Review: What’s Love Got to Do With It at The Bridgewater Hall*

What a night it was! A sensational evening celebrating the Queen of Rock n Roll and her incredible hits spanning decades and we were there to witness it at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.  Performed by the amazing and talented Elesha Paul Moses who was supported by a full live band and backing vocals, What’s Love Got to Do With It – A Tribute to Tina Turner featured an electrifying and engaging 2-hour non-stop performance.   From coordinated choreography, stunning costumes, huge backdrop banners to special effect backdrops lights that created the mood for each of the song it was go from the moment the lights dimmed down and the show opened up to Steamy Windows.  Every song after that in the first half had the audience singing, swaying and dancing to.  The second half of the show only saw the crowd going wild with many from the stalls (on the ground floor) to the upper floor deciding to stand and dance the night away.

Tina Turner can be a hard act to follow, but Elesha did her justice.  You might recognise Elesha from The Voice and X-Factor as she appeared on The X Factor in 2010 and also reached the battle rounds in The Voice twice. She was supported by a talented 6 piece band consisting of Mike Pagett – Drummer & Musical Director, Derek Baxter – Bass Guitar/Vocals. Jim Hannah – Piano/Keys/Vocals, Kt Mlynar – Saxophone/Vocals, Paul Sandercock – Guitar and Rob Ferguson – Guitar.   The three backing vocals who supported Elesha were equally fantastic performers and dancers – Amarra Smith (Understudy/Backing Vocals), Claire Newman (Backing Vocals) and Simone Robinson.   Amarra took to the stage and even performed a few solo numbers on her own while Elesha got changed…there were 5 costume changes in total and each one iconic.

I personally am a huge Tina Turner fan as I grew up listening to her songs such as What’s Love Got to Do With It, Private Dancer, What’s Love Got To Do With It, Simply The Best and River Deep, Mountain High but never had the chance to watch her perform live as she retired nearly 10 years ago. I can clearly say that this is simply the best Tina Turner celebration you are likely to see as Elesha not only has a similar voice to Tina but she mimics her style, dance moves and persona on stage and that made the show amazing and believable!

Did I like it? Well…I loved every minute of it and so did the audience as they were standing and dancing to almost every song without a care in the world. If you are asking…What’s Love Got To Do With It? Everything I say. It was wonderful to see audiences (both men and woman) enjoying themselves, couples hand in hand dancing and mothers who came with their older children.  It was a night celebrating all things Tina from her music to her life and what a privilege it was to be there!

When is the next show and how can I purchase tickets?

The tour will continue until April 2020 all over the UK stopping over 60 towns and cities including Warrington, Birmingham, Derby, Bath and London. Tickets are now on sale and available from Cuffe and Taylor or from here.

How much do the tickets cost?

Tickets are priced from £28 to £30.50 depending on the venue.

Where is Bridgewater Hall?

Things to note:

• Parking – Do allow plenty of time for your journey. For satellite navigation, the Hall’s postcode is M2 3WS. The nearest car parks are Q-Park, NCP Manchester Central, NCP Great Northern or NCP Oxford Street. Remember you can book Q-Park parking when you buy your concert tickets. We parked at NCP Manchester Central (Lower Mosley St, Manchester M2 3GX – It costs us £7.50 flat rate from 6pm until 11.59pm) as it was just 5 min walk away.
• For all performances, under 14s must be accompanied by an adult (18+). Where an event has a specific age restriction (eg over 18s only) then this regulation takes precedence.
• These items are prohibited from the venue: Backpacks, holdalls, luggage or other large bags, laptop computers, iPads and other tablet computers, video cameras including Go Pros and professional cameras, Cushions, Food, alcoholic beverages, other drinks or liquids in any container, flammable liquids in any container, aerosol cans (hairspray, mace pepper spray etc), Illegal drugs or substances, knives or weapons of any kind, signs, banners, flags on poles, staffs or selfie sticks, fireworks, confetti or glitter bombs or sprays, air horns, whistles or other noise-making distractions, projectiles (including frisbees, beach balls, footballs etc), balloons, wheeled footwear, skateboards or scooters, masks and helmets (cycle & motorcycle helmets permitted but these have to be  stored in our cloakroom), large studs and chains, animals (except service animals to aid disabled people), laser pens/pointers, large/golf umbrellas (these are permitted but have to be stored in our cloakroom), anything else which we deem to impact on the enjoyment or viewing experience of others
• Guide dogs are welcome throughout the building and auditorium. Dog mats are available on request and the Box Office can advise on the most suitable seating.
• There are 16 wheelchair spaces located in various level access areas in the auditorium, with spaces on each level.
• The toilets on the ground floor tend to get busier so why not head upstairs
• All auditorium levels have a Sennheiser infra-red hearing system. Any of these aids may be borrowed from the cloakroom on the ground floor foyer. Please call Bridgewater Hall and ask if you need further information about the system or its accessibility.

About Bridgewater Hall

The Bridgewater Hall is Manchester’s international concert venue, built to give the best possible space for music. The Hall hosts over 250 performances a year including classical music, rock, pop, jazz, world music and much more. The Hall is home to three resident orchestras: the Hallé, the BBC Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata. The Hall also programmes its own classical music season, the International Concert Series. The Hall works with a range of promoters and charity hirers on other programming. The construction of The Bridgewater Hall was funded in partnership by Manchester City Council and the Central Manchester Development Corporation with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund. The ongoing operation of the Hall is now the responsibility of an independent charitable trust, Manchester Concert Hall Limited. The Bridgewater Hall is managed by SMG Europe Holdings Limited. SMG is one of the world’s largest international venue operators. The Bridgewater Hall is part of SMG’s expanding UK theatres division, which also includes York Barbican, Whitley Bay Playhouse and Scunthorpe’s Plowright Theatre and Baths Hall

About Cuffe & Taylor

What’s Love Got To Do With It? is brought to you by Cuffe & Taylor in association with Paul Roberts Productions.  Cuffe & Taylor is officially one of the UK’s top 10 live music and event promoters with offices in London and the North West. Established for 10 years and now part of the Live Nation family, they present breath-taking tours, festivals and theatre shows across the UK. Cuffe & Taylor work with artists including Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Sheridan Smith, Britney Spears, Bryan Adams, Noel Gallagher, Kylie Minogue, Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, Stereophonics and Lewis Capaldi. They continue to take shows to the fans, specialising in presenting concerts in unique locations.

About Paul Roberts Productions

Paul Roberts Productions has been presenting stage shows across the UK for more than 30 years. Working with a range of individual and highly talented entertainers, PRP presents a wide choice of spectacular tribute shows, party bands, cabaret show bands, duos and vocalists. These range from shows featuring the classic chart and dance hits from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s through to the present day.

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* We were provided with free entry passes to watch the show in return for a review. All opinions are our own.