Christopher Cross – Auckland Town Hall August 30, 2017

 

I’m not sure if he rode like the wind, but 80s hitmaker Christopher Cross and his 6-piece band took over Auckland’s Town Hall to relive his glory days and to play a few new tunes along the way.

If you’re over a certain age, you’ll be more than a little familiar with Cross’s three big hits…Sailing, Arthur’s Theme and Ride Like The Wind…they were all over the radio 35 years ago. But the artist’s more recent creations would be a different kettle of fish.

Cross hasn’t bothered the charts in years, but judging from what was on display last night, it’s not from a lack of quality material, simply that taste in pop music has moved on.

So, after a brief, but well-received set from Rikki Morris, a pre-recorded female voice announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Christopher Cross!”

Cross, wearing his trademark cap, and his band dutifully took the stage and began with a new tune, as yet unreleased, titled Haila. The vocals were handled by the two female singers from Nashville…Marcia Ramirez and Stephcynie Curry. Meanwhile Cross played guitar while the rest of the band jammed, using this first tune as a warmup for the evening.

The band consisted of Andy Suzuki on sax and keys, bass player Kevin Reveyrand, drummer Francis Arnaud and an excellent keyboard player whose name I didn’t quite catch, but may have been Jerry Leonide.

It was apparent from the start that these cats could play. No matter what you may think of Cross’s voice or his songs, the musicianship was of the highest calibre.

Cross decided to spread his three big hits though the set, serving up Sailing just after Haila, with Arthur’s Theme showing up about halfway and Ride Like The Wind closing the show.

“We’re gonna pace them out so you don’t get too restless”, he quipped.

Not to worry, newer songs such as Walking With Avalon, Dreamers and In The Blink Of An Eye proved that Cross hasn’t lost his mojo.

I particularly enjoyed Baby Its All You, another new song from the upcoming album, Take Me As I Am. It had a distinct Steely Dan vibe…think Aja…with Cross playing a superb guitar solo.

My only quibble was the loudness of the drums, which overwhelmed Cross’s rather delicate vocals at times…particularly during Never Be The Same.

The third quarter of the show was mostly acoustic. Say You’ll Be Mine, a tune from the very successful first album, was given a new arrangement as the three voices joined together with just acoustic guitar and a hint of keyboards.

Cross duetted with each of the backing vocalists and though each woman have distinct styles…Marcia more country, Stephcynie more soul…the blend worked beautifully.

When they did get to Ride Like The Wind, the tune rocked with an urgency that seemed lost in the studio version.

With all the hits played out, they returned to present an, um, imaginative arrangement of John Lennon’s Imagine.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Ivan Karczewski:

 

Christopher Cross set list:

1. Haila
2. Sailing
3. Never Be The Same
4. Reverend Blowhard
5. Walking In Avalon
6. I Really Don’t Know Anymore
7. Baby Its All You
8. Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)
9. In The Blink Of An Eye
10. Dreamers
11. Think Of Laura
12. Say You’ll Be Mine
13. Spinning
14. Open Up My Window
15. Minstrel Gigolo
16. No Time For Talk
17. All Right
18. Ride Like the Wind
19. Imagine