A Day On The Green @ Peter Lehmann Wines, Tanunda SA 2/2/2025
The mercury had well and truly soared nudging in to the forties for the last of the A Day On The Green’s for the 2024-25 summer season in South Australia. We have been well and truly treated to some exceptional music and this one headlined by The Script is right up there. Despite the scorching temperature there is no doubting the picturesque setting of Peter Lehmann Wines in Tanunda which is only a relatively short drive from Adelaide. For most, the walk up the hill from the car park into the venue is a tough slog making that first round of drinks all the more deserved.
Rising star and alt-rocker Lotte Gallagher opened A Day On The Green. Definitely a singer will be hearing a lot more from 2025 having impressed triple j tastemakers and earning a coveted top-five finalist spot in their Unearthed High 2023 competition. Set highlight included big single Adam. Pop rockers X Ambassadors brought a different flavour to A Day On The Green. They have plenty of tricks in the kit bag and they’re definitely one of those bands where you think “oh yeah, I’ve heard of those guys before”. Renegades and Unsteady proved popular from their set. Montaigne played a lively and spirited set to a crowd that was still building. Montaigne is a seasoned campaigner who has got a solid back catalogue to draw upon. Sounding fantastic set highlights for me included Talking Shit, Because I Love You and Ready.
Calum Scott was impressive and I would say he had a significant fan base there just to see him. Another performer that I heard the name but didn’t really know a great deal about but I have to say wow, he was impressive. Lighthouse was a great opener but Scott was expecting a bigger response saying “I see you only have been moderately entertained, I’ll have you by the end”. At Your Worst, If You Ever Changed Your Mind and Biblical followed. Scott mentioned that he used to be in a Maroon 5 tribute band playing a ripping version of This Love. The crowd rose to attention on Lost Frequencies cover Where Are You Now and Whistle. The crowd were up and grooving and even Scott said “I’m not only here to depress you but make you dance”.
Run With Me united the crowd singing in unison and was one of those songs “I get a chill every time I sing it”. Scott reflected and said it was “bloody lovely to be in Adelaide” thanking the crowd for the success of big time single You Are The Reason. I think there was a new found appreciation of Scott who spoke about working in HR for fifteen years with a dream and that one song that would change his life despite having that “imposter syndrome” feeling each night. Jokingly starting the final song with “Baby Hit Me One More Time” it was the hit that started it all in Dancing On My Own that had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Nice segue in to Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Well played Calum Scott! Well played!
It all boiled down to The Script (no pun intended) and a band that has been on my list to see for quite some time. They have an impressive discography loaded with hits spanning seven albums including 2024s Satellites. With the sun setting and the temperature falling The Script emerged opening with You Won’t Feel A Thing followed by Superheroes and the first of the confetti showers making for quite the spectacle. The numbers in the GA front section looked a little light on with front man Danny O’Donoghue asking the gates to be opened and whoever wanted to get up close down the front could to fill up the space. Rain was great with O’Donoghue jumping down in to the pit getting fans to sing in to the microphone. Keeping that energy and good time vibe going on Both Ways followed by Six Degrees Of Separation and The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.
The band sounded slick and well drilled with O’Donoghue saying “thank god its cooled down as we are not used to this”. He added that it was four years since they were last here and that these shows are a tribute to former guitarist Mark Sheehan who passed in 2023 reflecting on “heaven must be a pretty big place”. If You Could See Me Now given what was said seemed quite reflective on the journey so far. Inside Out was about those “feelings like you are going out of your mind’. Before The Worst from their debut album featured proudly as well as Nothing which was about getting drunk and doing some things you will regret”. O’Donoghue got in amongst the crowd encourage fans to sing-a-long.
A highlight was Paint The Town Green with O’Donoghue asking if there were any Irish people in the house and if there were any crazy people out there as well getting plenty of acknowledgement there was from the crowd. It really did feel as if St Patrick’s Day had come early with this festive vibe and plenty of green confetti being showered over the crowd then finishing the main set on For The First Time.
The encore took things up to another level with Home Is Where the Hurt Is and Breakeven. O’Donoghue wanted to create a constellation of stars making the comment that “without you guys we are just a band in a field” adding that it’s the fans who are the stars, ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Set closer Hall Of Fame had everything and all the emotive qualities to tug away at the heart strings with his final comment ringing true that “when you hear this song you will always remember this night”. That we will, another stellar A Day On The Green.
Live Review By Rob Lyon
Photo Credit: Brett Schewitz