Rob Lamberti Presents Perfectly George at Lighthouse, Poole Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Helen Osborne
I’ve been lucky enough to see Rob Lamberti perform before, albeit a long, long time ago, so I was really excited to be given the opportunity to see him perform, once again, as the legendary George Michael, at Lighthouse, Poole tonight when Rob Lamberti Presents Perfectly George stopped by for one night only, as part of his national tour.
We took our seats in the Stalls in the Concert Hall at Lighthouse, which is always a great performance space for an event like this. Tonight it was exceptional! We had an excellent view of the stage, comfy seats and loads of leg room and it didn’t take long before the party started.
Since George Michael burst onto the music scene in 1981 after forming the pop duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley, with their catchy pop tunes, he quickly became a fan favourite. His solo career went from strength to strength, with hit after hit, becoming one of the best-selling artists of all time, with a vast repertoire of fantastic hits, so many of which, we were treated to tonight.
Rob Lamberti, found fame when he appeared as the late, great George Michael on Stars In Their Eyes back in 1994. Not only does Rob sound incredibly like George, but his resemblance is so striking that when he appeared as him on Stars in Their Eyes, the programme’s make-up department had to ‘tone down’ his natural appearance before the actual transformation took place, so as not to give away who he’d be impersonating!
From the moment Rob Lamberti appeared on stage tonight singing ‘Father Figure’, the audience knew they were in for a fantastic night’s entertainment. Rob embodies George; not only does he look like him, but he has also clearly studied George in meticulous detail including how he dresses, his mannerisms and his voice, that voice, it was literally like George Michael was on the stage. His tone, his power, were absolutely phenomenal.
One of the things I loved about tonight’s show was that it spanned the whole of George Michael’s career encompassing, not only, his early Wham! days, but also his hugely successful solo career, showcasing his fantastic song-writing prowess. I enjoyed how the Wham! songs were intermingled with George’s solo hits too, rather than them being kept separate.
All of the fan favourites were showcased including the timeless classics such as ‘Faith’, ‘Club Tropicana’, ‘Fast Love’ and ‘Freedom’. Even ‘Last Christmas’ got an outing, which made us all laugh in the middle of June!
With such a fantastic show, it’s hard to pick any standout moments, as the whole performance was simply perfection. However, I thoroughly enjoyed Rob’s delivery of ‘A Different Corner’, as this is one of my favourite George Michael songs and it was so beautifully performed.
Then, there was the epic performance of ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’, which gave me goosebumps, it was absolutely fabulous and I didn’t want it to end.
And who could forget the cheeky rendition of ‘Outside’, with Rob’s handcuffs and police uniform…
Rob was joined on stage for the evening, by the most talented musicians who brought George Michael’s music to life. Special mention to Jamie on Saxophone, who brought back so many memories with Careless Whisper. Also the fabulous backing singers, Shona and Richard who were superb in their own right, with their duets with Rob. What a team!
The show ran for 2 hours, including a 20 minute interval, which was sufficient time to grab a drink and take a comfort break, in preparation for the second half. I honestly could have listened to him all night, it was a brilliant performance.
The atmosphere in the audience was electric, right from the very start. It didn’t take long for the majority of the audience to take to their feet, which continued many times throughout the show. The energy from Rob and his band never wavered for the entire performance and this was reflected in the response from the audience.
Ticket prices started at £32, which I think is pretty reasonable for such a high quality evening’s entertainment.
I would absolutely recommend this show to any George Michael fans out there as the perfect tribute to a much-loved icon. I’d watch it again in a heartbeat. I think this is possibly one of the best tribute acts I have ever seen.
Rating: 5/5 (I’d give it more if I could)
Ticket price from: £32
Buy tickets here: www.lighthousepoole.co.uk
Rob Lamberti was appearing at Lighthouse Poole in his Rob Lamberti, Presents Perfectly George show for one night only, as part of his UK tour. Tour dates can be found here: www.roblamberti.com
Address: Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UG