“Tommy Emmanuel Breaks the Laws of Physics (Again)”
If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when one man tries to play bass, rhythm, lead, percussion, and possibly the kitchen sink all at once, Tommy Emmanuel’s Gateshead show had the answer: absolute wizardry.
He strolled onstage with the casual confidence of someone who knows he’s about to melt 1,600 faces using nothing but a wooden box with strings. Within seconds, the audience was doing that thing where everyone looks at each other like, “Is this legal?”
Emmanuel’s fingers moved so fast they should’ve triggered a speed camera. At one point, he hit a harmonic so clean that several people visibly questioned their life choices. Then he switched gears and played a tender ballad that made the entire hall goes quiet enough to hear someone unwrap a mint three rows back.
Between songs, he told stories with the charm of a man who could probably make reading a bus timetable sound profound. The crowd laughed, sighed, and occasionally forgot to blink.
By the end, the standing ovation wasn’t optional — it was a reflex. Tommy Emmanuel didn’t just play a concert. He performed a one‑man musical heist, stealing the show, the night, and possibly the laws of acoustics.
The setlist included:
Angelina
Beatles Medley included (Day Tripper, While my Guitar Gently Weeps and Lady Madonna)
Smokey Mountain Lullaby (co-written with Chet Atkins)
Lewis & Clark
Mombasa
The Duke
Song for a Rainy Morning
Black and White to Colour
Guitar Boogie (Arthur Smith cover) . . . and others!
Words & images: Bernie Penman
