It’s not every day you get to perform with your favourite band, but for this Texas fan he got his wish.
The Scottish sextet band kicked-off the next century of gigs at the refurbished Music Hall in Aberdeen last night.
Lead singer Sharleen Spiteri not only took to the stage, but took to the back row of the concert hall to sing with one member of the audience who had been heckling her.
Handing the microphone to John Clark, the Lumphanan man belted out the words to Summer Son while Sharleen took a swig of his drink.
The pair then sing together as the rest of the crowd cheers them on.
Sharleen wished everyone a merry Christmas and happy new year as she proclaimed her joy at being home in Scotland for the holidays.
She also revealed that she missed a Paul McCartney concert to visit the city, and when she told The Beatles legend about it he replied by noting that Aberdeen is “always a good gig”.
Rebecca Buchan enjoys the show as Texas play Aberdeen Music Hall
Despite having been going for about the same time as I have been alive, Texas are as fresh today as they were 30 years ago.
The Scottish six-piece were the ideal choice to kick-off the next century of gigs at the refurbished Music Hall in Aberdeen.
Sharleen Spiteri took to the stage, casually dressed and sporting a green guitar to open the show with one of my favourite Texas hits, I Don’t Need a Lover.
I don’t know if it was song, the newly renovated venue or just a particularly upbeat audience but the welcoming applause was one of the loudest and most positive I’ve heard in the Granite City for some time. And it was well deserved.
After the first hit, Spiteri told the audience: “It’s an absolute pleasure, always an absolute pleasure for us to come to Scotland. Are you ready to party?”
And party we did, to hit after hit, including Summer Son and Halo within the first 20 minutes.
Not only does the rocker have a phenomenal live voice but her talents on both guitar and keys were absolutely outstanding and effortless.
I don’t know why I’d have expected any less but I was surprised by just how good she was.
She also made the audience feel quite special, informing us they’d stopped touring six weeks ago but had made the special trip up north to play for us and to celebrate the reopening of the Music Hall.
And towards the end of the gig Spiteri made her way up to the top of the balcony from the stage to sing with one member of the audience who had been heckling her so they could sing Summer Son together.
She also tipped her hat to 101, the excellent local support band.
She said: “We had a brilliant support band tonight, 101.
“I have to say it’s difficult for young bands coming through and the only way new music will survive is if you support them. So go and buy their records and go to their concerts.”
Sharleen Spiteri revealed that she missed a Paul McCartney concert to visit the city, and when she told The Beatles legend about it he replied by noting that Aberdeen is “always a good gig”.
All in all it was a spectacular evening in a spectacular venue and if Aberdeen Performing Arts has more of this in store for us over the next few decades then the people of the north-east have a lot to look forward to.
