I'm sure most of you will have seen via Facebook and Twitter that there will be another Lee concert, in Cardiff, on 4th May - which is a Bank Holiday weekend!

Details of priority booking on FB.

From his tweets, it would seem that there will be more to come, in case people can't make this one.

Yay!...More concerts
Thank you so much Mr Mead how wonderful...

Also thanks for the 'info' A/Liz

More concerts is always good news!

And this one being in Cardiff should be very convenient for Lee - he'll be able to get a good night's sleep before getting back to the 'day job' on Monday morning!

Oh, forget it, can't be bothered....
(Unable to keep up indifferent pose any longer, starts jumping up and down.) Where's the hotel guide? Where's that station guide? Yee hah!

Checked rail, checked hotels, it's a bank holiday weekend and it's pay day weekend. I can go!!

Just had a second lot of identical tickets for Cardiff pop through the letter box. What???!!! Has this happened to anyone else? Think I will take both with me on the day to be on the safe side!

Yes, Cassie, I've just come home to a similar envelope, with identical tickets! I'll give them a ring in the morning, but I'm sure there's no problem.

The Box Office staff must be getting a little over-enthusiastic! Still, better two sets of tickets than no tickets

Looking forward to Cardiff. Thought we'd make a long weekend of it and visit the Dr Who experience as well.

Now that's an idea for Saturday. Thanks!

For anyone who is interested in going to the Cardiff concert on 4 May but hasn't organised tickets yet, here's a competition for you!!!

http://www.buzzmag.co.uk/uncategorized/lee-mead-tickets-competition/

Closes Friday 25 April

For anyone who hasn't been on FB or Twitter tonight, it has been announced that Lee's guest at the Cardiff concert is non other than Keith Jack! As they have pointed out, it's seven years since they last sang together in the final of ADWD!

I've seen Keith a couple of times, in Sincerely Mr Toad (he was excellent in this) and HMS Pinafore, so I'm looking forward to seeing him 'solo' as it were.

So pleased to see this, hope to get a chance to talk to Keith and Lee after the show.

Fun weekend ahead for some lucky ones among us - can't wait to hear all about it!

Have a fabulous time at Lees concert Sunday all who are going pass on our love to him
If any ones not Mead Mushed ha ha hLuv Mazzax

Hopefully there will be some pics and reports from tonight's concert when attendees get a chance but, in the meantime, it's nice to see this pic tweeted by Keith before the show:

https://twitter.com/keithjack/status/462996278918803456/photo/1

We're still (not so) patiently waiting for reviews, but in the meantime, Coofy New has allowed us to post her photos on the home page. Very lovely.

homepage

I'll start the ball rolling with a brief review, hopefully others who are better at this sort of thing than i am, will elaborate.

The Sherman Cymru is a lovely venue with an open and airy foyer, attractive lighting, plenty of seating and a bar serving drinks and snacks. The auditorium is just like an amphitheatre, the seating banked around in a sort of semi-circle around the stage so everyone has an uninterrupted view.

Show was late starting by about 10 mins due to some technical issues. Then Will played the opening bars of Pure Imagination and there, accompanied by huge applause, was Lee. He wore a grey suit, white shirt, dark tie and brown shoes. He joked that he needed a new suit (the trousers were rather ummm... taut!)and the jacket button rather straining across that sublime chest, as he had put on weight while in Casualty due to not having time to go to the gym. I think he looks great at the moment, he did look so thin for a while. Also his hair was a bit longer and looked lush.

Close Every Door came next, then I think Singing in the Rain, he did some really good Gene Kelly type dance moves to this with great approval from the audience.

I really can't remember the order of songs now, but they included, Dancing through Life, Fix You, Some Enchanted Evening, Kiss, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, The Way you Look Tonight , Father and Son, Bring Him Home, Music of the Night, Hallelujah, Here Comes the Sun. He duetted Luck be a Lady with Keith and they had great fun doing this. The real surprise was when he introduced Amanda Henderson (Robyn in Casualty) and they sang As Long as You're Mine. She has a beautiful voice which matched Lee's perfectly. I think she had a small part in the Les Mis film - I need to research this.

