Theatre Tour - 2004
Set-list
Stronger
Out Of My Mind
Dance The Night Away
Very Kind
Friday's Child
Light My Fire
Hey Ya
Love Is A Matter Of Distance
Evergreen
Over You
Going My Way (Introducing The Band)
Love The One You're With
You And I
Your Game
Leave Right Now
Ticket To LoveFree
Royal Albert Hall, London
DailyTelegraph - Source
What do women see in Will Young? It needs asking, because the majority of hand-wringing devotees at this show were female, and most seemed to have romantic feelings for the gay Pop Idol winner. Even if you excluded the mum brigade, who looked as if they just wanted to ruffle his hair, that left a few thousand nubile teens and their "Will, shake your bum!" banners. Forget the standard babble about this well-mannered politics grad being an unthreatening outlet for pubescent fantasies. These kids, like the smirking pair to my right, lustily singing every word, meant business.
Why, though? Whether cranking out contractual-obligation ballads or juicing it up with (much better) lounge-funk, their lust-object exuded the hairless appeal of a Ken doll. (Literally, to go by his anecdote about getting waxed for a video shoot.) Unusually for a pop "idol", he looked nonplussed at being the centre of attention. Where Idol runner-up Gareth Gates struts about in an Elvis jumpsuit, Young hides behind a limp T-shirt and skinny tie. His apologetic smiles and waves would have had Robbie Williams bellowing: "Not like that! This is how it's done!"
The one thing that didn't need a kick up the tiny backside was the music. The soft-soul leanings of Young's current album, Friday's Child - one of the year's biggest sellers - gave the show a slouchy, late-night texture. Young played it up, vamping moodily on the downbeat Very Kind and transforming OutKast's Hey Ya into an unrecognisable slow torch song. A more than decent singer, he seemed happiest when stretching himself, as on the gospelly squiggles of Your Game, and least comfortable with the teen fodder of his first album, such as the listless Westlife cover Evergreen. Fancy that - a reality star who is in it for the music. If Young would just lose the shyness, George Michael would have a credible rival.
Royal Festival Hall, London
London Evening Standard - Source
It is easy to feel sorry for Will Young. He is destined to be remembered as the one who didn't stutter who won Pop Idol 2002. No matter how many records he sells, his career will always be a fruitless search for credibility.
Last night, he moved a small step closer to his goal by playing the Royal Festival Hall, a relatively intimate and, as he admitted, "very classy" venue, although he will play the Royal Albert Hall on Friday. Not a natural performer, nor blessed with natural charisma, Young's arena shows were invariably defeated by his lack of stagecraft. As I'm sure this essentially decent and intelligent man would be the first to confess, his bought-in popularity outstrips his talent.
At the Festival Hall, with its enormous stage, however, the rules of concert engagement are different. As he noted, "it's nice to see people's faces", but there are no big video screens (Young's occasional cartoon ones scarcely counted), no photographers' pit and nowhere to hide.
He began well, singing most of Stronger behind a see-through curtain. Although the song was average at best, its performance looked fantastic. Perhaps, after all, Young would be able to turn things around. Then, when the curtain dropped and Young revealed himself to be wearing a collared T-shirt with a tie, all hope was lost.
As if feeling the need of a comfort blanket, Young employed a nine-piece band, who looked to a man and woman as if they were embarrassed to be there. Your heart could have broken for Young as he struggled with weak material which rarely rose above anaemic Eighties faux-funk; as he attempted to engage his three woefully lacklustre backing singers and as he desperately tried to find that stillelusive charisma. The audience did their best, but being composed mostly of gay men out for a supportive chuckle and teenage girls who occasionally screamed, they were there for the spectacle rather than the music.
Only an occasional songwriter, Young's voice is his major asset. As it happens, it's not an especially weak nor annoying voice, particularly for those familiar with George Michael, Young's most obvious reference point. It is not, however, under any circumstances, a great voice.
That said, the beginning notwithstanding, there were moments which suggest Young may not face the culling that appears to await his Pop Idol colleague Gareth Gates. The brilliantly lit Over You exuded percussive, minimal menace; Evergreen sounded rather better than the Westlife album track it once was, while You And I was the one moment where band and performer gelled.
For the most part though, this was a hand-me-down performance from a hand-me-down pop star. Severely flawed, but fascinating.
This Must Be Pop - Source
So last night was my first Will concert of 2004 and hopefully not my last because, as usual, he was fantastic! Everyone there came out saying exactly that - his vocals were better than ever and he came across as the loveliest person in the world, which is unsurprising really as that's just what he is. He played all the best songs and my only two (very tiny) complaints were that he didn't do any new covers and only wore one outfit for the whole night. The evening was very much focused on the music, with no fireworks or rehearsed comedy pieces, but this was a good thing as Will came off as a true professional and proved once again just how talented he is. His voice is always great but he was on particularly good form.
