Anastacia – Live Review – The Piece Hall, Halifax
By Steve Crabtree, July 2025
When Anastacia was announced as a headliner in Halifax this summer, it took me back over 20 years, and I thought: What a brilliant announcement. Slightly out of left field, but a great name to come to our town.
It was a fairly big one for my wife. Anastacia had soundtracked some of Alex’s teenage years, blasting through bedroom speakers on repeat – and tonight, that same blast was coming at her live.
It was a Thursday night, a seated show, and the excitement was already lively when we got in the Piece Hall. We had standing tickets for the balcony, but by the time we got in, the good rail spots were all taken. Up there, if you’re not right at the front, you’re trying to look down between people’s heads. Fortunately though, there’s flexibility with these tickets, so we decided to head down into the courtyard’s limited standing area. That made all the difference. And we danced from the off.
“Pop powerhouse”
With the sun still clinging on, pre-show entry music of The Simpsons theme tune came over the speakers just as Anastacia was about to hit the stage. It made no sense! But when the the lady herself burst through a front door centre-stage, and the unmistakable ‘One Day in Your Life’ landed – that did. Everyone was up and moving straight away, setting the tone for the night.
Anastacia looked and sounded every bit the pop powerhouse she’s always been. Although we were stood 2/3 of the way back, she looked every bit familiar to the star we remember from all those years ago. Commanding, and a real star.
Newer tunes like ‘Now or Never’ were fantastic, and the definite attitude of ‘Paid My Dues’ thumped around The Piece Hall like jabs to a punchbag. ‘Staring at the Sun’ was an early crowd pleaser too, and Alex knew every word. I didn’t, but it didn’t stop me from giving it a go!
“Totally in charge”
Anastacia has always had an image that catches the eye, and not content with looking spectacular from the offset she gave us two costume changes through the show.
The crowd gave a huge cheer for her first one – to which she smirked, “What, this old thing?” And that summed her up – she was funny, playful, self-deprecating and totally in charge.
Talented too. Those famous huge vocals and a few sharp dance routines, mixed in nicely with well-timed chats with the fans about the venue and her journey. “The venue! Gobsmacked — I love it. I need to come back, like tomorrow!” she said, in keeping with the rest of the stars who’ve performed here for the first time.
“Nostalgia”
Despite being 56 now, a cancer survivor, and someone who lives with Crohn’s disease – her presence and energy are relentless. ‘Sick and Tired’ and ‘I Can Feel You’ were amazing, and my favourite tune of the night was beautiful. ‘Best Days’, a song she wrote in German for Die Toten Hosen translated nicely in to English, and came with a nice chilled flavour to add in to the eclectic.
The crowd was fully behind her – singing, dancing, grinning. It felt like nightclub nostalgia bottled up and released all at once.
She gave us a nice cover of ‘Sweet Child Of Mine’, and also gave us time to catch our breath with moments like ‘Heavy on My Heart’ and ‘You’ll Never Be Alone’. Slower numbers that gave the night shape and depth before things ramped up again.
“The place erupted”
It was another gig that went by in a flash, and towards the end of the night ‘Left Outside Alone’ proved to be a real hit. As was the famous ‘Not That Kind’ – the name of this tour, albeit shortened to the hashtag #nTk.
And then came the big one. The huge one. ‘I’m Outta Love’. The Piece Hall lit up.
People danced with strangers (well, strangers came up and danced with us anyway!). The place erupted at the chorus, and as the band left the stage, we got one final chuckle – ‘The A-Team’ theme tune blasting from the speakers as we filed out. Random, but perfect.
“What a gig”
The verdict on this one being a mainly seated show? Well, I think the fact the majority were on their feet from the off answers that one. Those of us who were dancing to Anastacia in nightclubs twenty years ago aren’t that old, and these songs were made for dancing and letting yourself go, not foot tapping.
The seats were largely ignored by those able to stand once the first beat kicked in and, although the venue usually gets it right as they did for Roger Daltrey the night before. But this time, I think they got the setup slightly wrong. I’m glad we got to stand.
But, what a gig – a reminder of just how brilliant Anastacia still is. And, a total flashback to tearing up The Coliseum dance floor on a night out in the early 2000s. The only thing missing was a post-night out visit to Meena’s curry house for a chicken bhuna, pilau rice and those chunky, crinkly chips (if you know, you know!) But for everything else, Anastacia had this night nailed.
Images: Cuffe & Taylor and The Piece Hall
Give Steve music, give him food, give him theatre, tech or travel… and he’s a happy man. He’s been writing professionally since 2003, turning to journalism in 2017 when it offered him the chance to enjoy a lot of his existing passions, and learn some new ones at the same time. Steve can be found spending many of his summer nights watching bands at The Piece Hall in his hometown of Halifax, or enjoying a bite to eat and a drink with his wife anywhere in Yorkshire at any time of year. Random fact: He does the best impression of Zippy and George from Rainbow that anyone has ever heard.
