Nearing the end of a nationwide tour that has seen him visit most regional centres and capital cities, Australian music royalty Paul Kelly dropped into the Canberra Theatre Centre last night to perform a sold-out show.
Along for the journey was Duluth Minnesota’s finest blues/folk export, Charlie Parr. Warming the crowd up for Paul Kelly and his band, the lone man sat on stage with his guitar on his lap, muttering to the crowd. The somewhat indecipherable loner had the packed theatre captivated as he offered his collection of traditional folk and rusty blues.
A man from humble beginnings, Parr’s music was simple yet enchanting. His stories were from memory and imagination, and audience members found themselves being drawn in by his haunting hollow sound.
Seated in the warm Canberra Theatre on a chilly Sunday night, the intermission entertainment came in the form of ushers with ice-creams. In a mesmerising display, nearly every patron in the theatre succumbed and treated themselves to the delightful delicacy. Once this half-time magnum frenzy was over, the lights dimmed, the rustling of wrappers settled and the man himself entered the stage.
Kelly and his band kicked things off in style with Nothing on My Mind and had the crowd jiving in their seats from the instant the first notes were played. They wasted no time in getting to the good stuff, and when they played Dumb Things some audience members just couldn’t contain themselves any longer and jumped out of their seats to dance by the stage.
The master story-teller and his band provided us with the soundtrack to Australia over the last 30 years. Telling tales of a body in the water in Jindabyne, about spending Christmas day in prison, and the way it feels to overhear your parents fighting in the front seat of the car.
Joining Kelly on the stage as a part of his band was one half of Victorian duo Vika and Linda – Vika Bull. Paul stepped aside as Vika took the lead, and performed Sweet Guy showing the audience what a magnificent voice and presence she has on stage.
Giving the audience and mixture of classic Kelly hits and playing songs off his new album, Songs from the South II, there was something for everyone in the packed out crowd. This is the first time in about two years that Kelly has embarked on a tour of this magnitude and we have his new album to thank for that.
During the middle of the show he slowed it down a bit and played a blend of poignant tunes such as When I First Met Your Ma, Deeper Water and If I Could Start Today Again which had the audience spellbound. Towards the end of the set we heard the familiar first bars of To Her Door which picked things up and once again had people springing in their seats.
Kelly thanked his crew, his band and all of us for coming to see him then left the stage much to the disappointment of everyone in the room. Spirits were lifted though when he returned for a solo performance. Then one by one his band members returned along with Charlie Parr to finish things off for the night.
Once Charlie had left the stage, all could tell that we were building up for a big finale. After confirmation that his band was ready they blasted into Before Too Long which saw audience members jump to their feet for a final boogie. It was a climactic finish to an amazing performance.
Paul Kelly and Charlie Parr continue on their journey around Australia this week, which will see finish up in Frankston, VIC. Tickets may still be available for some of the shows but get in quick as they won’t stick around for long and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to see the father of Australian folk.
