How Do You Think It Feels?

Over the past 2 days I was lucky enough to see Lou Reed doing his Berlin twice. He is yet another someone I have been dying to see for a long time, but circumstances prevented me each time. Circumstances, and ticket prices. However, now I am slowly turning into a yuppie, I splashed out and bought tickets for each night. I got 8th row smack dab in the middle the first night, without the hassle of queueing at the ticket outlet, and then later that day they put the second night on. I checked the site, and it came up with a 4th row ticket which I couldn't refuse.

I did see Lou for a little bit at the Came So Far For Beauty thing in Dublin last year, but it was a brief appearance, and he wasn't doing his own stuff, but Leonard Cohen's. Quite a good performance then, still a stunning voice but slightly shaky appearance.

That slightly shaky appearance was the first thing that struck me this time too. Slightly shaky, somewhat fragile. He shuffles onto stage and it takes the audience a little while to react, to realise this is indeed Lou Reed. And what an audience. At 30, I feel one of the youngest people there... Unless, of course, you count the middle aged people that brought their children to see their youth legend. Fair play.

The New London Children’s Choir, a few members of the London Orchestra, a full band, and a singer that's clearly not Antony Heggarty, Sharon Jones. Not a bad singer, but I would have loved to see Antony with Lou on this one. All this fills the spacy Heineken Music Hall stage to the brim.

They start off a little rocky. It seems the band have trouble communicating on the full stage, meaning sometimes parts of the band seem to miss what the rest of the band is doing. Lou missing a few notes (the higher ones) and Sharon mucks up a refrain. Frankly, it seems a little untogether.

By the time they launch into How Do You Think It Feels all that is completely forgotten though, courtesy of Caroline Says. Somewhere around that time the video screens kicks in as well, which makes the sad story that is Berlin not online a listening experience, but also a visual one. I think they could have done a better job in the video department, which was made hard to see because of the busy backdrop they were projecting on. Aside from all this the music just kept on getting better and better, and at the same time, sadder, reducing some people in the audience to tears.

The performance is captivating, deeply emotional and sweeps people off their feet. Not a single person in the audience remains unmoved. And while the last note of Sad Song still rings through the venue, Mr. Lou Reed humbly receives his standing an ovation an almost shy smile playing on his lips.

Some people were argued there was no need for him to do a "Lou Reed's greatest hits" encore, but I rather enjoyed finally getting to hear Sweet Jane, Sattelite of Love (with a stunning intro by bass player Fernando Saunders) and of course, Take a Walk On The Wild Side live. That, and the crowd moving forward to the stage means I could finally get some up close pictures...