Midge Ure Marks Five Decades of Hits in Leeds
How often do you get to experience a living legend reliving every chapter of his storied career? That’s what happened at Leeds Grand Theatre this December when Midge Ure, sharp and lively as ever at 71, took the stage looking like he had never missed a beat. With a half-century of music behind him, Ure’s journey is something many only dream of—fronting Ultravox, dabbling with Thin Lizzy, and weaving out a successful solo run. There’s a good reason fans still flock to see him: the music didn’t just form a backdrop to their lives, it was the main soundtrack.
The night opened with India Electric Co. handling the support slot, and it didn’t take long before you realized they’d be sticking around—jumping right into their roles as Ure’s touring band. Watching them in action, you could sense they knew their place in the giant puzzle of British synth-pop history. The band’s springy energy meshed perfectly with Ure’s commanding presence, setting the stage for a show that mixed big-hitter hits with deep cuts for the diehards.
Stage Design, Setlist Surprises, and Unmissable Energy
The stage setup was an eye-catcher in itself. Massive, angular pillars jutted upward, channeling the essence of Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway, but through a lens of retro-futurism. It was part nostalgia, part sci-fi, almost like a backdrop for a synthwave dream. And that’s exactly the vibe you got when ‘Vienna’ thundered across the theatre—the sort of moment that sends a jolt through the crowd and makes you forget you ever queued outside in the rain.
Midge didn’t dwell on every outfit he’d ever swaggered onstage in, skipping over the glam days with Silk, but he wasn’t shy about his Thin Lizzy adventure. He joked, he reminisced. The setlist was packed for maximum emotional punch: from crowd-pleasers like ‘Fade to Grey’—that icy synth intro was met with instant recognition—to ‘Love’s Great Adventure’ and an all-hands-on-deck singalong for ‘Hymn’. These hits didn’t just roll out for nostalgia’s sake; you could feel the electricity, as if each song mattered just as much now as when teenagers first played them on vinyl or cassette.
Outside, Storm Darragh was making life tricky as the city buzzed with wind and rain. Inside, though, fans barely noticed. Every time Midge hit those familiar notes, it was like everyone in the room shared the same memory. People stood, clapped, and sang from the heart, unified by the power of music to cut through the messy world outside.
If you ever wondered how an artist can keep an audience this hooked five decades on, just watch Midge Ure work a crowd. The mix of Midge Ure’s old-school charm, backed by a band that really gets it, underlines why this pop elder statesman isn’t ready to hand over the mic anytime soon.