White Album Concert @ Festival Theatre, Adelaide 8/9/2023
Australian music royalty returned for the fourth incarnation of the White Album Concert.
Chris Cheney (The Living End), Phil Jamieson (Grinspoon), ARIA Award-winning solo artist Josh Pyke, and Tim Rogers (You Am I) descended on Adelaide Festival Theatre to celebrate the genius of The Beatles and their iconic 1968 self-titled album. Colloquially referred to as the White Album.
Backed by a sixteen-piece rock orchestra including guitars, strings, and horns with musical direction by Rex Goh, Australia’s Fantastic Four channelled their passion and fandom of the Fab Four in a slick two-and-a-half-hour extravaganza. Traversing through the White Album from start to finish, the show was an homage to The Beatles’ multi-genre collection while highlighting the individual styles and sheer talent of the artists performing.
Cheney, ever the rock n roll frontman, opened the show with a rocking rendition of Back In The USSR. He later took the lead on Glass Onion, Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?, Birthday, Cry Baby Cry and a blistering Helter Skelter. However, in a highlight of the night, his interpretation of While My Guitar Gently Weeps generated an unprecedented standing ovation seven songs into the thirty-three-song set. Such was the calibre of talent we were privy to.
Similar to Cheney, Jamieson is known for his rock n roll roots. Yet his performance demonstrated his versatility. From Dear Prudence, I’m So Tired, Don’t Pass Me By, I Will, Yer Blues, Sexy Sadie, to Savoy Truffle, we experienced the many facets of Phil. The crooner, the lounge artist, the blues singer, the actor, the wild frontman with pink nail polish jumping off the stage to dance with the audience in the dark. His charisma was palpable, and your eye was drawn to him each time he took to the stage.
Pyke’s mellower style of music was ideal for introducing flow into the performance. The prolific singer-songwriter-guitarist offered smooth and delicate iterations of Martha My Dear, Julia, Mother Nature’s Son, and Long Long Long. But it was Blackbird, with some splendid whistling, that stood out for its sophistication and beauty.
The eccentric Rogers brought it and more during his performance. Wild Honey, The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill, Happiness is a Warn Gun, Piggies, Rocky Raccoon, Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey, and Honey Pie were enhanced with props, humour, playful banter, and passionate dancing. Rogers proclivity for putting on a great show was evident. He delivered like always.
When Cheney, Jameison, Pyke and Rogers shared the stage for the main set songs Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da and Good Night, it was electric. This vivacity trickled over to the encore, where they jointly sang Two of Us, Across the Universe, I Am the Walrus and Revolution 1.
But of course, special mention must go to Goh and the orchestra’s rendering of Revolution 9. The song has been described as an experimental, avant-garde sound collage. However, the beauty offered by the orchestra in its execution complemented the overall eclectic nature of the album and show.
For fans of The Beatles, the White Album Concert was a sensational homage to a band that altered the landscape of music. It was also just an enjoyable night of entertainment.
Live Review By Anita Kertes