And so the long-awaited tour finally begins! Judging from what we saw and heard at the Pheasantry, this is going to be a wonderful concert.

Who's going?

Hmm, well, I seem to have a piece of card in my purse that says "ticket" ....

Have a great evening A Liz & everyone going tonight!

Have great time all who are off to lees first concert tour enjoy and smash it lee as they say luv Mazzax

Vicki & I off to catch train any minute now. Husbands minding houses!
So excited about my first Lee concert in ages.

Hope everyone has a fab time!

There have been a few lovely tweets so far to Lee about his concert tonight,
so hopefully there will be lots more. Apparently Chris Norton posted a
lovely photo of him and Lee tonight but his twitter page is a locked
one so only people that follow him on twitter can see it. I was wondering
if anyone here who are on twitter could put a link to it, that would be great.

I think this is the photo Maggiemay - it seems to show up OK for me even though I don't have a Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/ChrisNorton17/status/622828359358267392

Good to see from the tweets so far that tonight's concert seems to have gone well

Thanks Greycat, I have just looked at Chris Norton's twitter page and
he has now unlocked it so it is not protected any more.

There is an absolutely gorgeous photo of Lee taken outside the stage
door posted on twitter by @Adele_Hollis Could you please do the
honours again Greycat and post a link. Thank you

Here we go:-

LINKY THING

Very nice!

Thanks Jo.

Maggiemay I have to ask you, since you like people to post twitter links on the forum. Is it because you do not know how to download the picture? Because the links are always posted here not the actual pictures. If its to have the picture simply right click on the picture and hit save image as. And its in your computer.

Hi Graziella, yes I have no idea how to post a link to a photo,
when I come across a photo of Lee and it hasn't been posted on the forum
I like to put the information on the forum as I thought people might
like to see it. Thank you for the information regarding saving a photo,
I will have a go.

I hope we will have some reviews coming in soon. Here is a very good one tweeted by Scott Matthewman which hopefully will get others started.

MusicalTheatreReview

Hope I can do justice to what was a truly "Enchanted" evening.

We had a lvely clear and sunny run up to Bedwoth and some easy parking which got things off to a good start.

Passed the stage door which was open and could hear the sound of rehersal which added to the excitment. Went to the only place we found that was open and found quit a few "Meady fans " already there.

Now for the show, We were in Row B and near the middle which gave us good view.
Lee arrived on stage wearing a very smart new suit which he informed us was new ! He was a little hesitant wit the first song but soon got ito his stride.
I ws not sure about the limited apeal of "old" musical songs but he deliveres them with such feeling you cant help loving them made me feel quite young as most of them were older than me !!!!!!!!
He spoke of his connection with each song and certanly drew you in to each story, telling how sad he had been about the break up of his marriage and his joy f his little daughter. He sang a couple of songs more recent one of which "Lullaby" breaks your heart.
His guest Amanda (wearing a lovely gown) sang a couple of songs including "Somewhere over the Rainbow" which I liked much better the way she sang it this time rather than the Eva Cassidy version she did at the last gig.
Also Norton ames who was Little John at Plymouth sang a upbeat number sorry for thelife of me the names have gone out of my hea tonight but I expect some of the more articulate members will make a better job of a review later !!
It finished all o soon and we made our way to the stage and after aquite short time Lee apeared weraing a white T shirt and Jeans which he looked lush in !!
Managed to get a word in and he gave me a kiss and some smome lovely things about my loss which I will keep close to me. Such a lovely man.
Will finish here as I am not very good at this. Hope to see some pictures soon I was unable to take any as my grandson had been takingpictures of Sand!!1 whith my camera and I had no time to sort it out.

Thanks Maggie, much appreciated. Pleased you managed to have a chat with
Lee.

Nice review, Maggie.

Thanks for the review Maggie - glad you had a lovely evening and managed to get a few words with the man himself

Thank you for that review, Maggie.

We have featured another experience of the night on the website - be sure and check it out:

Bedworth

And I hope we have many more shared here - they are vital to those of us unable to be there! Ta!

