He kicked off the first of three concerts at the NEC Arena - and for 11,000 fans in the audience last night it was a pleasure to see him.

"Let's forget about the turmoil caused by the people who rule our lives and have a little fun,'' he said as the show got under way.

The middle-of-the-road singer took the stage in front of a set that was quite bizarre and far beyond my comprehension.

Behind him stood four huge bronze-coloured squiggly things. Above him were seven hexagons that moved up and down in a rather odd fashion. Whatever the purpose or significance of the shapes, it was lost on me.

De Burgh's music was predictably well-rehearsed and tight while the sound was clear and the mix spot on.

But the precision was too much to bear at times and his clinical music showed a total lack of spontaneity, innovation and variety.

Between songs de Burgh pleased the partisan crowd by telling them strange stories of his travels and experiences.