From the solo version of Shine to the grand finale of Please Forgive Me - David Gray has astounded me again.

How can one man put so much effort and passion into his music and make you feel like you're part of the actual stage show. Having only 4 backing musicians to assist, and producing such an amazingly talented show was beyond belief. Seeing two other guitarists alongside David, and watching them all closely play the same style and movements was very enjoyable. It was nice to also see them enjoying what they were playing, rather than just being backing artists.

The two Support Acts were also very good quality.

Overall, I can't wait to see David Live again soon. Well worth every penny for the ticket.

Hi everybody.

This was absolutely and utterly amazing. What a perfect ending to a tour.

Here is the setlist, thanks to MyCariad for letting me take a picture of it.

Veil was played and Destroyer and the acoustic one in brackets from the encore were left out.

I am too tired now to be able to pay anyone justice so my review will follow in the morning.

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Welcome to DavidGray.com

Hi All,

Rena you are very welcome for the photo, although I'm not sure what has happened to my hand, it looks gammy and bruised lol, maybe it was from all the clapping, especially from PFM, always the best ending to a gig.

Well, what can I say!! Absolutely, truly amazing. A night never to forget, as he kept saying in Nightblindness. The added little extra during Babylon was superb. The 'banging' in time, forgive my lack of musical terms, was a great little addition, all the guys were smiling on every 'bang'. The new version of TOS yet again blew me away, the ending wonderful. There were a few sound problems, but who cares. A problem on PFM when he fiddles with the little thing on the piano, God I get worse don't I In the end he threw his arm up to the guy who was running about trying to sort it out, which told him to leave it, what the hell, it doesn't matter. And it didn't. He got up on his feet as he does, and threw his both arms up in the air and told the guys upstairs who were sitting down to get up. They did and I looked up behind me and saw a truly magnificent sight. It was awesome. Everyone on their feet clapping and bouncing about. I've seen it before, but this time it just seemed better. I have to mention Sheila, who is relatively new to the board and it was her first gig. She was in front of DJK and myself in the box office queue. Sheila forgive me for mentioning this, but the gentleman you were with, was the oldest person I have ever seen at a DG gig. I hope this doesn't offend either of you, but it was wonderful to see. And then there was little ten year old Ethan, who I made a space for at the front, he was possibly the youngest one there last night, also his first gig ever. They both made me smile Ethan was a lucky lad last night as he was given Keith's drumsticks.

I have some videos on my mobile phone which I will try an put on the internet. If anyone knows the easiest way to do this, then please can you let me know. Not sure if youtube is the easiest. Help

I could go on forever about the gig, but I'll let others fill you in with more.

A massive thankyou to all on stage for a fantastic night. And of course, thankyou to Rena, DJK, it was great meeting up with you again, and to Elysium, it was great to meet you and Becca, you cracked me and Roy up, especially the look on our face when you lost yout tickets [:'(] Also great to meet you Without Wings, I thought your head was going to fall off at one point lol.

Here's to new and old music and to many, many more gigs

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Tomorrow girl I'll buy you chips, a lollipop to stain your lips :-)

Happiness is wanting what you have, not having what you want :-)

Fantastic gig, shame about the idiots a couple of rows behind me, who ruined Shine and Living Room by talking all the way through. They were clearly only there to see Babylon, thankfully piped down once he played it. David and band on top form. I'll post youtube links for my videos I took once i have uploaded them.

What a gig!
DG and his band were fantastic. They all looked to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, maybe as it was the last night, but their performance was spot on.

Loved the opening few numbers done acoustically.

I never really got into Late Night Radio. It was a take it or leave it track with me but last night it really came to life.

Then the first highlight for me, Lately, was out of this world. Truly stunning.

Second highlight was Other Side which has such a special meaning to me. Like a lot of DG’s songs, you can quite easily interpret them into your own world. It always looks like DG needs time to compose himself when the song has finished. Excellent.

As for the encore, WOW!
Biggest highlight of the night was Nightblindess. What a fantastic extended version. Didn’t want it to end. I stood there almost in trance towards the end. Superb.
Ending with Forgive is always a crowd pleaser. Loved it.

As ever, it gets quite warm in the Corn Exchange so I took off my fleece before DG came on. It was only until after the gig that my Daughter and my girlfriend noticed that my t-shirt was inside out. Wondered why the people behind kept laughing.
Who cares, what a fantastic gig. Look forward to many more to come.

