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Part two of our Level 42 weekend. We start way back in Row V but hot foot it to stage
left to stand about six rows from the front, ignoring the calls to return to our seats, from the most charming in-house usher personage.
The Cornex is not quite as cavernous as the Guildhall. Once again,
there’s a great crowd in the house.
You know Mike Lindup really does make a huge difference to the band’s live sound, especially on things like 'The Sun Goes Down', 'Starchild' and [the song of
tonight’s show] 'Kansas City Milkman'. How about more from Mike on the MC banter bits between songs?
The only real down side tonight is no ‘Love games’. Instead, we endure the unusual step of having to
listen to a brand new track as the first encore, very strange, very strange.
Sorry but ‘Sleep talkin’ has just got to be the poorest track on the new ‘Retroglide’ CD and certainly one of the worst
things to pick as an encore when you have such a massive back catalogue of sound songs to choose from!
I think most punters at these shows want to hear the old stuff more. Keeping it to one or two new songs
is probably OK but I fear you have to stay away from the encore slot.
It’s such a shame when you consider this Lindup-tweaked line-up is now so much stronger than the likes of the ‘Retroglide’ material.
Yet there is much here to be hugely encouraged about. Sean Freeman is the best saxman 42 have ever had. The depth of tone and perfect pitch you hear from Sean on 'Retroglide' is there in abundance in the
live situation.
What’s more, the band is really using the double lead thing so well, with Sean and Nathan combining more and more. It just adds to the tension on numbers like 'Hotwater' etc.
Cambridge edged it for me over Portsmouth although I would have loved to have heard ‘Love Games’ again at the end.
Set list:
Dive into the sun
To be with you again
Hot water
Rooted
World machine
Retroglide
Leaving me now
Kansas City Milkman
Starchild
The sun goes down
Running in the family
Lessons in love
Something about you
Encores
Sleep Talkin’
The Chinese Way
Level 42 official website
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