Hong Kong Coliseum Concert Review
HONG KONG COLISEUM, APRIL 15, 2007 ★★★
Olivia Newton John is best known for hits from The Grease soundtrack and her Physical album, but she unfortunately held off on those crowd pleasers for a good part of her recent show at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
Instead she opened with well known U.S. hits “Have You Never Been Mellow?” and “A Little More Love,” two ballads which were adequate, if not quite the crowd pleasers the audience was expecting.
Also included were several songs off her recent Grace And Gratitude release, which is billed as “relaxation to promote spiritual balance and physical and emotional healing.” Unfortunately, several of those songs were so soothing that some audience members fell asleep. It didn’t get any better when she sang several of her early country hits, including Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, which were unfamiliar to many. These were combined with a slowed down version of “Physical” in a rather forced five song medley. Nonetheless, she made a conscious effort to make “jokes” in between songs to keep her audience awake.
However, when she started singing her classics, the audience really sobered up. “Sam” and Julie London’s “Cry Me a River” were performed with such intensity that the crowd was in awe. Predictably, three hits from Grease finally roused the audience enough to clap.
During the finale, John performed what she called her favorite song of all time, “I Honestly Love You” and sang her guts out.
Into her late 50s, Olivia Newton John certainly has maintained her appearance and her voice. While the pace of her current stage show leaves a lot to be desired, when John belts out a crowd pleaser, she’s definitely still a talent worth seeing.-
By Sandy Rie
- Pearls On A Chain
- Have You Never Been Mellow
- A Little More Love
- Stronger Than Before
- Xanadu
- Magic
- Suddenly
- Let Me Be There/ Please Mr. Please/Jolene/ If You Love Me Let Me Know/ Physical
- Don’t Stop Believin’
- Love Is Letting Go Of Fear
- Not Gonna Give In To It
- Sam
- Cry Me A River
- The Rumour/ Make A Move On Me/ Totally Hot/ Deeper Than The Night/ Twist Of Fate
- Grace And Gratitude
- You Are The One That I Want
- Hopelessly Devoted To You
- Summer Nights
- I Honestly Love You
- Instrument Of Peace
DID YOU KNOW?
Olivia Newton John was recently a guest judge on American Idol. “Normally, I don’t like to judge people, but there was a lot of talent there and it was a great experience,” she said while in Hong Kong.