Lee Mead first appeared on my TV set 18 years ago, although it feels like only yesterday, with him going onto win ‘Any Dream Will Do’ and appear as Joseph on the West End. Fast forward to today and Lee has become one of the West Ends leading men so when I saw that he was appearing in concert I jumped at the chance to go.

The first thing that is clear from Lee’s concert is that he is clearly thrilled to be there and grateful for his success. At one point he stops just to soak it all in and he repeatedly thanks the audience for coming which is incredibly endearing and makes for a really warm atmosphere in the theatre. It was clear that he doesn’t take himself too seriously, donning a Police Cap for ‘I Could Be That Guy’ from Sister Act and making jokes about asking his musical director to help him change into a leather jacket for his Grease numbers.

However as soon as Lee opened his mouth to sing it was clear that as much as he thanked the audience we were going to be eating out the palm of his hand. His voice remained easy to listen to, assured and an utter delight to hear sing his choice of songs. The song choice itself was varied but equally he knew what the audience would want to hear. There was a generous smattering of musical theatre, with Phantom of the Opera, 2 numbers from Grease, The Prayer (aka Bring Him Home) from Les Misérables, Chicago, The Greatest Showman, We Will Rock You and, of course, 2 numbers from Joseph. He also ventured into the pop/rock world with Back for Good by Take That, Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones, Walking in Memphis by Marc Cohn, Englishman In New York by Sting and more. The songs were a great balance of up beat numbers to slower, more emotional moments.

Lee Mead also had a surprise up his sleeve and his special guest for the night was Brenda Edwards who he starred alongside in We Will Rock You as well as Chicago until she had to pull out of the tour due to an injury. Together they performed Killer Queen from We Will Rock You and Brenda Edwards performed ‘Get Here (if You Can), both to rapturous applause.

The show itself was peppered with stories from his life, a brief explanation as to why he has chosen the song for his concert, stories about auditions and insights as to parts he would love to play. It really helped build a connection and gave us an interesting insight into the man behind the voice!

Lee Mead shared the stage with his band made up of Adam Dennis (MD and keys), Tim Rose (guitar), Dan Francis Owen (bass), George Millard (sax), Jonathan Atkinson (drums) and Simon Jayes (drum tech) and there was a lot of polish and musicianship displayed throughout the night.

Lee Mead’s concert is a wonderful night at the theatre, fans of Lee will love it but so will musical theatre fans generally. A great selection of songs performed by one of the West Ends most talented men…..what more could you want from a concert?

Lee Mead’s concert tour (as well as The Phantoms) continues this year at various locations. You can find out more and book on his website.

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