He showed the way to ‘‘Amarillo’ and more with great gusto
Great entertainer: Tony Christie and below, some members of the audience. Pix by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
Dressed in full white, Tony Christie made his grand entrance, bursting into song almost the second he walked onstage, taking a break on and off only to explain to his audience at the BMICH the unique stories behind his tracks. His energy and wit kept the show going.
We learnt that his first hit ‘Las Vegas’ was originally written for Tom Jones (who turned it down) before it reached Tony. Also that his wife swore that she would not give birth until ‘I did what I did for Maria’ rose from its place at No. 2 on the charts to No.1 (it never did, but the baby has ‘Maria’ as her middle name).
We also learn that he changed his name from Fitzgerald to ‘Christie’ because asked to take on something shorter, he decided on ‘Christie’ because he admired Julie Christie.
Notable numbers included ‘Now’s the time’, which was performed with much energy, the dance routine adding to the meaning of the lyrics, ‘The key of you’, which featured saxophonist Matt and pianist Boise quite prominently. ‘Mr. Bojangles’ and although Tony stated that he was afraid he might not be able to whistle too well, he executed the song perfectly, whistle and all.
“You’re existence an insult, Stains that are suspect cover your clothes, The standards have fallen, My value has dropped” he sang from his 1999 hit ‘Walk Like a Panther’. His performance of ‘Solitaire’ was also very moving, with a dreamy, futuristic background adding to the melancholy note of the song. The ‘piece de resistance’ of the evening was the final song – ‘‘Amarillo’with an enthusiastic audience joining in lustily to sing along the famous ‘sha alalalalalala’ chorus of the song–the song sounding every bit like the version which can often be heard playing on the radio.
The Tony Christie Show on November 11 was presented by DK Promotions.
