Last night I went to the Ramin Karimloo concert at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. What a fantastic show!
The concert included music and songs from musicals old and new and there was something to suit all ages. My husband and I took my mum, a 93rd birthday treat, my daughter and her friend. We all thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Ramin performed songs from South Pacific, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, “Why God, Why?”, Sunset Boulevard and many more than I can list here. He also sang songs from his new album which is due for release in January.
Ramin was joined on stage by The Manchester Concert Orchestra, Capital Voices – vocals, Celia Graham and Olivia Archbold (Britain's Got Talent).

The highlight of the show for me was performances from Phantom and Love Never Dies. Celia, Ramin's leading lady Christine Daae in the WE, sang “Love Never Dies” and duets “The Phantom of the Opera” and “All I ask of you” with Ramin. Ramin also sang “The music of the night” and “Till I hear you sing”. It was an amazing show. Ramin in many respects is like Lee, he has the ability to be completely focused and give a truly emotional portrayal of a character on stage. Last night Ramin brought Phantom back to life again.
Like Lee, Ramin is very generous with his time and was greeted by over a hundred enthusiastic fans at the stage door.

There are two more concerts in the tour Birmingham 29/10 and Southampton on 4/11 – a must for musical theatre fans.

Must throw in one last surprise of the evening which I never expected. As we left our seats and walked out an usher handed us a leaflet. I gave a little whoop of delight. It was the flyer for Lee's Love Concert at the B.H. Good to see the venue promoting Lee's future concert. Needless to say my tickets are already booked. Roll on February!!!

Thanks for that review Chris, it sounds good. Glad you all had a nice time.

Fantastic to hear about the flyer hand outs, its good to hear but it must have been quite a surprise for you
Did you know about Lee's concert before you were given the flyer?

I would so love to have seen one of Ramin's concerts, but it's not possible for various reasons. It sounds like you had a wonderful time, Chris.

Great news that they are handing out leaflets re Lee! Some decent publicity this time.

Thanks for the review Chris. It sounds like a great night!

Good to hear that the venue are on the ball and realise that musical theatre fans who have come to see Ramin may also be interested in seeing Lee . I hope tickets are selling well - it is a huge venue to fill!

By the way, Ramin's new album is already available for pre-order on Amazon although it isn't out until early January.

Sounds like a wonderful evening, thanks for your report Chris W.
It's also great news to hear that Lee's forthcoming concerts are getting some good publicity now too...

Thanks to everyone for your replies, I don't post very often and appreciate your comments.

I already knew about Lee's 2012 concert tour thanks to LMAS, Kirsten and Angel. Living in the North West, I booked seats for Manchester and Liverpool as soon as they came on sale and for the first time I have seats near the front of the stalls.

The Bridgewater Hall is a spectacular modern concert venue, purpose built for the Halle orchestra and has 3 resident orchestras. It is a beautiful concert hall with excellent acoustics and is very popular venue with lots of artists.

I was a lovely surprise to be handed a leaflet for Lee's concert - a perfect end to the evening. I think the flyers were handed out at the end of Ramin's concert because both Ramin and Lee are promoted by Raymond Gubby. There were RG posters all around the main entrance of the BH.

Sorry if I'm harping on too much but I would love Lee's first concert in Manchester to be a huge success.

Thanks Chris, the concert sounds lovely, I would like to have been to one of them but don't think one was held anywhere near where I live.

The Bridgewater Hall sounds brilliant. Pleased to hear they were giving out flyers for Lee's appearance there.

There were quite a few Lee fans at the concert on Saturday. I was there with Brenda and Suex, Sarah G was there with her husband, Ro and her friend were there and Ruth. There may have been others but I can't remember. As Chris said, the concert was amazing, for me the highlights were 'Bring him home' (got a standing ovation) and 'Till I hear you sing'.
Ramin stood signing and chatting till 11.45 and it was freezing.
We had a word with the manager and told him we want an inside signing for Lee .

