Midge Ure

A lot of people stayed away from this show, I think, because the idea of Midge Ure going acoustic was hard to grasp. Ultravox, after all, was a pioneering synth act. The people who stayed home really missed out! From the moment Midge walked on stage, he was funny, personable and REAL. He talked with guests in the audience and told stories of the first time he came to New Orleans (with Ultravox in 1980, he believed.) "It was my first trip to America and I thought everything would look like what I had seen in Starsky and Hutch. Imagine my surprise when I came to New Orleans. I thought I woke up in Provence!" He even remembered the name of the now defunct club where they played! Sadly, only about 50 people showed for this acoustic show at HOB, but it made for a warmer and more intimate performance for those of us who did plunk down $22 to hear 20 or so songs (many of them classic Ultravox and solo songs.) That's about $1 a song, BTW!! And I don't think anyone missed the synth. HIs guitar playing was fantastic and his voice robust and passionate. And as a bonus, he ambled front stage after the show to sign autographs and take pictures with the guests who remained. This is an evening I will not soon forget! A knight in the British Empire, co-author of one of the best selling singles of all time ("Do They Know It's Christmas", which he didn't play LOL) and many other top selling songs around the world (Vienna, Dancing with Tears in My Eyes, Hymn, Lament, If I Was,) What a show!

Midge Ure was OK. I knew only about two songs. I went to this show for Paul Young. Back in the 80s when he hit it big I never got a chance to see him and when this show came to the Paramount I was so looking forward to it. I remember that smooth blue eyed soul of "Every Time You Go Away" and all his other hits. The trouble is that time has passed and he doesn't have that voice anymore. He was so cool and nice and seemed to really have fun with us. I still love him but I will stick to listening to the albums. ***A NOTE ON THE VENUE*** The Paramount in Huntington is usually the best place to see a show but that night the sound was too loud for this show. It wasn't a metal show and it was unnecessarily loud.

Great show and a great crowd .The girl next me and I sang every song and shared our love of Ultravox.Floor standing room gave us first row seats whic made it that much more fun ..

This was my 1st (and last) experience at the Paramount. I ordered tickets months ago and ended up paying $10 more per ticket by showtime in our section. I made sure (based on their seating chart) I got an isle seat. When we were seated, we were crammed right in the middle of our row. Body contact with the person next to you was unavoidable. Thank goodness there were two empty seat next to us so we were able to spread out a little. I love Midge Ure. His voice is magical. I really wish I was able to hear him. The sound quality was the worst. They managed to accomplish way too much bass to the point of nausea AND way too much treble on the vocals. This amounted to not being able to hear Midge's beautiful voice or lyrics. Paul Young's set was even worse. I really have no idea how the Paramount can justify charging what I paid for these tickets. Both singers shared a 4 piece band (who sucked), no back up singers (if you're a Paul Young fan, you'll understand), the worst sound quality (everyone should get their money back), and the worst bartenders! $30.00 for 2 Gin & Tonics which tasted like 7up. Not even a slight buzz after drinking. Very disappointing & expensive evening. Will not be retuning to the Paramount.

Midge Ure was amazing but Paul Youngs voice not so great

Midge Ure still sounded as amazing as he did 25 or so years ago...Still hit the high notes effortlessly and performed the classic hits that I loved. The only downside was that his amazing vocals too often went unheard. The other instruments (bass was the worst offender) were totally drowning out his voice or making the lyrics unintelligible. In addition, the sounds coming from the keyboard player's synth often had a very piercing quality to them..not sure why that was because, when Paul Young performed, all those problems went away: the instruments all sounded well balanced and not piercing - which is odd because it was the SAME musicians playing the SAME instruments! LOL - so i can't explain it. Perhaps the wrong EQ settings were used for Midge's vocals (that were really Paul's EQ settings?) - don't know. Would I see Midge Ure again? Hell yes! But i'd ask if I could be his sound engineer. LOLOLOL. He's awesome!

Great show and really cool venue. First time at Paramount and very worth while attending a show. Midge Ure was in the best voice I ve heard in a while. This was the sixth time I saw him and he gets better with every show. Full band and played all of the hits. Even Passing Strangers, which is a first time for me. I recommend to see him if you are a 80s new waver or a Ultravox fan.

I've lost count of how many times I've seen Midge Ure perform....he is THE greatest performer out there, no else even comes close. He always gives 110 percent and has wonderful interaction with the audience. I wish he came to the US more often, it's unfortunate that he's not as well known in this country as he should be! He's the whole package.....incredible singer/songwriter, ass kicking guitarist. Any chance you get to see him......TAKE IT, even if you've never heard him before, you WILL NOT be disappointed! Definitely a LEGEND!!!

Midge Ure was amazing! One of the best shows I have been to.

And that is pretty much all I have to say about that.

Midge Ure's solo show was fantastic and took me back 30 years to an era when the music was new and interesting. His vocals were nearly unchanged and flawless. Intimate setting of less than 200 people made the show personal and inviting. He's got quite sense of humor and had the crowd laughing often.

