Susan Boyle

by John McShane

  The Daily Express announced:

  ‘Susan Boyle made a sensational return to the stage last night – winning a standing ovation from thousands of fans. She looked relaxed and happy on the opening night of the Britain’s Got Talent tour in Birmingham. Wearing the same silver gown she wore in the controversial final, she sang a stunning rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream”.

  ‘Her assured performance and good spirits allayed fears about her just a week after she checked out of a London clinic… Last night, as the 5,000-strong crowd called out for more, she blew them a kiss.

  ‘Host Stephen Mulhern joked that her cat Pebbles – nearly as famous as the Scottish spinster herself – couldn’t make the show because he was in Las Vegas.’

  The Times reported:

  ‘Susan Boyle returned to the stage last night after keeping her fans waiting over whether she would perform on the opening night of the Britain’s Got Talent live tour. The Scottish singer performed at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham less than two weeks after she was admitted to the Priory clinic. She had lost to the dance group Diversity in the final of the ITV show.

  ‘Tour organisers are determined not to put any pressure on Boyle to perform in case she suffers a repeat of the emotional breakdown that led to her admission to the north London hospital. As the singer arrived in Birmingham she told well-wishers: “I’m feeling much better now, thank you, and I’m really looking forward to performing.” But organisers said that she was leaving the decision until the last minute.

  ‘In the event, she took to the stage, belting out the hits “I Dreamed A Dream” and “Memory” from the musicals Les Misérables and Cats. During the performance she blew a kiss to her fans as they screamed and whistled.

  ‘The fans who queued outside the 13,000-capacity venue had been left with no information as to whether the woman most of them had come to see would take the stage.’

  Critic Kevin O’Sullivan of the Sunday Mirror wrote: ‘No word of a lie… the first night of the Britain’s Got Talent live tour was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. Amazing!

  ‘Whisper it quietly – but it was even more fun than the sensational TV show. No boring judges to listen to. The winners Diversity were astonishing. These guys can dance like nobody else.

  ‘But let’s cut to the chase. The 5,000 ecstatic fans who turned Birmingham’s NIA stadium into a seething cauldron of excitement couldn’t wait for a certain Susan Boyle. And, after a week of “Would she or wouldn’t she turn up”, she did. Better still, she didn’t disappoint. It’s ridiculous pretending that the spinster from Blackburn, West Lothian is the greatest singer in the world. But, now that she’s the most hit-upon YouTube phenomenon of all time, she has an aura about her.

  ‘SuBo’s got charisma. And she knows how to use it. Did she nail all the notes? No. Did she know how to bring the house down? Oh yes!

  ‘She didn’t get a standing ovation … she got a jump up and down, hold your hands in the air, raise the roof roar of approval.’

  The BGT tour host, Stephen Mulhern, had to admit, ‘She did great – an amazing comeback and the audience loved it. But I honestly didn’t know if she was going to go on stage, right until the last minute. I was worried I would say her name, turn around and not see her there. I had some ad-libs ready.

  ‘I was told 20 minutes before she performed that she was coming on. But when I went on stage to introduce her I was still unsure. I was worried I might say her name and she wouldn’t be there. I think that’s the way it’s going to be for the rest of the tour.’ Stephen said he had ‘absolutely no idea’ whether she would be able to complete the tour or keep up her dazzling performances.

  ‘Susan was scared backstage,’ he said. ‘She was nervous. But when she did get on to stage she did brilliantly.’

  So the ‘comeback’ had been a triumph. There were reviews so filled with superlatives that many artists would spend a lifetime performing and never come near such praise.

  Yet, as with so many aspects of Susan’s life, there were many more twists to come.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ON THE ROAD

  Birmingham had been a triumph but the second date of the tour, at Sheffield, never quite reached the same level of excellence or praise.

  True, Susan received a standing ovation, but she also appeared to stumble over the words of, of all songs, ‘Memory’.

