Jason Donovan in Bristol review
Posted on: 2016-03-26
Our rating:
A glorious night of 80s memories brought rushing back through a few simple songs. As Jason himself said: ?Nothing freezes time like music? - and last night I was back in 1989 and having a blast!
Pop star, actor and latterly stalwart of the West End musical, 80's icon Jason Donovan leapt onto the stage at Bristol's Colston Hall on 24th March 2016 to a resounding welcome. 365 Bristol sent along Sarah-Jane Howard to cover the gig!
Looking rather dapper in his all black outfit complete with sparkly jacket and flashing his winning smile, the audience were immediately in awe. And even before a note escaped from his lips the atmosphere was electric as the crowd of mainly aged ladies whooped, cheered, whistled and acted like their teenage selves swooning at the mere sight of their 80s heart-throb.
Having first shot to fame 30 years ago with his role as Scott Robinson in the soap opera Neighbours, Jason Donovan followed the -now well-trodden- path into music, by joining up with 80s hit makers Stock, Aitken and Waterman to produce a collection of catchy pop tunes that enthralled a generation of young girls and led to him enjoying a hugely successful pop career that included 4 UK number one singles. Having last presented his own music on tour in 2008, The Ten Good Reasons and Greatest Hits Tour is a chance for him to perform his debut, five-time platinum selling album in its entirety for the first time and to relive his glory days in front of an audience buoyed up on a wave nostalgia and a longing for their youth.
The first half of this 90 minute set kicked off with a lively rendition of his 1989 duet with Kylie Minogue (no, not THAT one; turns out they recorded a couple of songs together!) All I Wanna Do is Make You Mine and continued with a string of songs from his Between the Lines and All Around the World albums including rousing versions of the audience pleasing When You Come Back to Me and Happy Together, before slowing things down a little for acoustic versions of Rhythm of the Rain and Any Dream Will Do, his 1991 number one hot from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Chatting away to the crowd between songs and telling a few showbiz stories, Donovan fed off the audience reaction as he shared memories of moments from across his varied and unpredictable career. He exuded warmth and personality, seeming to really enjoy being on the stage and revelling in the opportunity to interact with the fans. Charming, entertaining and still wielding a mighty impressive voice, it was clear from this performance why Jason Donovan continues to appeal.
The second half of the evening was taken up with a complete rendition of the Ten Good Reasons album. The tracks were performed back to back in original order, and for me it was a welcome chance to revisit days gone by and to recapture part of my youth. This was one of the first albums I bought (after dabbling with the musical genius of those other 80s greats, Shakin’ Stevens and Rick Astley) and listening to it live bought back happy memories of the 12 year old me bopping away to my Walkman! Too Many Broken Hearts, Nothing Can Divide Us, Sealed with a Kiss; all the favourites were here as we moved to the finale and a fantastic extended version of Especially For You; alas sans Kylie, but you can’t have everything.
A fantastic, feel-good night out, marred only slightly by some minor problems with sound and the unfortunate tendency of the 4 piece band to drown out the vocals every now and again. But this didn’t matter to the enraptured audience who danced and sang along, clinging to every word. A glorious night of 80s memories brought rushing back through a few simple songs. As Jason himself said: ‘Nothing freezes time like music’ - and last night I was back in 1989 and having a blast!
4.5/5
Reviewed by Sarah-Jane Howard for 365Bristol - the leading events and entertainment website for Bristol.
Article by:
Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
