Burt Bacharach and Joss Stone, London, July

[pljms]

It's interesting that it would appear the two shows on July the 16th and 17th at Eventim Apollo, formerly known as Hammersmith Apollo, are being billed as 'Burt Bacharach and Joss Stone' rather than being promoted as Bacharach shows with Joss Stone merely as a special guest. Knowing Bacharach's present disenchantment with the recording industry, I suppose there's not much hope that by July they may have a joint venture to promote in the way of a new album.

[pljms]

Joss Stone singing 'In between the Heartaches' at the Royal Festival Hall a few years ago, the performance that very obviously impressed Bacharach and led to them performing together.

http://www.jossstone.com/video_player/59

[nowmedical]

The stalls area is now exclusively for dining.
What is going on?

[Sara D]

Despite the billing I can't imagine that the format of these two concerts will vary too much from when Joss Stone last performed with Bacharach in 2016, when she was introduced mid-way through what up to that point had been one of his standard shows, sang 9 or 10 of his songs with a lot of banter in between and then left the stage for Burt to continue till the end with the movie medley.

[someonenameddavid]

I have it on good authority that the band appreciates Ms. Stone's musicianship and think generally highly of her.

[Sara D]

I see that Joss Stone is preparing for the Bacharach shows by getting herself thrown out of Iran.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.sky.c ... n-11756361

[Martin Johnson]

I think we're going to be struggling when it comes to a personal account of these shows as I don't know anyone from the London crowd that's going.

[nowmedical]

I’m going! I also went to the concert in Hamburg, he did the usual set with the addition of Falling Out Of Love as a tribute to Aretha Franklin. It was a lovely evening although the German audience was a bit polite. Also remarkable for the Elbphilharmonie concert hall – the concert was affectively in the round, fabulous building, cost €100 million to build!

[pljms]

I've just checked the set-list for the Festival Hall show in 2016 and the nine songs Joss Stone performed were Walk On By, The Look Of Love, I'll Never Fall In Love Again, Close To You, Wishin' and Hopin', One Less Bell To Answer, In Between The Heartaches, I Say A Little Prayer and I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself, so it will be interesting to see if she deviates from that list this time. It will also be interesting to know if John Pagano gets to perform 'With A Voice', the great new song introduced so memorably last year.

[Martin Johnson]

Joss Stone performing The Look Of Love at a gig a few years ago, which going by her comments was before she'd even met Bacharach and was still hoping that one day she might get the call:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YYfZyMgCxwk

[someonenameddavid]

I shall be there Wednesday.... but I will give glowing reports....

[nowmedical]

Remarkable - for Joss Stone singing "Are You There With Another Boy", and John Pagano's "With A Voice" which defies words. And so good to hear "One Less Bell To Answer", which has disappeared in recent years.

Remarkable - for what he missed out. Who can remember a BB concert where he didn't play Arthur's Theme - or "Do You Know The Way To San Jose""???
And no Message to Michael.

[Martin Johnson]

[quote="nowmedical"]Remarkable - for Joss Stone singing "Are You There With Another Boy"

If she really did switch the gender around to sing "with another boy" it would have been somewhat remarkable and would have given the song a different slant altogether.

Here's a review from last night. The reviewer is obviously not a great admirer of Joss Stone:

https://theartsdesk.com/new-music/burt- ... s-classics

[pljms]

To counter the Arts Desk review, here's a write-up of the first of the two nights where the journalist is obviously a Joss Stone fan. Still, with all the "lounge" references and the statement about Bacharach having rested on his laurels after his 60s heyday, I don't think it's a great piece.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.thegua ... joss-stone

[Sara D]

The reviewer in the London Evening Standard is not the first to refer to Bacharach's trio of vocalists as "backing singers" and to confuse Josie James with Donna Taylor.
https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/mu ... 92781.html