They Will Have Their Way @Sydney Opera House (16/11/11)

Tue 22nd Nov, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The concert hall at Sydney Opera House filled with a crowd buzzing to see the highly anticipated Finn brothers tribute show, They Will Have Their Way; a showcase of the iconic body of work by the famous brothers. There was a hum of excitement and emotion similar to that of 15 years ago, at the same location, where Crowded House performed their ‘Farewell to the World’ concert to masses of fans swarming the steps of the Opera House in November 1996. Thousands of people saw that concert, either in person or the live broadcast, so many people were touched in some way by the tunes of the Finn brothers.

Sally Seltman opened the evening, stepping onto the dark stage in an electric blue dress that glowed under the dramatic lighting. She sang her sample heavy rendition of Four Seasons in One Day. Following this, Lior entered the stage and welcomed the audience with banter of the tour so far before belting out Into Temptation.

The rapport between the artists was relaxed and intimate. Almost every song featured more than one artist and there was equal measure between supporting each other in backing vocals and time in the spotlight. It was clear this group of artists have formed strong bonds and appreciation of each others work over the course of this tour. This connection was infectious and even in the Concert Hall of the Opera House there was an intimate sense of unity.

This sense of unification resonated through the music too; as each performer shared their take on a song, it seemed each audience member was reliving their own special moments that those songs have represented. As Claire Bowditch reminded us, “They’re all our songs”.

Highlights of the night included Claire Bowditch with Sarah Blasko, Holly Throsby and Sally Seltmann (“Seeker, Lover, Keeper, Ranga” – joked Bowditch) performing Fall at Your Feet, acoustics were mesmerising and the girls harmonised flawlessly giving the sound of a full choir. Holly Throsby’s husky whisper matched with the charismatic Alexander Gow for a sweet rendition of Stuff and Nonsense.

Just before interval, Bowditch coaxed the audience into being her back up choir for Better Be Home Soon – “It will be just like Glee!”. This had the audience jumping in the deep end, singing two part harmonies but Bowditch put everyone at ease, her endearing charisma infiltrated the entire show and made it feel like one big communal celebration.

After interval the musical celebration continued, highlights being Seltmann’s emotive rendition of I Hope I Never, Blasko’s take on Don’t Dream it’s Over which had all artists on stage as her backing choir before slinking back into the shadows like ghosts.

Lighting was like a technicolour dream. The image of the They Will Have Their Way tribute albums – two trees interwoven together – was the backdrop for the show, illuminated with different colours and shades throughout the evening, the image was a festive representation of the culmination of the Finn tribute albums.

The night ended with the lads; Gow, Lior and Dempsey dominating I See Red. Dempsey, like a restless monkey, stripped himself of instruments and run amok through the crowd, causing adoration from his musical compadres and anxiety from his stage manager who busily tried to untangle Dempsey’s path of destruction.

After a mass stage exit, the artists were pulled back onstage by a raucous crowd, the entire Concert Hall was stamping their feet and cheering incessantly. With Gow encouraging the entire audience to their feet, “It’s your turn to have your way with us!” we were treated to Finn classics It’s Only Natural and Always Take The Weather.

The entire night was summed up wisely by a dear old man sitting behind me who exclaimed on the way out “That was joyous!” And it most certainly was.