Darren Hayes – Nottingham Royal Concert Hall – 24/04/2006

“OMG - BNI Notts was amazing”

Originally written, and posted as a note on MSN spaces, 1 May 2006.

BEFORE THE SHOW

We waited at the stage door to try and get a glimpse of Darren arriving. A roadie was so funny at the stage door. He was on his mobile saying he was “just setting up Darren Hayes” then asked where he was lol, “Nottingham mate”! How cute! Then D came walking towards the stage door. I was shaking. D looked so adorable in his shorts coming back from the gym.

 

We got lead into the sound check and took our seats, Tracey asked for no mpegs to be made but photos were OK. Darren looked gorgeous in jeans and a denim jacket. D asked: “who here is not from Nottingham?”… quite a few screamed and put their hands up, then D asked: “who here is a stalker?” we all laughed and a few put their hands up, I was debating it but I thought, (a) it wasn't wise to do so and (b) I haven't toured with him like some have. He said hello to Calvin and Leo held his little arm up to wave at Darren, it was very cute. Then D told us about snake, the sound guy. D then sound checked chained to you, I was surprised as I’ve never heard it live and then he checked the vocoder by singing I knew I Loved You and a part of Madonna’s ‘Hung up’, it was fun and then Tracey ushered us out to the VIP reception.

THE SUPPORT ACT

Astrid Williamson, the support act came on. I’ve been raving about her ever since. Her voice, her presence on stage, a real performer and already a signed artist. I’ve got to get the album! One song called ‘Reach’ dedicated to her brother is cool, she came on and said to the drummer “stop looking at my ass, I bet Darren Hayes doesn’t have this problem”, loads of people laughed. She was brilliant, an amazing cover of ‘Run’ by snow patrol sealed her set and she was off. After some banter with the keyboard player (apparently they have a points system and he’s got 20 points off now) and she said we were the best crowd as we clapped and cheered and she wasn’t just saying that at all her gigs.

 

THE SETLIST:

1. Affirmation
2. Chained To You (mixed with Madonna's Hung up)
3. Lover After Me
4. Creepin' Up On You
5. Love & Attraction
6. Strange Relationship
7. To The Moon And Back (Slow Version)
8. I Just Want You to Love Me
9. I Knew I Loved You (Vocoder Version)
10. Void
11. Unlovable
12. Darkness
13. Break Me, Shake Me (with NIN's - head like a Hole)

14. Crash & Burn
15. Truly, Madly, Deeply

-------------Encore----------------

16. Pop!Ular
17. Tears of Pearls / Violet
18. I Want You
19. So Beauitful



THE SHOW!!

On came the stage hands setting up for Darren and more music I didn’t know… until the dance remix of Madonna’s hung up and then Gwen stefani’s what you waiting for! –Darren LOL!

Then Darren appeared from the back, the girl beside me had asked why we were all looking back, so I said to her ..don’t tell anyone but he’s going to come in through the back.. I thought she was going to faint when she saw the steps right in front of us! Darren stopped about half way down the hall and chatted, all the people on the balcony where reaching over trying to see, me being a short ass couldn’t see much just his head and a commotion LOL, then the girl beside me screamed ‘there he is’! He was right in front of me and I hadn’t seen him!!

1. Affirmation

Affirmation, what an odd way to start, with that song, it was always used to say goodbye at the end of concerts, but as an opener it was great. That was after his rendition of ‘I like your old stuff better than the new stuff’ in his dressing gown! Yes folks, this is not a traditional man, he ended via the BACK of the concert hall :), and I hadn’t even noticed till he was in front of me! But by the end of the song and by the time he had the dressing gown off, the red one from the tour book, he had everyone singing along with I believe...

2. Chained To You

I never loved this song until I seen it on the superstars and cannonballs DVD. It was the first time I’d heard this one live (the sound check don’t count) and it was really cool! I loved what they had done to it. He added part of Madonna’s sorry. It was really cool. I can’t wait to hear it again!

3. The Lover After Me

What a brilliant song. Always one of my faves from the affirmation album, great live, sounded just like I thought it would.

