Roche Estate, Hunter Valley
Saturday November 17, 2017 :
I’ve never been much on the winery concert scene, apart from a free ticket to see The Who a few years back and even that involved the torture of seeing Counting Crows. Tonight, a line up I was only one quarter interested in and a fear that the quarter I was interested in were only there to ply soulless nostalgia hung heavily on my expectations of the night ahead. Happily, other commitments meant I missed openers Thirsty Merc and The Calling save for the final, off-key wailing of the only radio hit The Calling had. Expectations were low for Lifehouse but they were much better than expected, with solid melodic pop rock belted out by a tight musical unit. Better than expected, but not a single note that made me think I’d be checking out more of their music anytime soon.
Any trace of the rain that turned the concert area into a mud puddle was gone by the time Live took the stage. I saw the band play at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre in 1997 on their ‘Secret Samadhi’ tour and as a 14 year old, first time solo concert goer, the show made a big impression on me. My cynicism was high given the torrid intrapersonal feud the band had endured in recent years, but when they kicked into ‘All Over You’ with conviction, all reservations fell away. The set list drew heavily from their breakthrough Throwing Copper album, dipped liberally into the lower selling but equally compelling Secret Samahdi, and thankfully flirted only minimally with anything after The Distance To Here album. ‘TBD’, a deep cut from the multimillion selling Throwing Copper, was a visceral treat, ‘Rattlesnake’ a brooding revelation. The camaraderie on stage seemed genuine despite the sordid bust ups of the recent past, all four members performed flawlessly and passionately for of a ravenous crowd, Ed Kowalczyk in particular still in sterling vocal form and a warm front man presence.
I’d copped a few snickering comments from friends when I told them I was missing a number of local gig options to go and indulge in a bit of nostalgia at the winery, but with 20/20 hindsight, I can absolutely say I am happy with the decision I made to attend tonight. It’s only when you hear the songs one after the other that you realise how deep the Live well ran when it ran at its best. ‘Selling The Drama’ with its earnest bombast, ‘Lakini’s Juice’ with its riff heavy melodrama, ‘Dolphins Cry’ and a heartfelt cover of ‘I Am The Highway’ with Chris Cornell looking down from the video screen behind the band were all delivered in smouldering fashion. By the time ‘Lightning Crashes’ inevitably rounded out the night there wasn’t a disappointed poncho clad punter in the muddy field, and the news that the band will be back in Australia in March next year was met with rapturous applause. It’ll take a damn special local gig (or the ever present parental duties) to stop me attending that show.
Reviewer : Roger Killjoy
Photographer : Troy Constable
LIVE
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LIFEHOUSE
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THE CALLING
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THIRSTY MERC
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