Make it a Date Will?
Will Young's debut UK Tour completely sold out in under two hours - so Joe Mott from the Daily Star is starting a campaign to make him add another date.
Their recent competition to win tickets for the intimate shows got more response than any other 'Hot' give away - even beating previous record holder Kylie.
And they've been inundated with calls from disappointed fans demanding he add another date. But they can't do it on their own. Joe Mott has spoken to Will's people who insist there just wont be time to squeeze one in, but remember he's your pop idol.
Email your pleas to Will to Joe Mott and he'll make sure Will sees them. Who knows, if you're persuasive enough, he might just play one more gig!
Will's Birmingham Symphony Hall gigs sold out in just under 2 hours - making it the fastest selling show in the venue's 13 year history. In scenes replicated across the country, Will mania hit the city when tickets went on sale at 10am. Desperate fans jammed the lines and by midday all 4,000 seats had been snapped up. Ipswich's Regent Theatre sold out within an hour and a half! Ticketmaster revealed that tickets for Will's 2004 tour sold faster than Madonna's Re-Invention tour.
South Wales Echo
Singing Idol Will silences sceptics- If Will Young ever needed an opportunity to silence the Pop Idol sceptics, then his live performance in Cardiff should do it. The singer took to the stage at St David's Hall in the Welsh capital on Saturday, on the first of two nights in the city at the start of his first solo British tour.:And what followed over the next 90 minutes can only be described as spine-tingling.There's a reason critics are calling him the next George Michael. Not only can the boy sing, but when it comes to stage presence and charisma, he'd put the majority of so-called "authentic" musicians to shame. He performed all his hits as well as songs from the acclaimed album including Your Game - and the audience loved it.
Evening Star (Suffolk)
Will wows Regent with soulful style- Will Young at Ipswich Regent last night - expectations were high.
Fans had snapped up tickets for last night's concert in record time and from the moment Will Young's tour bus rolled into town a crowd of admirers lingered round the Regent's backstage entrance hoping for a glimpse of their idol. At shortly after 8.30pm the moment the capacity crowd had been waiting for arrived and the star of the show, silhouetted on a sheer white curtain, appeared on stage.
With not a word spoken he kicked things off with Stronger and immediately set the high standard that would remain throughout the evening.
Backed by a seven-piece live band, Will treated the enthusiastic audience to a showcase of the jazzy and soulful pop sound that he has used to distance himself from his Pop Idol beginnings. The concert was largely a chance for the music on current album Friday's Child to shine. From the upbeat Dance the Night Away to the laid back new single Friday's Child to the gospel preaching of Love The One You're With to singles Leave Right Now and Your Game and everything in between, the crowd lapped them up.
Songs from his debut album From Now On, including the singles Evergreen, Light My Fire and You and I were well received with rapturous excitement. While they had taken on a more laid-back, jazzy, lounge style, they also served to show the progress Will has made as a solo artist from a Pop Idol winner to a credible song-writing solo artist with career longevity potential.
And he also demonstrated his skill as an artist with a smooth and jazzy rendition of Outkast's smash hit Hey Ya! that was recognisable to the original in little but lyric.
Scattered throughout the set were Will's trademark do-dahs, yeah-yeahs, oo-oohs, and you-oos and a fair amount of amiable banter. References to waxing for his new video, winning an Olympic medal, encouraging the theatre's security to dance and the "binocular losers" at the front of the auditorium endeared him even more to an audience already smitten by his charm.
Will's reward was a rapturous reception that was unwavering from beginning to end. At every lull the audience screamed what seemed the night's general consensus, "We love you Will".
South Wales Argus
The original Pop Idol has already managed to outlive the successors to his throne. And yesterday in the warm surroundings of a packed Cardiff's St David's Hall, Will Young proved why he is no two-minute, reality TV wonder.
The hundreds of fans who managed to bag a ticket for his two opening concerts , which were sold out within 20 minutes, were not disappointed. From the Pop Idol number one Evergreen, through to his cover of Light My fire and latest release Your Game, teenagers, middle-aged women and dads were all dancing in the aisles.
With a magnificent seven piece band and a great acoustic set, the highlight of which was a cover of Outkast's Hey Ya, the softly-spoken, Home Counties boy put on a simple but effective show he can be proud of.
Will Young first shot to fame when he told Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell he wasn't average. He was right - and the performance was anything but average.
