Joe Cocker, George Thorogood @Sydney Entertainment Centre(10/02/11)

Mon 14th Feb, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Joe Cocker’s voice exudes a combination of heartfelt sincerity and booming power and has thrilled listeners for over forty years. With both Cocker and country rock veteran George Thorogood coming to grace the Sydney Entertainment Centre’s stage, these artists made the most of having many decades of hits to pick from. This brought a night of crowd favourites that, for their age and continual coverage, could have come across as stale. Yet both performers openly and energetically reveled in their music, making for vibrant performances of incredible material.

A singer-guitarist who presents himself as a growling larger than life caricature, Thorogood has enthralled crowds with his gritty blues based rock since the early 1970s. Across the set, Thorogood and his band’s blues roots were best exhibited with their thriving cover of Bo Diddley’s Who Do You Love. The combination of roaring saxophone with deep rumbling bass guitar, drums and Thorogood’s rough vocals created a sound that had the crowd moving to the song’s pulse. In fact, by the time Thorogood hit the second half of his set the venue was almost full; an impressive feat for any support act to manage at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. At their most exciting when they hit a rich, rolling rhythm, Thorogood’s love for sinister lyrics and the growling country rock drawl was displayed during his popular number, Bourbon, Scotch and Beer. His best known song Bad To The Bone had audience members shrieking in appreciation while for Get a Haircut, the showman’s taste for self parody shone through.

Along with Joe Cocker’s very first note that he sang, the crowd erupted with an excitement that can only be evoked when longtime greats stand before their diehard admirers. Immediately throwing himself into the music with his trademark jolting body twitches, Cocker crooned and screamed with admirable intensity. While Cocker’s vocals have deepened and at times resisted the higher octaves used in numbers including With A Little Help from My Friends, such changes were excusable. Cocker may be reaching his late sixties, but his voice continues to maintain that signature style that has awarded him with a lifelong career. He has a remarkable talent for screaming into the microphone with the unrestrained passion that only the best rock front men can manage, while also being able to croon in a spine tingling way that continues to seduce countless women, both young and old.

A smattering of new material from Cocker’s latest album Hard Knocks featured on the night, with the songs up-keeping Cocker’s mastership of melodic soul drenched verses that are punctured by a fast paced, emphatic chorus. Only showcasing a handful of newer releases, Cocker and his nine piece ensemble mainly played the most loved and successful numbers. The decision to revel in the ‘best ofs’ resulted in an engaged and satisfied audience, as a large quantity of songs came from Cocker’s famous Mad Dogs and Englishmen live album of 1970. A phenomenal collection of covers, the recordings demonstrate Cocker’s aptitude for taking the skeleton of compositions and refilling them with a style of his own. Songs played from the compilation include Feelin’ Alright by Dave Mason, She Came in Through the Bathroom Window by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and The Letter by Wayne Carson Thompson. Cocker’s stunning version of Leonard Cohen’s Bird on a Wire sadly didn’t come to light during the performance, yet such other songs still made for a thoroughly entertaining set list.

The most arresting ballad had to be You Are So Beautiful, a lovely mixture of earnest vocals and piano flourishes. Then came the uplifting Hitchcock Railway, delivered as a heartfelt jam session where Cocker’s gravelly voice stood in atrong contrast to the soaring vocals of his backup singers. The band as a whole provided a powerful and complimentary back drop to the singer, with the pianist staying true to the template set by Leon Russell when he collaborated with Cocker in the 1970s. The presence of the Hammond organ also brought a welcome reference to the earlier days of blues rock, being reminiscent of Cocker’s revered 1969 Woodstock set.

Looking from the video footage of the Woodstock performance of With A Little Help from My Friends, to Cocker’s delivery of the hit song at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, his voice has altered somewhat and he has swapped his hippy attire for a fitted suit. Yet, he can still deliver a roaring performance. In what was to be a night of looking back at numerous classics with affection and enthusiasm, Joe Cocker and George Thorogood provided a rocking show.