4. Creepin' Up On You

Never a song I truly loved, but when I get into one of my ‘lets listen to spin’ moods I always love it, the tour book said it was written about us PML! It was great to hear it live, as I never have before, it was wicked and again sounded just as I thought it would.

5. Love & Attraction

“it’s like sex and passion..” and with that, Darren pointed with is left hand for sex and right for passion. Great song live. Of course I have heard this one on dark/light. Brilliant dancing song, some songs we really were dancing to like in a club, it was one big PARTYYYY.

6. Strange Relationship

The first Darren Hayes song I ever loved, it was brilliant at dark/light and just as good live, I love this song as much today as I did when I first seen that video. Really got me excited and happy.

7. To the Moon And Back (Slow Version)

This was the slowed down version Darren sung on Des and Mel last year. I never loved that song, but live it worked so well, ..now I’m flying to the moon and back..

8. I Just Want You To Love Me (New Song)

Darren was about to introduce the song, he told us all the listen, silence fell on the concert hall, them someone shouted ‘get them off’, everyone erupted into a fit of laugher, even Darren, then he said: “This is a really serious song, be sombre, think of my hairstyles in the 90’s” (and the girl beside me shouted how could we forget) I laughed so much. I don’t remember much about this song, I remember Darren being over at the piano under a blue light and everyone fell so quiet as we all wanted to hear the new song with fresh ears, except the stalkers who had heard it 3 times before ;). Sheffield will be so much fun to hear it again!

Blind date

This was a really fun part of the show! D said: “I thought there was supposed to be singing. There's a woman back there looking very confused. She thought she was coming here to see Sound garden! You sent me away centuries ago but I’m back”.

Darren asked for a single male guy, everyone started jeering and shouting and D said: ‘Not for me!’ Everyone laughed. D introduced us to Lana, Troi and Richard the ‘comfort technicians’ and then said "Lana is single, and she likes rock. With an ‘r’. Lana picked Richard from Nottingham and Darren asked him: are you single? (yes) are you surprised? (yes) Everyone laughed! Darren said he was going to get him all loved up, then troi gave his hair a makeover and dressed him in Darren’s dressing gown.

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Then 3 girls were picked from those who txt in, (D turned to the audience, pulled a face to said they weren’t good looking, of course he was joking LOL). Darren made a reference to "I'm Australian. Four people in a bed is normal." (My txt said hayley b16). Then said "They have no idea what's going to happen to them", Donna from Ilkeston was the one Darren chose, it is supposed to be Lana, troi and Richard’s choice but it is so rigged by Darren, the 3rd girl wins every time, and their statistics he’s made up! ;) D said "Everyone's a winner (turns to the audience, shakes head, and whispers ‘no’)."

Girl 1
can make sounds from 3 orifices simultaneously and can speak 3 languages underwater and likes naked skydiving

Girl 2
likes looking after her sick gran and reading books on serial killers and your special skill isn't yours, it is your cat's, and you declined to elaborate

Girl 3
likes a guy who falls asleep straight after sex, and doesn't like deep and meaningful conversations and her skill is not for public consumption!

It was a lot of fun, then they brought Richard down and Darren said “What have we done to you?” then they got served dinner “from the pitcher and piano”, whilst Darren sings on. Love and attraction is sung whilst the call centre was being txt in. After the song Darren said let’s check in with the call centre this evening and Richard came out with a board of names and seats. Then Darren asked Donna to come down for her prize, the look on his face as he opened it, ...Jason Donovan’s phone number!.. he pretended to be all surprised and laughed so much! Then she had to decide if she would take the bloke or the prize, she took the bloke so got to keep the signed card with Jason’s number on. Darren said, “he’s not a friend but I do have his mobile number”. As he read out the card he asked her to hold his microphone ‘with both hands, firmly around the top’, what a naughty guy full of innuendo! It was very fun, Donna was ushered off just as crash and burn started. I remember thinking I was glad not to have got picked because and I’d rather watch crash and burn out-front. The other 2 girls got the prize of bananas ;), which Darren said: “An exact replica of a part of my body in a relaxed state” LOL.

