Live Review : Europe @ The Lowry, Salford on October 22nd 2023

Well, this is all very civilised. To celebrate their 40th anniversary of being a band, Europe have taken up residence in the ornate surroundings of the Lyric Theatre within the Lowry complex. Plush seats, a very un-rock & roll interval, and a two hours and 40-minute set, that's not bad for a band that most people would consider to be a one-hit-wonder. I would consider myself rather a Europe devotee, having fallen in love with the band in 1988 when my Scandinavian grandmother inexplicably bought me a copy of “Out of this World”. My experience of seeing them in this country until now, to be honest, has not been brilliant. They have always been on-point, but the audience has consisted of, in the main, slightly tiddly day-trippers waiting for thatsong.

This evening is different. For the first time ever I feel that I'm surrounded by fellow Europe connoisseurs. By an audience that not only understands but embraces the fact that they are a wonderful heavy blues band with far far more in their arsenal than that bloody song. In fact, when they do finally play the ‘Final Countdown’ at the culmination of the evening, there is an obvious exodus by a number of clientele in order to beat the rush to the car park or non-existent trams. It is heartening to realise that I am not the only one who views it as being far from the pinnacle of their illustrious back catalogue.

The 7.30 sharp start catches quite a few people off-guard and the lights dim to a rapidly filling auditorium. Our appetites are wet by a 10-minute snippet from the forthcoming documentary about the genesis of the band and then the monikered curtain drops and they power straight into ‘On Broken Wings’ (the b-side to that song). Initially, the crowd are not quite sure how you react to a high-octane rock show in an all-seated environment. There is a proportion of Europhiles up front that leap to their feet and stay in that prone position for the duration of the show. However, the rest of us squirm uncomfortably in our seats not quite sure how we are meant to react.

‘Seven Doors Hotel’ from their self-titled 1983 debut, has made an illustrious return to the set of late and it is here in all its twisted and turning glory. Its appearance initiates more attempts by those present to leave their seats and those wishing to be closer to the action start to gather in the aisles. However, it's the relatively early appearance of ‘Rock the Night’ that causes the atmosphere to catch light and for us all to forget about the spectre of designated seating. Everybody takes their feet and the majority of us stay there.

Over the course of three hours, they celebrate their four decades by raiding all but one of their 11 studio albums (bizarrely and rather unsatisfactorily the only ignored long player is the astonishingly good “Bag of Bones”). An inference is very much put on the five releases that preceded their 1992 split, with material from that timeframe making up over two-thirds of the 26-song-strong setlist. Of all their latter-day releases, only 2015’s “War of Kings” is raided for more than one song and that is to allow John Norum to use the Gary Moore-esque ‘Vasastan’ showboating exercise for his virtuoso guitar skills. 

In fact, the bloated nature of the running time means that every member of the band gets the opportunity to be a little indulgent. Bass, keyboard, and drum solos are all present and correct. However the most moving of these personal flourishes is when Joey and John Norum serenade us with an acoustic version of David Bowie's ‘Space Oddity’. A song they claim they used to sit and play together in the hills above their hometown when they were both thirteen.

It is very rare to witness the fortieth celebration of a prestigious rock act when all the current members were there at the start (OK Ian Haugland and Mic Michaeli arrived in 1984, but you get my point). It is even rarer to come across a band of this vintage who still look like they are enjoying every minute of their time together on stage. The simple fact is the financial security provided by that song means that actually, they don't have to do this. They could all retire to their guitar-shaped swimming pools and never work again. But it is obvious that they all love doing this and, even after 40 years, they still absolutely adore playing in a band together. In fact, what we are witnessing is a bunch of mates having a whale of a time on stage together. It is that basic and that joyous.

All good things must come to an end and with a flurry of entries from the album that started it for me they bring the main set to a gargantuan close with ‘More Than Meets The Eye’, ‘Ready or Not’, and ‘Superstitious’. Even if I do think all three of these numbers are far superior to that song, there is a large proportion of those amassed here tonight that want to hear it, so an encore is not just the de-rigor, it's downright inevitable. But before probably one of the most famous keyboard refrains of all time rains down upon us, we get another opportunity to sing along with ‘Cherokee’. But, like the imminent ring walk of a heavyweight prize-fighter, everything is about the arrival of ‘The Final Countdown’. If there was still anyone doggedly staying in their seat, then they are out of it now and the whole theatre sings along with gay abandonment.

There is something magical about sharing an evening with a, relatively, small gathering of diverse folk who have a similar adoration to yourself. All of us gathered in the Lyric Theatre tonight are of different ages, different backgrounds, and very likely very different political and economic persuasions. However, we are all unified by our love of an undervalued and underrated band. Tonight was wonderful. It was communal, it was redemptive, and it was life-affirming. 

Europe were astounding, but they always are. What made this evening so special was that feeling of shared love and shared joy. Even the staff member on door J was having the best day at work ever, singing along at the top of her voice. There was a union and a connection here that is actually incredibly rare. Because the outside world has never quite got the beauty and depth of this astonishing band, there is a synergy between them and their committed fan base. It is an "us against the world” mentality and it results in is an evening that I will not forget. Tonight was not just made by the band, it was forged by everybody in the auditorium and it was wonderful.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Europe