Bristol Evening Post
Will Young: Colston Hall - It’s so easy to slate reality TV talent show winners for their fast track to fame, as if spending decades busking for pennies on a grubby high street and singing to three men and a sleeping dog in flea-pit clubs somehow makes you more talented. Of course, for some, take them out of their hermetically-sealed TV bubble, take away the stylists, the PR people and the button-tweaking, bum-note-disguising sound engineers, and suddenly they can’t cut it in the real world.
But then there’s Will Young.
This man can really sing, with a vocal range that belies his youth, able to deliver soaring ballads and rasping jazzy soul numbers alike. When Will first appeared on the Colston Hall stage, he was singing from behind a thin curtain, a brightening searchlight gradually showing his silhouette, tantalising the audience with a growing glimpse of their pop idol.
When the curtain was suddenly thrown back mid-song, the crowd jumped to their feet and erupted in deafening cheers and applause which a veteran rocker would be proud to hear, let alone a 25-year-old two years into his career.
When Darius played the Colston Hall last year, he dashed backstage to change clothes about four times, emerging with increasingly over-styled outfits, including sparkly rhinestone belts and a black see-through top. But, tellingly, there were no such fashion distractions in Will’s show – he didn’t need them. He stayed in the same outfit the whole time, a short-sleeved tight white shirt, dark tie and grey trousers – which looked half mod-cool and half sexy sixth-former performing a lunchtime concert with his band in the assembly hall.
There was no slick choreography, Will’s jerky dancing – part hands-glued-to-his-sides Irish jig, part hopping up and down as if desperate for the loo – was charmingly unselfconscious.
This is Will’s appeal. In between songs, he’s the bumbling, well-spoken Will we remember from Pop Idol with a warm line in chatty humour, telling the audience of his shock when an old woman pinched him bum in a train carriage in Bournemouth the day before.
But as soon as the music starts, he’s a confident performer, not in an arrogant way, but comfortable on stage and clearly loving it. He knows how to wow his audience, which was packed with everyone from tots to teenagers, and parents to pensioners.
Highlights included a slinky rendition of Light My Fire, a funky Stevie Wonder cover Do I Do, a chilled-out version of Outkast’s Hey Ya and songs from both Will’s number-one albums including Your Game and the forthcoming single Friday’s Child.
There’s nowhere to hide in an acoustic set – if you don’t hit the notes bang-on, everyone will notice. But in this section of the show, Will more than proved his vocal talent.“Distinctly average”? In your face, Simon Cowell.
Rating 4/5
Herald Express
A Soulful Night to Remember. He's more than managed to shake off the Pop Idol Label. Will Young has proved he is a talented songwriter, laudable live singer and a loveable young man too.
Plymouth Pavillions was in raptures when the former Exeter student arrived for the seventh date in his national tour. Boy were they in for a treat. If its not too detrimental to say it, he's such a nice boy.
Supporting Will at the city centre venue was an acoustic guitar duo from Mexico.Rodrigo and Gabrielle were a strange choice to compliment Wills soulful style, their salsa style of Latin tunes was interspersed with a few rambling tales of their five years touring Europe and one song Captain Casanova was inspired by a pilot who they believed saved them from a potential air disaster. Despite the seemingly similar numbers the pair had an endearing quality.
Then it was the moment we had all been waiting for. Behind a diaphanous voile style curtain Will appeared to a deafening roar from the audience some waving banners which read 'Where there's a Will, we get a thrill' and 'I need the Will to Live'.
The set lasting almost 2 hours was a mix of ballads and up-tempo hits and songs from both albums, covers and self-penned songs proving Will is no one-minute TV contest winning wonder. His Performance on Saturday was testament to his musical talent.
And the Crowd loved him. Men were scarce, outnumbered by anything up to 50 to one.His broad appeal was obvious from the age ranges of those who had flocked to snap up more than 2,000 tickets from a few children to mums and grannies.
They were treated to a wealth of great songs, Will's superb vocals, hugely talented six piece band and three backing singers, tasteful lighting and set. All the hits were there from his first single after winning the competition Evergreen to Light my Fire, one of the songs from the contest as well as recent chart toppers from his second album Fridays Child. There was the title track, the ballad, Leave Right Now, and Your Game. He even sampled rap duo Outkast's Hey Ya.
If there was one criticism it has to be Wills lack of talent in the dancing department. At times his shuffle resembled 70's TV character Frank Spencer.Sorry Will, but then again who cares about his body movements, it was his voice we went to hear.
And what a voice, if there had been any doubt about his longevity post Pop Idol there is doubt no more, what a great night!
Birmingham Post - Sophie Blakemoor
I've never been one for reality-type TV shows but I have to confess - The first Pop Idol had me hooked. While hundreds of thousands of teens, newspapers and bookies touted Gareth as the voters' ultimate choice, Will was the apple of my eye. And this weekend's gig at the acoustically-renowned Symphony Hall proved the point.
