Qantas Credit Union Arena
Thursday December 18, 2015 :
It’s the second night of Cold Chisel’s run through Qantas Credit Union Arena, or how many of us will fondly remember it, the Sydney Entertainment Centre, and there are far too many Chisel t-shirts and bandanas to count. Seeing this band is like an initiation, where if you have not been to a Chisel concert, there must be something wrong with you. In fact, the conversation between the punters standing next to me became a game of who had seen the band the most, who saw the earliest gig, or who was the youngest at the time.
The venue was packed, as were all three QCUA shows, with the floor broken up into two sections – GA standing up the front, and raised seating at the back. I had never seen the place set up in this manner but from what I could see, it worked a treat.
This is the second time I have seen the band on this tour having taken in their Hunter Valley show last Saturday, and the biggest difference for my, apart from the reworked set list, was how their power as a live unit felt so much more forceful within the contained walls. I also had the perfect view of the band to take in all the little nuances that can go unnoticed at a large outdoor show.
Two and a half hours of Chisel classics were delivered, with the main set broken up in half, and a four song encore as the final cherry. Highlights were the two main set closers, ‘One Long Day’ and ‘Bow River’ (the song that for me sums up Chisel within a single song), ‘Forever Now’, You’ve Got Nothing I Want’, ‘Lost”s co-writer, Wes Carr joining the band onstage, and ‘Ita’ getting its first appearance live in over 30 years. But to be honest, the whole night was quite special. It had me thinking half way through as to how I could get my hands on tickets to the following night, it was that good.
Having seen both Fleetwood Mac and Elton John recently, I can easily see how Cold Chisel could continue as a live unit for decades to come. It was a great night with a band right on form, tight as a nut on stage, putting most bands half their age to shame.
Reviewer and Photographer : Kevin Bull
Note: Photo taken at Hope Estate, December 12, 2015