2011 TOUR, ROGER HODGSON, Gatineau, September 2
- On 18 November 2011
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Roger Hodgson, formerly with Supertramp, performed at the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival, held at Parc de la Baie, in Gatineau on Friday evening.
Photograph by: Jana Chytilova, The Ottawa Citizen
REVIEW: Roger Hodgson
The Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival
Reviewed Fri., Sept. 2
GATINEAU — Brimming with musicality and charm, Roger Hodgson, whose tenor voice once practically defined the sound of British rockers Supertramp, achieved instant lift-off as the headliner at the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival concert Friday night.
The personable Hodgson at 61 can still sing rings around plenty of guys half his age. In fact, he didn’t sound a whole lot different — well, maybe on some high notes — from the fellow who co-founded Supertramp with Rick Davies four decades ago and before leaving in 1983 helped put the band on track to sell 60 million albums.
Hodgson has played Ottawa a couple of times recently while the remaining members of Supertramp performed at Scotiabank Place earlier this year.
From his opener Take the Long Way Home to the rarely played Lady, I Wish I Was in London and a crackerjack rendering of The Logical Song, Hodgson was in grand form on Friday, alternating between keyboards and guitar, leading his well-oiled band, and enchanting his large audience.
He won the hearts of the crowd early in the show by speaking French as best he could. “Bonsoir tout le monde. Gatineau, Gatineau, c’est mon premier temps en Gatineau,” he said, adding in English, “I’m very happy to be back home here in Quebec ... you are my people” (cue mammoth applause).
“My favourite thing in life is to play music for people,” he told us, and we believed him.
Between songs, Hodgson soldiered on in French as often as he could, jumping between the two languages as he dedicated the mammoth Supertramp hit Breakfast in America to the festival’s volunteers. Someone had taken the trouble to discover the number of volunteers so he could mention it on stage.
It was a fine end-of-summer evening for the outdoor show. The festival in Parc de la Baie bordering the Ottawa River has a carnival atmosphere: bright lights, cotton candy and burger and temporary tattoo stands, don’t-do-this-if-you-suffer-from-vertigo rides. It’s a relaxed and festive event with an enviable joie de vivre.
Back at the show, Hodgson, who’s got to be one of the most relaxed guys ever to play a rock ‘n’ roll concert, strolled out on the thrust stage. Waving at his audience and smiling broadly, he snapped photos of his delighted audience before returning to the keyboard for a soaring rendition of the inspirational Lord Is It Mine and an expansive Child of Vision.
Hodgson also accompanied himself on acoustic guitar as he sang John Lennon’s Across the Universe. Saying he’d played the song at a recent Liverpool concert, he dedicated that song to the Beatles. Too bad the yahoo component of the audience couldn’t stop hollering even for three minutes.
He closed the show with the pure pop of It’s Raining Again, prompting several audience members to unfurl their umbrellas and twirl them in time.
Heart throb David Usher opened for Hodgson. He included Alone in the Universe, Some People Say and other favourites in his set. Like Hodgson, he earned appreciative applause for his valiant efforts to introduce his French tune Je Repars in his not-quite-perfected second language.
The festival continues through to Monday with main stage shows by Marc Dupré, Roch Voisine and others. Information: www.montgolfieresgatineau.com
Publié le 03 septembre 2011 à 05h30 | Mis à jour le 03 septembre 2011 à 05h30
Le festival prend de la hauteur
Maud Cucchi
Le Droit
L'événement s'est envolé hier soir sur les plus belles notes de Supertramp, portées à merveille par la voix légendaire du groupe. Roger Hodgson, même sans Rick Davies, a livré un concert mémorable, avec un nouveau groupe complet, en ouverture du 24e Festival de montgolfières de Gatineau. Une première au Québec depuis sa rupture avec Supertramp en 1983...
« I am happy to be back home here in Québec » a confié le chanteur à une foule toute ouïe, flattée et conquise d'avance.
Une pop douce et mélodique est ensuite venue survoler les cîmes du parc de la Baie dès 21h15, imposant sans difficulté l'inimitable voix des années 70-80. Souvenirs, souvenirs...
Au sommet de sa forme, Roger Hodgson a défendu les titres qui l'ont fait connaître, et démontré qu'il n'avait rien perdu de son timbre si particulier.
