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Taking to the stage somewhat behind schedule, he took the audience through 25 years of Simply Red – it is hard to believe that their first big hit, Money’s Too Tight to Mention, reached number 13 in the UK charts as long ago as June 1985. This tour of 25 years of music which touches on jazz, blues and soul, was interspersed with plenty of audience interaction in which they took over singing verses of songs from albums including Picture Book and Stars - which sold more than two million copies in the UK, the biggest British seller in 1991 and 1992.

In appearance, Mick may have aged somewhat but his voice certainly hasn’t. He is as silky and soulful as ever and it is evident that he retains plenty of power in his voice as throughout his performance (during which he barely took a break) he held his microphone at some distance from his mouth.

The concert opened with Out on the Range from his Life album, after which he began to introduce the band members. The multi-national audience rocked, danced, clapped and sang along to a string of hits including Thrill Me, To Be With You, Your Mirror, For Your Babies and Holding Back the Years. It wasn’t long before those who had paid dearly for their seats were also on their feet, not to sit down again.

Simply Red continued to thrill the audience, taking time to talk to them in between, with songs including Come to My Aid, Do the Right Thing and Money’s Too Tight to Mention.

Cooling down with their 1995 number one hit Fairground followed by Ain’t That a Lot of Love, theoretically that was the end of the show. But they came back for a short encore with Something Got Me Started and the grand finale was If You Don’t Know Me By Now. A perfect ending to an excellent concert.

Year after year the organisation of these events improves with experience, however the main glitch this year was the fact that the tired audience wanted to go home and security personnel refused to open more than one exit for the majority of them to leave the precinct. Tempers began to flare when they were told they had to take the long way around. The parking and transport situation wasn’t all that had been promised either, but as with all things, lessons are learned by experience. With that in mind, surely the next big concert will be even better.

We know that this is the Farewell Tour, the end of Simply Red as a band and that Mick doesn’t want to tour any more. Understandable, 25 years is a long time. But will Mick Hucknall continue in the music business in some way on a solo basis, or will we lose that silky voice forever? That question remains unanswered, so for now at least, farewell Simply Red.

This article appears in the print edition 622 of Island Connections

Gallery: Farewell, Simply Red

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