Kate Bush concert “Before the dawn”

My impressions regarding the Kate Bush concert “Before the dawn”. After 35 years of silence as far as concerts are concernd, Kate Bush was back on stage in the Hammersmith Apollo in London for 22 concerts between 26 August and 1 October 2014!

Tickets for the concerts were gone in a few minutes. Stressful minutes for those fans who wanted to go, clicking away on the computer to get what was still to be had, and I finally got a “hospitality package” for the opening night on 26 August: a superb hamper of delicious food and drinks in a magnificent setting (St Paul’s neo-gothic church in Hammersmith London, opposite the Apollo 

theatre) as a starter before the concert, premium seats for the concert and the wonderful souvenir book were all included in the package.

The atmosphere of anticipation beforehand, waiting outside with the crowd to get in the concert hall, was really magical. You could feel the excitement everywhere!

I loved the first part of the concert, which was a series of songs followed by a theatrical performance of “The Ninth Wave”: Kate gave a spectacular show, she had a very strong voice and the whole story was fascinating to watch. 

The second part after the break was in my view a little bit less interesting, still spectacular in a way but also  very confusing. Less strong than the Ninth Wave performance.

The anticipation and expectations in the concert hall grew with the “encore”, and although she performed two beautiful songs, you could feel that the audience was waiting for “Wuthering Heights”, which did not come. The audience was applauding for more, but Kate did not return to oblige. That was a little bit of a disappointment, but overall I was glad to have been there and seen it all.

It was certainly a magical evening. Something to treasure always.

Marina Saegerman

5 September 2014