Hi everyone,

So who's managed to get down off that cloud they call 9?

I'd love to start reading some reviews from these gigs. As I was lucky enough to be at both evenings, I know exactly how brilliant the shows were! So while I'm still thinking of where to start, please feel free to respond with your own opinions, takes and memories from the evenings

xxx

Here is my attempt at a review.
My weekend was hectic with family and friends staying over and all of us doing different things and heading off to different shows.
Cir***stances meant the I was in town early. So I decided to make my way to the pheasantry and have lunch and a much needed glass of something.
There was 4 of us and we managed to get a good place in the queue which meant we would have front row seats.
We saw Lee arrive and as he made his way down the stairs. He was very surprised to see so many fans waiting there.
Stephen arrived a few minutes after Lee and told us we were all mad.
However the wait was much longer than anti****ted because Lee & Stephen were rehearsing right up to and over the wire.

One of our party was celebrating her birthday so we had to order a bottle didn't we?
The show started later but we didn't mind.
Lee started off by saying "I'm Steve & this is Lee" Steve told us that the first face to face rehearsal and was today
They chatted about working on WEM together and said that there was behind the scenes issues that they were not happy about. but the good thing that came out of that was their friendship.
Lee told us that Steve is the "Brad Pitt of Asia" he also told us that Steve is flying to the US next week to sing for Obama and Putin. Lee also told us that Steve has been cast in a new show that involves a flying carpet
The first song was Luck be a lady

There was a lot of teasing between songs. Mostly Steve teasing Lee
Steve sang "true colours" which was lovely.
Steve mentioned that Lee was ROTY 2007 and his trophy is a glass bowl that Lee keeps in his toilet.
Lee sang With or Without you.
He said he had wanted to sing that song for a very long time
It felt such a privilege to be there hearing these songs for the first time.
They did a duet of the Adele song "to make you feel my love" the pianist was Adele's pianist apparently
Lee sang Let her down easy. he said he would have to keep the boys away from Betsy when she is older.
The two of them were on stage the whole time along with a grand piano & a double bass so you can imagine it was cramped.
steve sang foolish heart and asked Lee to go up the stairs onto the balcony to be his "moon" but he said NOT a full moon. Lee's perfect comic timing and actions had us in stitches.
they ended the first set with "Both sides Now"

I need an intermission before I write about the second half

Unless someone else would care to do it????

Nice review - thanks Joan!

Thanks Joan. I was lucky enough to go to both Both Sides Now, so some of my memories may not be in the right order. So in no particular order, here are a few of my memories highlights.

The queueing for front seats starts earlier every time, and the system, or rather lack of system, leaves a lot to be desired, and I do feel that it is very unfair, but I will say no more on that.

As Joan said, Saturday night was late starting as Steve and Lee were rehearsing right up to the last minute, it was their first chance to rehe**** live. Steve joked about how Lee took ages to reply to his messages regarding rehearsals, and they had skyped some.

They both wore normal trousers and patterned shirts. Saturday, Lee's shirt was dark navy with a pattern that I can't describe but it can be seen on Phil's photos, and Steve wore a small flowered one. Sunday, Lee wore a pale grey shirt with tiny pink spots and Steve's was navy with white spots. Lee showed us his navy socks with red spots, he was obviously chuffed with them for some reason, - no ties were worn.

When Steve sang one song (I can't remember which one), he announced Lee as his 'prop', after reminding us that he (Lee) had won the ROTY award in 2008. So Lee was sent up onto the balcony at the back of the stage to be "The Moon". He pla*** up to this with great comic timing, leaning over the balcony, and tapping the ROTY - so funny, it was impossible to take our eyes off him and concentrate on Steve's singing. He kind of sasha*** back down the stairs most of the way, and then effortlessly slid down the bannister!!

Lee sang Feeling Good, and a few new ones, With or Without You, Back for Good, all of which were amazing. Steve sang a song from Rock of Ages, "I Can't Hide This Feeling" (I think it was called that) and was aiming it at Lee which was hilarious, and Lee was pulling some funny faces.