He was on top form in voice, wit and repartee, and rhythm (yes, the boy who was told to loosen up by Waterman, Cowell and Chapman, can shake with the best of 'em). He was at ease with the sold-out crowd, laid back with his brilliant backing band and comfortable in his own skin.
So relaxed in fact that he wasn't afraid to crack a few gags.
Young seemed pleased with the choice of venue, lauding the intimacy of theatre tours above the impersonal nature of arena shows after having a natter with some chap in the front row about the virtues of his Brummie guitarist, Joseph.
A true professional, he sang through the onset of a croaky throat, apologising to his fans even though his ailment was only apparent when he wasn't singing. Dressed in his own unique style - khakis, fitted polo shirt and black tie - he belted out hits from his two albums, peppered with new songs and covers during an hour-and-a-half set.
And the eclectic audience of twenty-something couples, gaggles of girls and middle-aged women, bopping husbands and, of course, gay men, paid homage to the broad appeal of his music.
Old favourites like his wound-down version of the Doors' Light my Fire and You and I from his first album From Now On, were juxtaposed against covers of Love the One You're With and snippets of other jazz and soul classics.
He even made a good job of the song he is rumoured to hate (him and me both) transforming his first number 1, Evergreen, into a bearable tune. A show-stopping rendition of Outkast's Hey Ya was one of the highlights of an all-round great performance, rounded off with encores of his latest singles Leave Right Now and Your Game.
Will has broken away from the stigma of his TV beginnings by doing the music he loves and which best suits his distinctive voice. He is no longer the plaything of a commercial money-making machine but a respected artist who makes his own decisions - and what a way to confirm it!
Telegraph - Lynsey Hanley
Coming out has done Will Young no harm whatsoever, judging by the lusty response of the 99 per cent female audience to his arrival on stage. Ever since the first Pop Idol revealed he was gay, he has cultivated a straight following, older than the average pop fan, who on this night couldn't have given two hoots either way as long as he kept doing his funny hip-wiggling dance, which seemed to induce instant swoonery.
Hip-wiggling aside, the shrewd Young has ensured career longevity far beyond that of his Pop Idol buddy Gareth Gates by singing the kind of songs he enjoys, rather than the sort that misguided executives in giant swivel chairs like to foist on their callow new signings. Young's tastes lie not in pop but in soul and jazz, with "taste" being the operative word.
His selection of material, impeccable backing band, choice of intimate theatre venues, even his skinny tie, were so tasteful that you had to wonder whether he had organised this whole tour using the principles of feng shui. It wouldn't have been that much of a surprise to have spotted Terence Conran or the "Nice" jazzman from The Fast Show nodding in the wings when Young took Outkast's brilliant, manic hit Hey Ya! and slowed it down into an acoustic, Tracy Chapman-like ballad that seemed designed more to impress than to entertain.
The one-time drama student approached each song as though it were his only chance of a place at Rada. When he introduced his new single Friday's Child, for which the video shows him frolicking in an outdoor pool, one imaginative fan raised a banner demanding "Show Us Your Speedos!” while another presented him with an inflatable swimming aid in the shape of a turtle. Young's response was to roll his eyes camply and gesture to his roadie to have such tat removed from his stage, lest his concentration be ruined.
When Young let go a little, towards the end of an enjoyable but uptight performance, the crowd responded as though he really had revealed his trunks. With Love the One You're With, You and I and a showstopping Your Game he displayed, at last, the all-feeling soulster beneath the singing interior designer.
Manchester Online -Riazat Butt
When I saw how many women turned out for last night's Will Young concert, my first thought was that they mustn't know he is gay.The fairer sex dominated the Bridgewater Hall and I had never seen so many ladies in my life, not even in Primark on a Saturday afternoon.
Will, an artist who is not pop, jazz, blues or soul but a blend of the lot, has won over the female record-buying public - from the girls at the gig who were clearly too young to be smoking, to women in their fifties.
He knows the ladies love him, so he lets them have plenty of smoldering and hip swivelling - if the singing dries up he could always make it as a pole dancer. But in between the gyrating and formidable eye contact there was excellent singing and charming on-stage patter.
The 24-year-old was happy to poke fun at his private school education - "I had to write out Psalms in the squash courts before I rode my pony" - and chat to fans who told him at every opportunity that they loved him and that he was fit.
I admit that, after about six songs, I wondered what he'd look like with his top off.
Will Young is not the best singer or dancer in the world, nor is he the best-looking bloke, but whatever he has should cement his career, both critically and commercially, for some time to come.
