"I've talked a lot about New York tonight" Alicia Keys stated to the packed out, high energy crowd at the AO Arena after singing New York City and Empire State of Mind. "Now I want to talk about Manchester." The opening bars of The Smiths ' This Charming Man' then rang out, and to my amazement Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr joined a resplendent Alicia on stage.
Being a self confessed indie fan myself, I am enough of a music lover to have a widely eclectic taste in music and to be able to appreciate the beauty of a singer like Alicia Key's powerful voice.
But never did I expect to see her singing The Smiths next to Marr. It really was quite a moment. READ MORE : Review and pics as The Killers perform epic Emirates Old Trafford gig Alicia herself is fresh from a magical performance at The Queen's Platinum Jubilee, where she sang a spellbinding set including Empire State of Mind and changed the lyrics from New York to 'London' midway to honour the city she was playing in.
Having Manc rock royalty alongside here for this gig felt like her way of honouring Manchester - which she professed to love throughout her set.
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