It was a great show, they are fantastic together, their voices contrasting yet complementing each other. Let's hope they tour with it sometime in the ***ure.

I was there for both shows, too. I'm afraid I can't remember anything in the right order, so will try to jot down a few random memories.

We had a few problems getting there on Saturday (of course .... it's us!). There were massive bus diversions, as they were celebrating the Rugby World Cup Final with a big do in Trafalgar Square. We were staying in the Strand, and we thought we knew where to catch the diverted bus - but no, we got it wrong, and had to make our way back to the Royal Courts of Justice. Once the No.11 tuned up, we were then stuck in a massive traffic jam along the Embankment for about 20 minutes. Then the bus only went to Sloane Square, so we had to walk the length of the Kings Road to the Pheasantry - not too bad, though, as we were easily diverted by the lovely shops!

I agree, Ruthie, the entry system is now a total joke. When is a queue not a queue? Anyway, enough of that.

On the first night we didn't have particularly good seats, and we couldn't see all that well - Stephen is a lovely guy, but when it comes to blocking our vision of Lee ........ However, the next night's view was unimpeded.

First of all, I loved the song choices (apart from one, which I hated, but then I hate the song anyway, so that was that!). Won't say which one, in case it was someone else's favourite. They did songs by Adele, U2, Take That, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye - to name but a few. Incidentally, their pianist (also called Steve) actually accompanied Adele on her recording.

My personal highlight by a mile, though, was the stunning duet of 'Bring Him Home' on Sunday - I had shivers up and down my spine, and yes, a few tears were shed!

They had us in absolute hysterics with their comedy show! Stephen had appeared in Rock of Ages, where one of the songs was "I just can't fight this feeling", and he turned this into a love song to Lee, going down on one knee at one point as he poured out all his emotions! Lee didn't know where to look half the time, it was so funny. There was ongoing banter throughout the entire evening(s), so we were laughing a lot!

I thought Sunday's show was way better than Saturday's - the difference a day can make - but then, it would have been interesting to have seen both shows from the same seat to make a fair comparison. In any case, I am in awe of them both, that they could put on a show like this after just one proper rehearsal other than Skype!

If anyone missed the Pheasantry and is wavering about going to Horsham, I'll say one thing - DO IT!!! Apparently they will have a band there, as opposed to just piano and bass, and they said the show is still evolving, so there could be even more surprises! A fabulous show from a fabulous pair!

Loving the reviews from everyone - thank you so much for sharing. It means a tremendous amount to those of us unable to be there.

If you check the website home page, we have another terrific photo from Phill Cowndley via the Both Sides Now Facebook page - and a great review with photos (non-flash) from JaneW. Lots of fun!

