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Paint The Town UK Tour - Opera House, Bournemouth UK (13 Dec 2005)
Last modified: 13 Dec 2005

Venue: Opera House, Bournemouth UK
Author: Dave Wood
Date: 13 Dec 2005

The 1,500 capacity Opera House in Bournemouth was packed full of fans eagerly anticipating the second night of Delirious' Paint The Town Tour. With the latest album, The Mission Bell, now more than a month old, the crowd were getting restless to hear the new songs performed live and Delirious? had prepared a show certain to keep them happy. With the venue in complete darkness a short piece of intro music gave way to the sight of the five band members walking on stage to a rapturous applause.

Rocking straight into new song Here I Am Send Me, Delirious? stormed their way into a frenzied opening. Stu and Martin took turns with the singing before the music took over with some pulsating rhythms from bass and drums and awe inspiring guitar screams. The loud start continued in the forms of World Service tracks Rain Down and God In Heaven, both sung ferociously by the excitable crowd. As God In Heaven came to an end, Martin continued to lead the fans through the chorus, repeating it slowly and prayerfully. Without a pause, Stu's guitar waded straight into Solid Rock and a plume of smoke swirled around the stage, threatening to engulf the band in its wispy clouds. Half way through the song, Martin announced that he was going to call "a good friend of ours", before holding his mobile phone to the mic as TOBYMAC's vocals rang out for the Solid-Rock-Rap.

In between songs Martin told an amusing story about camping in the New Forest and flying his model plane into a tree. He then admitted the story had no interesting ending and swiftly moved on with the next song. Miracle Maker announced the start of the more mellow sounding section of the setlist. In the dim light Martin sung the gentle opening lines of the song, before bright lights and crashing cymbals accompanied the urgency in his voice as he sung "I'm staring in the face of the miracle maker".

Announcing a song from the "Cutting Edge Days" Martin suggested that some people probably wouldn't remember the next song. The number of raised hands and accompanying voices during Lead Me suggested otherwise. Stu's guitar rang out in an echoing almost eerie manner during an instrumental moment in the song as Tim's melancholic notes from the Rhodes floated around lightly. The mood was carried over into Fires Burn, where Stew's pounding rhythmic drum beat rang out loudly. The guitar strummed chorus saw some of Martin's finest vocals of the evening as he caressed the words. In fact Fires Burn was probably the highlight of the entire show.

The instantly recognisable History Maker was quickly greeted with cheers and was emphatically sung throughout the building. As the song neared an end, Martin asked everyone to raise their arms and then prayed: "God send your power now amongst these people" as the song broke into repeated choruses of "My heart burns for you". Next it was time for another of the songs from the new album. Opening the song with unaccompanied vocals, Martin shouted out "Oh here we come, here we come" several times before Stu's guitar kicked Paint The Town Red into life. Clambering up onto the barrier in front of the crowd, Martin dived into the mass of people before eventually finding his way back to the stage to finish the song.

As My Glorious took off like the launching of a rocket, Stew's face quickly showed signs of pain as he pelted his drum kit with every last piece of energy his considerable muscles could muster. Next it was time for a quieter moment, and the stunning Take Off My Shoes provided another memorable highlight of the evening as it's chorus sent chills down the spines of everyone present. The enchanting music and moving words left the breathless crowd mesmerised.

Majesty was next and again the crowd took control of the backing vocals. The song managed to create a certain ambience, as the soothing music and blue lighting teamed up with the worshipful lyrics. A lingering silence fell across the room as the song ended, before a few plucked notes from Martin's guitar kept the chorus going a little longer. Breaking out of the silence Now Is The Time began with it's outstanding keyboard melody. As the song came to an end, the band left the stage for a few short moments, before returning for a much demanded encore.

Love Falls Down has earned itself a surprise reprise into the tour setlist. But almost unrecognisable from its original version, it is now much heavier and rockier than before with an energetic drum solo in the middle. There was time for one more song before the show ended, and as Every Little Thing began, Martin urged the audience to get out their phones and call someone during the song. The song ended and Delirious? lined up on stage to take a bow, receiving a booming round of applause for their efforts. The show left nobody in any doubt that The Mission Bell contains some of the band's biggest masterpieces to date.





Related Pages:
Tours: Paint The Town UK Tour 2005
Live Photos: Bournemouth Opera House, Paint The Town UK Tour (13 Dec 2005)