Hodgson still causes goosebumps
Michael Hochheuser, Schwäbische Zeitung, 10.07.09
English translation by Claudia Yildiz
TUTTLINGEN – The “Honbergsommer 2009” has been opened with the performance of Roger Hodgson on Thursday evening.
The former singer and songwriter of Supertramp fascinated the audience with his interpretations of their classic hits and also convinced with his solo works.
This voice accompanied many of them, who were young in the 70’s or 80’s. His characteristic high and fragile seemingly voice didn’t le him down until today. At his performance in Tuttlingen he also had no problem to strike the high notes of the evergreens of his former band Supertramp and as well of his solo-songs.
Some of the listeners who were no longer “spring chicken” may have had goose bumps and some of them had teary eyes when Hodgson stroke up his classic hits like “Take the long way home” or “Give a little bit”.
He wrote the songs together with Rick Davies from Supertramp and their albums were sold some million times then. Nearly all of their hits were written by their lead singer Roger Hodgson: famous ones like “Hide in your shell” or “Take the long way home” and unknown pearls like “Two of us”.
Many of these songs were on the set list on Thursday evening, because Roger Hodgson knows what his fans are longing to hear. But his solo songs were also highly acclaimed – after all, he remained faithful to the Supertramp sound which you can hear by listening to his solo hit “In Jeopardy” or the album “Open the door” from 2000.
It is pretty marvellous how the musician was able to create the original Supertramp sound only with piano, guitar, and the accompaniment of the saxophonist Aaron MacDonald.
Occasionally MacDonald played other keyboard instruments and a melodica. Even a delay unit was used to double Hodgson’s voice.
He had a good report with the audience very quickly and told them a lot between his songs – e.g. that his concerts were like a time travel for him. At most of the songs, the audience sang along with as letter-perfect as Hodgson.
During “Easy does it” nearly the whole big top, which was sold out, started whistling. In between Hodgson conjured up some forgotten Supertramp treasures like “Rosie had everything planned” from their second album, shortly before their breakthrough.
It was a fantastic prelude of the “Honbergsommer”.