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| Photo by Gina Binkley |
‘Hello Glastonbury’ was how Gretchen greeted the Bromsgrove
crowd, one that were probably more akin with the late Davy Jones’ Monkees rather
than the Arctic Monkeys. Incidentally, she covered ‘Last Train to Clarkesville’
in Bilston last year as a tribute to Davy but it was a return to the regular
covers for this show. The high of appearing at one of the world’s premier music
festivals 24 hours earlier had clearly not yet worn off for Gretchen. Having
shrugged off the disappointment of not sharing ‘Wild Horses’ with Mick, a more
than able deputy stepped up in support artist Ben Glover, who had previously
warmed up the audience with his affable brand of country tinged singer-songwriter
music. Ben also satisfied Gretchen’s appetite for a Gram Parsons duet, with ‘Return
of the Grievous Angel’ being every bit as good as their Couch by Couch West video
offering.
The well appointed and spacious Artrix Arts Centre was
honoured to host this 'farewell to the UK for now' gig and the final time
Gretchen will base a UK show around her outstanding album HELLO CRUEL WORLD. That
is until she returns for its 20th anniversary celebration in 2032! It was fantastic
to hear these timeless songs in four different venues on each of the last few
tours and it is credit to the Artrix that the sound here was as good, if not better, than
anywhere else. There is the promise of more to come from this venue and there
is definitely a potential to host further touring acts and become a prominent country,
roots, folk and Americana venue in the western part of the Midlands.
All the old favourites have now been restored to the set
list since HELLO CRUEL WORLD was played in its entirety on the first tour. The
solo piano re-working of ‘Independence Day’ has breathed new life into a classic
song while any version of ‘Secret of Life’ is welcome in my book, either
Gretchen’s slowed down original or Faith Hill’s punchy upbeat hit. Whenever ‘On
a Bus to St Cloud’ is played there is an overwhelming desire to close your eyes
and let this masterpiece majestically take you on a moving journey. An
interesting addition to this evening’s show was ‘When You Are Old’, which received
a nod of approval from many audience members.
Set list: Woman on the Wheel. The Matador. Dark Angel.
Guadalupe. Secret of Life. England Blues. Independence Day. Circus Girl.
Koblenz (Barry and Christine instrumental). Hello Cruel World. St Francis.
Return of the Grievous Angel. Five Minutes. Idlewild. On a Bus to St. Cloud. To
Say Goodbye. Encore: When You Are Old. Wild Horses