First of all let me apologise if there are some mistakes in my report, being a Belgian fan, my vocabulary to express my feelings and thoughts is maybe not THAT good…But hey, I do my best!
I managed to persuade my best friend of mine (Katrien) to come to the show of Lee and Stephen at the Pheasantry on the 2nd of November. It was all thanks to Joan that we could be there that night. I cannot thank her enough for that! We had a disappointment in the afternoon, seeing our tickets for a show at the RAH seemed to be false. We purchased them online (paid 147 pounds for them). The people of the RAH were not helpful at all and just gave us a paper which said that our tickets were not valide. So we were a bit how shall I say it, shaken by this. (at midnight (!!!) after the gig, we searched and searched the police station to report it. Thank God someone who worked at a pub, walked us there! They gave us a leaflet and said we could report our complaint online!!!  Again, we were not being helped a lot)
But hey, let’s talk about the gig!
So, we had enough time now to get to the Pheasantry. We walked the whole way from RAH to the Pheasantry, sometimes using the map of course. It took us about 35 minutes.
We were very glad to see Joan who was already waiting there, with some other nice ladies we met. Sorry for the ladies behind us, as we walked passed them to get to Joan. We certainly could use a drink first so we got upstairs, and had a glass of prosecco ( or two?? .. :D ) The waiter was a very nice guy, he said we should sit down a bit in the corner over there… so we did. Suddenly Stephen entered and said hello as he walked towards the door to the stairs. Alright, this night seemed to be getting better and better!!!
The waiting in fact, with the other ladies, was quite amusing. When the door opened, we followed Joan and were sat at a table right in front of the boys! Woooooooow, we were getting really excited now. We had a lovely meal, talked a lot with Joan and Leanne, and then it was about time.
I went to the toilets, and when I entered the hall, there stood Lee and Stephen, right in front of me…humming and making their voices ready. Wooooooooooooooow again!! I wanted to say, “break a leg guys”, but I was so gobsmacked of seeing them only an armlength in front of me, that I really could not pronounce one single word, let alone sound!! I hope my mouth was closed ! hahahahah
When I came back they were on stage. Gosh, they were sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo close!!! F A N T A S T I C! The report of Joan really sums up nicely everything. I cannot remember everything by order.
* To make you feel my love, was a really stunning duet!
*Bring him home gave me goosebumps…my my my!!!!
*True colours sung by Steve was very well sung. What a voice!
*with or without you….fantastic
I loved the interaction between the both of them, the teasing, the laughing.. There was this thing about a sheep, which made us all laugh very hard (cannot quite recall the whole piece). Lee was holding his hand in front of his face while he was laughing and said…I cannot believe you just said that! Hilarious.
We got to sing along with a song that Lee sung, …maybe someone remembers the song! It was quite funny but lovely!
Personally I like it a lot when Lee sings very outloud and strong! His voice then has so much character, pfieeeeeeuw!!
After the gig, Joan said something to Stephen about us being from Belgium and he shook my hand.
We also were able to get a lovely picture with the four of us. Lee said wow from Belgium? I said I saw him at Horsham last year! He asked if I would come again. OF COURSE! Loved it to be able to say something to him.
The day after he posted a tweet “Early train to Cardiff. Buh.”. I replied with :” thanks for the gig last night.and for photo time. Back to belgium today!”
And then HE replied: “*Thank you for your support and flying over again Leen x*”
Now THAT really made my visit all worth while!!

What a wonderful time you had, Leen - well at least after the RAH fiasco! But Lee and Stephen (mostly Lee) made up for it, I hope.

Leen has asked me to post her photos so here they are:

Oh lovely to read other people take on the two shows.

I agree about the two nights merging into one.
Did anyone else notice that Lee drank bottles of water??
2nd half started with a duet Marvyn Gaye song Mercy me??
then Lee with his take that song.
I never tire of Lee singing Feeling good. Phew

Thanks for the reviews, ladies!

Thank you for a great review Jane - I'm glad you had a good time. It was lovely to meet you too. Hope you had a good journey back to Bradford. Here's to the next time! 😊

I'm sat in my hotel room in florida (yes I know:) ) but reading these reviews is making me feel a little lee-homesick, i'm glad it was such a cracking funny show,I hope to see it when they do some new dates, thanks for the rest is, it's not about getting it all in the right order,it's about getting the feelings and atmosphere, so it's lovely to read your mead-mushed reviews, thank you xx

Okay, I'm not going to review the show because other reviewers have done a wonderful job there. Instead I'm going to review my friends, who would prefer to be nameless but they know who they are. Thank you for helping me and turning what could have been a nightmare (my sense of balance has gone completely wonky for no reason) into a lovely night out. Your patience and kindness are beyond belief. You're all stars.

Tanith I am so pleased that you made it thanks to your “special friends”.
I am sorry that I didn’t get much time to chat with you this time.

Jane thanks again for your review. entertaining as always

Petrus sorry that you didn’t make it to the pheasantry this time.
Enjoy every minute of your time in Florida.

Gail it was lovely to see you again & thank goodness our mutual friend managed to get there in the nick of time.
Fog & flights cause stress when a date with Mr Mead is involved.

Leen It was a delight meeting you again. I am so sorry about your RAH tickets.
Ruth I had forgotten how Lee slid down the banister so funny & so very much Lee.

A Liz I I agree about that stunning duet of 'Bring Him Home' on Sunday .
What a treat that was.

Huge thanks also to Phill Crowndley for the fabulous photo's