The beautiful Tivoli, pregnant with punters, is waiting nervously for the show to start, when Melbourne based singer/songwriter Whitley (aka Lawrence Greenwood) creeps onstage. Backed by a decadent red curtain and armed only with an acoustic guitar and charismatic charm and wit, he glides into his first song Lost in Time. It immediately grabs the attention of the crowd with quiet strength. His voice is unassuming but beautiful, and the song is a tale of love and loss. He moves into I Remember, which has his voice take a very Bob Dylan turn, it seems to tug at the heart strings of all involved and many of the crowd have their eyes closed and swaying, lost in the intimacy of the music. He ends the song with the chorus of ABBA’s Dancing Queen and everyone joins in, and ends with a riotous applause.

The song Hyperballad is a little faster and more upbeat, showcasing the range of his voice, and it invites you on a journey of his happiness and heartbreak. As the Tivoli bulges with excited patrons, armed with beers and a smile, it becomes difficult to hear More Than Life. But he quickly swindles the hearts of the crowd back to his guitar musings. The song sounds like there is more than one guitar, which is impressive and has a melancholic, yet satisfying turn. He leaves the stage to a loud appreciative applause, the crowd’s heart stolen by the 22-year-old’s beautifully crafted music. Everyone smiles as he leaves, knowing there is only good things to come for this young man.

The intermission is upon a very excited crowd. Everyone in the room seems to be in a good mood, the chink of a 100 cheers is in the air. The crowd age distribution ranges from young and dumb to old and wise but everyone is accommodated and happy. The camera swings on a massive boom to capture the mounting excitement of the crowd. The curtains pull up to reveal a beautiful set, with a painted background mural and a huge clock. The Powderfinger boys are dressed in swanky suits and vests, strolling onstage to an applause that would wake the surrounding suburbs for miles.

The set-list for tonight has been voted by the fans themselves on the website and proves to be an excellent night of favorites. Bernard Fanning on vocals/guitar, Darren Middleton and Ian Haug on guitar, John Collins on bass and the impossibly good-looking Jon Coghill on drums. The boys blast into their first song Waiting For The Sun. The sound seems a little muted but the crowd sings along in earnest and Bernard plays the crowd like an expert. We’re informed that the concert is broadcast on the ‘INTARWEBS’ (as Fanning calls it) and the next song Footprints On the Other Side has the crowd looking around at each other, each one forgetting how excellent Fanning’s voice can be.

Take Me In has a more soft beautiful acoustic tone. Fanning’s voice doesn’t skip a note and is complimented perfectly by slow piano, but not complimented at all by the loud yelling from some sort of abusive Aussie louts in the front. A B side from 1994 called Sweet Lips is thrown in the fray of punters who are nearly frothing at the mouth in excitement and hugging each other. The song seems less well known but the crowd has spirited smiles all round. The guys are having a great time on stage, like good mates rather than a business relationship. Fanning tell us that we have a “requirement to clap, and the boys on stage always fuckin’ forget to get you to clap, so clap you muthafuckers”, to loud applause from the crowd. Private Man is acoustic and meaningful with over enthusiastic clapping from the crowd dulling the soaring beauty of the song with triple harmony from the lads and insistent kick drum overtones.

Fanning muses in a contradictory manner that he’s not sure if the broadcast show has a “Muthafuckin’ G rating” as he glides into Bless my Soul, which has the entire crowd gigging and swaying while John, Ian and Darren have a all out electric guitar brawl. Fanning is right into it and adds a new ending to the song which is lapped up by the crowd. Lost and Running garners an excellent reaction from the crowd for a new song and Fanning struts around the stage as the crowd sings back to him. Fanning yells, “Since it’s the Queen’s Birthday, I dedicate this song to an Australian republic”. The crowd agrees, swooning through These Days. The crowd sings the whole song in earnest, broken only by a wailing guitar solo and band comes together at the end like brothers before a break is announced. Everyone’s attention in the break is drawn to Paul Mac milling around in the crowd for no apparent reason.

The curtain rises again, to reveal a new set entirely. A white flowing backdrop is highlighted by lights, and the boys are adorned in their best rock attire. Seems it’s business time! The boys make the transition into rock perfectly and throw Stumbling in our faces. Everyone feels transported directly to a sticky-floor, dingy pub with a pleasant VB aroma. Looking at the crowd, people are mouthing “Fuck yeah” to their friends and banging heads. Who Really Knows changes the pace a little, with maracas and wailing guitars complementing Jon Coghill’s assault of the drum kit.

Fanning informs us that he has in fact “Finished the internet, and the end was crap” while he introduces the best song of the night My Happiness. The whole crowd is on a high that far surpassed the price of the ticket, an epic bonding between 1000 souls. The crowd sings two whole verses of the song, encouraged by Fanning. One of the most wonderful moments in live music for everyone involved. Passenger rounds out the second half of the night, which is haunting and melancholic and always shows off the epic range of Fanning’s voice.

The boys walk off stage, although everyone knows they will be back to take us to another dimension of rock for an encore. Five minutes later amidst the loudest yelling the Tivoli has ever seen, they barrel back on stage for Living Type. The final song of the night is On My Mind, which has the entire room jumping, oldies and rail hogs (upstairs) included. The crowd screams the words back, and the band seems to be having the time of their life. The boys leave the stage, and it takes a few minutes for the crowd to mill out, all stunned and bewildered at the amazing experience we all shared. The innovative splitting of the set (acoustic/rock), the intimacy and interaction with the crowd (far cry from the stadium style tours of late) made this night a definitive Powderfinger experience, one that will not be forgotten.