Stronger
Out Of My Mind
Dance The Night Away
Very Kind
Friday's Child
Light My Fire
Hey Ya
Love Is A Matter Of Distance
Evergreen
Over You
Going My Way (Introducing The Band)
Love The One You're With
You And I
Your Game
Leave Right Now
Ticket To LoveFree
Royal Albert Hall, London
DailyTelegraph - Source
What do women see in Will Young? It needs asking, because the majority of hand-wringing devotees at this show were female, and most seemed to have romantic feelings for the gay Pop Idol winner. Even if you excluded the mum brigade, who looked as if they just wanted to ruffle his hair, that left a few thousand nubile teens and their "Will, shake your bum!" banners. Forget the standard babble about this well-mannered politics grad being an unthreatening outlet for pubescent fantasies. These kids, like the smirking pair to my right, lustily singing every word, meant business.
Why, though? Whether cranking out contractual-obligation ballads or juicing it up with (much better) lounge-funk, their lust-object exuded the hairless appeal of a Ken doll. (Literally, to go by his anecdote about getting waxed for a video shoot.) Unusually for a pop "idol", he looked nonplussed at being the centre of attention. Where Idol runner-up Gareth Gates struts about in an Elvis jumpsuit, Young hides behind a limp T-shirt and skinny tie. His apologetic smiles and waves would have had Robbie Williams bellowing: "Not like that! This is how it's done!"
The one thing that didn't need a kick up the tiny backside was the music. The soft-soul leanings of Young's current album, Friday's Child - one of the year's biggest sellers - gave the show a slouchy, late-night texture. Young played it up, vamping moodily on the downbeat Very Kind and transforming OutKast's Hey Ya into an unrecognisable slow torch song. A more than decent singer, he seemed happiest when stretching himself, as on the gospelly squiggles of Your Game, and least comfortable with the teen fodder of his first album, such as the listless Westlife cover Evergreen. Fancy that - a reality star who is in it for the music. If Young would just lose the shyness, George Michael would have a credible rival.
Royal Festival Hall, London
London Evening Standard - Source
It is easy to feel sorry for Will Young. He is destined to be remembered as the one who didn't stutter who won Pop Idol 2002. No matter how many records he sells, his career will always be a fruitless search for credibility.
Last night, he moved a small step closer to his goal by playing the Royal Festival Hall, a relatively intimate and, as he admitted, "very classy" venue, although he will play the Royal Albert Hall on Friday. Not a natural performer, nor blessed with natural charisma, Young's arena shows were invariably defeated by his lack of stagecraft. As I'm sure this essentially decent and intelligent man would be the first to confess, his bought-in popularity outstrips his talent.
At the Festival Hall, with its enormous stage, however, the rules of concert engagement are different. As he noted, "it's nice to see people's faces", but there are no big video screens (Young's occasional cartoon ones scarcely counted), no photographers' pit and nowhere to hide.
He began well, singing most of Stronger behind a see-through curtain. Although the song was average at best, its performance looked fantastic. Perhaps, after all, Young would be able to turn things around. Then, when the curtain dropped and Young revealed himself to be wearing a collared T-shirt with a tie, all hope was lost.
As if feeling the need of a comfort blanket, Young employed a nine-piece band, who looked to a man and woman as if they were embarrassed to be there. Your heart could have broken for Young as he struggled with weak material which rarely rose above anaemic Eighties faux-funk; as he attempted to engage his three woefully lacklustre backing singers and as he desperately tried to find that stillelusive charisma. The audience did their best, but being composed mostly of gay men out for a supportive chuckle and teenage girls who occasionally screamed, they were there for the spectacle rather than the music.
Only an occasional songwriter, Young's voice is his major asset. As it happens, it's not an especially weak nor annoying voice, particularly for those familiar with George Michael, Young's most obvious reference point. It is not, however, under any circumstances, a great voice.
That said, the beginning notwithstanding, there were moments which suggest Young may not face the culling that appears to await his Pop Idol colleague Gareth Gates. The brilliantly lit Over You exuded percussive, minimal menace; Evergreen sounded rather better than the Westlife album track it once was, while You And I was the one moment where band and performer gelled.
For the most part though, this was a hand-me-down performance from a hand-me-down pop star. Severely flawed, but fascinating.
This Must Be Pop - Source
So last night was my first Will concert of 2004 and hopefully not my last because, as usual, he was fantastic! Everyone there came out saying exactly that - his vocals were better than ever and he came across as the loveliest person in the world, which is unsurprising really as that's just what he is. He played all the best songs and my only two (very tiny) complaints were that he didn't do any new covers and only wore one outfit for the whole night. The evening was very much focused on the music, with no fireworks or rehearsed comedy pieces, but this was a good thing as Will came off as a true professional and proved once again just how talented he is. His voice is always great but he was on particularly good form.