Thanks Lin, good choice putting JaneW's lovely review on the 'front' page, she always comes over as a nice girl, so funny about her friends not being Lee fans, umm

I'm not sure how to go about this, as it's not so much a review as a diary of the day. Firstly, though, I have to say this is me, and me only ....

The magic of the Pheasantry never seemed to take off for me, probably because we had a bad start to the day (our first train cancelled, so stuck at my home station for nearly an hour), plus I had been suffering with backache for several weeks on and off, which seemed to culminate on Sunday morning (not that I'm playing the disabled card, though, far from it, if I could drag a suitcase and myself to Bedworth, then I would!). Anyway, we arrived at Euston in time to rush to chemist (for stuff for my back ), the ladies, buy food and coffee, then dash for the Coventry train. We were staying in Coventry, taking taxis to and from Bedworth - which was a little less eventful than our last visit, where AnnieB had to sit on the floor of the cab and duck every time we saw a policeman, as there were 5 of us in a 4 seater taxi! It could only happen to us ....

Now, the concert. As you know, I could listen to Lee sing the telephone directory .... and here is the hard bit .... I'm just not keen on the new songs. It's nothing to do with Lee, and I feel bad saying it because I know how much he loves them, and he sings them beautifully, but I have never liked those type of songs and never will, I find them bland and boring and I can't even remember their names. I guessed I would feel this way before the tour started as they're just not my cup of tea, so I'm not going to be sychophantic and say I adored them, just because it's Lee, when I didn't. I'm a fan of the big showstoppers, full of emotion, power, angst etc etc, which show his voice off to its absolute best and really wish he'd put some of those back in. I feel that someone seeing Lee for the first time wouldn't see how good he really can be. I don't dislike all of them, I love 'Feeling Good', 'Luck be a Lady', 'One for my Baby', and I love the new ones which are NOT from the MGM era ('All of Me', 'Lullaby' and 'Beginning to Breathe Again', which he sang at the Pheasantry but not at Bedworth), and I love Lee .... and I'm still happy to go to as much of the tour as I possibly can!

Amanda had two lovely new long dresses for the occasion, the first being green with a beautiful sparkly embroidered top, and the second a lovely rich red. She and Lee did a great duet, where each sang a different song (together), then it all came together at the end. Very clever.

After the show, Lee spent a long time at the stage door, signing and having pictures taken with just about everyone who wanted them, then drove off in convoy with Amanda and Chris Norton/Norton James (never sure what to call him, his real name or his stage name!).

I will say one more thing though - Lee doesn't quite walk on water, but he does perform miracles, as my backache had gone by the end of the evening!

Another Liz, thank you for your review.

It is interesting that different comments I have read from dedicated
Lee fans like yourself who were at Bedworth have commented that they would like
a bit more light and shade included in the set. I am sure Lee's
music agent Eclipse would appreciate hearing these suggestions so
that they can pass them onto Lee and Lee himself would also appreciate any
suggestions to ensure this tour has the success it truly deserves for
such a brilliant artist that Lee is and to show his voice off to its
glorious best for the rest of the tour.

I was not able to get to the Pheasantry this time and it looks like
the only concert I will manage is Lee's Christmas Concert at the
Garrett, but I am also a very dedicated fan of Lee and I just want
this tour to be a massive success for him. He sounds so excited
about this tour and of course Lee and everyone involved have
worked so hard in putting it together. So as I have said, I am sure
Lee would be delighted and appreciative of positive comments from
his fans.

Hope I haven't spoken out of turn, but as a fan for many years I do
love this man very much.

maggiemay

I think we all realize this is the first stop on Lee's Enchanted tour - bound to be a few hiccups to work out, which I'm sure they will be.

And we all have our unique perspective, which is what makes places like the Forum so much fun. It's wonderful to hear everyone's individual "voice" in their reviews.

ALiz, I am so glad Lee's healing voice worked it's magic on your aching back. I prescribe more of the same.

And good news! Our Joan has found her "lost" camera so photos will be coming SOON!!!! WOOHOO!!!!

