Nottingham Post

HOW DID WE RATE SIR CLIFF?

- By KEVIN COOPER

SIR Cliff Richard has been a mainstay of British culture for the last 60 years and whether you like him or not, he has successful­ly traversed the decades. While pop stars have come and gone, he still has staying power.

At the Royal Concert Hall, on his 60th anniversar­y tour, the 77-year-old focused on the highlights of a long career that has included more than 130 UK Top 20 singles, albums and EPS. It was a mix of hits and covers from each decade.

Walking out on to the stage to rapturous applause from the sold-out crowd, the smile from his younglooki­ng face (he will be 78 next week) sent the audience into an adolescent frenzy. Accompanie­d by a snappy seven man band, he began with Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel.

His own hits followed, from Move It and Living Doll to Summer Holiday and The Young Ones. There was a mass singalong to his Eurovision song, Congratula­tions, which might have sounded a little twee, but the song is part of his career and it clearly pleases the fans.

His voice has defied the test of time. He put it to good effect unloading endless payloads of pop perkiness. Devil Woman saw him move about the stage like a man half his age while Miss You Nights slowed everything down.

The second half saw a costume change and a dip into the 80s with The Best Of Me while Christmas songs Mistletoe And Wine, The Millennium Prayer and new song The Miracle Of Love could have sounded out of place on a warm October night, but hit the spot with this crowd.

Current single Rise Up brought the night right up to date before he delivered a rousing We Don’t Talk Anymore to end what was undoubtedl­y a celebratio­n of Sir Cliff’s life.

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 ?? PICTURES: KEVIN COOPER ?? Cliff Richard on stage at the Royal Concert Hall
PICTURES: KEVIN COOPER Cliff Richard on stage at the Royal Concert Hall
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