Max Factor

CHERYL COLE was waiting for me when I returned to my seat after the interval. Not in person, you understand, but on the big screens flanking the stage.

During a commercial break she sells shampoo, telling us to collect a free sample on our way out. Presumably, in the light of her recent marital woes, it’s the sort that washes that man right out of her hair.

Nothing had brought Cole to Newcastle, but she was much in our thoughts as The X Factor Live tour arrived in town. Not only is she a Geordie but she mentored the winning act – Joe McElderry, from South Shields.

A double whammy for the North- East which made Joe’s homecoming for his first concert since winning the ITV talent show in December all the sweeter.

No wonder the former student and singing waiter couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. Not until his final song The Climb – the one that made number one after a hiccup thanks to Rage Against The Machine – did he manage to conceal those pearly white teeth.

Who can blame him? Joe, to adopt X Factor parlance, is living the dream He’s one in 200,000 – that’s how many hopefuls, give or take a few thousand, applied for last year’s X Factor.

The big question is did he deserve to win. This tour is a big test, an opportunity to show he’s got what it takes to be a pop star and not just a famous-for-15-minutes boy wonder.

The answer is an emphatic yes. Joe displayed a new-found confidence and energy in contrast to the shocked, shy youngster crowned top of the Factory workers last year.

The crowd was kept waiting. The first half was almost Joe-free with just a brief appearance – atop the biggest raised platform, admittedly – in the opening number featuring all the finalists.

Then he disappeared until his set at the end. Before that we were subjected to a succession of over-loud, overamplified numbers from the others. Not so much singing as noise, with vocal w o b b l e s disguised on the TV show that were cruelly exposed by a sound system that literally rattled my seat.

Those who struggled to hit the right notes on TV – and you know who you are, Lloyd – could only hope that the staging disguised their shortcomings.

We expect John and Edward (that’s Jedward to you and me), to be surrounded by dancers and special effects to divert attention from their (attempts at) singing. That works just as well on stage, culminating in a spectacular presentation of Ghostbusters with the twins suspended from the roof and “flying” over the heads of the audience to the stage where a giant marshmallow man is running riot.

Whatever you think of their singing, they are strangely entertaining and clearly a hit with the audience.

The production surrounds all the singers with explosions, smoke, lasers, flashing lights, fireworks, gyrating dancers, an aerial acrobat (don’t ask why) and, in Jamie Archer’s case, jets of fire (I hope his massive Afro hairstyle is fire-proofed).

Some sound distinctly dodgy live.

Lucie Jones seems stronger than she was on TV, while Stacey Solomon doesn’t.

Danyl Johnson proved himself a strong singer in the series, seemingly undone thanks to a cocky attitude that alienated viewers. “We love you Danyl,” someone from the audience shouted. “Not half as much as he loves himself,” I felt like shouting back.

But he was good. Like Joe, he can belt out a number with emotion and energy. Unlike Joe, he doesn’t always recognise the line between showmanship and showing off.

X Factor runner-up and all-round cheeky geezer Olly Murs displays nifty dance moves and sharp suits, delivering crowd-pleasing numbers such as Twist And Shout.

The stage show features all the ingredients that led to twenty million people watching Geordie Joe win the final.

Host Jeff Brazier, though, is no Dermot O’Leary, with his urging of the audience to do a Mexican wave or organising an adults versus youngsters shouting competition. Please tell him the pantomime season is over. As for his verdict: “You really are the best crowd of the tour so far” – I bet he says that to all the girls.

But it was Joe’s night. Inevitably, on home ground, he received the biggest cheer. WE LOVE JOE read the banner waved by girls sitting in front of me, as his voice soared on that irritating ballad, The Climb.

“It’s so good to be back home,” he told the audience. And it was good to have him back.

■ The X Factor Live tour returns to the Arena on March 26 and 27.

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