  Susan, who had taken to wearing her late mother Bridget’s wedding ring around her neck as a memento to give her strength, seemed to lose her way briefly as she sang the Cats showstopper but was cheered on by the crowd at the Sheffield Arena. Earlier in the show, however, she received a mixed reaction from the audience, with several people booing when her name was announced.

  Wearing a long sequined silver dress, she appeared in the second half of the show and began her performance with ‘Memory’, before launching into ‘I Dreamed A Dream’. She thanked the audience as they stood and cheered in support as she stumbled over the words to ‘Memory’; both songs received a standing ovation and she blew a kiss and waved at her fans.

  The third city on the tour was Manchester and Susan pulled out of her two scheduled performances. A tour insider said, ‘There is nothing sinister going on. It’s been very much one step at a time.’ And a spokesman said, ‘She sends her sincere apologies to her fans for not appearing.’

  That left a big question mark over whether or not she would make it for the next scheduled stop on the tour. And that, of all places, happened to be Glasgow. Such was the world’s interest in Susan that her appearances or non-appearances were big news all around the world. From Australia to America, the Far East to the Frozen North, the public were being informed of which shows she made, and what the performance was like, and which ones she didn’t, and why.

  Piers Morgan explained, ‘Susan is fine – she just did three shows then felt too tired. She has doctors with her all the time. I know she really wants to sing in Scotland. I think that’s one of the reasons she took a rest, but they will take a decision each day about whether she will perform. As far as I’m aware she is absolutely fine, just a bit tired.’

  Perhaps it’s worth noting the brief list of ‘current people news briefs’ that Reuters News Agency circulated on 16 June. There was a story about vegetarian Paul McCartney launching a ‘meat free Monday’, American talk-show host David Letterman apologising for a sexually charged joke he had made about a woman politician, a member of Aerosmith rejoining the band after injuring his head climbing out of his Ferrari, and the latest in the row over Madonna’s adoption of an African child.

  Four big names: an ex-Beatle, a gigantic rock band, the most famous chat show host in the States and the most commercially successful woman singer of all time. All of them were mentioned in the stories that circulated around the globe. But the lead story? Yes, it was Susan.

  Back where it all began, Glasgow’s SECC, she entered to thunderous cheers and chants of ‘Susan! Susan!’ Her hair, now darker than it had originally been, was immaculate and she wore a shimmering grey dress.

  Stephen Mulhern introduced her by saying, ‘Now it’s time to welcome the most Googled lady on earth. The world’s talking about one lady. This lady.’

  The 9000-strong crowd at the SECC were on their feet as Susan walked on stage.

  Although her semi-final performance of ‘Memory’ and her rendition of the same song at Sheffield both had their faults, this time she was perfect. As she finished there was a roar from the crowd, which continued as she moved into ‘I Dreamed A Dream’, and with another ovation her confidence showed and she waved to the crowd.

  Mulhern said, ‘You are definitely the best audience we’ve had.’

  One report of the show said: ‘Show-stopper Susan Boyle was met with rapturous applause as she took to the stage in front of a home crowd.

  ‘There had been doubts as to whether the now world-famous singer from West Lothian would perform in the Britain’s Got Talent live show in Glasgow last night afte
r pulling out of the event in Manchester. But the plucky church worker wowed the crowds as she belted out “I Dreamed a Dream”, the song which made her a global superstar.

  ‘Scots’ fans will be hoping Boyle can repeat her dazzling performance when the show reaches the Edinburgh Playhouse tonight.

  ‘Not only did she receive a standing ovation at the end of the Glasgow gig, the packed hall took to their feet as she walked on to the stage in a floor-length sparkling dress and twice during her performance.

  ‘Many fans were waving homemade banners; some said, “We love you Susan” and “Susan is the best”.

  ‘One fan, Bryan Felvus, 23, from Motherwell in Lanarkshire, said, “She was brilliant. She had to be here tonight. She was great and deserved every bit of support she got and she got the loudest cheer of the evening.”

  ‘Another, Audrey Hinde, 39, from Ayrshire said, “I thought she was fantastic. She brought tears to my eyes. She didn’t seem under pressure at all.” Last night Boyle, from the village of Blackburn, rose to the occasion and once again wowed the crowds.’

