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UK D:Tension Tour 2001 - Portsmouth Pyramids Centre (15 Nov 2001)
Last modified: 15 Nov 2001

Venue: Portsmouth Pyramids Centre
Author: Dave Wood
Date: 15 Nov 2001

The UK d:Tension Tour 2001 kicked off at the Portsmouth Pyramids Centre for the first of a massive 17 gig tour. It was the first headline tour by Delirious? in over a year, and the band were clearly excited to be back on the road. As the lights went dim, the silhouette of Stew Smith could be seen walking across the stage and taking up position behind his drum set. Straight away he pounded out a beat that welcomed the rest of the band on stage to a raucous version of 'Fire'. Wasting no time, 'Show Me Heaven' was next up before the customary introduction of "Do you want to go...?" to announce the ever popular 'Deeper'.

Martin Smith then introduced the band members to a cheering audience before launching into 'History Maker'. The reception was incredible as Delirious? attempted to make themselves heard over the thousands of singing voices in the crowd. As the song came to an end, Martin led a chorus of 'Revival Town' before switching back into 'History Maker' again.

The searching green and blue strobe lighting accompanied 'Follow' and as the song continued Martin climbed onto the barriers and walked his way out into the crowd, held aloft by outstretched arms. A chorus of "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah... for White Ribbon Day" was taken up by the fans. Returning to the songs from their latest album 'Audio Lessonover?' Delirious? performed an awesome version of 'Alien' featuring simply stunning guitars from Stu G. Wowed to a near silence, the atmosphere was astounding. The beautiful 'Angel In Disguise' followed next, oozing ambiance and emotion, before 'Rollercoaster' upped the tempo. As the notes of 'Sanctify' broke through, the arms in the crowd swayed from side to side as one.

Martin spoke briefly about the summer support slot with BonJovi as he introduced 'Take Me Away'. Asking how many of the crowd had made it to the BonJovi gigs, and seeing only a handful of arms raised, he joked that there had been a few BonJovi fans at the gigs to make up the numbers. The drum solo by Stew during 'Take Me Away' was breathtaking and the screaming guitar solo by Stu was world-class. Delirious? then rocked their way into 'My Glorious' before slowing everything right down with an extended chorus of "Glory, glory, send Your glory...". Next up was 'Love Is The Compass'. With Portsmouth being just a few miles along the coast from the band's hometown of Littlehampton, the Delirious? ladies were in attendance for the opening night of the tour. Dedicating the song to their wives Delirious? played an awe-inspiring rendition of 'There Is An Angel'. Continuing, the echoing and eerie keyboards of Tim Jupp made 'Stealing Time' a moment to remember.

Taking the opportunity to thank the loyal fans for their support over the years, Martin also announced that the next single would be released on 10th December. Describing it as a very old favourite, the brand new version of 'I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever' was without doubt, the most well received song of the evening. With adrenaline pumping Delirious? stormed their way into a series of fast moving anthems. 'Gods Romance' and 'Heaven' rocked, and the resounding drum beat and Jon Thatcher's stirring bass line made for an incredible 'Obsession'. The main set ended with 'Not Ashamed' which reached fever pitch with its rocking finale.

As Delirious? left the stage, the crowd demanded more. They were not disappointed as the band returned to play their recent chart hit 'Waiting For The Summer', before Martin took up position behind the Rhodes keyboard. A handful of fans called out hopefully for the 'Happy Song', and with a sly grin Martin played the first few notes of the song before telling the crowd that was all they were getting. A hilarious moment followed as Stu G challenged Martin to sing something in Spanish, as he'd recently been recording songs for a Spanish language album. An impressed crowd applauded the verse of 'Find Me In The River' that Martin managed in the foreign language. Taking a more serious turn, he then started to play a gentle version of 'America' and as he reached the chorus the rest of the band joined in. The concert finished with 'Bliss', rounding off a highly impressive evening.





Related Pages:
Tours: D:Tension Tour