Suzy Quatro Gig – review by Nataliya Valda
The secret of youth.
Do you have any songs from your youth that you remember with particular warmth? Maybe you don’t listen to them on purpose, but when you accidentally hear them somewhere, you feel this wonderful influx of feelings from your youth, as if you were moving in a time machine to the past! This is what usually happens when you meet something you loved. Suzi Quatro was fantastically popular in my country Ukraine among the 80s and 90s generation. She is still loved by many people in Ukraine. But, the concert of the extraordinary Suzi Quatro in the stunning Brighton Dome hall was not about nostalgia, it evoked completely different emotions! It was all about the present! Perfect, like aged wine, old hits and new compositions sounded absolutely alive and modern!
A beautiful, slender woman in denim jacket and sparkling trousers flew onto the stage, instantly captured the entire crowded hall from the stage to the last rows of the balcony, and only at the very end she released the admiring and amazed spectators! Powerful hits, when everyone happily sang along, were replaced by songs with jokes, the saxophonist added playfulness and extraordinary sound, lyrical soulful solo, when Susie accompanied herself on the piano in a ray of light, would make the coolest person move; Susie’s guitar solo was delightful and similar to the Brighton storm seas! Shiny trousers were replaced by a spectacular leather jumpsuit, and time-tested hits were replaced by new bright songs. And it all ended with the whole audience standing up and singing along, dancing and raising their arms above their heads, waving them to the beat for several songs!
As you can imagine, the hall was filled primarily with fans of Suzy from their youth. So, the spectacle was indescribable: a full hall of gray-haired not young people stood, sang, danced and waved their arms above their heads, clearly feeling like teenagers. I confidently convey what I felt myself! I danced and sang myself and waved my arms over my head along with everyone else! The performing ensemble was quite large: Susie played bass guitar, a guitarist, three wind players, a drummer and two girls with beautiful voices as backup dancers. In this celebration of life, there was only one moment when the audience fell silent and fell into a light trance – Susie cheerfully talked about herself and her youth, love, biography, made everyone laugh and, after a dramatic pause, named the year of her birth. The audience froze in shock and few seconds later burst into new thunderous applause!
It was impossible to believe, because on the stage stood a stunning, beautiful artist, no older than 45 years old, with a beautiful figure, a wonderful strong voice, on which time had no effect!
She performed the concert with such brilliant energy that she energized everyone. The audience was delighted, and if anyone was not a fan before, then after this concert they undoubtedly became! The effect of the concert was special and magical. All these gray- haired people immediately looked younger, came out cheerful and with sparkling young eyes! Suzi Quatro makes wonderful music, but one more thing was very important here – she inspired this mass of people with herself, with her personality. This is how psychologists inspire when they pack halls. And she showed with her life and herself how you can create yourself, your life, your personality and how beautiful, delightful and energetic you can be even at her age! This is the best empowering psychotherapy I have ever seen!
When I left the concert, inspired and immersed in these thoughts, I heard an excited voice – an elderly, unkempt-looking man telling someone on the phone: she is just fantastic, this is extraordinary, what a concert! I feel I’m still young! Tomorrow I’m going to get my hair cut and do some housework! “Good idea,” I thought, and tomorrow I’ll start doing yoga and find my love.
Thanks to Suzi Quatro for this inspiration, this surge of love for life and joy!
Nataliya Valda
Director of the “PTAKH” Ukrainian International Film Festival ,TV presenter, director, script writer.
