Review of the concert “Bonnie Tyler – 40 Years of ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’”

We’ve had a fantastic year of concerts at Atlas Arena, but it’s worth taking a moment to look beyond its walls and toward its younger, smaller sister—Sport Arena. Because there, too—despite its name—you can increasingly find true musical gems. In June, Chris Norman—the legendary lead singer of Smokie—put on a great show there, and just a few days ago, during St. Nicholas Day weekend, another star who has been shining in the rock scene since the 1970s treated us to an outstanding performance. We’re talking, of course, about the owner of one of the world’s most magnificent husky voices—Bonnie Tyler.

A rock-and-roll start with a CCR classic

For me personally, it was my first live encounter with her work in over 14 years, since she performed at the Congress Hall in Warsaw in June 2011. Since then, the star has released three albums—“Rocks and Honey” (in 2013), “Between the Earth and the Stars” (in 2019), and

“The Best Is Yet to Come” (in 2021)—so it was clear that the setlist would include new songs. But it was also obvious that the core of the show would consist of her biggest hits from years past, because it’s no coincidence that the theme of this year’s tour is the 40th anniversary of the hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Although the tour’s motto could just as easily have been another spectacular anniversary—after all, this year the Welsh singer is celebrating half a century of performing on stage!

Gaynor Hopkins-Sullivan—Bonnie Tyler’s real name—took the stage at Sport Arena almost exactly on the hour, as announced. The arena clock read exactly 7:03 p.m. when the musicians accompanying the blonde artist began playing the opening bars of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”. The history of this song dates back to 1971 and the band Creedence Clearwater Revival, but it must be said that Bonnie has been performing it for almost as long. The Skewen-born singer released this track as a single in 1983, and perhaps only Rod Stewart’s version is even more deeply ingrained in fans’ consciousness. It’s worth mentioning that in the meantime, this composition has also been covered by, among others, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Smokie, Imagine Dragons, Matchbox Twenty, Spin Doctors, and even… Boney M. Standing out among such heavyweights was by no means easy, but in Łódź we saw once again that this is a song that simply fits perfectly with the Welsh singer’s style.

French nostalgia from half a century ago

The second song at Sport Arena was also a cover. This time, Bonnie sang “Hide Your Heart” from Kiss’s catalog. It’s worth noting, however, that the history of this song is particularly convoluted—and… Bonnie was actually the first artist to popularize it! And all because the guys from Kiss originally rejected the song after writing it in 1987. And it wasn’t until a year later, when the song became famous thanks to the singer—who now lives in Swansea—that Kiss revisited it and released it as a single in 1989. And just to make things a bit more complicated, that same year, Ace Frehley (after leaving Kiss), Molly Hatchet, and Robin Beck also presented their own versions to the world. Each of these interpretations differed from one another, but the fact is that Bonnie turned out to be the biggest winner of Paul Stanley and company’s dilemmas. And thank goodness, because in her performance, this track still has that “something” that makes you want to come back to it regularly. At Sport Arena, we had first-rate proof of that!

Later, the 74-year-old singer took us on a journey to France. “Lost in France,” a lyrical soft-rock ballad with a distinct folk flavor, was Bonnie’s first major hit on the European market. A hit that cemented her position in the industry in 1976, even before the global success of “It’s a Heartache.” “I was still just a little girl back then; I was only 26,” the singer teased the audience as she introduced the song. And when she began to sing, the hall was instantly filled with a sense of nostalgia evoked by the melody and the story of a romantic adventure recounted in the lyrics, which took place during a trip through France.

Optimism straight from the heart

The next song was… another cover. “To Love Somebody” is, after all, a song by the Gibb brothers, better known as the Bee Gees. Although in our country, most people probably associate it more with Michael Bolton’s version. However, anyone who listens closely to both versions will likely agree that Bonnie’s voice lends the song an extra layer of emotional depth. The lyrics themselves are far from trivial, as they speak of selfless love that remains unfulfilled. I don’t know how it went a few days earlier in Gdańsk, but in Łódź, this song moved and deeply touched a great many fans.

