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The Hong Kong Spandau Ballet experience actually started the preceding
Wednesday with a screening of the Soul Boys of the Western World movie plus
the extra footage from the movie debut in the UK during a short 20 minute
presentation afterwards - if I have any complaints its that both were played
extremely loudly for such a small theatre but perhaps that is normal for
Hong Kong. And then afterwards the band came out for a question and
answer session where afterwards fans were able to get autographs and take
quick photos with the band. Some very heartfelt comments and questions
from the small group of fans and the lady who was in the actual Highly
Strung video clip in the 80s filmed in HK was also there and joined the band
up front.
Then on Friday was the concert held at a venue near the airport which was
easy to get to via train (and the AsiaWorld Expo train station gives amazing
views of planes landing as you walk to the venue itself). The ushers
and staff were very helpful for those of us with the vip meet and greet
tickets and they gathered everyone in a reception area with food, drinks and
merchandise available before being escorted down to the room at the side of
stage for the meet and greet and group photo to be taken. The band
were very chatty and there was ample time to talk before posing for the two
photos to be taken (this is standard two photos and the best one is offered
- although with only 30 different photos its a shame that all couldn't be
uploaded - sadly some fans missed out on the photo op as they thought it was
to happen after the show not before and hadn't arrived in time though the
information was on the Player One website).
After that we went back out until the venue was ready for us to take our
seats - with a huge gap between the front row and barrier it was obvious
that once the lights went down despite the best efforts from ushers many
raced forward to fill the area (I was technically in the 4th row but as I
stayed where my seat was located to avoid a crush and many had left the
seats (though I still had some fans with DSLRS held up in front of me
blocking many shots so thats why there is a lack of photos on this report
compared to others - one guy just kept swapping cameras in front of me!)
Spandau Ballet hit the stage with the usual starter Soul Boy then into the
normal tour setlist with Only When You Leave and Highly Strung soon after as
the latter got a huge response from the crowd - this may have been the first
time the band has played a concert in Hong Kong but fans well remember the
film clip being filmed there in the 80s. Round and Round like
Singapore did not have the usual vintage footage played behind the band on
stage but perhaps AV limitations resulted in only the big screen next to the
stage being used for this show. This is the Love and Steal and then
they went way back to the first two albums and the full Blitz section ending
with To Cut a Long Story Short. As the band finished up one song it
was noticable that Gary and Tony had departed the stage early and like
earlier in the tour they appeared up at the sound mixing stage for Empty
Spaces and the acoustic version of Gold while the others at the back of
stage got a few selfies with crew before preparing for the next song and
encouraging the crowd to sing along with Gold (yes when you are short you
havent a hope of seeing whats happening elsewhere so you go back to watching
the darkened stage). Soon Tony and Gary made their way back to the
main stage Once More began. It was then into Reformation, I'll Fly for
You, Instinction as they revved up the pace into concert favourite Lifeline.
True followed bringing them to the end of the main set.
A brief gap and then the band return for the encore of Through the
Barricades and Gold and that was it then end of the show and end of the
entire tour though at the end Gary made a point of getting on the microphone
to note that Spandau Ballet will be back in the future!
Their official website can be found at
Spandau Ballet
Please note this images are copyright to Jenny Barnes and are not to be
copied/distributed/used in anyway without approval.
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