spandau ballet reformation tour 2009

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Spandau Ballet: The Reformation Tour 2009 - Live at the O2

In 2009 Spandau Ballet's first tour together for almost 20 years saw the triumphant return of one of the UK's most successful and best loved bands. Filmed during their sell out concerts at L... Read all In 2009 Spandau Ballet's first tour together for almost 20 years saw the triumphant return of one of the UK's most successful and best loved bands. Filmed during their sell out concerts at London's O2 Arena, Tony, John, Gary, Martin and Steve return with a vengeance in The Reform... Read all In 2009 Spandau Ballet's first tour together for almost 20 years saw the triumphant return of one of the UK's most successful and best loved bands. Filmed during their sell out concerts at London's O2 Arena, Tony, John, Gary, Martin and Steve return with a vengeance in The Reformation Tour that brought 100,000 fans to their feet. From classic hits including Gold, True... Read all

• Nick Morris
• Tony Hadley
• John Keeble

• Guitar, Vocals

• Self - Bass guitar - vocals
• Self - Guitar - Saxophone - Percussion - Vocals
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Trivia Filmed over two nights at their homecoming dates, which sold out in 20 minutes.

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• November 30, 2009 (United Kingdom)
• United Kingdom
• London, England, UK
• Universal Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 2 hours 1 minute
• Dolby Digital
• 1.78 : 1 / (high definition)

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Spandau Ballet: The Reformation Tour 2009 - Live at the O2

Tony Hadley (Vocals) John Keeble (Drums) Gary Kemp (Guitar, Vocals) Martin Kemp (Self - Bass guitar - vocals) Steve Norman (Self - Guitar - Saxophone - Percussion - Vocals)

Nick Morris

In 2009 Spandau Ballet's first tour together for almost 20 years saw the triumphant return of one of the UK's most successful and best loved bands. Filmed during their sell out concerts at London's O2 Arena, Tony, John, Gary, Martin and Steve return with a vengeance in The Reformation Tour that brought 100,000 fans to their feet. From classic hits including Gold, True, Through The Barricades, To Cut A Long Story Short and Chant No 1 to Once More and With The Pride from their new album, Spandau Ballet Live at The O2 proves that it was absolutely worth the wait.

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Spandau Ballet: The Reformation Tour 2009 - Live at the O2 (2010)

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In 2009 Spandau Ballet's first tour together for almost 20 years saw the triumphant return of one of the UK's most successful and best loved bands. Filmed during their sell out concerts at London's O2 Arena, Tony, John, Gary, Martin and Steve return with a vengeance in THE REFORMATION TOUR that brought 100,000 fans to their feet.

Nick Morris

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Tony Hadley

Steve Norman

Martin Kemp

John Keeble

Dawn Joseph

David Tench

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• WHAT THE ?!
• 1980, Steve Strange’s call to join the party
• 1980, Private worlds of the new young
• 1980, Who was who in Spandau’s break-out year
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• 1981, Six golden rules for keeping Studio 54 ahead of the pack
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2009, On tour with the reformed Spandau Ballet

• 2010, Spandau overseas: so British, so gracious
• 2010, Paradise Point: live leaders of a new Brit pop blitz
• 2011, Tony Hadley band wow US fans
• 2011, Duran Duran celebrated in video
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➤ Onstage, Spandau’s Hadley and Kemp finally get huggy

Posted October 14, 2009… Hell had frozen over, Tony Hadley said in 2007, and ruled out any chance of reunion for his band. So it’s all the more magnanimous that today he can say onstage “We are very happy boys”…

The picture they said could never be taken: a big hug between Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley and Gary Kemp during the band’s 2009 comeback concert in Dublin, after duetting With the Pride from 1984. Photographed © by Shapersofthe80s

❚ EXTRAORDINARY. UNEXPECTED. From the off, the Dubliners roared a loud, exuberant and warm welcome to the band that hadn’t played together for 19 years. They cheered the best bits by each musician – John, Steve, Gary, Martin and vocalist Tony. They cheered whenever closeups appeared on the monster live video backdrop. Within a day, amateur videos on YouTube [ see below ] were vividly testifying to the energy the event generated.

Spandau Ballet’s comeback Reformation tour began at the O2 arena in Ireland’s capital city on October 13, 2009, with a huge flickering video montage to remind us of the way the world was when they set the style as electro-pop innovators in 1980. Headlines announced “Recession”, “Unemployment” … “and Dreams”. Then a jabbing finger on an early synthesiser triggered a chugging high-octane version of their oh-so-cool first hit, To Cut a Long Story Short. The show whooshed like an express train through 21 of the numbers – from Instinction to True to Only When You Leave – that had made the band international stars for a decade, before they fell out. It also debuted a new single, Once More, only the band’s second with lyrics by Steve Norman, a power ballad underscored by one of his many raunchy sax solos.

