2 days on and I stand by my initial take on Gladys Knight live in the year 2020: there isn’t a greater soul singer alive, and nor is there a pop star I’ve seen in my 30 years of gig-going capable of a more flawless in-concert vocal performance. The fact all of this is delivered by someone aged…
Tag: Concerts
12 Months Of NZ Herald Concert Reviews, Incl. Paul McCartney, Queen, Katy Perry, Shania Twain, Cat Stevens & Cher.
12 months ago I started reviewing concerts for the New Zealand Herald. Not every week and not even every month, but on average, every couple of months I’d find myself with pen and notepad at a gig by one of the biggest artists of all time. Tough job but someone has to do it! So,…
Katy Perry Live Review: Her “Bonkers” Auckland Concert, August 2018 – NZ Herald
With all the excitement of Pink’s just finished, record-breaking run of seven sold out New Zealand concerts (six in Auckland and one in Dunedin), it’s easy to forget that another female superstar of the same generation was also in town at almost the exact same time. If we wind the clock back about three years, it…
The Most Remote Music Fest In The World: Backstage At The Big Red Bash With John Farnham & Daryl Braithwaite – My Top 50 Photos
In July I was invited to the deepest depths of the Australian Outback to cover the self-described “most remote music festival in the world”, Queensland’s Big Red Bash. With John Farnham the headline act and fellow Aussie baby boomer star Daryl Braithwaite also on the bill, I went to the towering sand dunes on the…
Cat Stevens Live: My NZ Herald Review Of His ‘Intimate And Grand’ Auckland Concert
It’s not everyday you get a retweet from Cat Stevens. Indeed it would be slightly odd if Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam loved your Twitter feed to such an extent. But a one off? I’ll take it. Apparently the man himself liked my review of his Auckland concert late last year and humbly said, that’s a massive…
Paul McCartney Live: My NZ Herald Review Of His ‘Profound’ Auckland Concert
On Saturday I had the honour of being asked to review the Paul McCartney concert in Auckland for the New Zealand Herald. The pressure! With an understandably tight deadline, I was up until 3am trying to capture what made this three-hour event so remarkable. Here is the link: Review: Paul McCartney’s ‘profound’ Auckland concert Thanks…
Top 20 Photos From Bruce Springsteen’s Auckland Concert, Feb 25 2017
I’m not going to lie, these images are unlikely to win any awards in the field of concert photography, not least because even with a 30x zoom and a reasonably flash Lumix camera, I was still much further from The Boss than was ideal this past Saturday night in Auckland, New Zealand. That said, they hopefully can give…
The End Of The Purple Reign: Prince Dead At 57
This morning I woke up to a text message that read “Noooooooooooo” and had a link to an article. Half asleep and thinking I’d probably click on whatever the link was and read it later, I felt wide awake as soon as I clicked. Can’t believe it. Prince is dead at the age…
In The Presence Of Genius – Reflections On Prince’s Auckland Concerts, Plus A Live B-Side Classic
Prince at the American Music Awards, 2015. We toss the word “legend” around fairly willy-nilly in New Zealand. I guess if we call our mates “legend” when they buy us a drink or give us a ride somewhere then it’s little surprise we extol far too many musicians with two albums and three hits with…
Barry Gibb At The Hollywood Bowl: How The Mythology Tour Was Always A Homecoming
Barry Gibb. Almost two weeks on from the Hollywood Bowl and countless five-star reviews later, it’s time for at least one more splurge of praise from that Seger-less Hollywood Night. Barry Gibb; Barry Effin’ Gibb (not his real middle name*). Who knows, maybe Bob Seger was there? We know A-listers like Jimmy Connors, Barry Manilow, Bill…
Barry Gibb’s Boston Concert: A Springsteen Cover, Bee Gees Songs Never Performed Live Before And Hit After Hit
Reading the reviews for Barry Gibb’s first American Mythology concert, last night’s show in Boston, I’d rate this the strongest collection of songs in the tour to date. Looking at the material chosen and the length of the show (2 1/2 hours) – this is not an artist dialing it in, going through the motions….
25 Record-Breaking Reasons To See Barry Gibb’s Mythology Tour 2014
Here are 25 reasons, records and scarcely believable achievements to make seeing the sole surviving Bee Gee Barry Gibb on his six date North American tour a no-brainer. While emotional, the Mythology Tour is far from maudlin and is more-so a celebration of the incredible legacy of all the brothers, Barry, Robin, Maurice and Andy Gibb….