Phil Collins
The First Final Farewell Tour
Dubai Autodrome
10th November 2005
Regular Standing Tickets Dhs 155
Vas
The Autodrome is a multi-purpose motor sports complex which was adapted to provide an ideal setting for some 15,000 spectators to watch Phil Collins perform one of the biggest concert in the Middle East. The open air concert was equipped with state-of-the-art audio, video and lighting support and was pretty impressive.
Phil Collins requires little introduction, originally the drummer for rock band Genesis whom he stayed with for an amazing 25 years and then moved on in 1995 to become a phenomenal success as a solo Artist, making a string of multi-million selling solo albums and even starring in a few movies, most notably Buster.
I’m not really a Phil Collins fan but new to Dubai I thought I had to go as it was billed as one of the Dubai key events of 1995. Phil managed to say hello to the crowd in Arabic and occasionally referred to the location but other than that his interaction with the crowd was minimal and he banged out his hit songs 'Can't Stop Loving You, In The Air Tonight, You Can't Hurry Love, Two Hearts, Sussido and Easy Lover' with gusto but perhaps too perfectly.
It all seemed a bit too rehearsed for me although the crowd loved it and reviews in the local papers the next day were congratulatory and positive. I did enjoy the concert. It was my first concert in Dubai and was heartening to see the crowd was made up of not just the British expatriates but of all Dubai residents.
It was also great to know that the UAE can pull in artistes of the very top rank, sell out their shows and provide a very high standard of audio, video and lighting technology to make the event a success.
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams World Tour 2006
Aviation Club 14th March 2006
Standing Seats Dhs195
Vas
Bryan Adams obviously loves Dubai, he came here in 1999 and played at the very same venue. The Aviation Club is where the Dubai Tennis Championship tournament is hosted each year. The stage was actually set up on the centre court and the crowd could either sit in the stadium seats or stand on the other half of the tennis court.
Canadian Bryan Adams has been around as a singer/songwriter for some time but he wasn’t an automatic success. His third US album release in 1983, Cuts Like a Knife, put him on the road to success and he has never looked back. He treated the audience to wonderful renditions of his hits, Have You Really Ever Loved a Woman, Summer of 69, Cuts Like a Knife, The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You and a very sweet version of Heaven.
He chatted away at ease with the crowd and even dragged a beautiful Lebanese woman from the audience to sing a duet with him. She had an awful voice, didn’t know the words but jumped and wriggled much to the delight of the crowd and Bryan who was most amused at his random choice!
After an exhausting set, Bryan was kind enough to brave the desert heat to do two encores for the fans. He finished the evening with his biggest hits Everything I Do - I Do For You and Please Forgive Me What I loved about this concert was that it was really easy to get a beer, the atmosphere was wonderful and cosy and Bryan didn’t sign or play a wrong note all night.
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