This music was never going to be everyones cup of tea. Its genre specific. I thought it was a great set at the Pheasantry but agree it needs one more up tempo in the seond half. But I liked it. Now listening to Josh Groban and his orchestra of 100 and 25 back up singers doing Broadway tunes is not for me. It takes a very special person and performer to sing with sometimes just a piano and let the voice and emotion do everything.

Lovely photos, thank you.

Gorgeous photos. Thank goodness your camera turned up, Joan!

I've seen Lee with a full orchestra (Dublin), where he first sang 'Bring Him Home', and with just a piano, and he is fantastic with both. 'Anthem' with piano only is just stunning. I guess that's what I want - the WOW factor.

Lin, I will definitely be having 'more of the same' ... whether I like the songs or not, I love Lee, and can sit and drool along with the best of them!

Ooh, lovely photos! I like the slightly longer, wilder hair!

Another Liz he can wow with the best of them. We all always like those too :) I wonder if putting Feeling Good as the last song before the encore would fit better rather than See You In My Dreams. Those going to IOW will have to let us know.

My review is also a bit of a weekend diary.
My companion had found a good deal for a weekend spa break at the Hilton Coventry so we decided to spoil ourselves and make a relaxing weekend topped off with a dash of Mead.
So I arrived in Coventry Saturday morning and we did a bit of sightseeing. Coventry has changed quiet a lot since I was last there. It was lovely looking around both the old & new Cathedral which are sited next to each other. Then we looked at at a history exhibition. Which was OK until we got to the 60’s 70 and I started to see things that I had in my youth Eeeekkkk
When we got to the hotel we were greeted by some lovely African ladies singing and dancing.
There was a wedding going on and they were waiting for the bride & groom to turn up.
Sunday morning we had breakfast and managed to fit in a shopping trip before heading back for a quick swim some lunch and watch a bit of tennis while getting ready for our Enchanted Evening.
Of course we were there early but we parked at the back of the theatre and heard the voice singing “feeling good” and we were feeling very good.
I felt the usual heart flutters and I was like a kid on Xmas morning
The theatre doors opened and there was lots of meeting up with Meady friends that we haven’t seen for a while.
I had arranged to meet the manager of the theatre so that he could take a card with all the birthday messages from the fans that had donated to MTc to Lee’s dressing room.
The manager saw us looking around and said you must be the meadaholics. LOL
We had good seats in RowD and after lot’s of waving and looking around the lights dimmed the band came on stage and the magic began.
Lee came on stage looking slightly nervous and utterly gorgeous and sang Where or When.
He chatted a bit and mentioned that he hadn’t had time to get his hair cut.
I don’t think any of the audience noticed.
It didn’t take long for him to settle and become at ease with the audience.
A few songs more and then my current favourite “Feeling Good” OMG he kind of roars and purrs at the same time.
Amanda looked lovely in her green dress, I think her first song was “At Last” but don’t quote me on that as I was still trying to compose myself.
Lee ended the first part on a high with Luck be a lady and Bedworth Civic hall felt HOT.
Interval over and it was time to focus. Lee kicked off with “Ain’t that a kick in the head”
Norton James did a fantastic rendition of “de lovely” and Amanda sang “Over the rainbow” as well as a duet with Lee.
Near the end Lee sang “lullaby” which never fails to tug at my heart strings. That was followed by “all of me” and I was an emotional wreck.
If anyone needed a good cry this was the concert to go to.
I don’t want him to lose those songs but I would like him to add a nice upbeat number towards the end just to put a bit of a bounce in my step.
On the whole I loved every minute and can’t wait to do it all over again.
Oh and stage door #THUD.

It has been interesting to read all the various comments and to have agreed with most of them.
Although I loved his singing of each individual song I do think some alterations need to be made in order to put some more up beat songs into the performance.
It is unusual for me to come away from a Lee Concert feeling less than euphoric as I did on Sunday although, having said that, I would still love to be going to another of the concerts and cannot wait to buy the CD.

