Welcome to the 1963 show. The tour, like this DVD, may have been billed as
Cliff & the Shadows'
Final Reunion, but if you close your eyes to the passage of time and just listen to the music, there is very little to distinguish this from the view from the stalls circa 40-something years ago. True, the audience doesn't scream like it used to, the monitors don't fizz, and the sound quality is pristine. And we don't really recognize a couple of
the Shadows here. But in terms of their repertoire, and the muscle they put into it, there's very little to choose between the union's 2009 incarnation and that preserved on 1962's
Cliff Richard Show live CD. From
"Move It" to
"Apache," "Summer Holiday" to
"The Young Ones," the material is drawn almost entirely from the days when this team ruled the world. Occasionally, something will sneak in from later days, but none of
Cliff's solo hits are included here, none of his '70s or beyond chestnuts, no
"Congratulations" or
"Mistletoe and Wine." Everything, and that includes the outfits, is "peak of their powers" vintage, and it doesn't even matter that the DVD packaging arrives without a track listing. If it was a major hit in the late '50s or early '60s for
Cliff Richard & the Shadows, individually or collectively, it's here. Add a string of favorite rock & roll covers, all drawn again from their period catalog, and 15,000 fans who aren't simply reliving history, they've stepped right back into it, and
The Final Reunion should be required viewing for every band that's planning to get together again. It's not enough to simply play the old songs. You have to become a part of them, too, and
Cliff & the Shadows don't miss a beat. If this were a new band, they'd conquer the universe. Just like they did way back when. ~ Dave Thompson
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