Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Thursday November 14th, 2013 :
To be honest, I did not know what to think or expect before seeing this concert. I, like many Australian’s had seen Jessica Mauboy be introduced to the country via the Australian Idol stage. Following this exposure, some go on to shine whilst some are never heard off again. The stage was big and the average age of the audience would have been mid-teens.
Support act, Nathaniel, warmed up a screaming audience with some originals and catchy covers. But Mauboy was who the people paid to see. Entering the stage in running shorts and top, Jess Mauboy portrays an image on stage that is sexy but far from smutty. Mauboy has an amazing voice cutting through her collection of catchy singles and well known songs. There is unbelievable talent. This was a stage show with brilliant lighting, dancers with little choreography and multiple costume changes – in fact five in total. The show itself is well packaged with very few awkward silences during changes.
To me (and I am showing my age here) the highlight of the show is when Mauboy stripped the music right back to highlight her incredible voice. Facing the stage backed by only an acoustic guitar she performed the classics ‘I Have Nothing’ made famous by the late Whitney Houston, and Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time’ which she so comfortably made her own. In appreciation, the teenage crowd stopped and admired the true talent of this young artist.
Well into the 90 minute set saw Mauboy return covering numbers from the movie The Sapphires, bringing the young and older members of the audience to their feet. I must admit throughout this show, Mauboy did only one song from her new album Beautiful, which gave the audience barely a sample of her new album. A few new songs mixed with the old would not have gone astray. The evening’s encore consisted of Mauboy’s latest single ‘Pop a Bottle’. And then just like that, it was over.
I have to admit, the vibe around the concrete casket that is the Entertainment Centre was great. Happy mothers and their teenage daughters leaving everywhere. I personally enjoyed the show. Mauboy’s presence combined with her amazing voice almost assures she will maintain a place in Australian music for many years to come.
Reviewer and Photographer: David Jackson
[nggallery id=195]