My First Anastacia Gig: Captivating, Flawless and Spellbinding

It was in 2004 when I first came across Anastacia. A young nine-year-old me was spending an afternoon watching the music video channels when there she was, belting out “Left Outside Alone” and from that moment on I was hooked. Ever since then Anastacia’s discography has been a constant presence in my most listened to tracks.

Cut to present day, on a sunny April evening in Belfast, almost 21 years since I first discovered Anastacia, I found myself getting ready to attend her concert in the Ulster Hall.

The audience was first treated to a performance by Casey McQuillen who well and truly got the crowd warmed up and ready for Anastacia’s big arrival. By the time she had finished her set the room was buzzing with anticipation, and I could overhear people everywhere humming and singing what I imagine was their favourite Anastacia hit as I passed through the hall.

With a prompt 9 o’clock start the audience was hit with nostalgia from the get-go with the sound of The Simpsons theme tune filling the room whilst the band took their places. Anastacia then bursts onto the stage through a set door and we have our first hit of the evening; One Day In Your Life.

Captivating from the moment she stepped out, Anastacia effortlessly commanded the stage and the audience, taking us on a journey through old and new hits accompanied by her 5-piece band including bass, drums, keys, percussion, and guitar along with 2 backing singers. Although everybody seemed to play and sing a bit of everything throughout the evening.

It felt like the evening had 4 distinct stages, Pop, Acoustic, Rock and the Encore which was an all-out party. Each with its own outfit and of course the queen of sunglasses had a new pair each time. Did you expect anything less? Even the lighting design in each section was flawless and fitting, completely elevating the performances throughout the evening.

During the Pop section we had hits like Sick and Tired, Now or Never and Staring at the Sun. Then we moved into the Acoustic section where we heard You’ll Never Be Alone, Welcome to My Truth and Secrets and we saw Anastacia and her backing singers perform on stools for part of this section. (I think that’s what gave it the distinct “acoustic session” feel for me). In the Rock section of course, we had Anastacia’s iconic cover of Sweet Child O’ Mine, Stupid Little Things and a bit of a rocked-up version of Left Outside Alone. Last but by certainly no means least we had the encore, we were treated to Not That Kind, I’m Outta Love and an acapellaversion of Left Outside Alone. I can’t describe how amazing it was to sing Left Outside Alone acapella along with Anastacia and everyone else in the audience. A moment I will remember for the rest of my life.

With plenty of other Anastacia hits throughout the evening and some fantastic covers from the band it was a brilliant display of why this woman is truly an icon.

Anastacia interacted with the audience all throughout the evening, sharing little tour quirks and her love for Dad jokes and she was paid back in kind with audience participation. She spoke about how throughout this tour she was noticing that it was mostly peoples first time seeing her live, which was true in my case. Although I spoke with one concert goer who said this was his third time seeing Anastacia live and every time she had been phenomenal, and this time was no exception.

A spellbinding evening of music and togetherness in a room filled with people who shared an adoration for a truly deserving artist. A concert that has instantly taken the top spot for my favourite gig.

If you were lucky enough to be there for this sold-out show I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, if you have tickets for a future show I can honestly say you are in for an amazing evening and if you haven’t got tickets then try and find some of the limited few that are left at select dates across the UK. I promise you won’t be disappointed. This might have been my first-time seeing Anastacia, but it most definitely won’t be the last.

Review By Ted Bradberry

Photos by Tremaine Gregg