9. I Knew I Loved You (vocoder)

This song I heard part of sound checked, Darren explained he would give his voice to George, who would feed it though the keyboard and spit it out, like using his voice as an instrument, I can’t explain how it sounded. Weird, electric, as he sung ..I knew I loved you before I met you… as two electronic sentences it was amazing! Can’t wait to hear it again and mashed up with hung up it was brilliant!

10. Void

Footage of the hands was recycled from Dublin sky at the dark light tour. The bit about the spinal cord was good, Darren wiggled the fingers of his right hand into his left hand, interlocked his fingers but pulled them away. A stunning visual to a brilliant song, the opener at dark/light and it sounds just like the CD .., only better!

11. Unlovable

I’d heard a lot about the video piece for unlovable, it was a beautiful girl, telling a story, I didn’t really see too much I was watching Darren. There was images of stairs, boots and the girl, and gestures of being discarded, it was also the album version D sung. Darren said “I promise you that if you see my lips moving it is actually me singing, if you hear my voice any other time that is rob playing with all that stuff”.

I loved the added bit of  “I grow back like a starfish..”.

 

12. Darkness

A song I’ve also heard before at dark/light, still love it live, a brilliant song, so emotional and great live! And I love the lyrics from Kylie’s ‘Come into My World’ that was added ;)

13. Break Me, Shake Me (NIN REMIX)

A brilliant song, I loved it at dark/light those hips are amazing. A damn good song, damn good hips (damn good everything LOL) and most of all, it sounded a little different to the NIN mix on dark/light.

14. Crash & Burn

A personal favourite because it saved my life. I could see Darren watching me and it was freaking me out a bit (no I hadn’t fallen out of my top thank god!) so I waved at him, I had a few times before but this time he waved back, OMG it was amazing! I just love this song live. ..I offer you protection...

 

15. Truly, Madly, Deeply
I love this song, I remember buying it on tape way back from 1998, and brilliant live and you could see Darren smiling and being loved up, great to see. Good to see Darren happy, I’m happy if he is happy!

 

Encore!!!

... the video footage of making the tour book photo shoot was the backdrop, sadly no costume change onstage we’d been promised but I love the footage of him with Wally, the disco ball and in his boxers! ;),

The girl beside shouted down the row to her friend that she’d touched Darren’s hand. I remember touching the back of his fingers on his left hand when he reached out into the audience! I was shaking afterwards, and I’d pulled a muscle in my side trying to reach him from the second row LOL, The girl beside me was screaming . I can’t remember during which song it was! And I do remember seeing that his black shirt had been tucked into his white boxers as we could see the elastic waistband of them - yum!

Throughout the night, Darren asked George to play something a little judgemental, a little...(insert different word each time)..

16. Pop!Ular

I loved the new outfit, the black sparkly suit, the sparkly top and white belt, oh so sexy Darren! Popular is always great live, rob left the rich b%tch beat playing again for the encore, always fun, a real fun song, Darren winked by raising his sunglasses up and then lowering them again lol
Darren thanked “both of you who bought my last album”  it was adorable, he can laugh at himself! So adorable!

17. Tears of Pearls / Violet

A real surprise to the set list and I can’t remember much about it! Except for dancing along and loving it, at one point a mate txt me asking where I was as she could see me lol.

18. I Want You

So much fun live, and D sung it so fast! The backdrop was all colourful and lovely and we all danced to the disco ball spinning above his head! Loved it!

19. So Beautiful

What a weird way to end the show, this time I did not want it to be over, the 2hrs went so so fast! He changed the words from’ my darling’ to ‘my darlings’ it was oh so sweet, we could see him looking up, putting his hand on his heart, that look of love in his eye, During some songs we pointed back at him during bits we felt appropriate like ‘you made me feel so beautiful’...

 

AFTERWARDS.

Was so amazing seeing him outside afterwards too! Even if I didn't get an autograph or hug, my feet where killing me in my boots but I still run like my life depended on it. and rob was lovely I got a piccie with him :) Oh Darren what I do for you!