Make it a Date Will?
Will Young's debut UK Tour completely sold out in under two hours - so Joe Mott from the Daily Star is starting a campaign to make him add another date.
Their recent competition to win tickets for the intimate shows got more response than any other 'Hot' give away - even beating previous record holder Kylie.
And they've been inundated with calls from disappointed fans demanding he add another date. But they can't do it on their own. Joe Mott has spoken to Will's people who insist there just wont be time to squeeze one in, but remember he's your pop idol.
Email your pleas to Will to Joe Mott and he'll make sure Will sees them. Who knows, if you're persuasive enough, he might just play one more gig!
Will's Birmingham Symphony Hall gigs sold out in just under 2 hours - making it the fastest selling show in the venue's 13 year history. In scenes replicated across the country, Will mania hit the city when tickets went on sale at 10am. Desperate fans jammed the lines and by midday all 4,000 seats had been snapped up. Ipswich's Regent Theatre sold out within an hour and a half! Ticketmaster revealed that tickets for Will's 2004 tour sold faster than Madonna's Re-Invention tour.
South Wales Echo
Singing Idol Will silences sceptics- If Will Young ever needed an opportunity to silence the Pop Idol sceptics, then his live performance in Cardiff should do it. The singer took to the stage at St David's Hall in the Welsh capital on Saturday, on the first of two nights in the city at the start of his first solo British tour.:And what followed over the next 90 minutes can only be described as spine-tingling.There's a reason critics are calling him the next George Michael. Not only can the boy sing, but when it comes to stage presence and charisma, he'd put the majority of so-called "authentic" musicians to shame. He performed all his hits as well as songs from the acclaimed album including Your Game - and the audience loved it.
Evening Star (Suffolk)
Will wows Regent with soulful style- Will Young at Ipswich Regent last night - expectations were high.
Fans had snapped up tickets for last night's concert in record time and from the moment Will Young's tour bus rolled into town a crowd of admirers lingered round the Regent's backstage entrance hoping for a glimpse of their idol. At shortly after 8.30pm the moment the capacity crowd had been waiting for arrived and the star of the show, silhouetted on a sheer white curtain, appeared on stage.
With not a word spoken he kicked things off with Stronger and immediately set the high standard that would remain throughout the evening.
Backed by a seven-piece live band, Will treated the enthusiastic audience to a showcase of the jazzy and soulful pop sound that he has used to distance himself from his Pop Idol beginnings. The concert was largely a chance for the music on current album Friday's Child to shine. From the upbeat Dance the Night Away to the laid back new single Friday's Child to the gospel preaching of Love The One You're With to singles Leave Right Now and Your Game and everything in between, the crowd lapped them up.
Songs from his debut album From Now On, including the singles Evergreen, Light My Fire and You and I were well received with rapturous excitement. While they had taken on a more laid-back, jazzy, lounge style, they also served to show the progress Will has made as a solo artist from a Pop Idol winner to a credible song-writing solo artist with career longevity potential.
And he also demonstrated his skill as an artist with a smooth and jazzy rendition of Outkast's smash hit Hey Ya! that was recognisable to the original in little but lyric.
Scattered throughout the set were Will's trademark do-dahs, yeah-yeahs, oo-oohs, and you-oos and a fair amount of amiable banter. References to waxing for his new video, winning an Olympic medal, encouraging the theatre's security to dance and the "binocular losers" at the front of the auditorium endeared him even more to an audience already smitten by his charm.
Will's reward was a rapturous reception that was unwavering from beginning to end. At every lull the audience screamed what seemed the night's general consensus, "We love you Will".
South Wales Argus
The original Pop Idol has already managed to outlive the successors to his throne. And yesterday in the warm surroundings of a packed Cardiff's St David's Hall, Will Young proved why he is no two-minute, reality TV wonder.
The hundreds of fans who managed to bag a ticket for his two opening concerts , which were sold out within 20 minutes, were not disappointed. From the Pop Idol number one Evergreen, through to his cover of Light My fire and latest release Your Game, teenagers, middle-aged women and dads were all dancing in the aisles.
With a magnificent seven piece band and a great acoustic set, the highlight of which was a cover of Outkast's Hey Ya, the softly-spoken, Home Counties boy put on a simple but effective show he can be proud of.
Will Young first shot to fame when he told Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell he wasn't average. He was right - and the performance was anything but average.