The evening introduced fans to two young talents in support: David Tench, a gifted keyboard player well versed in Kemp’s melodies who brought a dazzling cadenza to Chant No 1, the funk-driven celebration of Soho nightlife; and Dawn Joseph, a frisky female vocalist who added a whole new dimension to Instinction – the band’s turning-point single from 1982 – during a slick sequence of dance favourites.

Moment of trust: Hadley and Kemp shake hands after their duet at the O2 Arena in London. Photographed © by Paul Simper

For two hours, emotion, high spirits and Hadley’s massive voice, richer and more thrilling than ever, filled the 9,000-seat arena as he strode about the stage like Big John Wayne. Driving the whole juggernaut was the demented Muppet on drums, John Keeble, who must have sweated gallons, while Gary Kemp raised many a tingle with funky fingerpicking on guitar and his younger brother Martin – recruited to the band for being the best-looking bloke they knew – strolled here and there on bass being, well, Martin.

Of course there were stage nerves. The afternoon sound check had been tense. And now nerves surfaced momentarily. Halfway through the show, Hadley as vocalist and Kemp on acoustic Taylor guitar settled onto stools for an intimate duet version of With the Pride, and promptly fluffed the opening bars. Hadley straightaway broke the tension: “I tell you what: let’s do that again. At least you know it’s not on tape.” They restarted the song and the fans cheered again. When they’d finished, the two men who buried the hatchet only just before Christmas, went into a big huggy clinch. Yet more cheers.

Gary Kemp in Dublin: “can still whack out a tune”, said the Irish Times. Photographed © by Brian Rasic

What followed was a poignant demonstration of the power of live performance. An unusually low-key arrangement of Through the Barricades had scarcely got going, when the audience began singing along and rose to their feet, arms punching the air. This is a song heavy with resonance for an Irish audience. Gary Kemp wrote it in memory of a local member of Spandau’s entourage, “Kidso” Reilly, who was shot dead in Belfast by a British soldier during the troubles in 1983. As the song sped towards its climax, Hadley gave way to the audience’s spirited rendition and 9,000 voices turned what had been a respectful elegy into a cheerfully glorious anthem in that spaceous cavern. By the final two rousing singalongs, Fight for Ourselves and Gold, everyone was dancing.

The shame about this exhilarating party was that Spandau had ever feuded. Within three numbers in Dublin, we had been thrown back 25 years into the easy company of five lads from the Angel who’d known each other since schooldays and who were inseparable buddies. The years in between had simply vanished.

Hadley introduced the group’s chart-topping True with a personal reference to the Boyzone star, Stephen Gately, who died last weekend: “I’d like to dedicate our last song to Stephen. He was a good drinking mate of mine.”

➢➢ Scroll down for videos from the Spandau Ballet tour 2009

Sound check at Dublin’s O2: Spandau Ballet on stage together for the first time in two decades. At centre, production manager Lars. Photographed © by Shapersofthe80s

SPANDAU’S DUBLIN CONCERT ON VIDEO

✦ Opening “newsreel” appetiser …………………. ✦ With the Pride duet, plus fluff ✦ Through the Barricades as crescendo ………. ✦ Instinction reinvented ✦ Partying to the Gold finale

Spandau reunited, Dublin 2009: grabbed at YouTube from fan vid by Irisheaglesfan

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID

❚ Almost 20 years since they last played a show together, Spandau Ballet staged an unlikely comeback amid remarkable scenes of jubilation in Dublin. The sound and look of the show was neat, clean and taut… This was an event of considerable personal significance. Hadley, who was soon sweating like a man engaged in a vigorous gym workout, not only sang with tremendous power and accuracy, but also seemed more emotionally engaged with the material than some of his carefully manicured performances of the past would have suggested. Round and Round, accompanied by a collage of home movies from the early days of the group, was one of several lyrics which seemed to acquire an especially poignant touch… The turning point came with an epic version of Through the Barricades, which the band started playing in a similarly restrained acoustic vein, before suddenly turning into a New Romantic version of Queen. – David Sinclair in The Times

❚ The gig truly kicked into life when Hadley and his old sparring partner, Gary Kemp, sat alone in the spotlight for an acoustic version of With The Pride. As Hadley sang – “just leave me with the pride that I’ve worked for” – and Kemp accompanied him on guitar, they achieved an intimacy that their earlier forced bonhomie (“Missed you” – “Missed you too, darling”) sorely lacked. – Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph

❚ The Londoners still have their mojo, if not their errant fashion sense. Tony Hadley still has a pair of lungs on him, Gary Kemp can still whack out a tune, and Martin, well, Martin’s still got it going on – cue screams every time he got a name-check. – Anthea McTeirnan in the Irish Times

