Review: Richie Sambora & Orianthi (Sydney, 26 February 2014)

Richie Sambora & Orianthi

Enmore Theatre

Sydney, NSW

26 February 2014

Check out my review of Richie's latest solo album, Aftermath of the Lowdown!

Apparently, if you’re a world-renowned musician from the great state of New Jersey, the thing to do is tour Australia in February and deliver a series of mind-blowing shows loved by critics and fans alike. Bruce Springsteen and his E-Street Band have done that successfully from coast to coast, and, last night in Sydney, it was the turn of legendary guitarist – one of the greatest axe men to emerge in rock music in the last thirty years – Richie Sambora, of Bon Jovi fame.

Yeah, sure, Richie’s the guy responsible for those great solos on more Bon Jovi songs than you can pole a stick at but he’s also a brilliant solo artist with three diverse and excellent solo albums. So many people I know who’re Bon Jovi fans have little to no idea that the right-hand man, the guy who’s co-written all of the band’s biggest hits, also plays solo and is damned good at it!

In fact, you could go so far as to say that Richie is criminally underrated as a solo artist. Except for the capacity crowd who packed Sydney’s legendary Enmore Theatre last night. Everyone there knew what Richie was capable of both as a songwriter and a guitarist. That’s why they went. They knew that there’s much more to Richie Sambora than Bon Jovi.

An added bonus was the guest appearance by Australian-born guitarist Orianthi, who rose to fame thanks to the rehearsal footage from the planned Michael Jackson tour – she was lead guitarist – before the King of Pop died. It’s great to see Australians supporting Australian musicians, and Orianthi is, without doubt, the real deal. Seeing her and Sambora on stage together, trading licks all night long on a variety of different tracks, was nothing short of incredible. 

For lovers of pure guitar wizardry, this was one hell of a show. Back and forth, time after time, every song turned into an extended jam session. ‘Epic’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. You couldn’t help but be amazed by their mastery. The rest of the band was as tight as you would expect, talented pros to a man. They excelled behind Sambora and Orianthi.

The night’s set list was both varied and impressive. Obviously, tracks from Richie’s latest solo album, The Aftermath of the Lowdown, featured prominently, but there were songs from his Bon Jovi days, a taste of the brilliance that was his debut album Stranger in this Town – the title track is probably my favourite solo Sambora song – though I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to hear anything from Undiscovered Soul. Next tour, maybe? 

At one point, Sambora and Orianthi were jamming to the classic Jimi Hendrix Experience guitar-fest ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’ which was about as close to guitar heaven as you can get and, obviously, has plenty of chances for both to show off their ridiculous skills. Rarely has Hendrix been done better than it was at the Enmore Theatre on Wednesday night.

Of course, the big Bon Jovi hits featured prominently because, well…Richie probably wouldn’t make it to the car park alive if he didn’t play a handful, and besides, those songs are part his. Those that stood out more than others in the altogether memorable set? ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’, ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’, It’s My Life’ and an epic rendition of the ballad ‘I’ll Be There For You’ with a snippet of Simon & Garfunkel’s legendary ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’. 

Obviously, they went down very well with the crowd, amongst which there were dozens of Bon Jovi t-shirts, including some great vintage ones from the band’s very early days. Epic songs, all of them, and Richie’s voice is top notch for his age, though he admitted there are some songs, like the oft-requested ‘Rosie’ that he just can’t carry anymore. Nice that he admits it. Many don't. And, you know what? He really makes those Jon Bon Jovi-sung tracks his own, and his solo tracks don’t sound that much different from their studio versions.  

Mid-set, Sambora graciously turned the microphone over to Orianthi for the song ‘You Don’t Wanna Know’ and, by it’s conclusion, the crowd discovered that, aside from being a master guitarist, she also has an incredible voice. No wonder she’s in such high demand around the world as a lead guitarist. Her vocal performance has encouraged me to seek out some more of her solo stuff on iTunes.

The biggest surprise of the night was reserved for the encore. It wasn’t the sudden appearance of entertainment guy Richard Wilkins and his attempt to play drums, but the guy who followed him out, none other than INXS’s Jon Farriss. The youngest of the three Farriss brothers took command of the drum kit and, echoing Springsteen a night earlier, Sambora, Orianthi and the band launched into a great cover of the INXS classic ‘Don’t Change’.

It’s been a real purple patch for INXS these past few weeks, thanks to the acclaimed miniseries that has sent their music back to the top of the ARIA Charts, and Farriss reminded anyone who was there of his drumming prowess. It was master class, made even more impressive because he was playing on a kit that wasn’t his own. INXS no longer performing as a band, has robbed us of one seeing of the best drummers in the business on a regular basis.

How good was the night going? Good enough that Richie and co appeared on stage for a second encore – after a lot of people thought he’d called it a night – and the question was, How do you top all that had gone before?

Easy. You roll out a mesmerising cover of ‘Purple Rain’ – yeah, the Prince song. Man, did it sound good. What a way to end the night. Nearly two and a half hours later, we’d heard a bit of everything in a gig that, at about $62 a ticket, was incredibly affordable. Talk about value for money! You’d never see a Bon Jovi gig in such an intimate venue as this, and we had the added bonus of seeing Orianthi do her thing, too. You know, that almost makes it better than a Bon Jovi gig.

Walking out into the rainy night after what we’d witnessed on the small Enmore stage, I don’t think there was an unhappy punter. There might be a few, though, if Richie doesn’t come back soon! The obvious affection that Sambora has for his fans makes me think he’ll be back, either with Bon Jovi or on his own. 

Can’t wait!