Keep On - Arena Tour
Set-list
Keep On
Think It Over
Light My Fire
All I Want
Very Kind
All Time Love
Ain't Such a Bad Place To Be
Love the One You Are With
Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
I Say That I Love You
Who Am I
Out Of My Mind
Medley (Stronger, Lovestruck, Friday’s Child)
Happiness
Leave Right Now
You & I
Your Game
Switch It On
Manchester Evening News - Source
Will Young has made his name as a famously decent chap in pop: middle-class, well-mannered, the kind of man plucked straight from Lisa Simpson’s Non-Threatening Boys Magazine.
With three albums under his belt, there’s no denying Young has transcended his inauspicious Pop Idol beginnings.
For the first English date on his new tour, the Arena was heaving with teenage girls and Breezer-clasping women.
When the curtain falls to reveal Young resplendent in a pilot’s uniform, the place buckles under the cacaphonous lusty screams. Visually, all of the stops have been pulled out. Trailed by an entourage of dancers, he whirls through a riot of complex choreography and costume changes We get Will in full-on Jilly Cooper equestrian gear, clad in Sixties Austin Powers-style garb and, best of all, there’s an ingenious take on The Nutcracker Suite, featuring him dressed as a wooden soldier.
Musically, it’s when Will chances his arm creatively that he reaps the greatest results. Switch It On (reminiscent of George Michael’s Faith) fizzes while a stripped-down version of Jay Kay-style funker Friday’s Child also hits the spot. Even his version of Light My Fire is saved from having Jim Morrison turning in his urn by the sheer power of his voice. Much like his version of Stephen Stills’ Love The One You’re With, it - gets the crowd singing along.
Of course, a lot of it’s aimed squarely at Generation Parkinson, like the offensively inoffensive ballad Who Am I (essentially James Blunt’s You’re Beautiful re-booted). But in all fairness, he seems to realise this when he introduces Leave Right Now as a song ‘important to my heart and bank balance’.
Young may feel like he needs to enroll on the Robbie Williams stage presence seminar, but he never will. His fans would laugh and cheer anything he did (even if he punched a nun) simply because he’s nice.
London Evening Standard - Source
Will Young's all-singing, all-dancing arena tour arrived in London.
Young and a top-notch team of dancers, singers and musicians treated the fans to a huge theatrical production that featured an array of costumes, sets and themes.
With five No 1 singles and two No 1 albums behind him, Young has amassed quite a back catalogue in the last four years and his confident 20-song extravaganza was a timely reminder of his rapid development from Pop Idol winner to heavyweight artist.
Opening with Keep On, the title track of his current album, Young stunned the audience as he turned it into a sizzling song-and-dance number, looking cool and confident in a dashing air steward's outfit.
Every couple of songs saw the show's format change drastically, the only common factors being exquisite sets, impeccably tailored period costumes, faultless dance routines and a strong, sensitive vocal performance. All I Want was a highlight, with an equestrian-themed routine that wouldn't have been out of place on the West End stage.
His version of Love The One You're With felt genuinely soulful, but from a purely musical point of view, his finest moments came during a gospel-style session with three excellent backing singers. Stripped of all the razzmatazz, his voice shone during this tender medley of What's In Goodbye and Love Struck.
And yet there was something missing from Young's performance. A possible clue to the root of the problem came during a short break halfway through the show. Elvis Presley used to toss sweaty towels into the crowd, confident in the knowledge that they would be fought over by gaggles of crazed women. By contrast, after Young mopped his brow, he folded his towel into a perfect square and placed it neatly beside him. "I'm like this with table cloths as well," he explained.
Endearing though this little interlude was, an amateur psychologist might argue that this deep-seated control freakery made it impossible for Young to let go, to become absorbed in the music and to express naturally and passionately the emotions contained in it.
The strangely asexual atmosphere had less to do with his homosexuality and more to do with the politics graduate's poshness, education and sophisticated sense of irony. All too often, I was left with the distinct impression that he was enjoying a wry little joke with himself, rather than engaging in true flamboyance.
He pulled out all the stops with his encore, an impressive extended version of Switch It On, featuring yet more beautiful costumes and a spirited dance routine, hammering home his credentials as a consummate professional showman.
But there should be no place for irony on an arena tour. Great pop stars fill huge venues by the power of their overblown egos, their shameless belief in their own sexual prowess, their sense of total abandon.
This is what creates the powerful energy that drives crowds wild - and what would have transformed Young from a worldclass cabaret act and conscientious towel-folder into a true pop idol.
MTV - Source
If anyone was in any doubt whether Will Young had what it takes to play Wembley arena he answered them on Tuesday night (October 2).
He burst on stage to 'Keep On' and, dressed as a pilot backed by dancers dressed as air hostesses, he proceeded to wow the crowd with his moves.
A series of tongue-in-cheek costumes and stage set-ups followed, there was a nutcracker segment in which he got togged-up as toy soldier and a cheesy 70s game show set.
Like Madonna did recently on her Confessions tour, the singer even had a show-jumping themed section - although let’s just say he packed a lot more into his jodhpurs.
It wasn’t style over substance though - 'Light My Fire' got the crowd in the mood early on while 'All Time Love' prompted a sea of waving lighters and mobile phones. Wills voice sounded better than ever, husky and funky on 'Switch It On', powerful and soulful on 'Your Game' (our highlight) and goosebump inducingly delicate on 'Who Am I' and 'Leave Right Now'.
He also found the time to joke and ad-lib with the crowd between tunes. When one fan screamed, Nice bum, he bantered, Thanks, I’ve had something put in it, before clarifying: marshmallows!
If Will was nervous performing to a 12,000 person crowd at Wembley it didn’t show. Let’s hope he, Keeps On. (See what we did there)...
