Roxy Music Tour 2001

Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia
Friday, 20th July 2001


Dan, a personal view
Washington Post

till recovering from last night`s show in Columbia, MD. It`s been over half a lifetime since I last saw them on the "Manifesto" tour in 1979, so my expectations were very high. I was not disappointed. The band were in top form and the audience was very appreciative.

Highlights include:

Remake/Remodel: What a great opening number. I wanted to scan the crowd for all the "Avalon" fans scratching their heads and wondering if they were at the wrong concert, but I just couldn`t take my eyes off the stage.

Ladytron: The Andy/Phil duet was great as was Phil`s solo, where he practically throttled his guitar... go, Phil!

My Only Love: Sped`s solo was brilliant.

Oh Yeah: Um... this one provided me with a few minutes to run to the men`s room and return in time for "Both Ends Burning".

For Your Pleasure: Great closing number, faithfully reproducing the odd sound effects of the studio version. Perhaps the most well-staged concert exit I`ve ever seen.

Bryan was in fine voice throughout and worked the crowd like I`ve never seen him do before. He looked like he was having the time of his life and his enthusiasm really rubbed off on the audience.

Though I`ve heard that the Great PT was playing with an injured wrist, you couldn`t tell by his drumming, which was both powerful and precise. Due to the placement of the cymbals and various band members, it was difficult to actually see him most of the time. However, I was sitting in the 3rd row and could feel every drum beat bursting out of the speakers.

Though I`m most definitely a fan of 70s Roxy, I must admit that the 80s numbers got some of the loudest responses from the crowd. It was clear that many in the audience were there to hear those songs and it obviously wouldn`t have been right for the band to ignore them. Hopefully, if there`s a video/DVD of the tour, they`ll try to keep everyone happy and combine several shows from the UK and US for a fuller set list.

Thanks to all involved for a great night.

Roxy Music, Back In the Groove

At 55, Bryan Ferry still looks damn good. Pounding the keyboards to "Re-make/Re-model" at the outset of Roxy Music's reunion show at Merriweather Post Pavilion Friday night, Ferry was elegant in a shimmery black suit, and his voice -- crushed velvet sprinkled with tawdry sauce -- has aged equally well. With four-fifths of the band's seminal 1972 lineup on board (Brian Eno being far too important to participate), the show was an evenly balanced career overview that, while spending a little too much time on the group's somnolent years, was nonetheless rollicking fun.

Ferry and guitarist Phil Manzanera, sax man Andy Mackay and muscular drummer Paul Thompson were joined by support musicians and the requisite clutch of lithe Roxy women, who writhed at appropriate moments. The band hadn't appeared in the United States since 1983, but the set's highlights were songs that were even older -- selections from Roxy's first five records, including "Ladytron," "Out of the Blue" and "Both Ends Burning." Despite lively playing (especially from Thompson and Manzanera), songs from the forgettable "Flesh and Blood" and "Manifesto" albums nearly derailed the nostalgic party.

Any doubt as to the tour's worth was erased with a four-song run that closed the main set and began the encore: "Editions of You," "Virginia Plain," "Love Is the Drug" and "Do the Strand" all crackled, oozing the mix of romantic soul and scrappy rock that earned Roxy Music its distinctive place in the collective consciousness of discerning music fans. Despite the smallish crowd (the lawn was nearly deserted), the roar was imposing, and Ferry's smile of recognition genuine -- which should have been enough to carry the band's fans at least another 18 years.

-- Patrick Foster