THEY were dancing, but not with tears in their eyes. Instead fans of Midge Ure cheered an enjoyable performance at The Grand on Friday night.

Not many could start a rock concert with an instrumental and get away with it . And Midge and his two support musicians turned in a varied set of hits and album tracks to delight fans old and new.

Dramatic lighting -- bright spotlights onto a dark stage -- boosted the traditional rock concert feel. And a short but sweet acoustic set helped to keep the evening balanced between intense pop rock and easy-listening.

Support act John Young also deserves a mention. Originally a session musician, talented keyboardist John now performs his own songs. Musically and lyrically there's more than a hint of Peter Gabriel and the songs were thought-provoking.

It's just a shame he ruined the mood at the end of every track by saying a breathless 'thank you' over the last note. It's nice to savour the end of an emotional song before being prompted to applaud.

Aside from that, Friday was a musical epiphany -- I never realised Midge Ure had written so many familiar tracks.

And although it was difficult to dance, being confined to theatre seats, I could quite happily have sat through it all again.