I am gobsmacked by last night's show by Grace Jones at Birmingham Symphony Hall.

It was stunning- so much more than a "gig"- an event in itself.

I think it's a good thing she took time out of making music for 20 years because she didn't have anything to say.... because 20 years later she has something to say- a great new album and a simplified live show which, not lacking in the drama you'd expect, is bang up to date.

The visuals are simple yet stunning- Ms Jones wearing a hat made up of mirrors, a green laser beam shining down on it, and the whole room is filled with green sparks, the lady nowhere to be seen.

Her charisma fills this big theatre from the moment she appears looking stunning as she comes down on some kind of mechanical device from the top of the stage to the sound of Nightclubbing. The first few numbers are lean and mean and very funky, but are a nice mixture of old and new.

What surprises me is how she changes costume after EVERY song. But she doesn't do it in the lame old way many artists do, leaving for 5 minutes while the band plays, she continues to talk while she changes and comes back and the whole thing is very quick. Quite what she is on about I don't know, the woman is nuts!

For me the big difference in the new Grace Jones is that, while she still dominates the stage with an iron grip, these days she is clearly having fun and engages with the audience sometimes to a surpriing degree, as when she leaps onto the shoulders of one of the audience as if onto a horse and goes on a tour of the auditorium lapping up the adulation.

It was a truly great evening.

Here is a youtube clip of Pull Up To The Bumper, the first encore last night- if you get past the blips in the first minute or so due to first night nerves methinks, there are some wonderful moments if you watch the whole thing.

The woman is a legend.


oh, and I stroked her thigh and she didn't hit me.

She hit my friend Russell Harty!

And she was so late for an interview I left and she was furious when she eventually turned up; never forgave me.

oops did I not post the youtube clip lol



do watch, it is great fun.

I know what you mean JK, but her mean persona back then makes her tongue in cheek "mean" persona so much fun now- she knows how to enjoy herself these days but plays up to the old image.

do watch the clip, it's great.