A Day On The Green @ Peter Lehmann Wines, Tanunda SA 7/12/2024
Coined ‘The Big Day Out for adults’, my favourite camping chair and picnic permissive event for the South Australian festival season, A Day on the Green hosted show number fifty eight for Missy Higgin’s The Second Act tour, celebrating twenty years of her iconic debut album Sound of White with an incredible back bone of supporting acts by Ruby Fields and Kate Miller Heidke. With this stacked bill of stunningly talented female recording artists, it was a day to grab your favourite girl gang, throw on a frock, drink some wine and challenge yourself to not cry during at least one of the sets.
Ruby Fields opened for the day with an acoustic set featuring a handful of heartfelt moody tracks, including a couple new unreleased songs; Sweetheart, a song about casual sex which she admits she wrote when she was sixteen, before that was even “a thing” for her, and The Gums. Accompanied by partner ‘Gory’ to help ‘fill in the gaps’ (and praised for missing the Cricket to do so) Ruby Fields’ delivery was raw, honest and witty, the audience enjoying her soft but passionate melodies in the afternoon sun. Finishing with popular track Dinosaurs she declared she was looking forward to enjoying the rest of the show and chugging a bottle of wine.
Kate Miller-Heidke emerged for her set to AC/DC’s Back in Black firing out over the speakers, joined by her husband and co collaborator Keir Nuttall on guitar, she opened with The Tiger Inside will Eat the Child followed by a lively acoustic version of Vertigo featuring Kate’s incredible operatic flexes that concluded with her throwing her shaker and tambourine across the stage like a real rockstar. The antics didn’t stop there with a glorious display of awkward dancing from Keir during Can’t Shake It leaving the audience in fits of laughter. After twenty years of working and performing together, the chemistry between the two is still as beautiful as ever, Kate and Keir know how to have fun and be silly onstage while also demonstrating their exceptional musical craft.
Kate welcomed nine-year-old fan Hugh to the stage, who she had recruited through social media to sing Caught in the Crowd, a track that has become somewhat prominent in schools around the country, opening the discussion about bullying and friendship. Kate even told the audience about an incredibly hilarious and critical letter she received from a child about it. Finishing with retro track Words the pair trailed off into an intense sounding performative interlude covering The Rolling Stones’ Paint it Black with more insane vocal acrobatics and guitar jamming. Although the set was short, sweet and stripped back, Kate commanded the stage for it and proved once again that she is a national treasure.
Missy Higgins began the first of two acts for her performance in probably one the most dazzling pant suit I have ever seen, complete with sparkles and tassels. Far from the shy sixteen-year-old that started her journey as a recording artist by winning Triple J’s Unearthed, she has grown to a confident and classy woman- with a lot more life experience to write about. Notably, she picked a handful of tracks from her recent album The Second Act- a raw and heartbreaking album written about the breakdown of her marriage and the pain of enduring a split family, something that sadly a lot of women these days can relate to.
When 4 became 3 and a Complicated Truth really pulled the heartstrings and shone a spotlight on her personal agony and strength during the most difficult time of her life. Telling us the stories of how these songs were written and how performing them night after night throughout her tour helped her process and heal was touching and the vulnerability she showed the audience was humbling- it felt connected, like we were catching up with an old friend that has been through the wars and come out the other side with resolve, strength and wit. Finishing her first set with Craters the message was a little more optimistic and comforting, feeling like the world hadn’t quite ended yet and she was going to be ok.
Higgins joked that playing debut album Sound of White in its entirety for the second act was ‘like reading your old diaries’, a little bit cringe, a little bit confronting, but also strangely prospective- thoughts and feelings that while not yet entirely relative to her twenty-year-old self when written, became deeply relevant in her current life. Opening with the first track off the album All for Believing and the first song she ever wrote at sixteen years of age, the grand piano and moody lighting embellished what is ultimately a timeless song and a testament to Higgins’ incredible emotive songwriting.
Higgins was joined onstage with an enormous band featuring a cello, double bass and brass instruments- a full production and detailed performance breathing new life into one very special album. Ten Days had the audience singing along to another well-known and adored track, while Casualty brought the mood up with some delicious jazz sounds. Finishing with the earnest trio of inspiring and more upbeat tracks Sound of White, Scar and Steer Higgins delivered her iconic work in such a stunning production that gave the album the justice and celebration it deserved. A perfect showcase of this woman’s incredible work and deep heart, she inspired the audience and truly delivered a very special evening for her fans.
Live Review By Scheucher