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REVIEW OF THE LIVE SHOW AT THE KASHMIR KLUB, LONDON UK - NOV. 24, 2001 |
"I was brittle and the songs were sexy and raw..." - Nick describing the Kashmir show.
The format of the show this evening was split into 3 parts, due to the large number of artists who would be performing. The show is also broadcast live on the Internet via RealVideo, which is not always 100% reliable for transmission. My review of Nick's appearance will probably grumble about when the Net let me down (sorry in advance). I could see and hear all right, but RealVideo is blurry at the best of times so I probably missed a thing or two. On with the show! The first portion of the show started off well, featuring many dedications. Particularly good was Marie Claire Dubaldo's dedication to her good friend Tony Moore. Marie Claire was also with the Kashmir from its beginning at the Tuscan and is an excellent performer herself. Tony of course responded in kind. The second portion of the show was a treat for me, as Tony opened with one of his best songs "The Judas Hole" (a European hit in the 90's I believe). I don't think I'd ever heard him play it live and it was excellent. During this whole time there were many, many other performers who I won't mention but I surely enjoyed them as well. It was a long night! Now remember I'm watching all this at about 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon in Canada... it's actually about midnight London time. Finally the third part of the show began and by this time I was getting anxious, waiting for word about when Nick would be playing. A fellow named Daniel Canine (forgive me if I mispell his name) put on a hilarious song called "Down At The Kashmir Klub", name-checking the host and many of the performers - it was really funny! At last the moment I'd been waiting for arrived and Nick's named was announced!! Tony introduced him: "We're going to welcome to the stage now our next performer. He's someone I've known quite a long time. It was my great honor, and pleasure, and delight to tour the world playing keyboards with him... and a little band you probably know well. Would you please put your hands together for my very dear friend... the wonderful Mr. Nick Eede !" (*insert big applause*) Nick started: "Thank you very much. I feel very priviledged to be here tonight... I don't do gigs much these days so... (static) ... 1 old one and new one." With that, he started strumming away on an acoustic guitar and singing in that voice you would recognize so well. The song is called "Left To My Only Vices" and features a strong chorus of him singing "Take my hand now". It's hard for me to describe how great it was to see and hear Nick singing live, but it was fun among other things!! The local audience agreed, as there was a very enthusiastic response to this song! As the audience's claps subsided, Nick spoke again "I want to say hello to Kev from Cutting Crew, he's listening on the Internet. I really wanted him to be here tonight, but he's not that well at the moment so hence, I play the bad guitar tonight. This is one you'll know". I was saddened to hear Kev was sick but the song itself brought the mood back up a notch. That's right, he began to play "I Just Died In Your Arms"!! But it was a cool, slow and acoustic version which changed my perspective on the song, but don't worry - it sounded GREAT ! (And his guitar playing was fine). There was particular power in the chorus, awesome stuff! He asked the crowd to sing along and I assume they did. As the song ended, Nick again said "For Kevin in Canada", a nice touch. Nick put down the guitar then and moved over to the keyboards for his third and last song of the night. "I just wanted to say Thanks Kashmir you've been kind to me." He then kindof mumbled to himself about "not being a keyboard player" and began to play a beautiful piece of music. "This is a lovely ballad called "Kept On Lovin' You". Unfortunately for me almost all of this song was marred by Internet static and I couldn't hear it properly. But what I did hear sounded very amazing. I can only imagine how good it was live to those lucky people who were there! I think their big round of applause shows they did appreciate the song! Nick acknowledged them and said "Have a good night! Happy Birthday Kashmir!". Tony returned to the stage and they had a big hug and then Nick left the stage. Me, I was still trying to take it all in when Tony said "We will have him back to do a much longer set because it's been far too long away from a talent, a voice and a great energy as that." He went on to relate that he and Nick had a chance to catch up recently and it was an excellent time. He ended with "Look out in the New Year, keep an eye out on the website for a whole set, with Nick doing all the stuff he does so well. One more time a big round of applause for Nick !" He also related he's known Nick since about '85 and added very sincerely "And Kevin, if you're watching out there in Canada, I'm thinking of you as well". He then asked the audience to give a big round of applause for Kevin (they did) and expressed the hope he could come next year - I couldn't agree more. And so ended Nick's brief but stunning performance. It was about 15 minutes long but for me personally, it was as good as it gets. I never saw the Cutting Crew live, except for the "Live At Full House" video so seeing Nick play live was truly fantastic. Having him perform at the Kashmir Klub was also great, as Tony is a gracious host. I was very fortunate to be at the opening of the Kashmir back at the Tuscan four years ago, and so it was rewarding to see how successful that small idea had become. Congrats Nick on the excellent show, and congrats Tony & the Kashmir on your Birthday. Stay tuned to this website for advance notice of Nick's next live appearance, and the latest Cutting Crew news!! |