Palladium, Cologne, Germany20th September 2024
Madness - “C’est La Vie Summer Tour 2024” - Support: Boss Capone & Patsy
MADNESS is one of the representatives who popularised Ska-music in the 1980s and made it accessible to a wider audience. A style of music that has its roots in reggae and became better known beyond the borders of its home country Jamaica as early as the 1950s. On their “C’est La Vie Summer Tour 2024”, the British boys from MADNESS visited the Palladium in Cologne. Visitors even came to Cologne from neighbouring countries. There were fans from the Netherlands, France and even the United Kingdom. Everyone wanted the same thing, good music and to see the still active MADNESS live again. BOSS CAPONE & PATSY travelled from the Netherlands as the support band. The band is no longer unknown in the Ska and Reggae scene. Even before BOSS CAPONE & PATSY took to the stage, the visitors were entertained by a DJ with classic Reggae and Ska.
Boss Capone & Patsy
The two namesakes of the band, BOSS CAPONE (member of the band UPSESSIONS) and PATSY (member of the band MR WALLACE), gathered five other musicians around them and fired up the audience. PATSY danced and sang at the front of the stage, sometimes taking her partner BOSS CAPONE by her side. Her bandmates provided the typical sound and rhythm with their electric guitar, drums, keyboard and saxophone. PATSY enchanted the audience with her relaxed manner, gentle voice and light blue jacket/rock combination. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100060316914270
Setlist
01. I Am the King
02. Another Heartache
03. All You Really Need is Love
04. Here Comes the Train
05. Kings & Queens
06. Queen of the World
07. This Feeling of Love
08. Woman, You a Scorpion
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 8
Light: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 7.8 / 10
Madness
After the supporting programme, the DJ took his place at the turntable again. While the stage was being rebuilt and prepared for MADNESS in the background, the DJ kept his composure and played a mixture of Reggae, Ska and typical Brit-Pop-Music. As the roadies neared the end of the set-up, the DJ in his British suit slowly packed his bags. Once the stage had been cleared, all you could hear was music from the tape. But then you realised that the mood on stage had changed. The music from the TV series ‘Thunderbirds’ began to play and the band members of MADNESS appeared one after the other on the LED wall in the background of the stage, all in the style of the well-known TV series. When the first musicians appeared on stage, the cheers from the fans grew louder. When singer Graham McPherson came on stage in a black suit and sunglasses, the audience went wild and a loud cheer could be heard.
What could be more fitting than playing the song ‘One Step Beyond’ first? One of MADNESS’ best-known songs. In the background, videos were shown on the large LED wall, which were abstract or sometimes showed the band members. While all the musicians never left their place on stage, Lee Thompson was constantly on the move that evening with his saxophone or trumpet. In his grey trench coat, sunglasses and hat, he often played with the fans in the front rows. He also tried to throw his tambourine onto his microphone stand from a short distance. Unfortunately, this only worked on the second attempt, which pleased him all the more. The boys played almost all the well-known songs one after the other that evening. Like ‘My Girl’, ‘House Of Fun’ and also ‘Our House’. Of course, there were also some new songs from the latest album ‘Theatre Of The Absurd Presents Cést La Vie’.
A special highlight was when Chris Foreman sang the AC/DC hit ‘Highway To Hell’ in his straw hat. Even if the concert lacked a certain punch, it was a nice evening. The satisfied audience was bid farewell with the Monty Python song ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’. https://www.madness.co.uk / https://www.facebook.com/madnessofficial
Setlist
01. One Step Beyond (Prince Buster cover)
02. Embarrassment
03. The Prince
04. Act One: “Surrounded on All Sides…”
05. C’est la vie
06. NW5
07. My Girl
08. The Sun and the Rain
09. Hour of Need
10. Wings of a Dove
11. Lovestruck
12. Run for Your Life
13. Bed and Breakfast Man
14. Shut Up
15. Taller Than You Are (Lord Tanamo cover)
16. Mr. Apples
17. Highway to Hell (AC/DC cover) (Chris Foreman on vocals, song from tape)
18. House of Fun
19. Baggy Trousers
20. Our House
21. It Must Be Love (Labi Siffre cover)
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22. Madness (Prince Buster cover)
23. Night Boat to Cairo
24. Outro: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python song)
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Light: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10
All Pictures by Andreas Klüppelberg
