Sending out a world-famous record producer with a huge cast of musicians and singers to perform a show not wholly based around his own work is a hard sell. The hall was - perhaps unsurprisingly - only two-thirds full for Trevor Horn, his band and the Sarm Orchestra.
But the concert itself, crammed with great songs and sparkling performances, was a real treat and a surprising amount of sheer fun.
Blasting onstage precisely at 7.30 with Two Tribes, the massive hit Horn produced for Frankie Goes To Hollywood (here performed by Ryan Molloy and supercharged by Horn's powerful bass playing), the ensemble was stacked with great players. Tirelessly tremendous drummer Steve Ferrone, formerly of Average White Band and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, has played with everyone from Eric Clapton and George Harrison to the B-52's, Duran Duran and Johnny Cash.
Lead guitarist Phil Palmer - nephew of Kinks legends Ray and Dave Davies - has played on over 500 albums and more than 5,000 recorded songs. Here in Nottingham, Horn needed an accordion player so ex-Simple Minds keyboard player Mick MacNeil nipped on to do it. It was that kind of show.
Even better for old trainspotters like me, Horn's main sideman was rarely seen pop genius and 10cc co-founder Lol Creme. Creme, who sang and played guitar, bass and keyboards, was hilariously good value, constantly taking the mick out of Horn and also providing major musical highlights. 10cc's haunting I'm Not In Love (one of Horn's favourite records and a major influence on his production style), performed here by Marillion singer Steve Hogarth, was great. We also got a splendid version of Godley and Creme's Cry by Boy George-esque Italian singer Roberto Angrisani and, even better, Creme himself delivering a fantastic Rubber Bullets that was worth the ticket price by itself.
I doubt Trevor Horn needs career advice from me but I reckon he should form a supergroup with his mate Lol Creme and call it CremeHorn. He can have that for ten percent.
Some aspects were puzzling. I'm Not In Love came out in 1975 and Rubber Bullets in 1972. We also got Joe Jackson's It's Different For Girls (1979), Buggles hit Video Killed The Radio Star (1979) and even Argent's God Gave Rock And Roll To You (1973). Wasn't this supposed to be Horn's Reimagining The Eighties tour? And large chunks of the set had nothing to do with Horn at all. Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms, Bruce Springsteen's Dancing In The Dark, New Order's Blue Monday and David Bowie's Ashes To Ashes were odd choices when nothing was played from ABC's The Lexicon Of Love (1982), or any of the great 80s Art Of Noise or Propaganda records he masterminded.
Still, after a second set which opened with an epic, string-driven rearrangement of Yes blockbuster Owner Of A Lonely Heart and included both a brilliant reconstruction of Duran Duran's Girls On Film and a beautiful version of Seal's Kiss From A Rose, performed by Hogarth, there could be few legitimate complaints.
Along the way we got funny anecdotes about Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Grace Jones and Foreigner, plus - a first for me - request for a round of applause for the monitor mixer.
It all ended with powerful versions of Relax and Money For Nothing with soaring vocals from Molloy, and Horn's pledge to "see you next year". Let's make sure he fills the hall next time. He deserves to.
