Sparks in Europe 2022   Magical moments and show stoppers

A live Sparks’ concert is always a special occasion, of course, and the eagerly awaited 16 dates tour of Europe in 2022 following close on the heels of the triumphant 18 dates US tour has been no exception. The progress of both tours was followed closely by fans worldwide by means of the many official photographs and the huge range of pictures and videos posted by those fortunate enough to have attended the concerts. These are some of the highlights which clearly captured the imagination of fans and added to Sparks lore, or which were unique to this tour.

That the tour went ahead at all was obviously a brave decision, as the Covid 19 pandemic was far from over in Europe. The issue of the safety and well-being of the band and the audience was foregrounded, with a plea from Sparks HQ posted on the official website for the wearing of masks, and repeated by venue information and announcements before each show.  Some concert pictures showed a sea of masks in the audience, but at some venues, the response was, frankly, disappointing to say the least.

However….

Visual delights

A major contribution to fans’ pleasure were the ‘before and after’ official photos posted on social media at each stage. Pictures of Ron and/or Russell at airports or other clearly signposted sites announced their safe arrival in each country and generated excitement for the forthcoming concert as the tour progressed. The ‘selfies’ taken at the end of each gig (some of which included the whole band) showed the full houses of ecstatic audiences, as well as a glimpse of the venues themselves. It was good to see a picture of the hard-working tour crew taken after the last concert in Vilnius, as it is easy to forget that an undertaking of this magnitude requires a lot of effort from many people behind the scenes.

Exciting Venues

The variety in venues was enormous, from the vast to the more intimate, the palatial to the utilitarian, the historic to the modern, some new to Sparks, others familiar from previous tours. At the Kultuuritalo in Helsinki (3 May), when Russell told the audience that they had played there in 1975, Ron bent double and put his head in his hands in disbelief that they should find themselves here again in 2022 (and riding the crest of a wave of high profiled success, moreover).  A fan at the front enthusiastically waved his original ticket for the 1975 gig, much to Russell’s delight.

A few venues brought special surprises - in Paris (19 April), Sparks were joined on stage by Catherine Trottmann, who was the voice of Anne for the opera arias in Annette, for the duet ‘We Love Each Other So Much’ with Russell.  In Hamburg (25 April), Russell treated the audience to an impromptu rendition of a verse from ‘Gone With the Wind’ at the end of the show after mentioning the songs he had written. Behind his back, Ron waved three fingers in the air. Such affectionate teasing is another side of the mutual admiration always evident in the closing speeches. There were surprises from the audience too. In Amsterdam (21 April), Ron was given a ‘Ron You’re Sexy ‘ placard, which he happily displayed during his dance and held for the end of show selfie. Fans in Brussels displayed a huge banner saying ‘Sparks is a chef d’oeuvre. Merci les frères’ at the end of the show. A surprise of a different kind in Berlin (24 April) which caused a lot of speculation on fan sites was Russell’s apparent altercation with a photographer who was too close to the stage during the opening number (‘So May We Start?’) – after a couple of warning kicks in his direction, Russell seemed to jump or slip off the edge of the stage, clambering back seconds later with only a slight hesitation in his singing. What happened there only those close enough to that corner will know!

Scintillating set list

              The extensive set list also held some surprises. Spanning all the decades of Sparks’ career, it included some numbers that have seldom been performed live and which were greeted with obvious delight (‘Under the Table with Her’, ‘I Married Myself’, ‘The Shopping Mall of Love’, ‘Music that You Can Dance to’) as well as one of the earliest, ‘Wonder Girl’, two songs from the most recent project, Annette (2021) and three from the latest album A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip (2020).  There are always many endearing moments in a Sparks’ performance, and amongst them on this tour were Russell sitting on a stool, Sinatra-style, for ‘Rhythm Thief’ and ‘I Married Myself’. During the latter, he produced a hand mirror and said ‘Hi Baby. How you doin’?’ and sang the rest of the song gazing lovingly at his reflection.  The faux modest posing of both Ron and Russell at the line ‘the authors are here and they’re a little vain’ in the opening number ‘So May We Start?’ appeared to delight the audiences everywhere. Russell’s astonishing energy never seemed to wane throughout the tour and his leaps were admiringly captured on camera by many fans. Ron’s dance is always a show-stopper, with its slowly built anticipation as he carefully removes and folds his jacket, but his monologue in ‘The Shopping Mall of Love’ also caught the imagination of fans this time. His facial expressions, and the repeated dead-pan ‘Yeah’, accompanied by a small fist pump were a great hit as the number of social media shares showed. Another treat was in Ron’s contribution to ‘Suburban Homeboy’, where various people were name-checked instead of Iverson in the ‘description’ of the singer’s girl: in Glasgow, it was Paul Thomson (the Scottish drummer with Franz Ferdinand, who may have been in the audience), in Paris it was Leos Carax and in London it was Sparks’ manager Sue Harris! Elsewhere, Ron reverted to Iverson, so perhaps the Sparks Celebrity Name-checking Research Team ran out of ideas!

Sartorial surprises

              Although the stage outfits were less flamboyant than in the past, Russell’s bright yellow pants and sleeveless jacket (worn alternately with a dark one) shone in the lights and fans’ interest was piqued by his lapel pins – the Hello Kitty face outline accompanied at times by others difficult to identify from a distance but seemingly including a Ukrainian flag. Perhaps the surprise element here was Ron’s sober, dark but stylish outfit of very wide-legged trousers and long jacket which was teamed with a dark polo neck, instead of the traditional tie. Hats were occasionally an unusual addition to the band’s look: Eli’s beret was much in evidence, and even Steve was spotted wearing a cap on one occasion. In Helsinki, Russell donned a white sailor-style graduation cap which feature in Finnish May Day celebrations, and in Vilnius, Ron too is seen briefly in a baseball cap with a local logo.

Spotlights and highlights

              The special effects were stunning, although they varied according to the different venues’ capabilities. Particularly memorable was the fanfare announcing the arrival of the band on stage which always generated excited cheering. The use of spotlights, especially those highlighting Ron at the keyboard (‘the mightiest hand’) were extremely effective and featured repeatedly in social media posts.

              Finally, the end of show speeches: inevitably there was some variation and comments specific to the relevant country (Russell’s listing in Finnish of his favourite things amused the Helsinki audience again). A constant was Russell’s shout-out to the band, warmly extolling the talents of each member (Evan Weiss and Eli Pearl on guitars, Max Whipple on bass, Steve Nistor on drums and Tyler Parkford on additional keyboards.) This included, of course, a heartfelt tribute to his brother’s song-writing skills.  Both Russell and Ron also spoke of the experiences of lockdown, the highs and lows of their earlier career, their thrill at the recent reception of The Sparks Brothers and Annette and their profound appreciation of the loyalty of fans and the reception they have received everywhere during this tour.  Most exciting were the promises of further live performances, a nearly finished new album and a new movie musical.

              All Sparks’ fans will have had their favourite moments from these concerts (even those who for various reasons were only able to attend ‘virtually’) but these, to me, are some of the most striking.

So, may we start …..to hope that it won’t be too long before more magical moments, show-stoppers and jaw-droppers come our way from the forever young Maels?

 

Penny Brown

May 2022