The White Soul Father, as Joe Cocker is also commonly titled, visited Košice as part of the Hymn For My Soul Joe Cocker Tour, which is aimed at promoting the sale of the artist's current album. An essential concern that had me nervous beforehand was the anticipation of the issues regarding the anti-acoustic nature of the Steel Arena. Fortunately, the sound engineers managed to work literal miracles, and although the stadium didn't resonate with 100% pristine sound, it approached perfection by the end. Perhaps it helped that the sound mixer was set slightly lower than usual for concerts.(Watch his concert below)
The beginning was delayed by a good hour, but I presume the delay was caused by the absence of an opening act (the day before in Ostrava, Věra Špinarová had filled that role). However, the loud expressions of impatient fans quickly turned more positive immediately after the lights dimmed, the curtain was drawn, and the grand entrance of Joe, accompanied by eight musicians, took to the stage. His amazing vocals filled the entire arena, and although there were equally excellent musicians and artists standing beside Joe Cocker (especially bass guitarist Oneida James-Rebeccu), he managed to capture the attention of almost everyone in the hall throughout the entire set. He began with a quartet of songs from the early days of his career, during which, apart from singing, he didn't utter a word, only getting to greetings, comments, and band introductions in the second half of his show.
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Yet, even these gestures were reduced to a minimum, likely due to a cold. After the initial four songs, he immediately moved on to his newer and especially larger hits, which received the most enthusiastic ovations of the evening. First, the slower love songs "N’Oubliez Jamais," "Up Where We Belong," and "You Are So Beautiful," followed by the super hit "Summer In The City." This part concluded with a cover by THE BEATLES, "Come Together." Each song of his show was accompanied by specially prepared video sequences, which complemented the atmosphere of each song excellently. Black-and-white Parisian exteriors and Catherine Deneuve for "N’Oubliez Jamais," bustling cityscapes for "Summer In The City," or silhouettes of nude women for "You Can Leave Your Hat On."
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He presented his current new album with a trio of songs around the middle of the performance, to then return to the time-tested ones, dominated by the song "Unchain My Heart." He concluded the main part of his performance with a cover by THE BEATLES, the song "With A Little Help From My Friends," accompanied by footage from Woodstock 1969, where Cocker's rendition was also heard.
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Up to this point, I was thoroughly satisfied with the concert, but the encores bored me; I admit that my ignorance of his entire discography may have been at fault as well. Nonetheless, I ultimately expected something more familiar. The only exception was the third cover by THE BEATLES, "She Came In Through Bathroom Window." My humble opinion is that by playing the biggest hits in the middle of the show, that electrifying charge that keeps attention and distracts from the fatigue of standing for two and a half hours vanished by the end.
In any case, Joe Cocker delivered an excellent performance, and memories of the event and his vocals will pleasantly accompany me for a long time.
Band lineup: Joe Cocker - vocals, Oneida James-Rebeccu – bass guitar, Jack Brunov – drums, Gene Black - guitar, Nick Milo – piano, Mike Finningan - B3 organ, Norbert Fimpel – saxophone, accordion, and percussion, Nichelle Tillman and Kacee Clanton – vocalists.
Setlist: Hitchcock Railway, Feelin Alright, The Letter, When The Night Comes, N’Oubliez Jamais, Up Where We Belong, You Are So Beautiful, Summer In The City, Come Together (THE BEATLES), Pass It On, Don’t Give Up On Me, Hymn For My Soul, You Can Leave Your Hat On, Unchain My Heart, With A Little Help From My Friends (THE BEATLES), Delta Lady, She Came In Through Bathroom Window (THE BEATLES), Cry Me A River, Long As I Can See The Light