Why I Was Disappointed with Sir Cliff’s Concert

Posted on February 18, 2007
Filed Under Fun, Reviews | Viewed 3869 times

Last 13 February, Sir Cliff had his pre-Valentine concert at the Araneta Coliseum to a jam packed audience. I and my sister-in-law, Martha, were among the thousands who watched this much awaited concert. His last Philippine concert, I heard was held 23 years ago.We didn’t mind that the concert started late by more than half an hour. When he came to the stage dressed suavely in his celebrity designer clothing, the audience clapped, cheered and welcomed him in eager anticipation.

His first few songs were new ones, making me and my sister-in-law wonder if we were indeed in a Cliff Richard concert. I heard people around me asking the same question. He sang a total of about 20 songs, a selection of ballads and up-beat songs. There were only a few old songs in his repertoire, “Ocean Deep”, “The Twelfth of Never”, “It’s All in the Game”, “Summer Holiday”, “Girl in Your Arms”, and “The Young Ones”. The rest were all for me, new and unheard of songs.

Saving grace was when Sir Cliff sang “Constantly” during the concert’s second hour. He could have sung it three times, and I would not have minded, the audience would not have minded, I am sure.

Every time he sang his old songs, the people would go wild (not the way young ones go wild in concerts, but the way a mature audience would), singing with him his songs, clapping, hollering.

When he sang his new songs, the audience would go quiet and freeze in their seats. I even thought he was saving the second part of the concert for his old songs, but it was not so. I was disappointed. Oh yes, at 66 years of age, Sir Cliff is still a pop icon, he still rocks and rolls, he still has the “voice”.

The concert was over, but most people were still seated, others standing in place. They must have been feeling what I felt—that somehow, something was amiss, hoping that he would surprise us with the songs we were waiting for. Yes, he returned to the stage, and sang another song—another new song. At that, my sister-in-law and I left, most people left, somehow disappointed. I paid to listen to him sing his old songs, not just to listen to him sing. It looked to me more of a launching of a new album, than what I expected, a blast from the past.

I heard people mumble, saying they didn’t have their money’s worth. Oh, well, there is always a next time, I guess, not 23 years from now, but earlier. Promoters should know better, they should have known what would have touched the hearts of the baby boomers, who were the majority of the audience.

I cannot help but compare, how even when weeks have passed, I would still talk about The Lettermen concert with fondness in my heart.

Oh, Sir Cliff, I just wished your promoters have asked you to sing the songs your Filipino fans had wanted to hear. It would have filled their hearts with the love and laughter of their youth.

Comments

5 Responses to “Why I Was Disappointed with Sir Cliff’s Concert”

vic on February 18th, 2007 4:26 pm

Is he releasing a New Album? If he does, then he and his producers should not use a paid concert to promote it. The “Fans” went to his concert for his old popularity and songs, not because he is in the top of the charts currently, because he is not.
Sexy Mom on February 18th, 2007 5:25 pm

good comment Vic. no, he is not releasing a new album, it was not implied at all in the ads. that is exactly the reason why a lot of people felt short changed. and take note, the tickets were more expensive than those of The Lettermen.
eric aka senor enrique on February 20th, 2007 7:48 am

I can imagine how boring and tedious it is for music artists to perpetually perform the songs that made them famous many years back, but hey, that is what he was getting paid for. Out of courtesy, he should have just sang a limited number of new songs, but expanded more on his repertoire that his fans expected from his show. If I were him, I would have even borrowed some love songs from his fellow 60s and 70s stars and perform them just to wow the audience. Fair lang naman yun.
Rach on February 20th, 2007 9:32 am

Hi Dine. First of all, thank you for all your kind words and prayers for my mother-in-law and our family. I truly appreciate it.

Sorry, you were disappointed with Sir Cliff’s concert. You’re right, the organizers should have arranged for him to sing majority of his old songs because it’s what his audience would have wanted. But it’s good that you enjoyed hearing his old songs again. I love the songs Ocean Deep and Constantly.
Sexy Mom on February 20th, 2007 2:37 pm

good idea, sr eric. that would have been nice.

Rach – i would not have minded if he sang ocean deep and constantly repeatedly, instead of singing his new songs.