Midge Ure flexes vocal talents with Ultravox flashbacks

BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER

Returning to Northern California two years after merely teasing his fans with a mini set opening for Howard Jones, Midge Ure took his rightful place in the spotlight with a stellar performance at Harlow‘s in Sacramento Wednesday night.

Unrestrained, Ure delivered a pristine 95 minute set highlighted by his most memorable Ultravox compositions, which accounted for 12 of the 17 songs he performed, basically doubling the output he was able to deliver opening for Jones.

A veteran of Live Aid with Ultravox, Ure co-wrote and produced the charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” with Bob Geldof to help raise money to deal with the famine in Ethiopia. The song sold over 12 million copies and reached number one in 14 countries.

Flexing his distinguished voice, the 70 year old Scotsman hasn’t lost a thing vocally, 45 years after debuting as Ultravox’s front man in 1979 following brief stints with Visage and Thin Lizzy.

Opening with “Dear God,” a modest hit from his second solo album, 1988’s Answers to Nothing before performing the title track itself, Ure would proceed to perform a set dominated by Ultravox hits such as “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes,” “The Voice,” Reap the Wild Wind” and “Vienna.”

The inclusion of what is unquestionably the best cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” early in the show was another highlight before Ure returned to his solo catalog with renditions of “Fragile” and “If I Was” to conclude a glorius setlist.

Ure has an incredible voice capable of inducing chills. It’s a gift to be treated to the Ultravox material in concert, but it’s been a full decade since his last solo release. Hopefully some more new material will be joining his incredible catalog of music during his next visit to the Bay Area.

Following tonight’s show at Yoshi’s in Oakland, Ure’s Band in a Box tour continues this weekend with shows in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Juan Capistrano.