When we got the programmes we noticed a familiar name in the orchestra credits 'keyboards Duncan Waugh'.
When the orchestra came on we gave Duncan a little wave (we were in row B). He waved back then shook his head and put his head in his hands.
We had a quick word with him outside afterwards while we were waiting for Ramin.

We had a photo taken with Ramin. I will post it if anyone is interested and if the others are ok with it.
All in all, it was a lovely night, with Lee's flyers being the icing on the cake.

Thanks for a great review Chris W.
I am going to the Ramin Concert in Birmingham with Vicki S & her husband and am looking forward to it even more now.
You have now given me another dilemma. I am on holiday when Lee comes to Birmingham but you make the Bridgewater Hall sound such a good venue I am wondering if I can manage to see Lee there. Tempting thought!
Ingrid. x

Ingrid,
Hope you have a wonderful evening at the concert in Birmingham.
Would love to read a review of the show.

If you are planning to book tickets for Lee's concert in Manchester and would like more information browse - Images – Bridgewater Hall Manchester to see photographs showing interior and exterior photos.

You can also access a seating plan of the hall – proceed as though buying tickets online (you are not committed to buying tickets).
From LMAS follow Manchester tickets – book tickets – continue – pick your own seats – choose section – photo previews – gives you photo view of the stage from different locations to help you choose your seats.

Hope this is helpful,
Chris W. x

Very helpful.
Thanks Chris.
Ingrid.x
P.S Will let you know how Ramin gets on in Birmingham.

Slightly off topic, but still Ramin - has everyone seen the rumours that Ramin is to take over from Alfie as Jean Valjean in Les Mis?!?!

Yep, confirmed - Ramin will play JVJ from 29th November to 3rd March.

Thanks for a wonderful review Chris W. You brought it alive for us. Sorry to be so late thanking you but I have been off line for a while. I went to his Colston Hall Concert in Bristol with a friend on Oct 13th and it was fabulous. What a voice he has !!
He will make an amazing JVJ in Les Mis. His "Bring Him Home" was indeed spine tingling.
Could I ask you if he sang "The Peoples Song" from Les Mis all the way through in Manchester? In Bristol it was the closing song before the interval and he explained he had played Enjolas in the Winsor Castle production in front of the Queen and the French President and because he is Canadian they assumed he could speak French. He said he couldn't and had learnt the words in French specially for that production. He then started to sing the stirring first verse "Do you hear the people sing etc" in beautiful French and I nearly slid of my seat. I could feel myself about to cry as it was so moving. Then, after the first verse, he suddenly turned and walked into the wings and the three vocalists behind him carried on with the rest of the song ?? If Ramin had sung the whole thing through I don't think the Colston Hall would have survived the reception he would have got from the audience. He would have really brought the house down. I just wondered if something happened to him and if he sang it all through at other venues.
Thanks again Chris. Hope to meet up with you again on the Love Tour. Last time we had a chat was in Leeds last year

Thanks for you review Sue C.
Your post has brought back lots of memories of the concert last week. Just checked my programme and I think Ramin sang “Bring Him Home” instead of “Stars”. He was amazing and got a standing ovation.
Ramin introduced “The People's Song” in the way you describe and joked about being unable to speak French. He then said the song would not be complete without a choir and asked the audience to join in (just like we all do for Lee in ADWD!) He sang the opening verse in French – I totally agree it was spine tingling. He then continued in English with support from the Capital Voices with the audience joining in the chorus – a wonderful experience and a dramatic way to end the first half.
Fantastic to hear Ramin has agreed to play JVJ in the WE. He has tweeted how thrilled he is and is working on tour dates for 2012. Wouldn't it be amazing if Lee was Marius in the same production?