❚ Spandau Ballet, cockier and cooler than ever, turned back the clock last night. A deafening chorus of screams from 9,200 of their once-teenage fans – now mostly mums and dads in their 40s – echoed through the O2 in Dublin where they kicked off their tour. Martin Kemp, watched by his EastEnders pal Shane Richie, said: “Hello Dublin, I’m so excited. It’s like I’m 17 again.” Gold was a fitting finale and they proved this much is true – they can still rock. – Sarah Tetteh in the Daily Mirror

Spandau in Dublin: “remarkable scenes of jubilation”, said The Times. Photographed © by Shapersofthe80s

The way the Romantics were

❚ THIS VIDEO MONTAGE opens each show on Spandau Ballet’s Reformation tour, here shot by Shapersofthe80s at the O2 dome in London Oct 20-21, 2009. When the band is revealed live, they go into their first hit, To Cut a Long Story Short, with stark expressionist uplighting to evoke their dramatic springboard concert at the Scala cinema in 1980, seen below…

Reunited now after 19 years, the five former schoolmates remind us of the very different cult leaders they were in 1980. As we hear Gary Kemp say on camera: “We want the band to be at all times the most contemporary statement we could possibly make on modern London.” It took courage to decide to play fresh sexy dance music in a corporate landscape dominated by adult-oriented rock supergroups.

The European leg of the Reformation tour starts in Belgrade on Feb 26.

Spandau’s fifth date filmed at the Scala cinema in May 1980 for UK television: Tony and Martin in dandy attire with cinematic lighting by Simon Withers

Trip down Memory Lane with Martin’s movies

Martin with his Super 8: movie backdrop to the live show. Photographed © by Shapersofthe80s

❚ EARLY IN THE RUNNING ORDER on the Reformation tour, the old romantics from North London recall their worldwide travels as one of Britain’s four key supergroups in the mid-1980s with another video montage. Providing an onstage backdrop as they play their hit from Dec 1984, Round and Round, the clips come from home movies shot by Martin Kemp on what he says was “the first thing I bought with my first wages from Spandau Ballet, which was £60 given to me in the middle of a nightclub. I went out next day and bought a Canon Super 8 cine camera. I loved it – it was my hobby for years.” This live performance was shot by Shapersofthe80s at London’s O2 dome on Oct 20, 2009. The band can’t resist turning round to view their onscreen larks, and Kemp owned up afterwards by being so distracted he frequently lost his place during the number.

➢➢ Run the video for Round and Round live at the O2 London:

A second journey to glory

Spandau Ballet at the BBC: recording an hour-long concert for Radio 2 Live, tx Sat Nov 21, 2009. Picture and video © by Shapersofthe80s

➢➢ Since the UK tour and its DVD release, a splurge of broadcasting has included European TV dates (see video links in right-hand column Updates). . . Tuesday November 17 saw Jonathan Ross on Radio 2 at 22h30 remembering the indulgent 80s music scene, with the hour-long Spandau Ballet Story told in what was billed as a “frank style” by the mates from Dame Alice Owen’s School in Islington, who first dreamed of stardom back in 1976.

➢➢ Saturday Nov 21, Radio 2 at 22h00 had Spandau live in concert at the BBC Radio Theatre. A video clip from this concert, below, grabs a performance of Instinction, with backing vocalist Dawn Joseph (apologies for ropey audio, but in the studio the sound was beautifully crisp and balanced).

➢➢ On Sunday Nov 22 at 15h35 on Five TV – Spandau received an award for Outstanding Contribution to Popular Music at the Showbiz Variety Club Awards 2009.

Catch-up: links to the past year’s highlights

◆ Spandau’s comeback – live in Dublin October 2009 on YouTube videos by Michelleoshea, 131mirafiorisport, Irisheaglesfan, jennyryan254, chelseabarry12 ◆ Caroline Sullivan interviews Spandau for The Guardian under the headline: Once more with girdles ◆ Six-track sampler for Spandau’s current album

❖ Time to Dream – Again… Who were Spandau? A quick catchup from the 80s ❖ Latest single Once More on the Italian X Factor in HQ, Nov 11, 2009

Backstage with Dawn Joseph at Spandau’s Isle of Wight show, June 13, 2010

➢➢ NEXT PAGE, 2010: Click to read tales of Spandau’s tours in Europe and Australia

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Watch Spandau Ballet - Spandau Ballet: The Reformation Tour 2009 - Live at the O2

• 1 hr 59 min

Spandau Ballet: The Reformation Tour 2009 - Live at the O2 is a concert film documenting the iconic band's reunion tour after nearly two decades apart. Spandau Ballet was one of the most influential bands of the 1980s new wave scene, with hits like "True," "Gold," and "Only When You Leave." The tour marked the first time the original members had performed together since their acrimonious split in the late 1980s.

