<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-383" title="Chris+Rea" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Chris+Rea-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />We frequently keep a look out for concerts to go to but so often we don't get in early enough to get the best sits and despite picking up on this <a title="Chris Rea on Wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Rea" target="_blank">Chris Rea</a> tour details quite early the stalls had sold out and so we were in the circle. The tickets showed a time of 6.30pm which we thought was early and so it was because in fact this was the time the doors opened. The concerted didn't start until 7.45pm with the support act, <a title="Nell Bryden" href="http://nellbryden.com/" target="_blank">Nell Bryden</a> starting the evening with a clear, well pitched voice and good acoustic guitar work. She played for half an hour to an audience that spent a lot of the time coming in, going out and generally not paying a great deal of attention. After a twenty minute break Chris Rea and his band walked into the stage to tumultuous applause and without introduction he broke into the first song. For the full set list <a title="Concert playlist" href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/chris-rea/2012/national-indoor-arena-birmingham-england-63de121f.html" target="_blank">click here...</a>

To cut what could be a long review short we thought it was an exceptional night. His gravelly voice has lost nothing with the years and he played so many songs that were instantly recognisable. His bottleneck guitar is faultless and his commitment to the blues is wonderful.

Now for the strange bit. We go to concerts to watch and listen; we don't go to drink gallons of beer, pay numerous visits to the toilet and therefore spend as much time out of your seat as in it; and we don't go to spend the whole evening using our mobile phones to take photos or video and text our friends about what a great time we're having. The idea of enjoying the moment and sharing it with the real people around us seems to be disappearing; instead the people around us wanted to share their moment with a virtual world - so why didn't they buy a video of the concert? The times they are a changing...