
Follow @GArtertonOnline
Kate Bush’s comeback concert on Tuesday night in London attracted such celebrities as Bjork, Lily Allen, actress Gemma Arterton (Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, Quantum of Solace) and Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, who spotted her talent as a teenager, and rave reviews in the British press.
Bush was kicking off her Before The Dawn “tour” – 22 shows at the Hammersmith Apollo in west London, the venue where she effectively retired from live performances after six weeks on the road in 1979.
More than 80,000 tickets for her comeback gigs sold out in less than 15 minutes after they were announced in March, with some advertised for up to £1,000.
Bush had asked fans not to take photos or film during the shows, telling them she wanted to “have contact with you as an audience, not with iPhones, iPads or cameras”.
Unusually, for a modern concert, they respected her wishes.
Bush, a doctor’s daughter from Kent, was just 20 when she completed The Tour Of Life with three dates at what was then called the Hammersmith Odeon.
She had topped the charts with Wuthering Heights the previous year, becoming the first woman to go to number one singing one of her own songs.
It has been revealed that her records are again climbing the charts.
Sales figures from the Official Charts Company showed that all nine studio albums and two compilations have been given a sales boost by the gigs.