Forget the oft-used retirement jokes that seem to be a
staple every time someone mentions John Farnham. The man, nudging seventy, is
still as engaging a performer as he’s ever been, and his voice seems to get
better with age. He shoots for the high notes and pulls them down every time.
With a set of pipes like that, not to mention a killer band and quartet of
backing singers, and a seemingly endless array of songs that were either giant
hits or critically acclaimed (or both) why would Farnham want to retire?
Clearly, the general public are happy – for the second time
in less than half a year, Farnham sold out the Sydney Entertainment Centre. In
winter, it was for a well-received duet tour with Olivia Newton John, and now,
in the summer, the occasion was the Sydney Entertainment Centre itself. The
venerable old barn is closing it’s doors after a Saturday night performance by
Elton John, and Farnham was asked to help close the venue.
Arguably, there’s no more suited Australian act to help
close the Ent Cent – as it’s been known colloquially for years – than Farnham.
When you add up his solo shows, the run of Main Event shows he was a part of
with ONJ and Anthony Warlow, plus his appearances in Jesus Christ Superstar and
the Two Strong Hearts tour (again with ONJ) from earlier this year, the total
number of times Farnham has graced the big stage is north of seventy.
Last night’s show had to be one of his best. There was
scarcely a song on the set list that hadn’t shot to or near the top of the ARIA
charts – with the exception of two deep cuts from the seminal Whispering Jack
album ‘Love to Shine’ and ‘No One Comes Close’ – and even after more than
ninety minutes of hit, there were still some notable classics left out, ‘Chain
Reaction’ chief amongst them.
The problem is, Farnham has so many hits that he’d be
singing his heart out for 3-4 hours if he was to include them all. And he has
to fit in a few anecdotes and jokes, too. His gags are definitely “dad jokes”,
but a lot of fun nonetheless. As for the songs he includes on the set list,
they’re all sung perfectly. There’s no Meatloaf-style vocal deterioration here.
Like a fine wine, Farnham’s booming voice is getting better with age. His
ability to drown out his incredibly good band with his powerhouse voice is
quite something to witness.
You can rest assured that a cabal of the very best of his
sparkling back catalogue are there: ‘That’s Freedom’, ‘Two Strong Hearts’, a
hauntingly perfect ‘Burn For You’ featuring Brett Garsed on acoustic guitar,
‘Playing to Win’ from Farnham’s Little River Band Days, ‘Pressure Down’. And
there was even a jovial rendition of ‘Sadie the Cleaning Lady’, which Farnham
says, to dispel a myth, that he doesn’t hate, because it got him to where he is
today, and goes on to admit that it still probably isn’t the best song he’s
ever recorded. At least the man is honest.
Obviously, no John Farnham concert is complete without
‘You’re The Voice’, and last night it was as epic as ever. If you’re a Farnham
‘hater’, and have never seen him live, I challenge you to buy a ticket to his
next show and sit in a crowd during that song. If it doesn’t make the hair
stand up on the back of your neck, there’s something wrong. The heavy drum
beat, Farnham’s vocals, the appearance of bagpipers for the mid-song solo, ten
thousand people belting out the words to one of our country’s greatest
anthems…there’s nothing like it.
So, how do you top such a moment? Easy! By launching into a
blistering rendition of what Farnham rightly calls “the greatest rock and roll
song ever written” – AC/DC’s ‘It’s a Long Way To The Top’, which brought the
house down once more, perfectly capping a great night.
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