Also liked the 2 support artists, Phil Cambell and Beth Rowley.

Ftangftang

Heres my youtube links:

 

The One I Love (Entire song):

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvVJw5VejZE

 

Sail Away (Intro Only):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEhPI7bw6DA

 

The Other Side (Ending only):

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH74YOHHYSs

 

Enjoy.
 

What a great gig!  I think David got through more guitars there than I've ever seen him before.  He made a few slip ups too, but probably through all the extra enthusiasm being displayed as they were doing the last gig of the tour.  Rob was really giving it some on bass - a true performer.  Keith seems to have settled into the band really well now, he seems much more comfortable and confident than when he first started playing with David. 

Highlights for me were Lately (one of my favourite songs, especially knowing there's some Mr Tambourine man coming at the end), Nightblindness (ever since the Manchester 07 bootleg, I like the extended moody versions) and Everytime - as that's one of my favourite 'happy' songs.  I also love all David's corny and bizarre one liners!  I'll give him 7/10 for his wheelspin in his Lexus as a few of us went to say 'hi' before the show.  Thanks to Rob for coming and chatting to those of us at the front of the early queue.  Nice friendly chap - nearly slipped up and gave away too much information about expected release dates of the new album!  Nearly!

My legs, feet and back were aching last night as I hadn't fully recovered from my overactive participation on Thursday before embarking on more madness.  I don't see why people need drink or drugs when I find a live performance by DG has an even more intense effect!   MyCariad - I've had to bolt my head back on again today as it appears it went a bit wobbly!

9.5/10  - Thursday's Hammersmith gig ever so slightly pipped this one to be the best DG concert I've ever been to.  I think the sound quality was just that little bit better than at Cambridge - although the echoes made for quite an unusual effect during some of David's lyrics. It's all good!  I can't wait until the next tour - after DG and the band have finished the new album.

It was good to meet you all - so many friendly likeminded people at DG gigs and it means that even if you're going to the gig on your own you feel part of a much bigger thing.  Hope to see you all again next time!

Darren 

 

This was a real good one... I will try and write some comments on it tomorrow but just came back from my flight home so will have a nice glass of wine first and some sleep !

What a great tour this has been, I feel so lucky to have seen it a couple of times, never the same but always superb !

Take care !

Marcel.

Another absolutely fantastic performance from David and the boys! First show we've been to since the pair of St. John's gigs last year and there was a noticeable increased tightness and overall happier atmosphere this time around. Partially, I'm sure due to it being the last gig of the tour, but also more likely due to the closeness and bonding that comes from touring. That should make for a superb new record. Speaking of which, without wings, spill the info on the new album please!

As I mentioned earlier and have PM'd DG.com about, our "pre-sale" tickets were pretty horrid in the dead center of the balcony seats. To top it off, we had two mountain sized men sitting directly in front of us, and I'm still sore from leaning to peer between their giant skulls all evening. Never got to sell the extra tickets we had, but we did give them away for free to a nice couple at the gig. Got some cross looks from the scalper they were haggling with, but oh well.

 My Cariad, we've got the age limit beat out, as my 2yr old and 5 yr old were there with us, as they've been brainwashed with DG since before birth. :) Taylor (2) didn't make it very far into the show (zzzzz) but loved the girl singing opener (sorry, forgot her name). Madison (5) soaked in her third show and was rivited till near the end, when she said, "Dad, I hope this is the last song," out of sheer sleepiness. Poor monkey was exhausted but talked about the show all day today.

I'm still amazed at the cast iron throat DG has maintained show after show, plowing through those songs missing nary a note, and just pushing his voice to the limit song after song! It's really amazing stamina and natural talent. The whole band seemed to really enjoy the show and everyone turned in great performances. A few screw-ups here and there laughed off by DG, but that only adds to the charm for me. I really enjoy watching the interaction between band mates and if you know the songs well - you hear something slightly out of place and watch David turn to Rob with a playful, "what the hell was that mate!?" and they both laugh and rock on. I dig that.

The only disappointments (other than the "fan-club" seats) were the lack of brand new songs (Jackdaw, Breathe, etc.) and the typical talkers. Up in the middle of nowhere, the sound was great and people were generally respectful and quiet. Sometimes I wondered if they were conscious though, as most sat rock-still as if they were at the movies watching Schindler's List. 3/4 of the way through, we moved down to the landing area near the "VIP" seating section you needed a special sticker to sit in. There were some serious idiots in there - one drunken idiot hooligan and his drunken girlfriend were especially obnoxious with their attention-seeking behavior and obnoxiously loud talking and inappropriate yelling. Football chants, rap-video posturing, several near-fights with other "VIPs", etc. Shame idiots like that feel the need to show up to hear only Babylon and ruin people's good time.

