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Rating: I didn't have high expectations for the Gerrard/Perry concert, but I was very curious to see them together since I had seen them separately: Perry in 1993 at the 13th Year Itch at the ICA in London to celebrate the 13th anniversary of the label and Gerrard for the presentation of her first solo album in 1995 at the Union Chapel, also in London. Undoubtedly, the duo made history and their albums are masterpieces, at least in my opinion up to "Into the Labyrinth" of 1993.
Let's talk about appearances first: Perry is now a gentleman who has aged gracefully, Gerrard resembled Jessica Lange coming out of a cosmetic surgery clinic with regal cheekbones and a smile (I was in the 8th row and I studied her, her wonderful forms).
Lisa's voice is still stunning, perfect. At 51, she can still surprise, unfortunately, the sound check was not done properly as it went into distortion when the Australian hit her high notes. Brendan had some lapses, but his warm and mature voice is as always. As performers in general, they were good. The concert repertoire was rather boring because the latest album "Anastasis" is truly unnecessary, dull, and compared to the 1984 one, it has old, monotonous, banal sounds (the reference to Middle Eastern music is really irritating, I'd rather listen to the Lebanese Fairouz).
I would have expected a wider tribute to the glorious pieces from a "reunion" tour, but they did very few, only five ("Ocean", "The Host of Seraphim", "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrave", "Rakim", and "Nierika"), Gerrard sang her terrible pieces from "Gladiator" and delighted us with "Sanvean" from her first solo CD.
The final gem was given to us by Brendan Perry covering once again his beloved Tim Buckley with "Song of the Syren" (in '84 splendidly re-proposed by This Mortal Coil/Liz Fraser) here too with a questionable arrangement, but great emotion.
The musicians, apart from the two excellent percussionists, were useless. In 2012, arrangements with synthesizers are unbearable, fake winds, fake violins, and little noises that perhaps worked at the end of the '80s, I would have left to Vangelis. A leap in style, and I say this with bitterness, would have been made by presenting themselves with an ensemble (string quartet, a couple of winds, and indeed the percussionists) rearranging even ten pieces. But unfortunately, I am not their producer. An audience full of nostalgics, some even dressed for Halloween/Carnival. But the world turns and moves forward and only the classics survive. Do I have to give a grade? Better not.
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