Vince Hill on stage

Press, 20 October 1976, Page 6

Vince Hill on stage

Vince Hill’s audience in the Christchurch Town Hall last, evening could have been forgiven for thinking he was piqued at their lack of numbers.

The British singer’s performance was being recorded for television, and for technical reasons his appearance was delayed for several minutes. House lights | dimmed, drums rolled, the backing brass sounded the preliminary chords; but no Hill.

Nevertheless, when he finally made an entrance, he was greeted by an enthusiastic audience — and responded in kind. Hill’s semi-classical training was apparent in the control and depth he brought to brackets of popular numbers by Neil Diamond and Jim Webb, among others. But the climax of the performance came when he had the chance to demonstrate this specialised background, with songs from Gershwin’s powerful and poignant “Porgy and Bess.” Later, the opening lines to “Edelweiss” his version of which topped the charts — were drowned by applause; an audience reaction which was maintained for every subsequent song. Earlier in the evening, television’s Slightly Terrific Show duo, Bridgette Allen and Ray Woolf, had played curtain-raiser.

During the pair’s opening medley, the sound technicians must have been concentrating on what was being recorded, to the subsequent exclusion of any thoughts concerning the live audience. Bridgette Allen was completely inaudible — and conscious of the fact.

Later, it was Woolf alone, catering to all sections of the audience with Paul Williams’ beautiful “Friends.” followed by the jaunty “Half a Sixpence.”

With the improvement in sound quality, the audience began to warm up, and Bridgette Allen illustrated her versatility by alternating several quiet, thoughtful numbers with others of a more vivacious nature.

She introduced a distinctly Flackian flavour with “The first time ever I saw your face,” and then proceeded to upstage Streisand with “The way we were.”

Then the two together again for a final bracket of Abba, leaving the audience expectant, and waiting for Hill.

An hour and a half later,

he left the auditorium clapping for an encore. Fortunately, owing to yet another technical hitch when a number by the three performers together had not been satisfactorily filmed, the audience’s enthusiasm was rewarded.

Hill returned to the stage and rather desperately ad-libbed for several minutes, while presumably the other two singers were rounded up backstage. And, for the benefit of the television cameras, it was “Love will keep us together,” a second time round.