Bristol Evening Post
Will Young: Colston Hall - It’s so easy to slate reality TV talent show winners for their fast track to fame, as if spending decades busking for pennies on a grubby high street and singing to three men and a sleeping dog in flea-pit clubs somehow makes you more talented. Of course, for some, take them out of their hermetically-sealed TV bubble, take away the stylists, the PR people and the button-tweaking, bum-note-disguising sound engineers, and suddenly they can’t cut it in the real world.
But then there’s Will Young.
This man can really sing, with a vocal range that belies his youth, able to deliver soaring ballads and rasping jazzy soul numbers alike. When Will first appeared on the Colston Hall stage, he was singing from behind a thin curtain, a brightening searchlight gradually showing his silhouette, tantalising the audience with a growing glimpse of their pop idol.
When the curtain was suddenly thrown back mid-song, the crowd jumped to their feet and erupted in deafening cheers and applause which a veteran rocker would be proud to hear, let alone a 25-year-old two years into his career.
When Darius played the Colston Hall last year, he dashed backstage to change clothes about four times, emerging with increasingly over-styled outfits, including sparkly rhinestone belts and a black see-through top. But, tellingly, there were no such fashion distractions in Will’s show – he didn’t need them. He stayed in the same outfit the whole time, a short-sleeved tight white shirt, dark tie and grey trousers – which looked half mod-cool and half sexy sixth-former performing a lunchtime concert with his band in the assembly hall.
There was no slick choreography, Will’s jerky dancing – part hands-glued-to-his-sides Irish jig, part hopping up and down as if desperate for the loo – was charmingly unselfconscious.
This is Will’s appeal. In between songs, he’s the bumbling, well-spoken Will we remember from Pop Idol with a warm line in chatty humour, telling the audience of his shock when an old woman pinched him bum in a train carriage in Bournemouth the day before.
But as soon as the music starts, he’s a confident performer, not in an arrogant way, but comfortable on stage and clearly loving it. He knows how to wow his audience, which was packed with everyone from tots to teenagers, and parents to pensioners.
Highlights included a slinky rendition of Light My Fire, a funky Stevie Wonder cover Do I Do, a chilled-out version of Outkast’s Hey Ya and songs from both Will’s number-one albums including Your Game and the forthcoming single Friday’s Child.
There’s nowhere to hide in an acoustic set – if you don’t hit the notes bang-on, everyone will notice. But in this section of the show, Will more than proved his vocal talent.“Distinctly average”? In your face, Simon Cowell.
Rating 4/5
Herald Express
A Soulful Night to Remember. He's more than managed to shake off the Pop Idol Label. Will Young has proved he is a talented songwriter, laudable live singer and a loveable young man too.
Plymouth Pavillions was in raptures when the former Exeter student arrived for the seventh date in his national tour. Boy were they in for a treat. If its not too detrimental to say it, he's such a nice boy.
Supporting Will at the city centre venue was an acoustic guitar duo from Mexico.Rodrigo and Gabrielle were a strange choice to compliment Wills soulful style, their salsa style of Latin tunes was interspersed with a few rambling tales of their five years touring Europe and one song Captain Casanova was inspired by a pilot who they believed saved them from a potential air disaster. Despite the seemingly similar numbers the pair had an endearing quality.
Then it was the moment we had all been waiting for. Behind a diaphanous voile style curtain Will appeared to a deafening roar from the audience some waving banners which read 'Where there's a Will, we get a thrill' and 'I need the Will to Live'.
The set lasting almost 2 hours was a mix of ballads and up-tempo hits and songs from both albums, covers and self-penned songs proving Will is no one-minute TV contest winning wonder. His Performance on Saturday was testament to his musical talent.
And the Crowd loved him. Men were scarce, outnumbered by anything up to 50 to one.His broad appeal was obvious from the age ranges of those who had flocked to snap up more than 2,000 tickets from a few children to mums and grannies.
They were treated to a wealth of great songs, Will's superb vocals, hugely talented six piece band and three backing singers, tasteful lighting and set. All the hits were there from his first single after winning the competition Evergreen to Light my Fire, one of the songs from the contest as well as recent chart toppers from his second album Fridays Child. There was the title track, the ballad, Leave Right Now, and Your Game. He even sampled rap duo Outkast's Hey Ya.
If there was one criticism it has to be Wills lack of talent in the dancing department. At times his shuffle resembled 70's TV character Frank Spencer.Sorry Will, but then again who cares about his body movements, it was his voice we went to hear.
And what a voice, if there had been any doubt about his longevity post Pop Idol there is doubt no more, what a great night!
Birmingham Post - Sophie Blakemoor
I've never been one for reality-type TV shows but I have to confess - The first Pop Idol had me hooked. While hundreds of thousands of teens, newspapers and bookies touted Gareth as the voters' ultimate choice, Will was the apple of my eye. And this weekend's gig at the acoustically-renowned Symphony Hall proved the point.