Keith sang Moondance, This is the Moment and You Raise me Up but - I wish he had polished his shoes!!! He and Lee obviously have fun together.

Lee mentioned Betsy and her birthday treat in LEGOLAND and how much he had enjoyed it. He also told us that he was considered for the role of Raoul in Love Never Dies, I hadn't heard that before. Mention was also made of his next album of MGM musicals songs.

Post Meady tiredness has kicked in again and my mind has gone blank. I had a busy weekend as on Saturday night the family went to see my grandson in his play in a small theatre workshop in London (very proud Gran), so late nights, much wine, early risings, and weary travels have caught up.

I hope Coofy and/or Toni will do a review, they are so good at remembering detail

Thanks for that great review Ruthie. I think you told us everything we were waiting to hear - including what he was wearing. Very descriptive!!!

Great review, Ruthie! Thanks for sharing!

Interesting that you should mention Keith's shoes. I noticed their lack of shine as well but wasn't it a great evening?
I was with my daughter and we got chatting to a couple of glamorous ladies at the end of the show. They turned out to be Casualty actors who had come to show support for Lee and both said what a nice person he was.

Thanks for that review Ruthie, I like your descriptions.

I loved it. The seating was superb for an excellent view. I was in the centre of row C, at Lee's eye level and still very close (way closer that row A at Cheltenham last year). Lee did comment on how close we all were in his jokey way.

His voice was beautiful, so clear and so soft in the places that needed it.
LOVED the tight trousers and I could clearly see that they were tight!! The jacket was the one with a black lining on one side and the red lining on the other. It was nice to hear CED again, I haven't heard it for a while. As he was singing he clenched his fists in places(arms down by his sides)similar to the way he sang it in the rehearsals for Joseph.

He was very cheeky. He did a funny impression of nobody in particular but joking about himself in a funny voice. Some lovely tap dancing too, after singing in the rain, I think he may have practiced that! A long Wicked dance after Dancing through life too!(without the mic). Very enjoyable :)

He was very happy and jokey and at one point mentioned the fans being all the same faces at every show (pointing) and asked where everyone had come from. Two or three other countries were mentioned including Holland which he always seems to enjoy.
There was lots of laughing. Both of his guests both said at different times that they laughed whenever they looked at Lee's face, LOL I don't know if he should take that as a compliment or not

Lee told a funny story about Chris Martin from Coldplay, it was the sequel to the exercise bicycle story! It involved showers and towels and Chris spoke to him this time having recognised him. Lee kicked himself for his reply about band sizes. So funny!

He also joked about his weight saying that he might go back to Wicked as a 'large' Fiyero and also about being in make-up with Amanda (Henderson) at 7am after a night out! .

The duet of As Long as you're mine with Amanda was wonderful, she has an amazing voice. She looked lovely in a flowing long black dress (slightly Elphaba like) and did so well even though she was apparently really nervous. They got a massive applause after the song which was lovely for them. And just after Lee gave her the lovliest brotherly hug and then kissed her on the head and then again on the cheek. He commented that they had become really good friends as they work closely together on set.

Keith did well too. I agree about the shoes! He told a touching story about his granddad who had passed away when he was younger and Keith had stopped singing for about two years afterwards as he just didn't want to any more. One of his family had encouraged him to have a go at a karaoke evening and You Raise Me Up was that song he chose. At the end of the song last night, he lost his grip and the emotions took over and he only just managed to finish the last few words. I felt for him but it was quite nice also.
He has a louder voice than Lee, almost operatic and some parts of songs I wasn't as keen on but I liked his interaction with Lee. His mic stand kept falling down and didn't seem to want to stay up before one of the songs he sang and Lee came briefly back onto the stage and made some funny gestures from the side. It was funny to watch.

Many thanks to Coofy New for the photos and to Ruthie and Jazzylou for the reviews. It sounds as though the 2014 tour got off to a great start!

Going back to the tight trousers he stood sideways at one point and lifted his jacket to show us his tummy and ask our opinion as to if we thought he'd put on weight!!! He said that if the trousers got any tighter that they would have to come off and the technicoloured loin cloth would have to come out!!

