This is less of a problem for Ferry, whose grandstanding these days largely consists of a bashful wave of a long arm in a bespoke suit. Another thing live albums cannot do is capture the visual side of live performance. On Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, he tempers the abrasive genius of the young Bob Dylan with a 74-year-old’s tenderness. Ferry’s voice, which can be whispery on stage, rings out soft and clear. These days it’s both crisper and more convincing. One problem with live albums past was that the sound tended to be either rough or blatantly airbrushed. Listening to it now, I’m dancing at my desk. Vaulting from the mid-1970s to 2010, Ferry follows it with You Can Dance – a surprise choice at the time, and a visionary one in retrospect. Not for nothing is the opening track The Thrill Of It All. The first noise you hear is the roar of the crowd, crashing into the room like an old friend. Once a frustrating form, neither one thing nor the other, they’re now a remembrance of things past and a flickering sign of things to come. In lockdown, live albums have found their niche. That show is now a live album, with all proceeds going to Ferry’s band and crew. There was even an after-party, though we didn’t see Bryan Ferry (above) – perhaps he was wary of catching something We melted into the crowd of 5,000, swaying and singing.
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