You fill up my senses
Like the night in a forest
Like the mountains in spring time
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again.....
Annie’s Song a timeless masterpiece from the versatile pen of John Denver had its ‘second lease of life’ so to speak, when Marc Roberts sang it with the same kind of emotion that John Denver delivered it to his fans.
Denver is gone but not forgotten – his music lives on and kudos to Marc Roberts for capturing the same sentiment when he sang it at the concert at the Hilton Colombo on October 28.
This was Marc Roberts’ Tribute to John Denver. Like the lady behind us remarked, “if you close your eyes you’d think that it is John Denver in person”! That’s a compliment that we like to share with all.
To start off his performance Marc Roberts had his pianist Tony Mayher play an interlude that was creative and captivating which kept the audience in awe. The hush silence in the hall said it all. Marc Roberts moved in with his guitar to sing and capture the hearts of the audience with his opener For You, followed by For Baby For Bobbie.
John Denver created his own genre of music and the evening had all his hits, sung by Marc Roberts, his voice similar to the fullness and seasonal voice of John Denver which lent itself to the songs.
With audience participation singing or clapping, Marc Roberts enjoyably steered the audience through Leaving On a Jet Plane, Country Roads, Amabelle, Follow Me, Some Days are Diamonds, Annie’s Song and he threw in a hit by Glen Campbell – Try A Little Kindness and Don Williams’ Gypsy Woman. Emotionally Marc Roberts was a complete performer and the evening brought back memories of John Denver who was a unique voice for an era.
The second half of the evening concert belonged to Steve Cummins as this Club Queensland Entertainer turned the pages of Neil Diamond’s Super Hits backed by a four piece band with himself on guitar alongside another guitar by Malcolm Renay, bass guitar by Danny Withington, drums by Mikael Olsem and percussion by the Sri Lankan Viranjan Perera of the band Vision. Steve Cummins was in his element with his quick rhythmic movements to the music and ever so often stepping down from the stage and moving among the audience enticing them to sing along with him. He came out strong in the perennial hit of Neil Diamond’s Song Sung Blue.
But there were other enjoyable hits too like Kentucky Woman, Hold Me which he sang to a couple in the audience who were celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary, Forever in Blue Jeans, I’m a Believer, Red Red Wine, Sweet Caroline which saw the audience unhesitatingly join Steve Cummins in full strength. Not left out were the hits Cherry, Cherry, and the celebrated I Am I Said. It was a performance that should not have been missed if you were guilty of having stayed at home as you read this, then blame yourself, because as the blurbs went, “It was the closest you will get to 1976 again”.