The German summer tour 2005 was great, although it admittedly started a
bit lame (as it usually does). The first shows' program didn't seem to
be well thought out, due to a lack of preperation time I guess. The
song order was rather disadvantageous and the very few announcements
during the show seemed a bit "embryonic" and made the show impersonal.
However, all of those points were changed very soon, so that after one
or two weeks of daily performances the show developed to be one of the
greatest TTT shows ever.
The show's repertoire was, to a large extent, the same as the year
before. Some songs were added and so - of course - some (like
"Rawhide", "Love is in the air" or "Nessun Dorma") had to be taken out.
Furthermore the song order was changed and the lead vocals were shared
differently.
Although I couldn't find much amazing about the new songs (exception:
"The Boxer") when I first heard them, I now, with hindsight, must say
that all those new songs were great additions. Their rendition of "The
Boxer" makes me cry whenever I listen to it live (I'm very
emotional...). To hear those voices (especially Liam's, I have to say)
combined with that soulful arrangement is simply marvellous. (By the
way, this song was voted into The Ten Tenors' repertoire by the
audience. There was an online poll where you could choose between
different songs and the winning songs was to be performed during their
last year's US tour. Luckily that song remained in their program up to
now!)
Another highlight and in a way a huge surprise was the performance of
"Lady Marmelade". I have to say that I'm not very much into that song,
but when the boys sang it, even those silly text lines ("Giuchie
giuchie ya ya da da...") suddenly seemed interesting. Also great: Their
version of Bing Crosby's classic "Temptation". It was arranged in a
very mystical way that fits perfectly with those breathtaking lyrics
("I am yours, here is my heart, take it and say: I'm you're slave...")
The comedy parts of the evening were - as usual - extremely funny. The
first one was something I called "Educational Section". That one was to
introduce the following song, the Aussie Medley. Dom and Chendry taught
us about Australian lingo and what these phrases mean in "proper"
English (or in later shows: in German). And of course there were Shannon's Opera
faces (he showed us the facial expressions of opera singers from
different countries). It's nearly unbelievable what this guy can do
with his face.
Well, what else can be said. It's hard to decribe the stunning
atmosphere during their concerts, you'll have to go and experience it
yourself. It's all about having great fun - sometimes such a concert
even feels a tiny bit like holidays.
One last thing comes to my mind. During the first show I saw of that
tour (altogether I attended 4 concerts), David wasn't on stage. He
usually sings the lead vocals of "Bohemian Rhapsody", so during his
absence someone else had to do it. When I found out that Liam would
sing it instead, I was very sceptical. I really was in doubt that his
version would be any good. But well, he proved me wrong ... very wrong.
Literally my jaw dropped open when I heard him. (I've just realised
that I mentioned his name quite often in my reviews. But well, all in
all Liams voice for me was the most striking one last year.) I'm a tiny
bit sorry to know that he'll probably never do BohRhap again, unless
David is absent. Don't get me wrong, I love David's rendition, but I've
heard it so often during the last years, that I would really appreciate
a bit of variety every now and then.
Setlist (final version)
01. Di quella pira/Il Trovatore (Verdi)
02. Without a song
03. Lady Marmelade
04. Thunder Point
05. Temptation
06. Water
07. Destiny Lies
Educational Section
08. Australia Medley (Botany Bay, Moreton Bay, Old Palmer Song/Thousand Miles Away, Walzing Mathilda)
09. The Boxer
10. Largo al Factotum
interval
11. Beach Boys Medley (Wouldn't it be nice, Surfer Girl, Little Deuce
Coupe, Help Me Rhonda, Don't Worry Baby, I Get Around, God Only Knows,
California Girls, Good Vibrations, Fun Fun Fun, Surfin' USA, Barbara
Ann)
Opera Faces
12. Opera Medley (Questa o Quella/Rigoletto (Verdi), Non Piangere
Liu/Turandot (Puccini), Im Feuerstrom der Reben - Bruederlein und
Schwesterlein/Die Fledermaus (Strauss))
13. Cast in Stone
14. Sundance
15. Bohemian Rhapsody
16. Ralf-Siegel-Medley (Moskau, Theater, Der Papa wirds schon richten,
Fiesta Mexicana, Johnny Blue, Ein bißchen Frieden, Babicka, Ich traeume
mit offenen Augen von dir, Dann heirat doch dein Buero, Goodbye Mama,
Dschinghis Khan, Du kannst nicht immer siebzehn sein, Loreley, Moskau)
encores
17. Au fond du temple saint/Les Pêcheurs de Perles (Bizet)
18. In My Life
19. BeeGees Medley (You should be dancing, How deep is your Love, Night Fever, Stayin' Alive)
