Bridgewater Hall, Manchester – Friday 6 March 2020
Reviewed by Sarah Cockerill
5*****
German singer Max Raabe greeted Manchester this weekend along with his 12 person entourage, together known as the Palast Orchestra.
Having never seen or heard of this wildly popular singer, at first his stage presence seemed wooden and disengaging, however, having soon realised that his style was actually perfectly choreographed, every nuance, gesture and glance had a purpose, so, before the second song had even finished I was transfixed.
With plenty of one liner jokes between songs, the audience was just as entertained by Max’s wicked, dry sense of humour as they were by the world class musical talent.
Every member of the orchestra was given a moment to shine, showing off their individuality and raw talent which was loved by the audience, confirmed by the loud cheers as each musician took a bow at the end of the evening.
The introduction of German sounds of the 1930 coupled with a handful of well know classic tunes, made famous by the likes of Hollywood’s Gene Kelly, made the night a perfect hit.
Both acts flew over, leaving us all wanting more. If you get chance to catch Max Raabe and the Palast Orchestra I would urge you to catch them. This is a guaranteed evening of feel good entertainment.