The film captures the excitement and energy of the sold-out concert at London's O2 Arena on October 30, 2009. The audience is packed with fans who grew up with the band's music, and who are eager to see the band back together again. The show opens with the atmospheric instrumental "To Cut a Long Story Short," building the anticipation for the band's entrance. When they finally appear on stage, the crowd erupts, with many fans visibly emotional at the sight of the reunited band.

Lead singer Tony Hadley is in fine form, his distinctive voice still hitting all the high notes. He's backed by the tight musicianship of the rest of the band: Gary Kemp on guitar, Martin Kemp on bass, Steve Norman on saxophone and percussion, and John Keeble on drums. The band members are all dressed in sharp suits, their signature style perfectly intact despite the passage of time.

The band runs through a setlist that hits all their biggest hits, as well as some deeper cuts for the diehard fans. "The Freeze," "Highly Strung," "Musclebound," and "Lifeline" all make appearances, along with the beloved classics. "True" is a particular standout, as nearly the entire audience sings along to the iconic chorus. Hadley takes a moment to dedicate "Through the Barricades" to the victims of the recent earthquake in Indonesia, which adds a poignant note to the evening.

In addition to the music, the film also includes behind-the-scenes footage from the tour. Fans get a glimpse of the band rehearsing, traveling, and bonding on the road. The band members reflect on the early years of Spandau Ballet, discussing the challenges they faced and the triumphs they achieved. They also discuss the events that led to their acrimonious split, and how they eventually found their way back to each other.

One of the most impressive aspects of the film is the staging and lighting. The O2 Arena is a massive venue, but the band fills it with ease. The stage is backed by a huge video screen that displays stunning visuals throughout the show. The lighting is also top-notch, with a variety of colors and effects that add to the mood of each song. The camera work is also excellent, showcasing the individual band members and their instruments as well as the overall atmosphere of the concert.

Overall, Spandau Ballet: The Reformation Tour 2009 - Live at the O2 is a must-see for fans of the band. It's a chance to relive the magic of their classic songs, as well as witness the band's reunion and the joy it brings to both the band members and their adoring audience. The film is a testament to the enduring power of Spandau Ballet's music, and the strength of their bond as a band.

• Genres Music
• Cast Spandau Ballet
• Release Date 2019
• Runtime 1 hr 59 min

Spandau Ballet The Reformation Tour 2009 Live at the O2

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Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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Moscow Metro 2019

Will it be easy to find my way in the Moscow Metro? It is a question many visitors ask themselves before hitting the streets of the Russian capital. As metro is the main means of transport in Moscow – fast, reliable and safe – having some skills in using it will help make your visit more successful and smooth. On top of this, it is the most beautiful metro in the world !

. There are over 220 stations and 15 lines in the Moscow Metro. It is open from 6 am to 1 am. Trains come very frequently: during the rush hour you won't wait for more than 90 seconds! Distances between stations are quite long – 1,5 to 2 or even 3 kilometers. Metro runs inside the city borders only. To get to the airport you will need to take an onground train - Aeroexpress.

RATES AND TICKETS

Paper ticket A fee is fixed and does not depend on how far you go. There are tickets for a number of trips: 1, 2 or 60 trips; or for a number of days: 1, 3 days or a month. Your trips are recorded on a paper ticket. Ifyou buy a ticket for several trips you can share it with your traveling partner passing it from one to the other at the turnstile.

On every station there is cashier and machines (you can switch it to English). Cards and cash are accepted. 1 trip - 55 RUB 2 trips - 110 RUB

Tickets for 60 trips and day passes are available only at the cashier's.

60 rides - 1900 RUB

1 day - 230 RUB 3 days - 438 RUB 30 days - 2170 RUB.

The cheapest way to travel is buying Troyka card . It is a plastic card you can top up for any amount at the machine or at the ticket office. With it every trip costs 38 RUB in the metro and 21 RUB in a bus. You can get the card in any ticket office. Be prepared to leave a deposit of 50 RUB. You can get it back returning the card to the cashier.

SamsungPay, ApplePay and PayPass cards.

One turnstile at every station accept PayPass and payments with phones. It has a sticker with the logos and located next to the security's cabin.

GETTING ORIENTED

At the platfrom you will see one of these signs.

It indicates the line you are at now (line 6), shows the direction train run and the final stations. Numbers below there are of those lines you can change from this line.

In trains, stations are announced in Russian and English. In newer trains there are also visual indication of there you are on the line.

To change lines look for these signs. This one shows the way to line 2.

There are also signs on the platfrom. They will help you to havigate yourself. (To the lines 3 and 5 in this case).