La silhouette filiforme à longue chevelure christique a posé ses mains au piano et le charme était lancé. C'est sur Take the long way home que l'envoûtement a opéré. Même voix, même charisme, la promesse d'une soirée inoubliable a flotté dans l'air, transportée par les premiers accords. Le ciel en a même retenu ses gouttes pluie. À ses côtés, trois musiciens canadiens et un américain, ont su reproduire (et remplacer) les autres membres de Supertramp. L'illusion était parfaite.
Dans une débauche de sons et de lumières, l'âme solitaire de Supertramp n'a pas hésité à replonger dans le répertoire des plus grands succès du groupe pour faire revivre la belle époque de sa musique. Le sexagénaire a repris quelques-uns de ses standards dont le magnifique School et son solo d'harmonica si perçant, suivi de In Jeopardy, Lady, et de Breakfast in America dédié aux nombreux bénévoles dévoués, et tant d'autres repris en choeur par la foule. Avec Across the Universe, des Beatles, la grand-messe était dite.
Une performance magique ! En raison des notes aiguës si bien poussées et des acrobaties vocales toujours à la hauteur de ses débuts, le public assista hier soir à un concert de haut vol !
Usher en première partie
D'une énergie communicative, David Usher ne pouvait pas tomber mieux pour ouvrir la soirée de ses hymnes survitaminés. Accompagné de ses quatre musiciens, il a repris les plus grands succès de sa carrière, de ses débuts avec Moist au siècle précédent (Push, Silver) à son dernier album sorti à l'automne 2010, The Mile End Sessions.
Cette ode à Montréal a fait défiler sur scène le rock gonflé à bloc du compositeur-interprète britannique, Black Black Heart et Forestfire inclus. Il s'est même octroyé un bain de foule sur Love Will Save The Day, à la plus grande joie de ses admiratrices venues en nombre. Et tenté quelques mots en français...
« Est-ce que tu veux écoute, entendu une chanson très très bien ? » a lancé le rockeur, qui courageusement, a tenu à s'adresser aux spectateurs Gatinois dans leur langue, tout au long de sa prestation. Il en a profité pour offrir au public certaines chansons en français dont celle qu'il interprète en duo avec Marie-Mai, Je repars, ainsi que la sensuelle Tant de Promesses, toute enveloppée de saxophone et fumigènes.
Glonflée à l'hélium de ses deux concerts, l'assistance est repartie aux anges, et bien au-dessus des Montgolfières.
English version:
Last night’s event started on the most beautiful notes of Supertramp, superbly carried on by the legendary voice of the group. Roger Hodgson, even without Rick Davies, delivered a memorable concert, with an entire new group, in the opening of the 24th Gatineau air balloons festival. A first in Quebec since he left Supertramp in 1983…
“ I am happy to be back home here in Québec” said the singer to a crowd that were not only all ears, but were already flattered and conquered.
A melodic and soft song then flowed to the top of the trees of the Baie Park at 9:15 pm, imposing without any difficulties the inimitable voice he had of the 70’s and 80’s. Memories, memories…
At the top of his game, Roger Hodgson defended the titles that made him famous, and demonstrated that he did not lose any of his particular voice.
A thin silhouette with long with Christ-like hair, he put his hands on the piano and the charm was working. It was on “Take The Long Way Home” that the sympathetic magic worked. Same voice, same charisma, as the promise of an unforgettable evening drifted into the air, carried on by the first notes. The sky even prevented the rain from falling. On his side, three Canadian musicians and one American, knew how to recreate (and replace) the other members of Supertramp. The illusion was note perfect.
In a lot of lights and sounds, the solitary soul of Supertramp did not hesitate to go back into the greatest hits of the repertoire of the group to relive the nice era of his music. The sexagenarian did some of his classic material like the magnificent “School” complete with harmonica solo followed by “In Jeopardy,” “ Lady,” and “Breakfast in America” which he dedicated to the numerous devoted volunteers and the many more that the crowd sang along with. With “Across the Universe” from the Beatles, the massive crowd of 30,000 was kept enthralled.
A magical performance! Because he hit the high notes so well, along with his vocal acrobatics, which soared to the heights of his days with Supertramp, the public saw a concert of highest level last night.
...
The crowd left with the angels, well above the air balloons.
