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David Gray adds some colour to the Jazz Festival
A packed Dubai Media City Amphitheatre waited patiently in the chilly night air for David Gray to appear.
- By Alice Johnson, Staff Reporter
- Published: 12:40 March 1, 2008
- David Gray performed as part of the Dubai International Jazz Festival.
- Image Credit: Karl Jeffs/Gulf News
A packed Dubai Media City Amphitheatre waited patiently in the chilly night air — standing in the aisles and crouching behind TV cameras — for David Gray to appear.
Thousands of red beanbags were strewn on the sandy grass, on which some had been sitting ready for more than an hour.
In the backdrop of coloured fairy lights, Gray took to the stage with his last single You're The World To Me for the first track. The once sedate crowd came alive watching the charismatic singer, who headed straight in with the second track Sail Away under atmospheric blue lighting.
Energy
Gray's energy didn't wane throughout the performance, which saw him almost marching in time to the anthemic tracks he belted out with his gravelly voice.
Taking to the piano, Gray actively encouraged the audience to sing along to a slow-paced version of This Year's Love.
Couples danced in the aisles as fans sang along to the ballad, showing their love for the song.
An acoustic set halfway through Gray's performance did nothing to dampen spirits, particularly the extended version of Babylon — which proved a definite crowd-pleaser.
Surprised
He surprised thousands of his fans with a rendition of a Johnny Cash song; sounding particularly "country" when performed in conjunction with his own compositions from the 1999 album White Ladder, which earned him worldwide acclaim.
The crowd's enthusiasm was significantly squashed nearing the end of the evening, when some tuning problems crept in and delayed the performance. Gray, irritable with the technicians, loudly reeled off a string of profanities that shocked some in the audience.
Gray's attitude tainted the atmosphere of the evening, meaning that his hit The Other Side wasn't as well received as it should have been by the 5,000-6,000 people who came to watch him.
Overall verdict: Flawless performance but a shame about the swearing.
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