We have reached the top two places! The run down so far has been:
Bond Medley – Strictly Come Dancing – 2011
O Sole Mio / Now or Never – Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – 2012
You Are My Hearts Delight – Blackpool Opera House – 2013
Buona Sera – Belfast Proms in the Park – 2014
Jacobs Ladder – Bring Him Home Tour – 2011/12
Barcelona (Laura Wright) – Mercury Phoenix Trust – 2013
Rank Strangers – Royal Albert Hall – 2013
Addio Sogni Di Gloria – Classic FM Live – 2014
Without further ado, number two is:
Yes, the top song from 2014 is this year’s number two and features Alfie singing with Gary Barlow on his 2013 New Year TV show – and a complete surprise to us all! I still haven’t got over my annoyance at missing it! Click here to see the Queen version.
So, with the previous top song now at number two, the new number one is (to no one’s surprise, I’m sure):
Thanks to Linda for sharing – this video was picked for all those jeans fans! Unfortunately, you can hear me singing along at the end so apologies!
Alfie first performed this song at the VE Day 75th anniversary celebrations and it then became a staple of his summer concerts of 2015. It’s been so popular it was by far and away the most nominated song for this poll and was the runaway winner with 36% of the final vote.
Yes it was, a very good year for thoughtsofjustafan and for Alfie Boe too. If I asked Alfie, his 2015 highlights might include Classic Quadrophenia and Les Mis on Broadway but I’m sure meeting loads of adoring fans at various UK and US concerts would also be right up there with the best moments.
For me, 2015 has been a series of fabulous moments one after the other – I can’t possibly choose one as the best although the first three on the list would certainly be competing for the top spot!
Interviewing Alfie for Classic Quadrophenia.
Interviewing Alfie again for the first in the Club 24601 series.
Chatting to Alfie at Somerset House and hearing him tell me that he reads thoughtsofjustafan…if Nikki Lewis hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have believed it!
Seeing my Classic Quad review from the Huffington Post quoted in a proper newspaper (the Guardian). The thank you from Alfie when I interviewed him shortly after was pretty special too.
Addio Sogni di Gloria being voted the Best Alfie Boe Song (recorded) – last year’s favourite, Bring Him Home was number 4.
Taking my 9yo to Alive @Delapre for his first Alfie concert and hearing the stand out Alfie song from 2015, Run:
The Club 24601 series of interviews, beginning with Alfie and culminating with the current London JVJ, Peter Lockyer.
Interview with David Steadman, of the D’oyly Carte Opera Company and hearing about Alfie’s very first tour as a professional singer.
Finding out that the fan’s favourite Alfie Boe look is jeans, the tighter the better! Alfie in a suit was a (very) close runner up.
Alfie in Les Miserables on Broadway – hearing the amazing reviews and happy fans was the next best thing to being there myself.
Thank you to everyone for reading and supporting thoughtsofjustafan – I really appreciate the time you take to comment on and share. In February this year we passed 30,000 hits and thanks to all you wonderful readers, we have now more than tripled that number – woohoo!
Thank you too for all the wonderful compliments you have sent over the year, you are all very kind.
Of course, I can’t let 2015 pass without thanking some extra special people who have continued to support me and thoughtsofjustafan:
Thanks to Debbie Bannigan for giving me the best gift anyone can ever receive; belief and confidence that I can achieve whatever I want to. Without your support, this blog would not exist.
Thanks to Linda Wellington for continually providing me with photos and videos and allowing me to use them. Thank you also for all the laughs along the way this summer – and for ferrying us to Northampton!
Thanks to Carole Hunt for continuing to allow me to use her photo for the main blog banner.
Thanks to everyone who allows me to use their videos here – Nikki, Jayne, Annie in particular.
Thanks to Roberta Kappus and Carole Hunt for being fabulous reviewers this year – I hope to be able to call on you again lovely ladies!
Thanks to Sue Black, Linda Anstee and Marie Blair for being my top social media sharers this year – thanks for spreading the word!
Thanks to my top commenters in 2015 – Linda McCann, Sue Redfern and Carole Naden. Love hearing from you!
Lastly, thank you to everyone who spoke to me at concerts this year and said they loved my blog – I love doing it! Special thanks to the super posse of friends who, amongst others, made it extra special this year: Linda A and Linda W, Sally, Cecelia and Cassie (I’ll never forget your comments while waiting for the ladies at Hampton Court!), Paul and Pauline, Jan, Carole H, Sue, Pam and Tina, Nikki, Annie, Pauline H, Pat and Janet, Jayne, Deb and Flo.
