Paul Carrack live in Aschaffenburg 2003 – concert report

In recent years one grew accustomed to seeing Paul Carrack perform live both with the Mechanics and solo on stage. Since Paul’s band colleague Paul Young passed away the project around Mike Rutherford is sort of resting. This allowed Paul Carrack, who has taken up releasing albums on a regular basis, to promote his albums live, too. He did not only tour his home country of England but performed as often in German clubs and theatres.

Just in time for the release of his current album It Ain’t Over in May 2003 Paul played shows in a number of German places, amongst them Aschaffenburg on May 23. His band consisted of Paul Copley (keyboards / backing vocals), Dean Dukes (drums), John Robinson (guitar / backing vocals), Jeremy Meek (bass guitar) and Steve Beighton (saxophone / backing vocals).

The show began with two songs from the new album. Paul stood centre-stage, played the e-guitar and sang. This arrangement unknown from Mechanics concerts was the prevailing one during the evening. He usually could be seen with a Fender Telecaster or assorted acoustic guitars instead. Only rarely did he take his place at the Hammond organ (next to him) or sit down at the keyboard (right in front of the drum kit) – sitting at which he presented the Mechanics’ hit Silent Running. He then proceeded to play a fine selection from his recent solo albums and the almost obligatory hits by the Mechanics, Ace and Squeeze. The band’s performance was fine, though Dean Dukes and Jeremy Meek seemed a bit listless at times. Steve Beighton on the saxophone, Paul Copley on the keyboards and Paul Carrack himself showed how much they enjoyed playing. Paul Copley, incidentally, sang all the lead vocals of Some Kinda Love. Musical highlights were Better Than Nothing, Love Will Keep Us Alive, The Living Years (though the mood of the song was quite ruined by the audience clapping and singing along) and Tempted. The renditions of Silent Running and When You Walk In The Room were somewhat disappointing.

A typical Carrack groove dominated the evening. Quiet moments and ballads were rare, but few people in the audience will have missed them because they got the Paul Carrack they wanted. There are possibly not many people who know that he can do other things equally well (listen to him singing on Genesis Revisited, for example). But that kind of material is apparently not the style he goes for on his shows and records.

All in all, Paul did a good show with a fine selection of songs and a solid effort by the musicians. The circumstance that he did not play some of the songs from the new album one would have expected, e.g. Eyes Of Blue or She Lived Down The Street, did not leave us enjoying the show any less.

The setlist:

Just A Little Lie

Nothin’ To Lose

Silent Running

Another Cup Of Coffee

Better Than Nothing

Love Will Keep Us Alive

Satisfy My Soul

It Ain’t Over

Never Too Late

Where Did I Go Wrong

The Living Years

When You Walk In The Room

Harvest For The World

Some Kinda Love

How Long

—

Over My Shoulder

Dance To The Music

Groovin’

Tempted

by Helmut Janisch (also photos)

translated by Martin Klinkhardt