Aaaah, thanks Chris. Gosh, that must have been fabulous. Once he had left the stage in Bristol, after the first verse, the song fell a bit flat. We all sort of trouped out to get our interval drinks muttering "why didn't he sing it all through" Maybe as it was his first night of the tour they have tweeked things now and realised his huge power with that amazing song.
Nobody joined in, I remember gazing at the wings, really willing him to walk back on waving the huge red flag and then hearing his voice rising above everyone in the last chorus. We would all have been up on our feet waving scarves, hankies, anything to hand .
Lee as Marius would be heart stopping. I have seen Anthony Hanson {ex ADWD) several times as Marius at The Queens and he was awesome. Very grown up since ADWD, he acted his socks off and his voice is now very powerful. He is also a charming, very friendly guy who hugs a lot....

The thought of Lee as JVJ is almost too much to contemplate. Just the idea of it is making me feel very shaky

At his concert in Dublin earlier this year, Lee said that he had auditioned for Marius (in his pre-Joseph days I think) and that he had got as far as the last two but, in the end, the other guy was cast. He said that he would have loved to have played Marius but (sadly) he is now too old!

Think of it this way, if he had gotten Marius he might not have auditioned for ADWD and then we would have never seen him on tv.

Oooh! Graziellla 'perish that thought'...

We would have missed all those lovely piccies, that fabulous voice, 'Lord Arthur!' the Musicals and concerts, two albums (with more to come) The wonderful signings...'Stage Dooring'
Meeting so many wonderful people, making lots of new friends, at a time in life when some of us, would never have believed it could happen...
A superb, dedicated Website and 'Forum' (thanks to Donna and Kirsten) to share our thoughts on, and much much more...
Plus the best thing of all...the chance to follow the career of one really talented guy...
'Our Gorgeous Lee'...

Phew!...what would we have done without him???...

And so say all of us CL. Couldn't have put it better.

Hi Chris, and anyone else interested, as promised commemts on Ramin's performance in Birmingham. He was very well received and it was a fabulous evening.
The programme was much the same as you described it. He included "The Impossible Dream" this time. Sang all of "Do You Hear the People Sing" with very enthusiastic audience participation."Music of the Night" was sung as his encore. For me he was at his best singing songs from "Sunset Boulevard" "Miss Saigon" "Phantom" "Love Never Dies" and of course "Les Miserables". I also enjoyed "Buddy can you spare a Dime" a song I remember from childhood.
Celia Graham was good as his special guest and the Welsh Concert Orchestra was superb.
As I said before a fabulous evening but in the words of Brucie "Lee is still my favourite"
Ingrid. x
P.S Thanks to Vicki for organising tickets.

Haha Ingrid - you got in first. Ingrid & I first heard and saw Ramin at a concert in Wolverhampton several years ago. We waited at the stage door to say how much we had enjoyed the concert and in appreciation of the West End stars who gave up their Sunday evening to come up from the West End. Daniel Boyes and Kerry Ellis were also on stage. We were so impressed, we rushed to book a matinee of Phantom at a matinee performance prior to seeing Lee in Joseph. Much to our disappointment, Ramin did not sing the role that afternoon. Last July I finally managed to see Ramin in Love Never Dies with Celia Graham and again found him charming and modest, much like his friend Lee. As soon as I knew he was coming to Symphony Hall I booked tickets (especially in honour of my daughter-in-laws birthday) and 5 of us thoroughly enjoyed the concert. There was an excellent variety of music including orchestral pieces. I must say that a really good orchestra helps. My husband & I were not keen on the young singer from Britain's Got Talent, mostly because of her choice of song. Everything else was fabulous. Ramin is going into Les Miserables within a month. I feel disappointed for him that his expected reprise of the Phantom role in the States has come to nothing. I love Lee of course but Ramin is certainly up there with him. I have booked to see Lee at Symphony Hall next February but first it will be John Barrowman in a fortnight.

Hi Ingrid And Vicki
Lovely to hear that you both had a wonderful evening in Birmingham. Ramin has a fantastic voice and an amazing stage presence. I have just been watching him in the DVD of the 25th Anniversary concert of Les Mis. I would love to see him in the role Of JVJ.
I agree with you Vicki, Ramin is charming and modest just like Lee. They are both happy to make time for their fans.
Chris.