So after five moderately successful years, the BBC has decided to end the series of concerts dubbed the Electric Proms. These were usually an eclectic mixture of old and new artists, with the majority of the performances taking place at the magnificent Roundhouse in London.
One could possibly have seen the signs that things were looking bad for the Electric Proms last year; only three artists took part - Elton John, Robert Plant and Neil Diamond - all with new albums to plug. Gone were the glory days of The Who, Shirley Bassey or even (god help us) Oasis. It didn't matter who it was; their performances on this stage were always electrifying. No pun intended.
These concerts also gave the artists the opportunity to work with groups they wouldn't normally have done so in your average, run-of-the-mill concert, working with orchestras or choirs, or sometimes both (steady now). Sadly, even these twists were lacking last time around.
The head of Radio 2, who championed the concerts, said that there was a better, more cost efficient way of staging these shows. Sadly, it has all come down to money once again. The Electric Proms haven't been with us long enough to invoke an uproar of anguish from the public over their cancellation, something that would no doubt happen if the Proms were given the same fate. It is merely sad, and hopefully something can be created out of their ashes.
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