Keep On
Think It Over
Light My Fire
All I Want
Very Kind
All Time Love
Ain't Such a Bad Place To Be
Love the One You Are With
Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
I Say That I Love You
Who Am I
Out Of My Mind
Medley (Stronger, Lovestruck, Friday’s Child)
Happiness
Leave Right Now
You & I
Your Game
Switch It On
Manchester Evening News - Source
Will Young has made his name as a famously decent chap in pop: middle-class, well-mannered, the kind of man plucked straight from Lisa Simpson’s Non-Threatening Boys Magazine.
With three albums under his belt, there’s no denying Young has transcended his inauspicious Pop Idol beginnings.
For the first English date on his new tour, the Arena was heaving with teenage girls and Breezer-clasping women.
When the curtain falls to reveal Young resplendent in a pilot’s uniform, the place buckles under the cacaphonous lusty screams. Visually, all of the stops have been pulled out. Trailed by an entourage of dancers, he whirls through a riot of complex choreography and costume changes We get Will in full-on Jilly Cooper equestrian gear, clad in Sixties Austin Powers-style garb and, best of all, there’s an ingenious take on The Nutcracker Suite, featuring him dressed as a wooden soldier.
Musically, it’s when Will chances his arm creatively that he reaps the greatest results. Switch It On (reminiscent of George Michael’s Faith) fizzes while a stripped-down version of Jay Kay-style funker Friday’s Child also hits the spot. Even his version of Light My Fire is saved from having Jim Morrison turning in his urn by the sheer power of his voice. Much like his version of Stephen Stills’ Love The One You’re With, it - gets the crowd singing along.
Of course, a lot of it’s aimed squarely at Generation Parkinson, like the offensively inoffensive ballad Who Am I (essentially James Blunt’s You’re Beautiful re-booted). But in all fairness, he seems to realise this when he introduces Leave Right Now as a song ‘important to my heart and bank balance’.
Young may feel like he needs to enroll on the Robbie Williams stage presence seminar, but he never will. His fans would laugh and cheer anything he did (even if he punched a nun) simply because he’s nice.
London Evening Standard - Source
Will Young's all-singing, all-dancing arena tour arrived in London.
Young and a top-notch team of dancers, singers and musicians treated the fans to a huge theatrical production that featured an array of costumes, sets and themes.
With five No 1 singles and two No 1 albums behind him, Young has amassed quite a back catalogue in the last four years and his confident 20-song extravaganza was a timely reminder of his rapid development from Pop Idol winner to heavyweight artist.
Opening with Keep On, the title track of his current album, Young stunned the audience as he turned it into a sizzling song-and-dance number, looking cool and confident in a dashing air steward's outfit.
Every couple of songs saw the show's format change drastically, the only common factors being exquisite sets, impeccably tailored period costumes, faultless dance routines and a strong, sensitive vocal performance. All I Want was a highlight, with an equestrian-themed routine that wouldn't have been out of place on the West End stage.
His version of Love The One You're With felt genuinely soulful, but from a purely musical point of view, his finest moments came during a gospel-style session with three excellent backing singers. Stripped of all the razzmatazz, his voice shone during this tender medley of What's In Goodbye and Love Struck.
And yet there was something missing from Young's performance. A possible clue to the root of the problem came during a short break halfway through the show. Elvis Presley used to toss sweaty towels into the crowd, confident in the knowledge that they would be fought over by gaggles of crazed women. By contrast, after Young mopped his brow, he folded his towel into a perfect square and placed it neatly beside him. "I'm like this with table cloths as well," he explained.
Endearing though this little interlude was, an amateur psychologist might argue that this deep-seated control freakery made it impossible for Young to let go, to become absorbed in the music and to express naturally and passionately the emotions contained in it.
The strangely asexual atmosphere had less to do with his homosexuality and more to do with the politics graduate's poshness, education and sophisticated sense of irony. All too often, I was left with the distinct impression that he was enjoying a wry little joke with himself, rather than engaging in true flamboyance.
He pulled out all the stops with his encore, an impressive extended version of Switch It On, featuring yet more beautiful costumes and a spirited dance routine, hammering home his credentials as a consummate professional showman.
But there should be no place for irony on an arena tour. Great pop stars fill huge venues by the power of their overblown egos, their shameless belief in their own sexual prowess, their sense of total abandon.
This is what creates the powerful energy that drives crowds wild - and what would have transformed Young from a worldclass cabaret act and conscientious towel-folder into a true pop idol.
MTV - Source
If anyone was in any doubt whether Will Young had what it takes to play Wembley arena he answered them on Tuesday night (October 2).
He burst on stage to 'Keep On' and, dressed as a pilot backed by dancers dressed as air hostesses, he proceeded to wow the crowd with his moves.
A series of tongue-in-cheek costumes and stage set-ups followed, there was a nutcracker segment in which he got togged-up as toy soldier and a cheesy 70s game show set.
Like Madonna did recently on her Confessions tour, the singer even had a show-jumping themed section - although let’s just say he packed a lot more into his jodhpurs.
It wasn’t style over substance though - 'Light My Fire' got the crowd in the mood early on while 'All Time Love' prompted a sea of waving lighters and mobile phones. Wills voice sounded better than ever, husky and funky on 'Switch It On', powerful and soulful on 'Your Game' (our highlight) and goosebump inducingly delicate on 'Who Am I' and 'Leave Right Now'.
He also found the time to joke and ad-lib with the crowd between tunes. When one fan screamed, Nice bum, he bantered, Thanks, I’ve had something put in it, before clarifying: marshmallows!
If Will was nervous performing to a 12,000 person crowd at Wembley it didn’t show. Let’s hope he, Keeps On. (See what we did there)...