Vance Joy, Amy Shark @ Superloop Adelaide 500, Adelaide 1/3/2019

Friday night’s after race concert was a great start to the concert series. First up was the Music SA artists Delia Obst with her soulful tunes and band Tales who got the crowd warmed up with their rocking songs. Two artists that you should look out for around the live music scene.

Amy Shark has been killing it on the charts at the moment and deservedly so. I have become a huge fan and was excited to see her live. I was a bit apprehensive when I found out it was at the Superloop Adelaide 500 car race but once she hit the stage all those doubts disappeared. Shark was brilliant on the big stage, owning it like a true rock star.

If anyone in the crowd didn’t know who was on stage the large letters spelling out AMY SHARK certainly told them who she was. Starting her set with Blood Brothers and while she sings “feeling like a million dollars” I think she made everyone in the crowd feel like a million dollars!

Rolling through songs I Got You and Weekends where she half way through the song screamed out her first of many cheers for Adelaide “My dear Adelaide.” Don’t Turn Around, the collaboration with Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus song Psycho showed a rockier side to Shark and the song about an ex The Idiot made her once again proclaim “Oh Adelaide I love you!” The crowd were loving her back!

Shark told us we were allowed to get a little emotional on Leave Us Alone and decided she wanted to get a little crazy with the Drive You Mad song. And she did. So did the audience. Getting crazy wasn’t enough as she was excited to sing her new single Mess Her Up asking us to “get messy”.

Ending her set with her big hits Adore, All Loved Up and a bangin’ version of the Wheatus classic Teenage Dirtbag and the final song I Said Hi. The energy of this show was electric. Shark was in her element and loving Adelaide as she proclaimed “This is my favourite show of the year and will remember it forever.” I don’t think Adelaide will forget it either.

Vance Joy had a less dramatic entrance than Shark but the crowd were just as excited to see him too. The loud roar once he hit the stage just him and his guitar set the tone as he rocked out his hit Call Me If You Need Me. Sharing little stories about his songs was a nice touch for those of us who aren’t up with all things Vance Joy. Delivering strong vocals and a pumped up performance with songs Mess in Mine, Like Gold and Take Your Time.

Joy has a commanding presence and he plays the guitar with passion making it hard to not be mesmerised. The crowd fired up once the first chords of Fire and the Food started then mellowing on the acoustic sounds of From Afar, Georgia and We’re Going Home. The favourite and biggest cheers on the night were for songs Riptide and the last song of the night Lay It On Me.

Superloop Adelaide 500 your first night of music was electric!

Live Review By Anastasia Lambis