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Bryan Ferry is now officially a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, having been inducted into what is arguably pop music’s most prestigious club earlier this year as a member of the groundbreaking act Roxy Music.
In that sense, Ferry’s latest solo tour — which touched down on Saturday (Aug. 31) at the Fox Theater in Oakland — feels a bit like a well-earned victory lap.
And it’s one that many fans feared that Ferry might never get, since Roxy Music — despite having had a major impact on basically every strain of rock music that’s developed over the last 45-plus years — was anything but a shoe-in for induction.
Sure, fans have long held the avant-garde, art-rock band among the all-time greats — at least in the group’s native U.K. Roxy has long been undervalued in the U.S.
As proof, consider that the band’s first year of eligibility for the Rock Hall came way back in 1997 (25 years after their first single, “Virginia Plain,” came out.). It took another 22 years before Roxy Music was allowed to take its rightful place next to the Beatles, Patti Smith, Chuck Berry, Pink Floyd, R.E.M., the Supremes and the other legends of the genre.
Better late than never, of course. And Ferry would use his 21-song set at the Fox to illustrate many of the reasons why voters got it right in deciding to finally enshrine Roxy Music.
The roughly 90-minute set was electric, as the dashing and dapper 73-year-old star led fans on a memorable trip through both his Roxy Music days and his solo catalog. Roxy Music, fittingly, got the most attention, as Ferry and his stellar nine-piece backing band touched upon seven of the group’s eight studio albums. (The only one left untouched was 1973’s “Stranded.”)
He’d roll through 14 Roxy tunes in all, thrilling fans with the challenging, adventurous blend of glam, art and prog styles found on the earlier records as well as the sophisticated pop/soul/rock of the later efforts.
He’d concentrate on the latter earlier on, kicking off the show with three numbers from 1982’s superb “Avalon” album — “India,” “The Main Thing” and “The Space Between.”
Later in the set, Ferry would turn to “While My Heart Is Still Beating,” “Take a Chance With Me,” “More Than This” and the title track to “Avalon,” bringing the total number of “Avalon” tunes featured in the set list up to seven.
That represented a third of the overall show, but it made sense that “Avalon” — Roxy Music’s best-received album in the U.S. — would get the lion’s share. And one can even wish there had been more “Avalon” served up at the Fox. In particular, it would have been great to hear the mesmerizing “To Turn You On” — perhaps Roxy Music’s most satisfyingly romantic song — make the cut, like it had at some other stops on the tour.
Ferry sounded impeccable as he waltzed through such glistening gems as “Slave to Love” and “Don’t Stop the Dance,” both of which hail from the artist’s sixth solo outing, 1985’s “Boys and Girls.” Yet, his band also featured prominently on many highlights.
Guitarist Chris Spedding was a force throughout the night, particularly with his shimmering lead on “My Only Love” and his fiery fret work on “In Every Dream Home a Heartache.” Tom Vanstiphout, the band’s other guitarist, didn’t get quite as much of the spotlight, but he would make the most of the time he had as he delivered some gorgeous work on the title track to “Boys and Girls.”
Violinist Marina Moore certainly made her mark at the end of “Out of the Blue,” soaring through the lead originally made famous by Eddie Jobson on 1974’s “Country Life” album. And backup vocalist Tawatha Agee drew big cheers for her epic work at the end of “Avalon,” while Jorja Chalmers enjoyed a transcendent moment with the haunting saxophone part on “If There Is Something.”
While on the subject of “If There Is Something,” it’s definitely worth adding that it stands as one of the most mesmerizing and fascinating songs in all of a rock ‘n’ roll. It’s actually more of a suite than a single number, delivering multiple emotions, and even more sonic textures, as it details a complex story arch of a relationship over time.
It’s such a richly appealing song that it’s featured, basically as a main character, in 2008’s underrated Daniel Craig film “Flashbacks of a Fool.”
If I can bring “If There Is Something” to the attention of even one person who hasn’t yet heard it then I feel I have done my job as a music critic.
Of course, Ferry certainly did his job on this night, as he brought the concert to a close in high style with three up-tempo tunes — “Love Is the Drug,” “Virginia Plain” and “Let’s Stick Together.”
What more could one ask for?
Well — since we’re asking the question — how about a full-fledged Roxy Music reunion tour next year?
These solo treks are great. And we’ll take any chance we can get to see Ferry live in concert.
But wouldn’t it be fantastic to once again experience Phil Manzanera’s charging guitar lead on “Both Ends Burning,” Andy Mackay’s passionate saxophone on “If There Is Something,” Paul Thompson’s thundering drum work on “All I Want Is You” and how it all comes together so perfectly with Ferry on the microphone?
Yes, it would.
And the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction seems like a terrific reason to get the old gang back together again in 2020.
Set list:
1, “India”
2, “The Main Thing”
3, “The Space Between”
4, “The 39 Steps”
5, “Out of the Blue”
6, “Slave To Love”
7, “While My Heart Is Still Beating”
8, “Don’t Stop the Dance”
9, “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”
10, “Boys and Girls”
11, “Dance Away”
12, “My Only Love”
13, “Take a Chance With Me”
14, “Bete Noire”
15, “In Every Dream Home a Heartache”
16, “If There Is Something”
17, “More Than This”
18, “Avalon”
19, “Love Is the Drug”
20, “Virginia Plain”
21, “Let’s Stick Together”