In part two he came on stage without the jacket to cheers and whistles but the tie stayed on. He was quite posery in places, a slightly different side to him than we have seen before. He assumed an interesting pose when talking about being Prince Charming in panto

He and Keith duetted Luck be a lady which was pretty good. Keith came on just after the beginning of the song. They did a similar sideways dance to the one that Lee had done with Stephen had done at the Hippodrome (see my vid at the front).

Lee did also mention something about the new album and tour next year, can anyone remember more detail on that?

Bring him home was spellbinding (for me it has further emotional links) and I just sat motionless with eyes glued to him sitting on the stool. No words can really describe how good it was!
It was lovely to hear Collide again too.
Being Alive is just so amazing. The impression I get when he sings it is that he is directly emotionally linked to the song, as if its his story. He sings it with such passion and conviction.

Then it was time to go

Richard Winsor (Caleb) and George Rainsford (Ethan) were there as his friends with their girlfriends and I gather a few other cast members too. I liked the way they enjoyed a drink at the bar with everyone around them before and after the show I did sneak a photo with them and Coofy New outside the theatre before the show. I'm just trying to upload it to PB.

Having enjoyed the sights and sounds of a warm and sunny Cardiff Bay over lunch and a taxi ride too and from the Red Dragon centre for the show, I had a really fantastic time in Cardiff

Sorry for the blurry one of Lee. THAT was my best photo of the night!! I think the camera was Meadmushed as well!

Great review, Jazzy! Sounds like a fab evening!

Ooh, and pics!

Glad you liked it.

Lee didn't see any of us after the show this time as we were told he had to go off and sing at someone's wedding (a bit late!) I hope they had a fun evening.

I've just hit a wall. I didn't go to bed until 2am and I was awake at 6! I think its time for some zzz

Thanks for the Great reviews ladies! So glad you all enjoyed the concert!

Thanks very much for staying up so late to bring us your reviews Jazzy & for the photos. Hope you've caught up with your sleep now.
Thaks Coofy for your gorgeous photos too.

Fantastic reviews Ruthie and Jazzy. I don't think there is anything to add except to say I loved it and haven't laughed quite so much at one of Lee's concerts before. He was on very good form. I loved the venue too. What a wonderful day!

Whheeeeeeeee. didn't see these reviews and pics and just posted mine on a separate thread, sorry. So lovely to relive through other peoples eyes. Jazzy I think Lee said he has been asked frequently for an album of muciscal numbers so he is goign to do one of MGM numbers and that he wil be looking for bigger venues than this current tour as he will have a full brass section.

I agree about Keith-he certainly can perform . He has a very large, more operatic voice but there was something quite 'twitchy' about his singing that disturbed me. And you can see the effort he puts in -it shows across his eyes which go red as he strains. Sometimes less is more, which Lee showed so elegantly on Sunday. Sorry Keith fans. each to their own.

Ha- just remembered when he was asking where people were from and someone said 'Holland', Lee said
' How do you say hello in Holland?... I mean Dutch'
and they replied
'er..., just hello' .
Lee pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head . Was it at this point that he also said ' Shut up Lee!' . I remember him saying it but can't remember what it was for!

Awwww- also just remembered him saying that with the big record companies ''unless you sell loads of records you get dropped....and I got dropped'' Bless him.

''I did sell 100,000 of my first album...but not so many of my second''

How many people would be humble enough to stand in front of an audience and discuss that? I love his humility and his honesty. If ever there was an 'anti-diva' , Lee is it.

Jazzy- did his tie stay on in the second half?? I think I may have been distracted by what was either side of the tie then, cos once the jacket was off I was sure the tie was too. Maybe the tie just faded into the background given the promincence of other things

Ah thanks Toni, yes that was it about the brass section and the bigger venues that I remember him mentioning.
Thanks for the reminder about the 'Holland' thing, I can remember that.
And I agree wholly about his honesty about the CD, its the first time he mentioned that too. I discussed it with Coofy on the drive home.

Thanks Lynne, I hadn't realised it was that late, its the adrenaline high that I always get after concerts. Was ok this morning but now i've hit another wall and feel like sleeping at my desk....only problem is that I'm seeing Miss Saigon tonight, another late one!! Very excited about it though.