Thanks for all the reviews everyone. Interesting to hear all of your comments about the evening. Thanks for the gorgeous photos too Joan.
Roll on Shanklin!

Lynne It will be interesting to hear if anything is different in his IoW set
I'm afraid I can't make it to the IoW but I hope we get some reviews to keep us going

I believe Chris Norton said after the gig, that Lee intended trying out different songs as the tour went on Joan, so expect there may be a few changes to the set list at the IoW.

I have loved reading everyone's take on the Bedworth concert. Not much left to say but I am sure I will think of something! I didn't go to Bedworth last time so it was a new venue for me. Hd good seats in row B and I very much liked the low stage.
I thought Lee's singing was pretty much faultless last Sunday. My favourite songs were Lullabye and Feeling Good which were sung with such emotion. Can't hear the former without a tear or two. Not quite so keen on the first two songs in each half. I think of them as "songs my mum would like!!" That being said, Lee interprets them beautifully. He wasn't quite so chatty as he had been at the Pheasantry but there are always funny bits. Memorable lines were " My hair is so long I keep thinking I am going to catch flies in it!" and "I love taking ladies out to dinner......anyone free later!"

I enjo*** the set list for the concert more than I had anti****ted. I felt Lee was playing it safe since it was the first concert. He could vary the presentation more as he did at the Pheasantry and I am sure he will begin to add a few moves as well.

Just remembered another amusing moment. Before the concert started, I was chatting to some lovely ladies (you know who you are) and the FOH manager came up and started telling us what a lovely voice Lee had and what a lovely person he was!!! He meant well but I wonder what he would have thought if he could have added together all the times we had each seen Lee perform!! Ha ha! We were very polite and didn't laugh. (well not much!)

Amanda looked and sounded wonderful for her 3 songs. Good to see Norton/Chris again. He is a confident performer and he sang Delovely from Anything Goes. (Spellchecker just put Delivery!!! Good job I noticed.) It was great to have extras in the band to boost the sound.

Lee spent a long time at the stage door chatting away and having photos done. Nice to see him drive off afterwards narrowly avoiding a shunt when 3 of them all reversed and set off together.
I took a few pics (can't resist a man in a white t shirt)

Great review (and pics) Cassie!

'Delivery'

Was Bedworth really a week ago - time flies. Thanks for the reviews and lovely photos. He is very into white t-shirts at the moment isn't he.

I echo the thoughts of Another Liz regarding the choice of some of the new songs. When we first heard Singing in the Rain, Some Enchanted Evening etc., and Lee announced that his next album would be songs from the great MGM era, I must admit I was expecting them to be more from South Pacific, Oklahoma, Carousel,7 Brides for 7 Brothers and others from that golden time, and imagined him singing Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Surry?? with a Fringe on Top, Nothing Like a Dame - for fun and to provide the showstopping moment - WOW factor, as well, of course, as the many beautiful,romantic ballads. So I was slightly disappointed when he took us further back, but don't get me wrong, the songs are lovely, and he sings them with all his usual emotion and drama. They were, in my humble opinion, suited more to venues like the Pheasantry.

I thought the sound balance was not quite right in Bedworth, something I am sure will be sorted as the tour goes on. Like everyone else I love Feeling Good, Lullaby, and I hope Beginning to Breath Again goes back in the set. As Cassie says maybe he was playing it safe, he wasn't as chatty and I was surprised when he walked straight off after the first half, instead of making a funny remark like he usually does. I loved Amanda's I Got Rhythm, and her green dress suited her colouring so well.
I only saw the first half of the concert, had to sit the second half out in the ladies due to an over indulgence of Eton Mess on the Saturday night - I can't eat too much cream, but it was so delicious, as a result I missed Chris and Amanda. Maybe because of the way I was feeling affected my overall opinion of the concert.
Having said that, Lee can do no wrong and I am looking forward to seeing how the rest of the concerts develop.

I heard someone was taken ill after the first half - I had no idea it was you, Ruthie. I do hope you are better now - no more Eton Mess for you!