 
Nonetheless, it was another excellent gig and likely our last UK show (sniffle). Bring on the new record!
 

 I spent £150 on 2 tickets last night,to see my 3rd show of tour,yes it was good, but it still did'nt reach the quality that i experienced on the first night at oxford.

I was in the balcony,and I found view poor,who ever designed that balcony did'nt really want you to see the stage,and our enjoyment was spoilt a norwich city hooligan in the vip area,I support norwich myself,but I would'nt dis-respect david like that.

the sound was good,but did anyone feel that vibration in the balcony...

also did anyone else get their car blocked in,by these 2 trucks that decided they would stop the night, right outside the corn exchange...

what a great tour- a fantastic performer!!

I wanted to write a review today, sorry but I won't be able to do that until tomorrow evening. Spent all day travelling and sitting at airports with the BT openzone internet connection breaking down every 5 minutes, so no chance for a lengthy review. And just like Marcel I am in need of a good glass of wine and some sleep right now

So nighty night everyone! 

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Welcome to DavidGray.com

I understand how you can't write a full review yet, I'm still "coming down" from the concert too!  I was playing various bootlegs all the way home and am now sat at home watching the BBC sessions on DVD with the sound blaring out of my hi fi far too loud shaking my head.  When will this all end?  Never I hope ....

 Darren
 

Hi there,

I merged the various threads about this gig so information will be easier to find for everybody

Cheers

Rena

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Welcome to DavidGray.com

Found this nice review (Cambridge News Online):

Review - David Gray at the Cambridge Corn Exchange, by Chris Elliott

FORGET chocolate - music fans got a much nicer Easter treat in Cambridge courtesy of David Gray.

A Corn Exchange on Sunday packed to the rafters saw the singer turn in a stunning performance, the final gig of a 17-date tour of the UK.

He was given a rapturous response as he and his band, showing no signs of touring fatigue, romped through nearly 20 of his finest compositions.

One male member of the audience, delighted by the opening song Shine (played acoustically and with passion) called out: "David, I want to have your babies" and it was soon a sentiment shared by everyone in the hall.

Now pushing 40, Gray was on the verge of prematurely aborting his musical career a decade ago. After three good but largely unsuccessful albums, he was dispirited and decided to give it one more go, but had to find the money himself to fund his fourth record.

The record, of course, was 1998's White Ladder, which catapulted him to worldwide fame. Six million copies have been sold to date, and the single Babylon - beautifully delivered to his Cambridge audience - is still many people's favourite tune of the late 90s.

As well as that song, the Corn Exchange show featured fabulous renditions of its White Ladder stable-mates This Year's Love and Sail Away, as well as Be Mine and The Other Side from the New Day At Midnight album, and a clutch of tracks from chart-topping Life In Slow Motion, including the title track, Hospital Food, The One I Love, and From Here You Can Almost See The Sea.

The set concluded with two magnificent, memorable encores - Please Forgive Me, and a mind-blowingly good rendition of Nightblindness.

The ten tracks on White Ladder are familiar to most people, but it is not generally known that the album contains an eleventh, secret song (it is accessible by starting to play the record's opener, Please Forgive Me, and then holding down the rewind button).

The track is an example of what is known as an Easter egg - a hidden feature or novelty added to a piece of computer software by its creator, for his own amusement or entertainment.

At the Corn Exchange, Gray had plenty of other wonderful Easter gifts to pass on, and he is due on stage again soon at the Royal Albert Hall (April 13) for an acoustic concert with other big names such as Joan Amratrading and Newton Faulkner - in aid of a cause close to the heart of News readers, the Teenage Cancer Trust.

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=300864

Don't miss the new handwritten message from David Gray, Rob, Neill, Keith and James :

http://davidgray.com/forums/706582/ShowThread.aspx#706582

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"Now I've heard there was a secret chord That David played, and it pleased the Lord ..." L.Cohen

Not much new but put some stuff on my weblog about the cambridge gig, thanks for the pic/setlist and Lozm for the videos !

Take care !

Marcel.