Over the years there have been many great concept albums released from the seminal 2112 by Rush, Queensrÿche’s Operation: Mindcrime, and Scenes From A Memory by Dream Theater, along with the musical milestones Tommy by The Who and Pink Floyd’s The Wall and all deserve their elevated status in the echelons of the musical hierarchy. One concept album that sits proudly amongst the very best is Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds.
The War of the Worlds was an album that kick-started many an aficionado’s love affair with music and was featured in many record collections throughout the world, becoming one of the biggest selling albums of all time. Who could fail to be awestruck by the iconic artwork that adorned the sumptuous gatefold sleeve and across the stunning booklet that accompanied the album or the breathtaking tale of a Martian invasion inspired by the H G Wells novel of the same name as told so intensely by the legendary Richard Burton or the dramatic, bombastic music and stellar cast that included Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy and The Moody Blue’s Justin Hayward.
Fast forward almost 30 years and 2006 saw The War of The Worlds hit UK arenas for a sell out tour that was followed quickly by some shows in Australia. Due to the phenomenal success of the live shows, a second UK tour was booked for the end of 2007 and these too quickly sold out.
Putting on such a show, which would meet peoples expectations and pay due respect to the legacy built up over the years was always going to be a real challenge, but Jeff Wayne succeeded greatly on all fronts. Musically, the performance is immense. Featuring a 46-piece orchestra and the Black Smoke Band, a 10-piece Rock band featuring Chris Spedding (original Sex Pistols demos producer) on guitar and Herbie Flowers (writer of the iconic Lou Reed “Walk on the Wild Side” bass line) on bass, both of whom appeared on the original album, ensures that the grandiose nature of the album is reproduced live to perfection. From the bombastic “Eve Of War,” to the touching “Forever Autumn” and the impassioned “Spirit Of Man” to the stirring “Brave New World” through to the climax of “Dead London” the show never wavered in its intensity.
The surround sound set up around the Arena ensures that the audience is right in the thick of the action. In fact, the sound throughout is absolutely spot on with the clarity so clear that even the harp played by the delightful Julia Thornton is balanced perfectly in the mix.
The performances of the guest singers too were impressive with Justin Hayward and Chris Thompson from Manfred Mann’s Earth Band reprising the roles they performed on the original album with great passion. Alexis James excelled as the Artillery Man and has certainly made the part played by David Essex on the album his own. Sinead Quinn’s beautiful voice soothed and pleaded in direct contrast to John Payne’s anguished, manic cries for the salvation of mankind. John Payne, who spent 16 years fronting Asia until their recent reunion, played Parson Nathaniel, originally performed by Phil Lynott, and successfully brought that Rock edge back to the part after Russell Watson’s more operatic take in last years live shows.
Visually the show is a revelation and keeps the audience riveted to the stage. A 100-foot cinema screen shows stunning CGI graphics of the monstrous Martian invasion as the lights and smoke effects create the illusion of a world under attack. As the attack builds up to a searing climax, a 3 ton, 30-foot fully animated Martian descends from the lighting rig firing its heat ray across the Arena. Throughout the show a hologram of Richard Burton narrates the terrific tale in his own inimitable fashion and interacts with proceedings on the stage. Absolutely spectacular stuff.
At the centre of it all, Jeff Wayne, the creator of the music and the stage production directing proceedings from his rostrum looking like he’s having the time of his life and rightly so, as the performance is a resounding success, building on the previous tours strengths and creating a show even better last years.
There have been some great tours in 2007 with Rush, Heaven and Hell, and Alice Cooper amongst a fine list of acts gracing the halls up and down the UK… and tonight a rousing standing ovation was testament to a show right up there with the very best of them with a mix of drama, passion and excitement that was musically and visually sensational. With the possibility of shows in Europe and The States in 2008, this is one tour that must not be missed.
For more on The War of the Worlds, visit The War of the Worlds Official Web site.
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