Sarah Blasko, Fraser A. Gorman @ Adelaide Town Hall, Adelaide 5/7/2017
It was quite a civilised affair at the Town Hall playing host to the amazing Sarah Blasko and the up and comer Fraser A. Gorman. There is no doubt that this stunning venue enhanced what fans experienced on the night seeing one of Australia’s finest taking the audience on a journey through her back catalogue giving these songs a solo touch up.
Fraser A. Gorman is a likeable chap and the crowd warmed to him as he opens proceedings. Gorman’s dry and witty humour offered some laughs as he played songs from his album Slow Gum winning over some new fans. It was great to see plenty of people there early at seven thirty to catch his short thirty minute set.
It was looking good for an early night (something a bit unusual for a lot of shows these days) as Sarah Blasko took to the stage at half eight. When the lights dimmed there was so much silence you could hear a pin drop. Blasko took the microphone to open with a stripped back version of Down On Love. Wow! The fans were in for something special and that’s what they got. This tour featured Sarah Blasko solo, no band, no orchestra.
It was an interesting interpretation of I Awake and quite a contrast to the album version as Blasko reconstructs this one on the piano. There is a certain timeless quality about these songs and I Want To Be Your Man and Luxurious from 2015s Eternal Return are just stunning. Blasko’s personality albeit a little quirky and a tad awkward was allowed to shine and some of her banter was just priceless. Blasko couldn’t hide her desire to want to play the pipe organ which is a prominent centre piece behind her but indicated she didn’t have a licence to drive that one.
It was a real treat to hear a new song Read My Mind in amongst so many great songs. This show was an absolute master class with Blasko rarely putting a foot wrong. The polite and respectful crowd seemed to revel, be mesmerised and totally captivated by the performance. Women By The Well and Is My Baby are absolute gems and the ukulele made a welcome entry. Personal highlights for me were We Won’t Run and new song Phantom which brought the main set to a close.
The encore offered plenty to the adoring fans who weren’t exactly rowdy in encouraging a return to the stage for more continuing that polite and respectful vibe which made for a refreshing change. All I Want was brilliant and the Cold Chisel cover of Flame Trees was just perfect. With Blasko thanking the audience again for their support there was time for one more and it was the rarely played Perfect Now from The Overture & The Underscore that left the audience with plenty of great memories from the show. What a night and considering there were so many classics that weren’t played offers Blasko a few new tricks for next time.
Live review by Rob Lyon