CULTURE

Variety of winter concerts begin as promoters deliver their plans

Now well into the autumn season, local concert promoters have begun delivering their plans for the winter. Though the prospects remain subdued so far, fans of various styles will be delighted by some of the news. Bookings to date include Phil Collins, Ian Brown, Deus, the Stereo MCs, and ex-King Crimson violinist David Cross, all of whom are due here in the coming weeks and months. Crossover superstar Collins’s visit for one show at the capital’s Peace and Friendship Stadium on November 1, his first ever here, should please a wide fan base, from listeners with milder tastes to prog-rock fans still holding on to the drummer/vocalist’s past with Genesis. Tickets for Collins’s performance, part of his ambiguously titled «First Final Farewell Tour,» are already on sale at various outlets. Priced between 40 and 60 euros, they can be purchased online at www.i-ticket.gr, Metropolis music stores in Athens and Thessaloniki, as well as by phone at 801.11.60000. An ambitious production, the show features a 17-member cast that will perform both solo work and older Genesis material. The top-selling artist, whose solo albums alone have sold over 80 million copies worldwide, has announced that this will be his final major tour, a decision which he has attributed to hearing loss. Former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown never made it out here with his exceptionally popular indie-rock band, but he will dig into the now-defunct Manchester act’s old song catalog for his two Greek shows later this month. Brown plays his first show at Thessaloniki’s Mylos Club on October 21 and travels south for a night in Athens at Club 22 the following evening. Until now, Brown, who has pursued a solo career for several years, had stubbornly refused to touch the remnants of his musical past. But like other aging acts – Morrissey of the Smiths being the most striking example – Brown has decided to plunge into the old songs that elevated him to rock-star status. It is not surprising. Brown recently released a career-spanning album, «Greatest,» which includes both Stone Roses and solo material. Rock group Deus, which erupted onto the European circuit in the mid-1990s as the first Belgium-based indie act to sign to a major international label, have returned with a new album following a lengthy absence. The comeback album, «Pocket Revolution,» is being backed by concert dates which include two shows in Athens later this year, on December 9 and 10, at Club 22. A week earlier, popular British dance act the Stereo MCs have been booked for two nights, also at Club 22, on December 2 and 3. The band will also play a show at Thessaloniki’s Principal Club on December 1. Ex-King Crimson violinist David Cross – a prolific, long-serving and multifaceted artist whose career has also included interdisciplinary projects and working with theater groups in a variety of capacities, including acting – will perform two shows at the Small Music Theater in the capital’s Koukaki district on October 21 and 22. His visit will include a musical workshop hours ahead of his second date. More recent activity for Cross has included «Exiles,» an album featuring guest appearances from the likes of Robert Fripp and Peter Hammill, as well as interdisciplinary performances in collaboration with dancer Verity Blackman and painter Maurizio Pio Rocchi.

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