The sentimental mood didn’t last long, however, as the next song was the much livelier “The Best Is Yet to Come,” the title track from the artist’s latest album to date. It may not be a masterpiece that music students will dissect in class, but it’s hard to find fault with it either. It’s just typical radio pop-rock with a strong beat and an upbeat arrangement. And the message is thoroughly optimistic: you have to believe that the best is yet to come, and under no circumstances should you give up. And the authenticity of the message is reinforced by the fact that Bonnie released this song at the age of 70. As if she wanted to remind herself and convey what is particularly important at this stage of life.

Photo: Radoslaw Zydowicz

 

A hoarse voice that moves crowds

After the youngest song on the entire setlist, hundreds of smartphones went up—as if on cue. But no one gave any orders at the Sport Arena; Bonnie simply… began singing one of those three songs her fans always look forward to the most. “It’s a Heartache” in Łódź—as almost everywhere—was performed together with the audience. It was clear that the singer was very pleased with the performance of this impromptu choir, and as if in gratitude, she tried to draw out each note as much as possible. As a result, just listening to that unique roughness in her voice gave one the impression that one’s own throat was about to start hurting… Loud and prolonged applause at the end was a given in this case!

The ballad “Notes From America” was also deeply moving, serving as a unique collection of snapshots from life in the United States in the late 1980s. And this is by no means about the famous “American Dream”… On the contrary, Bonnie, with her characteristic bluntness, sang about the numerous contrasts between the aforementioned “American dream” and reality. About monotony, exhaustion, a sense of being lost, loneliness, longing—all in less than five minutes. Well, the key is to have a talented lyricist by your side!

Total eclipse

Before the next song, the artist shared a few personal memories. She spoke about the large family she grew up in (among three sisters and two brothers), about the hardships of growing up in South Wales, about the difficult process of breaking into the music industry from the provinces to the big stage, and about the role destiny plays in our lives. All of this was just to deliver another vocal performance moments later and treat the audience to another dose of emotions that cut deep. “Straight From the Heart” is, of course, one of Bryan Adams’ biggest hits in its original version, but Bonnie Tyler’s version was released around the same time and is also over four decades old. It’s hard, then, to deny the authenticity of its sound and its naturalness…

Next, the seasoned rock veteran performed “Yes I Can,” giving us a chance to get to know her “brighter,” more cheerful side a little better. Following this early ’90s single, Bonnie moved on to the slightly more laid-back “Flat on the Floor.” And as always with her, it came across as elegant and classy. The next item on the program was the song that gave the entire current tour its name. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” has been viewed over 1.2 billion times on YouTube alone (which the artist did not fail to mention with pride), so it’s no wonder that the applause in the hall was even louder than it was for “It’s a Heartache.” But it’s one of those songs that sends a shiver down your spine every single time. After all, a “total eclipse of the heart” can’t go unnoticed, can it?

A hit stolen from the vampires

It’s worth noting here that there’s also a very interesting story behind the release of “Total Eclipse…” Because, according to the original concept of Jim Steinman, the song’s writer, it was originally titled “Vampires in Love”

It was supposed to be part of… a rock story about vampires. It wasn’t until Bonnie came along that this dramatic, gothic ballad about passion and immortal love took on the form in which we know and love the song today. Interestingly, a few years later, Steinman returned to the original concept and used the vampire theme in the musical Tanz der Vampire, where “Total Eclipse of the Heart” appears in a reworked form as “Totale Finsternis.”