This summer of 2015 has meant a short season of Alfie Boe concerts encompassing a range of different Alfie shows from the delights of Alfie and the band to Proms concerts whilst taking in headline musical theatre shows. Not forgetting the world premiere of Classic Quadrophenia of course.
The penultimate show of this mini UK tour (the last show is this Friday in Leeds) was the last night of the Northampton festival, Alive @ Delapre and my last concert for, well, I don’t know at the moment. Hopefully, more UK concerts will be announced for 2016 but we don’t know as yet. I was not planning to attend this concert until very recently and was perfectly happy to end on the high of Classic Quad at the Royal Albert Hall but lovely Linda W, she of the fabulous Alfie Boe gallery photos, had other ideas which is how I came to be in Northampton with my nine year old son. This was to be his first concert ever, not just his first Alfie concert and I’m hoping it will be the first of many although I’m not altogether sure if he will come to many more Alfie shows! Having said that, he did enjoy the experience, mainly having so much attention lavished on him by the wonderful Sue, Jan, Carole, Pauline and Paul, Jayne, Jane, Kate, Michelle, Nikki, Pauline and Mike and of course lovely Linda. I’ll tell you his favourite concert moments later.
And so to the review itself; Alfie was in fine form wearing an outfit that caused one or two ladies in the crowd to feel a bit hot under the collar (black jeans with waistcoat and white shirt to start followed by black tshirt later in the show). The show started with Serenata songs, accompanied again by the superb NSO (National Symphony Orchestra) and the band. This gave way to the musical theatre section which was slightly shorter than some previous concerts at just Bring Him Home and Come What May, this last a duet with soprano Annette Wardell who then took us into the interval with a selection of arias. Ms. Wardell returned later with a breathtaking rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow which was the highlight of her set.
As the summer has progressed, so we have heard more and more songs from Quadrophenia – this was different only that we heard the full overture as well as several songs. Love Reign O’er Me was the highlight of that particular group of songs, thanks to Jayne for sharing:
As you can see, Alfie had been very energetic immediately prior to this and took a breather at the beginning!
Matt White was back on guitar (I believe he was also with the band at Llangollen) and he, along with Dan McKinna, John Tonks, Richard Causon and Murray Gould were magnificent throughout, especially on Trust’s Keep Me In Your Heart and the encore of Suspicious Minds and Run. These last two, along with the flag waving extravaganza of Pomp and Circumstance, Jerusalem, Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory were my son’s favourites. A note to all festival organisers everywhere that include these patriotic songs – please please please show the words on a screen as we don’t all know the words! Yesterday, Alfie was sufficiently unimpressed with our singing of Land and Hope and Glory that he demanded we do it again – not sure we were any better the second time Alfie!
Inevitably, the evening came to a close and we had to go home. For most of those there it was the last time we would see Alfie and other fans we have come to regard as lifelong friends for a good long while and it was a bittersweet moment. For those who are going to Leeds and/or the European dates for Classic Quadrophenia and of course Les Mis on Broadway, wishing you the best of times and don’t forget to tell us all about it – we will be with you in spirit. For those who aren’t jetting off to New York or Europe, don’t fret, thoughtsofjustafan will still be here with all your Alfie Boe news and reviews so keep up to date by entering your email to the right – go on, do it now! There’s some exciting goodies to be won in the Autumn!
Wow, what a week since the last Friday Round Up! I saw Alfie Boe in Leeds and Manchester and had a truly wonderful time. The teething problems of Newcastle had all been ironed out and the whole show was superb. That said, and with the benefit of hindsight, Alfie’s throat problems were slightly in evidence and sadly, this led to the postponement of the Brighton gig on Tuesday. Really hope that all those who missed out are able to get to the rescheduled date (unknown at this point).
The Bournemouth concert did go ahead though and click here to see a fantastic review by a new Alfie Boe convert from the Dorset Echo. At the same time, Alfie was appearing on the Royal Variety Performance on ITV. He first led the audience in the National Anthem right at the top of the programme and then later sang Luna Malinconia from, of course, his new album, Serenata. Just when we thought it was all over, he then appeared in the finale singing a line from Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, along with Demi Lovato, Shirley Bassey, Ellie Goulding, Bette Midler, Mick Hucknall and Michael McIntyre.
Also this week it was announced that Alfie is to return to summer music festivals next year, with an appearance at the Scarborough Last Night of the Proms on 27 June 2015. The date marks National Armed Forces Day and the Military Wives Choir will also appear. Another festival, Alive @ Delapre follows on 19 July. In addition, you can also see Alfie in a more intimate setting in Northern Ireland.