  But the controversy over whether Susan should be experiencing this strain, whether she should have been put through the ordeal of competing in the final in the first place, would not go away. It was a source of fierce debate, so much so that Simon Cowell felt he had to explain the background to it.

  ‘I sat down with her and said, “Look, if this is getting too much for you, you don’t have to go into the final, no one’s going to force you.”

  ‘I told her family, “I’ll rip the contract up, you can have it back. I’ll do whatever Susan wants.” She looked me in the eye and said, “No, I want to win this competition. I want to give it a go.” It was only at the moment she lost when it hits you and you go, “How are you going to cope with this?” She found it very, very difficult.

  ‘No one put a gun to her head and said you’ve got to enter this show. She got in a fragile state because she couldn’t cope with all the attention. That’s what you can’t predict.

  ‘But for me to have said on that first day, “Susan, I’m going to make a decision about you and say you can’t cope with this, so you can’t live your dream” – I’ve got no right to say that.’

  Next stop was Edinburgh and brother Gerry said, ‘She has been ringing around family members to ensure they are in the audience tonight. She sounds fine and happy. She’s like a kid in a sweetie shop. She’s really looking forward to singing in her home territory. She was very keen to get back to performing. It’s just about pacing it and giving her a rest when she needs it.

  ‘This is what she always wanted to do. She loves entertaining the public. She is very keen to get on with her recording career afterwards. She’ll be ringing round the family, seeing who can make it tonight. I’m sure there’ll be quite a few there.’

  The show at the Edinburgh Playhouse was sold out and many of Susan’s friends and neighbours in Blackburn missed out on tickets.

  Jackie Russell, from Happy Valley Hotel in Blackburn, said, ‘I think a lot of people were disappointed. Everybody wanted to go and see her, but I think it’s fully booked now. It was very hard to get tickets.

  ‘I’m worried it’s all getting a little too much for Susan. People don’t realise she’s just a local girl from an exmining village, who’s been thrust into the limelight. I’m not surprised she’s exhausted – it’s been exhausting for us with all the attention we’ve had.

  ‘I’m sure Susan will be back in to sing here, but it could be a long time. I’ve got about 500 cards and letters to give her – everyone has been giving them to me.’

  The Boyles and their friends weren’t the only ones eager to see Susan. Lisa Carpinello, 49, and her daughter Courtney, 12, travelled from Philadelphia, America, to see Susan in action. ‘My husband has had to listen to “I Dreamed a Dream” for a month solid and he insisted I come over,’ Lisa said. ‘We stayed in Blackburn so we could go to the Happy Valley bar where she used to sing.’

  Susan’s appearance in Edinburgh, too, was a triumph. One review said:

  ‘Sparkling in the simple silver dress that took her to second place in the Britain’s Got Talent final just three weeks ago, Susan Boyle clocked up three standing ovations for a rapturous nine-minute homecoming performance at the Edinburgh Playhouse last night.

  ‘In her first local appearance since leaving West Lothian for stardom in London, the 48-year-old singer perfectly performed two of the stage tunes that helped to make her the biggest internet phenomenon on the planet.

  ‘While she was on stage only long enough to perform her songs and take a bow, her stunning vocal talent more than made up for her low-key appearance.’

  Afterwards, her spokeswoman declared the performance had been a resounding return to form, but warned Boyle’s fans that she would need rest days in order to cope with the demands of touring. ‘We’ve not toured with her before so don’t know how many performances she can cope with. We are waiting for her to tell us when she needs a rest.’

  A report also said: ‘Boyle was last night at number three on the Playhouse’s post-interval bill, just after a performance by last year’s winner George Sampson, and her arrival on stage took the excited audience by surprise.

  ‘Surrounded on all sides by the deafening roar of screams and applause from the crowd, an apprehensive Boyle walked out to meet the microphone in the centre of the stage as the giant screen behind her projected highlights of her time on the ITV show that made her a household name.’