Once we’d cooled off a bit after our journey into the realm of dark, brooding emotion, Bonnie treated us to another hit from the album *Faster Than the Speed of Night*—this time the title track, which is also one of the most frequently played songs at her concerts. Listening to those six minutes of mid-’80s rock energy was pure pleasure. In fact, that album is one big treasure trove of hits, since it also included the previously mentioned tracks like “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” and “Straight from the Heart.” With such a concentration of great tracks, it’s completely understandable that the album—Bonnie’s fifth—immediately became number one on the UK Album Chart upon its release in the spring of 1983.

A Tribute to Tina

The final song from the main part of the setlist in Łódź was “The Best.” The title sounds familiar, though we associate it entirely with someone else, don’t we? Associations with “Simply The Best” and Tina Turner are certainly appropriate here, though this time it wasn’t Bonnie who benefited from the American singer’s idea, but the other way around. A change in key and the addition of a few elements, including the so-called bridge, have made the Tennessee-born star’s version an anthem at many sporting events to this day. “She was an inspiration to a whole host of singers. She was getting on in years, but I was still devastated by the news of her passing. Now this song is for her; she simply was and is the best,” Tyler admitted on Sport Arena, dedicating her performance of the song to one of her idols.

During the first encore, the Welsh singer “took a bow” toward her next idol. The song “Turtle Blues” is a hidden gem in Bonnie’s catalog, as it breaks away from the pop-rock trend, serving instead as a wonderful example of raw blues. And in this canon, Janis Joplin remains the unrivaled standard. And it was she who, in the second half of the 1960s, enchanted the world with this composition (along with her band at the time, Big Brother & the Holding Company). Hearing this song at Atlas Arena was a brilliant experience, especially since, aside from Tyler’s rough vocals (which sounded, hm, even rougher here), we could also admire Matt Prior’s impressive solo, as he played the chords with extraordinary ease while holding his guitar… behind his head. This song also gave Bonnie the opportunity to introduce her entire band to the audience. For a moment, the star also invited her husband, Robert Sullivan, onto the stage from backstage. Looking at the realities of today’s show business, it’s hard to believe that this couple has been married for over half a century—a fact that Bonnie, of course, didn’t fail to boast about and emphasize.

Photo: Radoslaw Zydowicz

Hero needed immediately

And then, to top it all off, there was the inevitable finale. The epic “Holding Out for a Hero”—by the time it started, no one was sitting down anymore, and the crowd in front of the stage was going wild, as if the average age of the audience wasn’t 50, but 20 at most. What more can I say? It was the perfect finishing touch to the entire evening. As promised, we got a set where every song was a hit. And if I had to complain about anything, it would only be the absence of one more Bonnie song that I really like: “If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man).”

It wasn’t until I got back from Sport Arena that I played back some clips from the Warsaw concert 14 years ago. The difference in vocal power is clearly audible, but even so, many of her fellow singers would envy her distinctive rasp. She’s not as dynamic on stage as she used to be, mainly due to hip problems, but her rock passion is still palpable. In Łódź, she confirmed that despite the passing of the years, she remains an icon of the power ballad genre, combining dramatic vocals with epic instrumental arrangements and rock riffs. And that the tens of millions of albums sold worldwide and the dozens of musically fantastic collaborations didn’t come out of nowhere.

That's exactly what we needed

Finally, a few words about Sport Arena as a concert venue. Judging by this year’s events featuring Chris Norman and Bonnie Tyler, I fully agree with the view that the city has been lacking a venue of this size for entertainment events. Because while no one even assumed that these artists would fill the Atlas Arena, their hits still draw more people than even the largest music clubs in Łódź can accommodate. And when you add to that solid logistical infrastructure (spacious parking lots and convenient train, bus, and tram connections), as well as quite decent acoustics, it inevitably follows that such a venue on Łódź’s concert map definitely has a place. And I’ll admit that I’d gladly go there again as an audience member at the earliest opportunity.

To sum up: Sport Arena has proven that it can be the setting for incredible musical experiences, and Bonnie Tyler has shown that time may take away energy, but it can never take away charisma. Because a rock soul knows no age!