BEAR GRYLLS | LIVE REVIEW
Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Tue 25 Oct
The Endeavour experience has landed. Bear Grylls, the scout leader guru and modern day action man, has taken his survival skills to big arenas across the country. Apart from abseiling, possible goat-skinning and retelling of near-death-experience tales, what to expect…?
A massive steely-eyed image of Bear’s face glared down from the stage atop an impressive set of a climbing wall with various pulleys, hooks and sticky-out bits, in readiness for acrobatic stunts to come. A blaring earth-shattering noise and levels of dry ice not seen since the early 80s announced his arrival, perched on top of the climbing wall. A Planet Earth style intro, covering the five adventures – Antarctic, Amazon jungle, Everest, the ocean and outer space – kicked off the mayhem.
Snazzy graphics and zippy sound effects showed the unrelenting strength of the elements and man’s desire to overcome and conquer, and ultimately how we became the top of the food chain, as Bear got stuck in. He recounted the epic Antarctic challenge back in 1912 by Douglas Mawson and how, against the odds, he survived losing his partner, his sleigh dogs and finger tips, only to arrive back at base camp with scurvy, covered in sores and practically half dead… but he survived. It does beg the question: why bother? Which in essence is what endeavour is all about: the strength of the human spirit and what can be achieved given the right mindset, determination and courage.
The case of Juliane Koepcke, who survived a plane crash in the Amazon jungle, is an especially life affirming story. Alone with a fractured collarbone, half blind and covered in bites, she dragged herself for 10 days through the jungle and eventually to safety. Further stories and re-enactments included similarly death-defying stunts which, for us mere mortals, would have meant goodnight Vienna.
The technology used to show these stories was impressive: the adventures really came to life, with special effects to rival Avatar, actors and sound effects. The only slightly distracting element was the rather snug harness Bear was ensconced in for the entire show – it did touch where it fits, but that did not deter him from the acrobatics and nonsteop Cirque Du Soleil antics.
The highlight was the Apollo 13 mission where with a bit of tape, plastic and a cardboard tube the mission was saved. You need to see it to get the full experience. This part of the show did require a little helper, and thankfully Bear’s son Huckleberry was on hand to assist. He knows his audience and has clearly had the PR machine racking up the hours to produce a slick and well-rehearsed visual odyssey. I’m sure the next Land Rover on the market will be called Endeavour (if it’s not already) but hey ho, we live in a commercial world.
Bear does, however, deliver a genuine and heartfelt message that with courage, determination and endurance we can accomplish great things. If he can inspire kids and the next generation to get off their backsides and smartphones and take collective responsibility for the world we live in, it can only be a good and positive message.
If the success of this tour is anything to go by, I’m sure there will be an Endeavour 2 at some point in the future. Equally, for those who missed this evening, the DVD will be out probably in time for Christmas.
words ANTONIA LEVAY