Let me begin by recommending that everyone catch a show at the Sugar Loaf Pavilion, a cozy wood structure with lovely acoustics in an artsy Hudson Valley village. Midge Ure's show was a delight-- part concert, part confessional, He is a man with tales to tell and a rich musical history to share. His voice is not as nimble as it was in its heyday and the top of his range is fragile. Yet as the evening progressed the pipes gained strength and the rich resonant tone I remember so well from the early 80s emerged. He is a highly expressive singer and guitarist, though I would suggest he pack a better guitar for what is essentially an acoustic set. I was most surprised by his extemporaneous wit, his spontaneity and his willingness to engage his small audience fearlessly. Definitely a concert worth experiencing!

Midge Ure's acoustic performance was sheer perfection! He played a little bit of everything and he played with such passion...and that voice....he hasn't missed a beat or a note all these years later. Ultravox fans were not disappointed at all but his current material from the new "album" and a few eclectic choices were so well received....if only because he is also quite the raconteur and comedian! He seemed to really enjoy the evening as well..and played for almost 2 hours without a break. I first saw Midge Ure with Ultravox in 1980 at NYC's club "Hurrah"...an incredible 35 years ago. Very few musicians have kept it together they way he has. "Dear God"...I hope he returns to Sugar Loaf PAC!

Midge Ure is a true talent. A great songwriter, singer and guitarist. I only wish he'd had a band with him for this show. The fact that he does so well all by himself on the stage is a testament to his ability, but the energy would have been kicked up a few notches with a band behind him. Plus, a lot of his recordings rely heavily on the production so a lot of the drama is lost in this bare-bones performance. Regardless, it was a treat to see this living legend from only a few feet away in such an intimate venue. And I don't think I ever realized before, just how powerful a singer he is.

Went to see Midge Ure the other night and thought he was great. Saw him about 17 years ago and he just get's better! Loved the new material as well as the old favourites.

The first opening act was Gene Loves Jezebel - at this point only featuring half of the founding Aston brothers, Michael. Interestingly, the bassist on stage with GLJ was Lee Gorman formerly of Bow Wow Wow. The GLJ set was a good review of their radio singles and Michael Aston still sounds like he did 30 years ago. Originally billed in early show promotion as Bow Wow Wow and subsequently changed to Annabella Lwin of Bow Wow Wow, the second opener was one of the main attractions for me as a fan from the 80's. Following two BWW songs Annabella launched into four solo rocker tracks that sounded more like Pat Benetar stuff - not bad but not what I was hoping for. She closed the set with two more Bow Wow Wow tracks. Interestingly, though original BWW bassist Lee Gorman played with Gene Loves Jezebel, he did not play with Annabella. The next act was Right The Stars, the young band that has acted as Midge Ure's band through his North American tour. Their sound is slightly edgier pop meets boy band that does not stand out in my memory. The lead singer actually identified one song as 'the one you hear in that Xbox ad'. Before Midge Ure came on stage my expectations had been tamped by his tweets about having strained his voice after so many consecutive shows a week before. As it turned out, there was nothing to worry about as the Ultravox lead singer hit all the notes he needed to. As a super-fan who saw his solo shows several times in the 90's, I was absolutely thrilled with the Ultravox heavy set which included Visage's 'Fade To Grey' as well as a few solo hits. The backing band did a quite serviceable job with nearly all the tracks except the backing vocal on 'Vienna' with the bassist weakly singing '..the feeling has gone only you and I..' in falsetto. The 2/3 capacity crowd was very much into the show singing along to every tune and when Midge returned for the last encore - advising his voice was now truly shot - the crowd sang every lyric to Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas'. A very memorable show.

I saw Midge Ure twice during his last tour in the USA in Orange County and Los Angeles. He's an amazing singer and guitarist! His voice is still strong and he enjoys chatting with the audience and about his songs during his concerts. See him if you can!

Midge Ure (and band) was absolutely fantastic. More, we need more! Anabella Iwin (and band) was also very, very good.

First the down side. The sound man was apparently bass-deaf rendering the sound a big pile of rumbling bass mush that practically drowned out one of the most glorious voices ever present in pop music in Midge Ure. The same was the case for every other vocal and instrument in the mix. Everything else was fantastic. Though Ure used a young band, Right the Stars, to back him, instead of getting Ultravox to cross the pond, they held it together pretty well (having only played together 3 weeks). Ure can still sing like mad and is one with his guitar. He was so gracious and friendly. Can t quite hit some of the high notes anymore but he made up for it in his performance. The concert had been advertised as with Bow Wow Wow which was not the case. It was re-listed as Annabella Lwin. Not sure how many members of her band had been touring as Bow Wow Wow but they stole the show. Annabella herself was a little nervous and things went wrong (she announced one song and the band started playing another). But they easily got themselves back on track and had fun up there. They moved like young rock stars and played really well to the audience. Oh yeah, they opened with Baby, Oh No! my favorite. Her recently written songs were really catchy rockers too.The best part was that I got to compliment Annabella (and get a pic with her) after the show when she came to hang out with fans. She was really, really nice and sincerely thankful of the compliments I praised upon her. Awesome!!! Can t say much of Gene Loves Jezebel as we only caught one song. Will leave that for other reviewers.