Given the fact that Geldof has achieved so much in his life, and is possibly better known to a large section of the population for his African endeavours than his music, it is sometimes easy to forget that first and foremost, he is a songwriter and a musician - and a very good one at that!
The set ranged from the early 'punk' (R&B) tunes such as 'Mary of the Fourth Form' through to tracks from the latest album, 'How to compose popular songs....' such as 'How I roll' which served to illustrate the extent of his musical development.
He displays an incredible amount of energy, passion and commitment which comes across in everything his does on stage. His artistry both as a musician and a performer was also clear to see as he worked the evening and the audience with a confident ease - choosing to ignore the early dancers in an all-seated venue but encouraging an audience only to ready to oblige to forsake their seats towards the end. After two encores, Geldof left the stage to loud applause with the audience baying for more.
Overall, a great evening in the presence of a real musician who doesn't get proper recognition for his considerable contribution to music over a long period of time. I can't think of many musicians from those heady 'punk' days who are still producing interesting music which people want to listen to.
As the man in front of me said on the way out 'tonight, we were in the presence of a genius'. I think the audience would agree - judging from his commentary over the evening, I know Geldof would!