Legendary Welsh entertainer Max Boyce will perform a one-of-a-kind 50th anniversary concert at Swansea Arena next March, it's been confirmed. Over the course of the special evening, the Glynneath-born comedian and singer, 78, will perform a musical version of his hit lockdown poem, When Just the Tide Went Out', for the first time, as well as lots of his other well-known tracks.
The announcement comes after the success of his sell-out short tour around the UK this year. In March, Max performed to packed crowds in Neath and Porthcawl and in May he took to the stage in Hereford. His tour also took him to Llandudno, Carmarthen, Llanelli and Brecon earlier this year - but the upcoming performance at Swansea Arena is set to be bigger and better. You can get the biggest Swansea news stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
Max's "one night only" 50th anniversary concert will take place on Saturday, March 4, 2023 and will feature surprise special guests, he says. Tickets went on sale on August 15 and can be purchased on the Swansea Arena website. For more stories about concerts, events and activities in Wales, go here.
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Confirming the concert, a spokesperson for Swansea Arena said: "We are extremely excited to announce that following a sell-out tour in 2022, legendary Welsh entertainer Max Boyce will play a special 50th anniversary concert in the magnificent Swansea Arena.
"For the first time, he will be performing a musical version of his lockdown poem When Just the Tide Went Out. Since its release in 2020 it has been something of an internet sensation and been viewed nearly eight million times. It was titled ‘Pick of the Week’ on Radio 4 and features in his number one best-selling book, Hymns and Arias.
"Max will also be performing some of his other famous songs which have endeared him to both young and old alike. Don’t miss the chance to see this inspired, and inspiring entertainer, whose songs and stories have become part of Welsh Legend. You'll be able to say: 'I was there!'"
Max Boyce: Half a century entertaining Wales
Max Boyce's concert celebrates the star's 50 years in showbiz - so we thought we'd take a look at his growth from "virtually unknown" singer from Glynneath to one of Wales' most-loved performers.
Max's website gives an insight into his rise to fame. On one November afternoon in 1973, Max crossed the Rhigos Mountains from his home in Glynneath to record an album, 'Live at Treorchy Rugby Club'. Whilst he'd previously recorded some of his songs at Pontardawe's Valley Folk Club, guided by Cambrian Record company, and had also recorded a series of Welsh folk songs, it was his visit to Treorchy that really put him on the map.
Record producers from EMI had heard songs he'd recorded at Valley Folk Club (for an album entitled 'Max Boyce in Session') and came to see him in concert - and immediately asked him to sign to their label and record two live albums of songs and stories.
Max's official biography on his website explains: "Following the success of the first album EMI were naturally eager to record a follow-up. However, not even they were prepared for the fact that the album, 'We all had Doctors’ Papers', would reach No.1 in the album charts. It was a feat that earned Max a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the only comedy album to achieve that coveted position.
"It was about this time that the BBC offered Max his first TV series. This stayed with the trusted formula of live performance filming him at theatres all over Great Britain, which further enhanced his popularity and brought his talents to a much wider audience. The success of these programmes was reflected in the ‘JICTAR’ TV ratings. Filling the No.1 spot, it became the most watched programme in the country, returning astonishing viewing figures.
"In 1973 Max received his first Gold Disc for ‘Live at Treorchy’, which went on to sell well over half a million copies worldwide. His subsequent albums ‘We All Had Doctors’ Papers’, ‘The Incredible Plan’, and ‘I Was There’ also achieved Gold Disc status. In 1978 Max appeared on ‘This is Your Life’ on Thames Television.
"Max also filmed three adventure specials. His first was ‘Max Boyce Meets The Dallas Cowboys’ – when he played quarter back for the famous American gridiron team.
"It was with the same total commitment he hurled himself into the world of the ‘Rodeo Cowboy’ – where he again won real, genuine admiration. In making these films, he has never been short of nerve. He undertook some hair-raising stunts and tested himself to the limit with painful, and often hilarious, results. Some of his rodeo experiences he captured in songs that accompanied the film ‘Max Boyce Goes West’."
Since then, Max has played to packed out audiences across Britain and beyond - including a stint in South Africa performing to audiences at the World Cup in 1995 - and has performed in pantomimes and stage shows. He's filled The Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall and The London Palladium - and next March he'll be back in the closest city to where it all began, Swansea.
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