  Singing with warmth and clarity, any doubts about Boyle’s health and ability to perform after her recent spell in the Priory were quickly overcome as she easily drowned out the calls of the enthusiastic crowd with pitch perfect high notes in an almost flawless vocal performance. Offering the audience a hint of the cheeky smile that had captured the world she began to visibly relax on stage. Stepping back to the microphone she then delivered her most confident performance of the night.

  Singing the Les Misérables hit, ‘I Dreamed A Dream’, made famous on You Tube after her first audition in Glasgow, Boyle gave a rendition so moving it that some said it ‘would put idol Elaine Paige to shame.’

  But if Edinburgh was a triumph, the show at Liverpool on 18 June wasn’t. Susan didn’t make the show after reportedly being found clinging to a hotel balcony screaming, ‘Where’s my cat?’

  She was spotted in a distressed state on the interior balcony outside her room in Liverpool’s four-star Radisson Blu Hotel, shouting down at the reception area, looking for her beloved cat Pebbles.

  An eyewitness said, ‘She was not in a good shape. All she kept shouting was, “I want my cat… I NEED my cat!” It was very surreal. I think people just felt sorry for her because she was clearly unhappy.’

  About half an hour later, minders ushered her down the hotel’s fire escape to a loading area at the back to avoid waiting press and fans. Shortly after she was driven away, organisers announced she would yet again miss one of the BGT tour shows.

  She should have been one of the stars at Liverpool’s 11,000-seater Echo Arena but many thought she had not looked well when she arrived in the city around 2pm.

  An onlooker said, ‘She just did not look right. She arrived in a Mercedes but as soon as she got out she ran away from the fans and the photographers. She just seemed to bolt but then she got stuck in the hotel’s revolving doors which looked ridiculous. She was acting really weird. When she was at reception waiting to be booked in, she just stood there scratching her belly with her top pulled up. She was out of it.’

  A spokeswoman for Susan said that she was unaware of the incident on the balcony but said there were no plans for a return to the Priory. ‘Susan is not ill and I am not aware of any problems. She is just tired at the moment. She is going back down to London to have a sleep and a bit of a rest,’ she added.

  Susan pulled out of the next concert at the Cardiff Arena and a spokesman passed on a message – ‘Sorry, to all her fans’, adding, ‘She would love to be ab
le to perform every single evening but she is aware of what she can and can’t do. I feel sorry for her because she doesn’t want to let people down but also she needs to have a rest.’

  Susan then missed two performances in Nottingham before returning to the stage for two dates at London’s Wembley Arena, where she sang her customary two songs and received a standing ovation. She pledged not to miss the next gig, in Aberdeen, and flew up to wow the crowd.

  Given her ‘no-shows’ so far on the tour, it was no surprise that there were doubts within the local community as to whether she would appear. But appear she did, arriving in a silver Mercedes at 6pm.

  A review of her performance noted: ‘In a glittering grey dress, perfectly made-up face and sleek hairstyle, the woman who might be on the brink of making a fortune looked a million dollars.

  ‘Screaming fans jumped to their feet in a standing ovation as she belted out the song that first rocketed her into the headlines – “I Dreamed a Dream” and then the haunting “Memory”.

  ‘In spite of reports she was still behaving erratically, she looked calm and seemed to enjoy every second of her performance.’

  The roadshow eventually hit Dublin and then Belfast. Susan dedicated her performance at Dublin’s O2 Arena to her mother Bridget, both her parents having come from Keadue in Co. Donegal. No doubt it was an emotional return to Ireland for Susan, who had often travelled to Knock, where she first performed on Irish soil as part of a parish pilgrimage to a shrine to the Virgin Mary. ‘I knew it was something I had to do. I had to get on with it. That’s where the courage came from, my mother,’ she said.

  There were 20 dates on the tour, several of which had matinee performances too, and it took the BGT cast the length and breadth of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Despite what people were hearing, the surprising aspect was that, in spite of the tentative start, Susan managed to make an appearance – normally to a tumultuous reception – on most of those dates, a remarkable achievement given her fragile state of mind just days prior to the tour beginning. It was an achievement in itself.