Oh and the tie? That pic of mine was taken for ADWD right at the end and the tie was still firmly in place so I think he wore it all the way through.

Thanks ladies for your lovely reviews, love to hear all about the little details.

Thanks everyone for the lovely reviews photo's etc so lovely when you can't get there,so glad you all had a brilliant night

I have read all the review and cannot think of anything else to add to be honest. It was a great concert in a very nice setting. It was lovely to see Keith again and my has he grown up a lot since ADWD. I'm pleased he too has found a way to succeed in the career he loves. Amanda was a great surprise. She sang beautifully and looked very pretty. She and Lee clearly have a very comfortable friendship.
We made a long weekend of it as we had never visited Cardiff before. I was pleasantly surprised, it is a nice place. Mermaid Wharf is great with lots of restaurants and coffee shops, and we did catch sight of George Rainsford there having coffee on Saturday morning.
We are both Dr Who and Torchwood fans so we recognised a lot of that area, and it didn't take much persuading to go to the Dr Who exhibition, which was great fun. For fans of the show it is to be recommended.
It is only a few minutes from the BBC studios where Casualty is filmed and I can quite understand why Lee enjoys working there in such pleasant surroundings. I think he said he has a flat overlooking the bay and walks to work in the mornings. I envy him that, walking to work along Cardiff Bay must be lovely on a warm sunny morning. A much more relaxing work enviroment than London I should think.
(And for those who like shopping, they have a massive shopping centre close by!)
When my husband got us a coffee at the Dr Who exhibition, the lady running the coffee shop happened to say she also worked at the BBC studios. When he mentioned we were seeing Lee the following evening she kept saying what a lovely guy he was. I know we all know that, but it is nice to hear others say it.

Thank you for your review, ladies. I was there too, but can't add anything more constructive, I'm afraid - from where I was sitting, Meadmush set in at a very early stage! The whole concert was such great fun! I loved the way both Keith and Amanda said Lee made them laugh, and it was great to see Lee so happy and bouncy.

The two Casualty docs scrub up well in the flesh, don't they? We didn't speak to them, but admired them from a (close) distance!

They were certainly very easy on the eye A/L. In a non curly way of course.They were very generous with their time for people in the bar who requested photos.

Keith was also in the bar early on, talking to who I assume was his girlfriend and her parents. He was holding a box of noodles which looked like he'd just been eating , and then gave her a kiss and said he'd see them after the show. She had noodles too!I wouldn't have recognised him under the beard and wavy hair, but his scottish lilt gave him away , and I then recognised his smile. He's still only a young pup- he must have been as green as you like in ADWD, all credit to him.

Thanks for the great reviews, the evening was like a blur to me, so its great to relive all the moments!

Thank you Ladies for all your reviews. It was a brilliant evening wasn't it and it was lovely to see Lee so happy.

Thank you ladies for your lovely reviews, and pics...
Such a fabulous evening...

I agree AnnieB, Lee was certainly in a 'good place' on Sunday night.
So happy, so relaxed and very funny in places as well.
Just loved his little 'tap dance' routine too.
More of that please Mr Mead.

It sounds as though everyone had a wonderful evening.
Thank you for your lovely reviews and the photos.

Lovely reviews, everyone - thank you soooooo much!

After reading what Keith said about his granddad and YRMU (Jazzy's review) - it explains his reaction when Lee was chosen for the duet with Josh Groban, doesn't it? Not so much spoiled-little-boy sour grapes (which is how it came across) as disappointment in light of how much the song meant to him. Makes much more sense now - at least to me.

Doesn't change the fact that Josh would have been crazy to choose any of the other boys to sing with, of course.

I've mentioned this before but I think the 3 guys who weren't chosen to sing with Josh Groban were in a difficult position. If they'd just shrugged it off it would have looked like 'oh well it's only Josh Groban' so they needed to show a little disappointment there - maybe Keith just went a bit over the top at the time, he was very young after all.

That's a very interesting point Lin, I had not thought about that. Keith must have been gutted at the time.

Yes, that's a good point. Editing also played a part - TV talent shows are notorious for that, and the Josh Groban VT was a classic example.