He was on top form in voice, wit and repartee, and rhythm (yes, the boy who was told to loosen up by Waterman, Cowell and Chapman, can shake with the best of 'em). He was at ease with the sold-out crowd, laid back with his brilliant backing band and comfortable in his own skin.
So relaxed in fact that he wasn't afraid to crack a few gags.
Young seemed pleased with the choice of venue, lauding the intimacy of theatre tours above the impersonal nature of arena shows after having a natter with some chap in the front row about the virtues of his Brummie guitarist, Joseph.
A true professional, he sang through the onset of a croaky throat, apologising to his fans even though his ailment was only apparent when he wasn't singing. Dressed in his own unique style - khakis, fitted polo shirt and black tie - he belted out hits from his two albums, peppered with new songs and covers during an hour-and-a-half set.
And the eclectic audience of twenty-something couples, gaggles of girls and middle-aged women, bopping husbands and, of course, gay men, paid homage to the broad appeal of his music.
Old favourites like his wound-down version of the Doors' Light my Fire and You and I from his first album From Now On, were juxtaposed against covers of Love the One You're With and snippets of other jazz and soul classics.
He even made a good job of the song he is rumoured to hate (him and me both) transforming his first number 1, Evergreen, into a bearable tune. A show-stopping rendition of Outkast's Hey Ya was one of the highlights of an all-round great performance, rounded off with encores of his latest singles Leave Right Now and Your Game.
Will has broken away from the stigma of his TV beginnings by doing the music he loves and which best suits his distinctive voice. He is no longer the plaything of a commercial money-making machine but a respected artist who makes his own decisions - and what a way to confirm it!
Telegraph - Lynsey Hanley
Coming out has done Will Young no harm whatsoever, judging by the lusty response of the 99 per cent female audience to his arrival on stage. Ever since the first Pop Idol revealed he was gay, he has cultivated a straight following, older than the average pop fan, who on this night couldn't have given two hoots either way as long as he kept doing his funny hip-wiggling dance, which seemed to induce instant swoonery.
Hip-wiggling aside, the shrewd Young has ensured career longevity far beyond that of his Pop Idol buddy Gareth Gates by singing the kind of songs he enjoys, rather than the sort that misguided executives in giant swivel chairs like to foist on their callow new signings. Young's tastes lie not in pop but in soul and jazz, with "taste" being the operative word.
His selection of material, impeccable backing band, choice of intimate theatre venues, even his skinny tie, were so tasteful that you had to wonder whether he had organised this whole tour using the principles of feng shui. It wouldn't have been that much of a surprise to have spotted Terence Conran or the "Nice" jazzman from The Fast Show nodding in the wings when Young took Outkast's brilliant, manic hit Hey Ya! and slowed it down into an acoustic, Tracy Chapman-like ballad that seemed designed more to impress than to entertain.
The one-time drama student approached each song as though it were his only chance of a place at Rada. When he introduced his new single Friday's Child, for which the video shows him frolicking in an outdoor pool, one imaginative fan raised a banner demanding "Show Us Your Speedos!” while another presented him with an inflatable swimming aid in the shape of a turtle. Young's response was to roll his eyes camply and gesture to his roadie to have such tat removed from his stage, lest his concentration be ruined.
When Young let go a little, towards the end of an enjoyable but uptight performance, the crowd responded as though he really had revealed his trunks. With Love the One You're With, You and I and a showstopping Your Game he displayed, at last, the all-feeling soulster beneath the singing interior designer.
Manchester Online -Riazat Butt
When I saw how many women turned out for last night's Will Young concert, my first thought was that they mustn't know he is gay.The fairer sex dominated the Bridgewater Hall and I had never seen so many ladies in my life, not even in Primark on a Saturday afternoon.
Will, an artist who is not pop, jazz, blues or soul but a blend of the lot, has won over the female record-buying public - from the girls at the gig who were clearly too young to be smoking, to women in their fifties.
He knows the ladies love him, so he lets them have plenty of smoldering and hip swivelling - if the singing dries up he could always make it as a pole dancer. But in between the gyrating and formidable eye contact there was excellent singing and charming on-stage patter.
The 24-year-old was happy to poke fun at his private school education - "I had to write out Psalms in the squash courts before I rode my pony" - and chat to fans who told him at every opportunity that they loved him and that he was fit.
I admit that, after about six songs, I wondered what he'd look like with his top off.
Will Young is not the best singer or dancer in the world, nor is he the best-looking bloke, but whatever he has should cement his career, both critically and commercially, for some time to come.